The next day began with a surprise.
"What, our squad is being called to the battlefield?.." I muttered, staring at the official letter I had just pulled out of the envelope. The village seal, the signatures from headquarters — everything was authentic. No mistake.
Today, we were supposed to go on a routine D-rank mission — nothing complicated, just standard work to earn some money and get some training. But instead of a mission scroll, we were handed an envelope with an order.
I slowly read the text again:
"By decision of the village defense headquarters:
Kotetsu Hagane, Genma Shiranui, and Might Guy are to be immediately deployed to the front lines to replenish the insufficient number of personnel required for strategic operations. The term of assignment is set for five months.
Time and place of departure — today at exactly 12:00 at the village's eastern gate.
During the assignment, Team 4 is officially transferred under the overall command of Koharu Utatane.
Tactical leadership and operational coordination of the squad will be carried out by experienced jōnin — Gaku Inuzuka."
I exhaled and slowly lowered the sheet.
"You read it?" I asked, looking at Guy and Genma, still holding the envelope in my hands. The paper was slightly crumpled — my fingers were gripping it harder than I realized.
Genma nodded calmly, raising a senbon to his mouth.
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Only the wind quietly rustled through the treetops, and somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped gently.
"Then we meet at the gate at 12," I repeated, quickly turning and wasting no time running home.
Dozens of thoughts spun in my head. Why is everything happening so suddenly? Of course, I expected a summons, but not one this abrupt.
A feeling of unpreparedness overtook me — I wasn't ready for this level of responsibility yet. But if I didn't follow the order, I would inevitably be labeled a deserter.
"Alright," I thought. "Time to put doubt aside. What matters now is preparing properly."
Two hours later, I sat in my room, wearily staring at four scrolls neatly laid out in front of me. My gear was scattered around: kunai, shuriken, ninja wire, smoke bombs, explosive tags. Nearby lay a couple of vials of poison I had managed to acquire — just in case.
My backpack stood to the side, already almost full. It held spare clothes and shoes, a sleeping bag, and hand guards — to protect my hands and enhance strikes. On the shelf were soldier pills to speed up recovery, long-lasting rations, and water bottles.
I counted the money left after all the purchases — four thousand ryō. That was almost all that remained after I spent around forty thousand on gear. Practically everything I had earned from two C-rank missions.
Having calmed down a bit, I finally allowed myself a deep breath and assessed the situation. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as it had seemed at first. Lately, I had acquired several new techniques — though some were basic and utilitarian, they still expanded my arsenal and gave me new options. Of course, I wished I had more time to train and perfect them, but even this was already something.
I smiled a little, realizing that despite the rush and the unexpected order, I still had a chance to prove myself and keep progressing. Now it was all about using the resources wisely.
"Well, time to go," I thought, carefully rolling up the scrolls and sealing them. Each scroll was securely closed to preserve all the knowledge and not lose a single detail.
Having packed up, I placed all the gear into my backpack, checked my kunai and shuriken, and made sure everything was in place. Time was passing relentlessly — we were to meet at the eastern gate at exactly 12 o'clock.
Leaving the house, I inhaled the fresh air and headed to the meeting point.
Arriving ten minutes early, I was surprised — a large group of fellow classmates had already gathered at the eastern gate. I had thought that only Guy, Genma, and I had been called up, but no — many familiar faces were here, and even some I barely recognized.
"Oh, Kotetsu, hey!" my classmates greeted me, walking up with smiles and friendly teasing.
"Yeah, hey," I replied, trying to hide my slight embarrassment from the unexpected company. "How are you guys? Ready?"
They started talking about their training, exchanging impressions and tips. There was tension and anticipation in the air — everyone understood serious work lay ahead.
"You got the order too?" one of them asked, shrugging.
"Yeah," I nodded. "Five months on the front line. It'll be tough, but we have to prepare."
We got into conversation, sharing news and thoughts, and after about ten minutes, the rest of my team joined us.
Suddenly, a voice came from the other side of the gate. Everyone automatically fell silent and turned their heads.
A ninja appeared near the gate in standard village attire with a jōnin vest and the distinctive Inuzuka fang marks. Beside him sat a large brown dog, attentively surveying the area.
"Guess that's our leader," someone next to me whispered.
The ninja took a few steps forward, his dog obediently staying at his side.
He raised a hand to get our attention and spoke:
"Listen up," he began, looking at each of us in turn. "My name is Gaku Inuzuka, and I'll be your commander until we reach the frontline."
He paused to make sure everyone was listening.
"Your task is to follow orders precisely and keep up with the group's pace. Understood? We move as one unit, and the success of the team depends on each of you."
Gaku glanced at the dog sitting calmly at his feet, then looked back at us.
"If any of you face problems — physical, technical, or otherwise — speak up immediately. We need to work as a team, and any delay could cost lives."
He stepped forward again, adding weight to his words.
"We're in the preparation phase now. Many trials await us, and I expect you not only to listen but to learn on the move. What lies ahead is a real war, and war does not forgive mistakes."
"We move out," Gaku said, and the crowd around me stirred slightly, feeling the moment approaching.
In front of me stood about a hundred genin and a few chunin, if my judgment was right.
But what truly surprised me — among all these faces, there wasn't a single representative from any clan. No recognizable symbols, no family names that stood out.
I looked around, trying to spot at least one familiar clan member. Nothing — not even from my own class.
"Maybe I'm wrong," I thought, but once we began to move forward, all doubt vanished. This wasn't a mistake — this decision had come from the top.
And thus, the march to the front began…
Kotetsu Hagane – Profile:
Ninjutsu — 2
Taijutsu — 1.5
Genjutsu — 1
Intelligence — 3
Strength — 1
Speed — 2
Chakra — 1
Seals — 2.5
Total — 14
Techniques:
• Body Replacement Technique – Rank E
• Clone Technique – Rank E
• Transformation Technique – Rank E
• Wind Style: Great Wind Gust – Rank C
• Wind Style: Weapon Hail! – Rank ?
• Light String Formation – Rank D
• Wind Style: Weapon Coating – Rank ?
• Body Flicker Technique – Rank D