Aokawa extended his right hand, fingers splayed, and the Ninja Blade on the ground trembled before rapidly flying into his hand.
This was an adaptation of his Hirenkyaku technique; since it could move people, it naturally worked for other objects as well.
This move left everyone present in awe, marveling that anyone taught by Shirakumo Hayama was truly exceptional.
Offstage, the calm expression in Shirakumo Hayama's eyes instantly vanished.
I really didn't teach him this!
He didn't even know how to do this move himself!
Moreover, the move was so cool it impressed even him; he would have to ask the kid how he pulled it off after the match.
The crowd's gaze toward Aokawa grew increasingly expectant and favorable.
Just moments ago, Aokawa had said he hadn't studied for long and hadn't grasped the essence.
On the surface, it seemed like humility, but in reality, he was giving everyone a heads-up.
If his swordsmanship proved inferior to Uchiha Inabi's, it wouldn't be because Shirakumo Hayama's skills were poor, but because Aokawa hadn't learned them well enough.
At such a young age, he was quite adept at handling social situations from all angles, far better than that Uchiha Inabi.
On the field, the tension between the two was palpable as they prepared to strike.
A sharp cry rang out, followed by a Ninja Hawk flapping its wings and landing on Uchiha Hachidai.
Seeing the bamboo tube with a top-secret Seal on the hawk's leg, Uchiha Hachidai frowned and hurried to remove it.
The contents of the paper inside the tube were divided into two parts.
The first part was intelligence from the Village regarding Kumogakure.
It mentioned that after Kumogakure's surprise attack on Sunagakure, they forced them to sign a series of unequal treaties.
Now that their army was on its way back, Konoha's Main Camp in the Land of Hot Springs was warned to be on high alert against a sudden attack from Kumogakure.
The second part was a command from the Main Camp in the Land of Hot Springs, attached to the intelligence, for him as the captain of this outpost garrison base.
The order also required him to pay close attention to Kumogakure's movements; if attacked, they were to hold their ground, scout the enemy's situation, and wait for reinforcements.
Uchiha Hachidai frowned after reading it.
Because the air was currently thick with the smoke of war, and to avoid triggering the sensitive nerves of both sides...
The garrisons of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire in the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Springs were not all pushed to the front lines.
Instead, they were stationed in the heartlands of the two countries.
Outpost bases were set up at the borders to serve as scouts.
For reinforcements to travel from the Main Camp to the outpost, the journey would take at least half a day at the fastest pace.
With the few dozen men under him, holding the ground against a small-scale raid would be one thing.
But now the Kumogakure Army was returning, and they were expected to hold for half a day... "What's wrong?"
Seeing Uchiha Hachidai's serious expression, everyone gathered around.
"Kumogakure crushed Sunagakure faster than expected. They are already on their way back. High command requires us to be on high alert and hold our ground."
"What?!"
"The Kumogakure Army?!"
The crowd instantly fell into a commotion as panic began to spread.
The Ninjas who had just been laughing while watching Aokawa and the others spar suddenly turned pale.
Aokawa frowned upon hearing this.
Uchiha Hachidai had just blurted out news of this magnitude so casually.
While it's true that announcing some news can unite people and achieve a common hatred for the enemy...
Announcing that the Kumogakure Army was imminent served no purpose other than creating panic.
Aokawa shook his head inwardly: "As expected, the Uchiha Clan is better suited to be vanguards leading the charge; decision-making is not their forte."
For a moment, the people at the base felt a dark cloud pressing down on them.
Uchiha Hachidai also realized the problem after the fact and hurriedly added, "The Village and the Main Camp have already summoned reinforcements. Once the battle begins, they will arrive within half a day."
Hearing this, the weight in everyone's hearts lifted slightly.
Seeing that everyone was somewhat reassured, Uchiha Hachidai began to issue orders: "Everyone, from now on, enter Level Two Alert Status."
"Xun, your injuries haven't fully healed yet. You're responsible for setting traps within the base. If the enemy captures it, we'll have a way out."
"Inabi, you're in charge of scheduling the guard and patrol units. Everyone, work hard to increase the patrol frequency and keep a close eye on the movements across from us."
"Hideki, unseal all combat supplies in the warehouse and coordinate their distribution..."
"Kazuyuki, you..."
Uchiha Hachidai methodically arranged everything item by item.
In the end, only Shirakumo Hayama, Aokawa, Hinata Iruha, and Yamanaka Shimi remained.
"Hachidai, although the four of us are only here on a temporary mission, we can still contribute," Shirakumo Hayama stepped forward and said.
"We aren't in a state of war yet, so I have no authority to mobilize you. But since you've said so, Sohma, I won't be polite," Uchiha Hachidai said happily.
He turned to Aokawa and Hinata Iruha: "The scouting range of you two is wide. I'll have to trouble you both to take turns monitoring the opposite bank."
"Sohma and Shimi, the two of you will join me as mobile support."
The group nodded, indicating no objections.
"Then..."
"Boom!"
A violent explosion rang out, interrupting Uchiha Hachidai's words.
Flames flared up in the distance, followed by bursts of lightning.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" Cries rang out one after another.
Then came rounds of screams.
"It's the Guard Post by the bridge!" Uchiha Hachidai's heart skipped a beat.
Seeing this, everyone hurried toward the site of the explosion.
Aokawa and Hinata Iruha activated their Byakugan immediately.
"It's Saga! They're moving very fast. Twenty people in front have already crossed the bridge. They just broke through our Guard Post and are heading for the base's outer wall. There are over thirty more people following behind across the bridge," Hinata Iruha reported the situation seen with the Byakugan in a few quick words.
"Four kilometers away, a massive amount of Chakra reactions has appeared. The number exceeds three hundred, and they are expected to cross the bridge in two minutes," Aokawa added afterward.
"Three hundred?" While sprinting, Uchiha Inabi's eyes widened. "Are you kidding? We only have fifty people here, all told! Three hundred... that makes three hundred and fifty people in total with the original group!"
Hearing this, Hinata Iruha also immediately adjusted his Byakugan's vision to four kilometers away, and his face instantly turned deathly pale. "It's true... so many, such strong Chakra!"
"Four kilometers!" Uchiha Hachidai clenched his fists. "That bastard Saga really went to the trouble of hiding them so far away."
As he sprinted, he grabbed a Ninja Hawk, sealed the written intelligence into a bamboo tube, and released it.
By the time the group reached the Battlefield, some enemies had already climbed the tall outer wall and were fighting the defending Ninjas.
As they drew near, three more people climbed up.
Seeing this, Uchiha Inabi's hands began to form hand signs rapidly.
The next moment!
From the corner of his eye, he saw a burst of Chakra even faster than his own: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A scorching fireball shot forward, engulfing the three men on the wall. They screamed and stumbled back a few steps before falling off the wall.
Uchiha Inabi whipped his head around, looking at the smoke from the fire just dissipating from Aokawa's mouth and his slowly lowering right hand.
His mouth hung open, his face full of disbelief!
You, a member of the Hyuga Clan, actually know Ninjutsu?
And you use Fire Release faster than me, an Uchiha?
And with one-handed signs?
Is... is this even logical?
However, he had no time to think it through as another enemy had already climbed the outer wall.
He drew his Ninja Blade and used the Body Flicker Technique to slash toward him...
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