"Excellent! Finally, we're going to battle again." Haruki couldn't contain his excitement.
Although the battlefield was fraught with danger, for him, it was a place of great nourishment.
As the saying goes, how can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den?
For the sake of emotional value, what's a battlefield?
Haruki began to pack his belongings for the battlefield in his single apartment.
Ninja tools must be fully prepared: Kunai, shurikens, senbon, steel wire, smoke bombs, explosive tags, poison, antidote, long sword, armor…
After Haruki had packed everything, he lied on the bed, stretched contentedly, and casually placed his hands behind his head.
Haruki closed his eyes, waiting for the next day to arrive.
...
Knock knock knock—
Haruki on the bed opened his eyes.
His system alarm hadn't gone off yet, which meant it wasn't even five in the morning. Haruki jumped out of bed, got ready, and opened the door.
Suzaku appeared before him.
"Ready to depart." Suzaku was concise.
Haruki was shocked. "So fast!"
But isn't war all about seizing the initiative?
Haruki nodded seriously. "I'm ready."
Suzaku turned and said, "Follow me."
Haruki's hand, closing the door, suddenly paused.
Noticing that Haruki hadn't followed, Suzaku turned to look at him, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
Before Suzaku could ask, Haruki immediately ducked into the room, and when he reappeared, a broom was on his back.
Suzaku: "..."
The door closed, and Haruki breathed a sigh of relief, now he had everything.
Haruki followed beside Suzaku, vaguely excited. Suzaku's peripheral vision constantly fell on the broom on Haruki's back.
He hesitated for a long time, finally unable to resist asking midway, "Why bring a broom? When going to the battlefield, it's best to keep everything simple."
Haruki touched the broom behind him and said, "It's not an ordinary broom."
Suzaku looked left and right but couldn't see any difference between this broom and an ordinary broom.
"You will know later." Haruki mysteriously winked at Suzaku.
Led by Suzaku, Haruki got closer and closer to the iron tower in Amegakure. Rainwater continuously washed over the iron tower of Amegakure.
On the flat ground beneath the iron tower, muddy water splashed.
Thousands of Amegakure ninjas stood silently in formation. They wore dark ninja uniforms, with armor on their chests and arms, reflecting a cold glint in the dim light.
The rain wet their hair and clothes, and they pressed their lips together, their eyes sharp. A murderous aura condensed, overpowering the continuous sound of rain.
In front of the neat ninja ranks, Hanzo's figure was particularly conspicuous. He was fully armored, his iconic gas mask perfectly fastened to his face, his pupils deep, looking straight ahead. His unwavering gaze suddenly shifted, looking towards Haruki and Suzaku.
"Sensei!"
Haruki quickly walked towards Hanzo. He stood beside Hanzo. Suzaku, like a shadow, stood silently behind Hanzo.
Hanzo looked down at Haruki and asked, "Are you scared?"
Haruki shook his head without hesitation. "No!"
Hanzo indeed saw no fear in Haruki's eyes, he only saw excitement and eagerness.
Hanzo tightened his grip on the chain scythe in his hand, the huge weapon seemed weightless in his grasp.
"Good!"
As expected of his student!
Hanzo's gaze fell on the Amegakure ninjas, and his voice, coming through the mask, carried an undeniable authority, overpowering the sound of wind and rain, clearly echoing above the heads of all Amegakure ninjas.
"The Land of Wind is insatiably greedy, attempting to treat our Land of Rain as their backyard."
"They view our desire for peace as weakness and something to be bullied."
Hanzo paused, his cold gaze sweeping over the steel-like ranks below.
Wherever his gaze fell, the Amegakure ninjas subconsciously straightened their backs and tightened their grip on their weapons.
"Today, we will not remain silent!"
"Today, we respond to provocation with weapons!"
"Today, we declare our boundaries with war!"
The strong wind whipped up rain, lashing at the faces and bodies of the Amegakure ninjas. Their eyes burned as they stared at Hanzo, their breathing ragged.
"For the dignity of the Land of Rain! For the future of the Land of Rain!"
"Depart!"
Hanzo let out a roar.
The Amegakure ninjas' figures flashed. Like a black torrent, they rushed towards the border where the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind met.
Hanzo said to Haruki, "Your first challenge is to keep up with our speed."
After speaking, his figure, in a few leaps, had already reached the front of the team.
Haruki looked at the broom behind him, then at Hanzo in front.
Forget it, it's better not to use the cheat for now, lest Hanzo gets enraged later.
Haruki chased after Hanzo. Hanzo watched Haruki appear beside him. Catching up to him wasn't difficult, he knew Haruki was fast, but the challenge was maintaining that speed consistently.
The rain did not stop the whole way, instead becoming more intense midway, the cold rain mercilessly lashing at everyone.
The road quickly turned into a muddy swamp, but it did not affect the ninjas'speed. The Amegakure ninjas were already accustomed to the weather in the Land of Rain.
Hanzo was at the very front of the team, his steps steady and his speed extremely great. His peripheral vision occasionally fell on Haruki beside him. Even now, Haruki had not fallen behind.
The Amegakure ninjas maintained astonishing discipline in the harsh environment.
No one complained, different types of ninjas performed their respective duties.
Haruki took out the broom from behind him. Hanzo saw his action, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"Sensei, I can scout the way for everyone." Haruki said to Hanzo.
Hanzo glanced at Haruki and said, "There are sensory ninjas."
"I can see further and more accurately." Haruki got on his broom and soared into the sky.
Hanzo stopped, looking in shock at Haruki flying high in the sky.
The Amegakure ninjas also all looked up, their mouths agape, the murderous aura instantly dissipating completely.
"So cool!"
Haruki excitedly patted the broom and said, "This is much more comfortable than traveling on foot."
He slowly descended, floating in front of Hanzo.
Hanzo stared at Haruki's broom and said, "What kind of Ninjutsu is this?"
Haruki opened his mouth and uttered a perfect lie, "This isn't Ninjutsu! It's a curse!"
"A curse?"
Hanzo looked at the broom in confusion.
Is there really a curse in this shape?