Konoha Gate.
"Lord Sakumo, Lord Jiraiya, the vanguard unit has assembled. Please give your orders!"
Sakumo Hatake stood in front of everyone, scanned the entire area, and then said in a deep voice.
"Depart!"
"Yes! X2000."
After a synchronised response, the vanguard unit began to move, everyone maintaining a steady pace. From above, two thousand Ninja all rushed into the jungle, rapidly advancing towards the Border Line.
"Maintain formation and pay attention to stamina consumption."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, while leaping through the forest, also instructed the three people beside him.
"Yes! X3"
The three responded while controlling their speed. Time was pressing, so they had to be mentally prepared for a long-distance assault.
"Captain, what's the situation like on the front line?"
Ren approached Sarutobi Shinnosuke, lowering his voice as he asked. The two others beside him also turned their gazes towards them.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke glanced at the three of them, looked around to make sure no one else was paying attention to them while focusing on their journey, and then spoke.
"The situation is a bit urgent because Sunagakure's surprise attack caught the Border Line forces off guard. Although they eventually succeeded in repelling the Sunagakure, the Border Line forces suffered heavy losses, which is why they sent a message to the Village, requesting the support of our vanguard unit. This is to prevent the Border Line from falling and leading to the fall of the Land of Fire."
"Is that so..."
A few of them fell silent. No one expected that it would be the weakest Hidden Sand Village that would initiate the war. War was like this; yesterday you might have been picnicking with your wife and children, but today you had to put on armour and go into battle to kill the enemy.
Life and death are determined by heaven; not by man in the slightest.
"Then what is Sunagakure's reason for starting the war?"
Ryufeng suddenly asked from the side.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was silent for a moment, then popped a Soldier Ration Pill into his mouth.
"It's still unclear, but now the reason doesn't matter anymore. Since they chose to start a war, the consequences are no longer up to them."
Ryufeng also stopped speaking and began to silently continue his journey.
Ren, however, knew the full story. Sunagakure's sudden attack was because their Third Kazekage had gone missing. To prevent internal strife within the Village, the elders decided to declare war on Konoha, shifting the blame onto Konoha. Thus, incited by the high-ranking elders, the enraged Sunagakure Ninja turned their aggression towards Konoha, igniting the first battle of the Third Shinobi World War.
The sun was gradually setting in the west.
They were less than fifty li from the Border Line, and the Ninja, who had been on the move for several hours, were already quite exhausted.
Sakumo Hatake, who was at the very front, stopped and called for a messenger, giving him instructions.
"Pass it down, everyone adjust in place for a quarter of an hour, then continue forward. We must reach the Border Line before dark!"
Upon receiving the order to adjust, everyone collectively sighed in relief. Some leaned against tree trunks, closing their eyes to rest, while others took out Soldier Ration Pills and consumed them. Everyone was savouring this last bit of rest time, because what they would face next was a war where they could lose their lives at any moment.
Ren's team of three sat together, recovering their stamina while chatting.
"Brother Hayama, is this a Naginata?"
Ren looked curiously at Hayama beside him, his gaze fixed on a long sword.
"Yes, this was left to me by my father. Would you like to see it?"
Hayama drew the Naginata from his back and handed it to Ren, motioning for him to take it.
"Hehe, then I won't be polite."
Ren took the sword, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the cold, shimmering blade. What boy doesn't love cold weapons? Ren had always wanted a better weapon, but he didn't care for the inferior ones, and the good ones weren't available to him. In the end, Ren could only pay out of his own pocket to forge two Kunai made of refined iron to make do for now. He planned to get a divine weapon to play with in the future if he had the chance.
"Good sword. Here you go, Brother Hayama."
Ren collected his thoughts, handed the sword back, and Hayama nodded, reinserting the sword into the scabbard on his back.
Just as they were chatting, Sarutobi Shinnosuke appeared before them.
"Adjustment complete, continue forward."
"Yes! X3"
A few of them dared not delay, quickly got up and followed behind their Captain, maintaining formation, and continued forward.
The last stretch of the journey was smooth, with no incidents. Finally, in the evening, the vanguard unit successfully arrived at the Border Line. Sakumo Hatake led the vanguard unit to quickly take over the Border Line forces' defences and integrated the Border Line forces into the vanguard unit, consolidating their strength. With this as their forward Konoha Camp, they began to set up camp around it.
Ren and the other two walked through the Konoha Camp. Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been called by Sakumo Hatake to attend a wartime meeting, so the three of them could only wander around to understand the situation.
Ren looked around, seeing dozens of tents rising from the ground. Ninjas were constantly moving in and out of the tents, each bearing more or less some scars, looking quite dishevelled. These should be the remaining personnel of the Border Line forces.
"So here you are."
A few of them turned around and nodded in acknowledgement.
"Captain! X3"
Shinnosuke nodded, beckoning for them to follow.
"The situation is not bad. Although the Border Line forces suffered heavy losses, they successfully held the defence line and did not allow the Sunagakure to invade the Land of Fire. According to the latest intelligence, large numbers of Sunagakure have crossed the Border Line of the Land of Wind and have set up camp in the Land of Rivers. The Commander is Sunagakure's Advisor Elder, "Super-Class Puppeteer" Chiyo, and the Vice Commander is Chiyo's younger brother, Ebizo, known as the "Sunagakure Strategist." With this brother and sister duo personally leading the charge, it seems Sunagakure is truly desperate this time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shinnosuke stopped in front of a tent.
"We're here. This is our lodging."
Ren and the others followed closely, entering the tent. Inside, there were seven or eight worn-out wooden beds. Shinnosuke walked to a bed and lay down.
"Tents are scarce right now, so two squads will have to share one tent. Rest up quickly; there might be a mission soon."
"Yes! X3"
The three of them each found a bed and lay down, savouring the last moment of peace before the war.
A moment later, the sound of a tent flap opening came, and the few of them opened their eyes, realising that another squad had arrived.
Three men and one woman, followed by a large dog almost as tall as a person. The one standing at the very front had red war paint on his face and was the first to greet Shinnosuke upon seeing them.
"Long time no see, Shinnosuke. I didn't expect our two squads to be assigned together."
"Haha, Gaku, long time no see. Although I'd love to catch up with you, you should quickly arrange for your squad to rest. Now is not a good time for catching up."
"You're right. Then let these children rest first."
Inuzuka Gaku also understood priorities and urged the others behind him to quickly lie down and rest.
Just as Ren closed his eyes, a voice came from the bed next to him.
"Long time no see, Ren."
"Hm?"