"After finishing this patrol mission, I should consult Nara, the chief strategist, and request a reassignment."
Umino Yoru gazed into the distance, a hint of unease creeping into his thoughts.
Not long ago, he had killed Ebizō's disciple. If it weren't for Mitokado Hagi—who, despite his scheming, had inadvertently helped by suppressing the intel—Umino's name would have already been on Ebizō's desk.
But even Hagi's interference could only delay the inevitable. Ebizō would eventually uncover the truth.
Now, the legendary Sand elder loomed over him like the Sword of Damocles, ready to strike at any moment.
Ebizō was Kage-level. Even if he was on the weaker end of that spectrum, Umino stood no chance against him.
Hell, Ebizō didn't even need to come himself—sending a single elite jonin would be enough to make Umino's life a living nightmare.
"Once I return to Shinno City to report, I'll ask Nara for a transfer."
To be safe, Umino immediately created two shadow clones and extended his patrol radius by several kilometers, maintaining 24/7 sonic radar surveillance.
But instead of detecting any Sand infiltration squads, he picked up on a team of Konoha shinobi—elites, no less, all from prominent clans—attempting to penetrate deep into Sand territory.
"Since when did Konoha's noble clans have such a self-sacrificing spirit?"
Umino was baffled. Missions like these—suicide infiltration ops—were usually assigned to low-ranking, expendable shinobi. Clan heirs were never forced into such high-risk tasks.
At most, they'd do what Ebizō's disciple had tried: probing enemy defenses, taking out a few cannon-fodder enemies, and calling it an A-rank mission.
Outside of ANBU, it was rare to see clan elites actually risking their necks like this.
Curious, Umino eavesdropped on their conversation.
"Huh? Danzo's taken command."
A few key details stood out:
After replacing Mitokado Koharu as frontline commander, Shimura Danzo had scrapped her defensive strategy and flooded the field with infiltration missions, aiming to break the stalemate.
But the results were dismal.
Danzo quickly realized the problem: the shinobi sent on these missions were low-ranking, under-equipped civilians. Their numbers meant nothing in small-scale ops.
"If the Will of Fire burns bright, all must serve equally!"
Danzo cared not for status—only results.
So he reassigned the cannon fodder to large-scale battles, where their numbers mattered.
And the clan elites?
They were now the ones spearheading suicide missions.
Of course, Danzo wasn't completely unreasonable.
Complete the mission—destroy a Sand supply depot or bring back nine Sand-nin heads—and you'd be spared.
Fail?
Then you clearly lacked the Will of Fire and didn't deserve to call yourself Konoha shinobi.
"Damn that Danzo! Our clan never should've voted him into the council!"
"Shut up, Shiranui Ryō! You'll get us all killed!"
"Relax, Fūma Tsune. Root's too busy to monitor us. I'm just venting."
"Then vent quietly."
"…Should we just desert? Find some random village, kill a few civilians, and pass them off as Sand-nin?"
"Too late. Danzo's already got the Yamanaka checking every head. It has to be a real Sand shinobi."
"I should've gone to the Rain front instead. Damn you, Shimura Danzo—!"
As the four clan elites cursed Danzo's name and trudged toward their doom, Umino couldn't help but marvel at the irony.
For the first time, being a lowly civilian shinobi had its perks.
Danzo—the Shadow Hokage himself—had inadvertently spared them from suicide duty.
Fate truly worked in mysterious ways.
24-hour surveillance passed without incident.
The front remained quiet—but across enemy lines, explosions occasionally lit up the night. No doubt, more Konoha elites had been caught behind Sand defenses.
Soon, it was time to return to Shinno City for reassignment.
Ebisu arrived with the temporary patrol squad right on schedule.
"Yoru, I won't take your 'Enemy-Exterminator No. 6' for free. Here—high-energy ration bars. Hard to come by."
After mooching yet another batch of Water Bat No. 6, Ebisu actually offered something in return—a small box of sugar-infused chakra supplements.
Umino didn't even reach for it.
"I'd prefer that 'Will of Fire' book of yours. Keep the bars."
"Wha—?!"
Ebisu looked like he'd been asked to hand over his wife. That book was his prized possession—reread 99 times!
But before he could agonize further, Umino and his team were already leaping through the trees, racing back to Shinno City.
The journey was uneventful—no lucky encounters with Sand elites this time.
Within half a day, they arrived.
Kamizuki Shun greeted Umino with some juicy intel:
"Hey, Yoru—heard the rumors? Someone's been running a large-scale weapons smuggling ring with the Sand!"
"Kōganseki's gut says it's legit," the stone-faced shinobi added quietly.
Umino's pulse spiked, but his expression didn't flicker.
"Oh? Any leads on who's behind it?"
"No clue. But it's definitely a major clan pulling the strings."
Realizing he'd treaded into dangerous territory, Kōganseki quickly changed the subject—cuckolded shinobi, skyrocketing ration bar prices, fresh faces at the military brothel…
"Right, right. No politics—just life and dreams."
Umino played along until he'd gleaned enough. Then, after a quick debrief at logistics, he left to prepare for whatever Danzo's new order would bring.
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