Ninjas who get injured during training but fail to receive effective treatment will develop a fear of training.
And if a ninja is afraid even of simulated training, then once they enter a real battlefield, they will naturally become even more fearful, perhaps even more so than those who have never undergone simulated training at all.
Yet, they still have to learn.
Because if they don't, the gap between their village and Konoha's strength will only grow larger.
This is Konoha's open conspiracy, forcing them into an arms race, indirectly wearing them down.
The day of the match finally arrived.
At the Konoha Cinema, every hall was now packed to capacity, reaching the maximum of 5,000 seats.
Yes, you heard that right, it was the Konoha Cinema.
The new equipment developed by Shin, cameras and large projectors, had, over the past six months, come into widespread use.
Now, surveillance cameras had been installed in every street and alley of Konoha.
While greatly increasing public safety, they had also made the work of the Police Department and Guard Division much easier.
At first, some people worried that the presence of cameras would mean a loss of privacy.
But over time, everyone found that the cameras, apart from improving public behavior, hadn't really affected daily life at all, and after several spies were caught thanks to them, people simply got used to it.
To generate revenue, the true Hokage, Shin, had even established a Film & Media Department under the Administration Bureau, using various filming and photography equipment to make movies, enriching the spiritual life of all Konoha's residents.
Over the past six months, few films had been released, and those few were repeatedly screened.
Yet watching movies had already become a regular pastime for many in Konoha, and had brought considerable income to the Finance Bureau.
Unlike usual, this time the match would be broadcast live, with ticket prices set at an astonishing 1,000 ryō each.
But no one thought it was expensive, instead, they felt it was a rare chance to contribute to Konoha, and everyone scrambled to get a ticket.
As the match approached, the cinema's big screen finally lit up.
The first scene wasn't of Training Ground No. 7, but of the special guest commentators, Sakumo and Fukuyama.
Just their appearance alone made many in the audience feel the ticket was worth it, sparking a round of cheers.
"Alright, the match is about to begin!" commentator Sakumo's voice rang out. "But before that, I have to announce a new rule."
"To ensure fairness, the Hokage has placed strict limitations on the three members playing the enemy assassination squad in this match."
"The assassination squad: one, cannot use sensory abilities; two, cannot use the Flying Thunder God Technique; three, cannot use any offensive ninjutsu. The only way they may defeat opponents is through taijutsu."
"As for the 100 ninjas playing our side, they can use any means they wish."
As soon as the rule was announced, all the live viewers were stunned, then they erupted into excitement.
Originally, even in a 3-vs-100 situation, everyone thought this would be a completely one-sided match with no suspense at all, some even thought it would be over in less than ten minutes.
But now, the outcome had suddenly become uncertain, and many people even began to worry for Minato's team.
Everyone in the shinobi world knew Minato was strong, especially his vast sensory range and his godlike mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, which struck fear into countless hearts.
But with all his best abilities sealed away, could they really handle it?
You have to remember, their opponents were all elite members of the new generation of ninjas, not ordinary fighters. And there were as many as a hundred of them.
Fukuyama said, "Now, let's switch the feed to the live scene."
The screen changed, shifting to a high-altitude view of Training Ground No. 7. A spherical camera floated in midair, looking down from above.
The entire Training Ground No. 7 was now in full view.
"What we're seeing now is the setting for this match, Training Ground No. 7, the 'Plains Town.'"
"Some of you may never have been to Plains Town, so I'll give a brief introduction. Plains Town covers a large area, two kilometers in diameter. It was built by the Hokage specifically to train new-generation ninjas in street-fighting tactics and urban assault warfare. As you can see, the central 500-meter-diameter zone is a simulated residential district, surrounded on all sides by forest."
Sakumo spoke, "The camera's switching... alright, now we're looking at the three-man assassination squad, Minato, Fugaku, and Hizashi."
The moment the three appeared on screen, the cinema audience erupted in excitement, their emotions immediately ignited.
---
In a patch of forest, Fugaku's face was dark with displeasure. "You heard the new rules, right? They announced them live over a loudspeaker, not even giving us time to prepare. Isn't that just messing with us?"
Minato glanced around and smiled. "You actually wanted a one-sided slaughter? Shin already said, the purpose of this match is to train them, not to crush them. So this is perfect, isn't it?"
"But we don't know a single thing about our assassination target!" Fugaku pressed on.
"How old? No idea. What do they look like? No idea. Where are they? No idea. What does the item they're carrying look like? Still no idea."
"I don't think it's a problem," Hizashi said from the side. "They said no sensory abilities, but they didn't say anything about the Byakugan. Don't worry, I'll handle the reconnaissance this time."
"And I have an idea."
"Let's hear it," Minato quickly prompted.
"Among those 100 ninjas, there are a few from the Hyūga clan and a few from the Uchiha clan. That means our intel is relatively transparent to them," Hizashi explained.
"In other words, they'll definitely be using the Byakugan to keep tracking us, and they'll be on guard against my Byakugan as well."
"My guess is, they won't put the target in a conspicuous location, to prevent us from striking directly at it."
"But since they don't know which direction we'll attack from, they also won't risk placing the target at any edge of the map."
Minato instantly understood what Hizashi meant. "You're saying they'll disguise the target as one of their own ninjas, hide it among the squad, then set up a decoy target to draw us in, before surrounding and attacking us?"
"If it were me, I'd definitely do it that way," Hizashi replied.
Looking down at the map, Minato gave a goofy grin. "Heh-heh... we're 700 meters in a straight line from the town center. They've definitely spotted us already."
"But I'm betting they won't risk making the first move."
"So here's what we'll do... and then this... we'll completely mess up their formation."
"Hehe..." Fugaku and Hizashi exchanged sinister smiles at his words.