Many days had passed since the last night raid, and the injuries of Hōzuki Mangetsu and Minazuki Murasaki had mostly healed.
Since the main forces of both sides had arrived on the front lines, the battlefield had entered a prolonged war of attrition.
At times, the Hidden Mist gained the upper hand and pushed the front several kilometers forward, only for Konoha to quickly reclaim the lost ground. Other times, Konoha held the advantage and nearly drove the Hidden Mist forces out of the Land of Fire entirely.
The clash between the two great powers drew the attention of all nations.
The entire ninja world had descended into chaos.
The Hidden Mist fought Konoha. Sunagakure fought Kumogakure. Kumogakure fought Iwagakure. All Five Great Ninja Villages were now engulfed in war.
Spies from every nation infiltrated enemy territory constantly, gathering intelligence.
Naturally, the battlefield between Konoha and the Hidden Mist—two of the Five Great Ninja Villages—became one of the most closely watched fronts in the entire ninja world.
And the two most prominent figures on that battlefield quickly appeared on the desks of high-ranking officials across multiple nations.
Those two figures were, of course, Minato Namikaze and Asuka.
Their information soon spread across the ninja world.
Kaguya Asuka, a jōnin of Kirigakure from the Kaguya Clan, possessed terrifying regenerative abilities and had earned the nickname "Undying Asuka."
Minato Namikaze, a jōnin of Konoha, was born a commoner and was the disciple of Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin. Having mastered rare space-time ninjutsu, his unparalleled speed earned him the title "Yellow Flash."
Both were outstanding figures of the younger generation.
On the battlefield, each displayed overwhelming dominance.
---
Inside Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, tossed the intelligence reports onto the table.
He crossed his hands and rested his chin on them as he spoke in a deep voice.
"It seems the future belongs to the young."
"Neither of these brats will be easy to deal with."
"Kitsuchi, what do you think?"
Standing beside him, Kitsuchi answered honestly.
"Whether in large-scale battlefield combat or one-on-one confrontation, both of them are extremely dangerous opponents."
"Ordinary ninja simply have no chance against them."
Ōnoki nodded.
"Indeed."
"These two will become serious threats to Iwagakure in the future."
"We must keep them under close observation."
Similar discussions occurred across many nations.
Before long, the names of Asuka and Minato became widely known throughout the ninja world.
---
On the front lines, the two of them gradually developed a silent understanding.
Either only one of them would appear on the battlefield—
Or both would arrive and confront each other directly.
---
One day, after returning from the front lines to rest at the base, Asuka heard some news from Terumi Kenshi.
The Hidden Mist's latest logistics unit was about to arrive.
And Mei Terumī would be coming with it.
Hearing this, Asuka decided to remain at the base for a few extra days to wait for her arrival.
---
Two days later, the Hidden Mist's logistics reinforcements finally arrived.
Asuka and Terumi Kenshi went to the entrance of the base to greet them.
Asuka spotted Mei Terumī immediately among the crowd.
She also saw him.
A smile instantly appeared on her face, though she quickly suppressed it and didn't rush forward excitedly.
The ninja leading the logistics unit was the jōnin A.
As a trusted subordinate of the Third Mizukage, A's presence wasn't only for transporting supplies—he would also serve as a strategic advisor for the front-line forces.
Seeing A reminded Asuka of something.
During the Third Great Ninja War, A would eventually obtain a Byakugan.
Thinking of that, Asuka quietly made a mental note to keep a close eye on him.
It might bring unexpected benefits later.
---
After Terumi Kenshi finished arranging the supplies, Mei Terumī slipped away and went to find Asuka.
"Mei. Long time no see."
"Long time no see! Asuka-kun… did you miss me?"
Mei unexpectedly asked the question directly.
Asuka was momentarily stunned.
By the time he reacted, Mei was already standing right in front of him, her hands behind her back, looking up at him expectantly.
"Of course I did."
"Otherwise, why do you think I waited here specifically for you?"
"You must be hungry. Let me take you to eat something first."
As he spoke, he gently took Mei's hand and led her forward.
The warmth from her fingertips caused the tension in Asuka's mind to ease slightly.
For a moment, the chaos and bloodshed of the battlefield felt far away.
Only the soft forest wind brushed across their joined hands.
Mei's cheeks turned slightly red, but she didn't pull away.
Instead, the joy in her eyes became impossible to hide.
---
"The food here can't compare to what we have in the village."
Asuka pushed open the door to the dining hall.
Inside were only simple tables and chairs.
On the stove sat a pot of brown rice and several dishes of pickled vegetables.
"I'm sorry you have to make do with this for now."
"When the fighting settles down, I'll take you somewhere better."
Mei didn't mind at all.
She grabbed a bowl and chopsticks, served herself rice, and stuffed a bite of pickles into her mouth.
"It's already better than I expected," she said while chewing.
"At least it's hot."
She looked at Asuka.
"You must have gone through a lot on the front lines, right?"
"Rumors in the village say you fought Orochimaru alone and have confronted Konoha's Yellow Flash multiple times."
Asuka smiled and filled his own bowl.
"It's just part of the job."
"But why did you volunteer to come with the logistics team? The battlefield is dangerous."
Although he knew Mei was strong—especially with her two bloodline limits—he still didn't want her exposed to the horrors of war.
"I volunteered."
Mei took another bite of rice.
"I'm not just decoration."
"The clan elders also wanted me to gain battlefield experience."
She paused slightly before continuing.
"And… it's been a long time since I've seen you."
Her voice softened slightly.
But her eyes soon turned determined again.
"My strength can only truly grow on the battlefield."
As the future Fifth Mizukage and the person who would eventually end the Bloody Mist Era, Mei Terumī had never been someone willing to live an ordinary life.
She had her own ambitions.
---
After finishing their meal, Asuka headed to the main command tent for a strategy meeting.
Inside were several veteran jōnin from the village.
Among them were Biwa Jūzō and Raiga Kurosuki, two members of the Six Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist currently rotating off the front lines.
Everyone present could be considered completely trustworthy.
At the center of the tent, A began the meeting.
"Everyone, this meeting is to relay the orders of the Third Mizukage."
"The Mizukage is very satisfied with the current results."
"The resources taken from the Land of Fire—ores, gold, and other materials—have already been transported back to the village in batches."
"However…"
"This war may last longer than we originally expected."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"According to reliable intelligence, Iwagakure may soon declare war on Konoha."
The entire tent immediately erupted into discussion.
No one expected Iwagakure to open a new front against Konoha while already dealing with an invasion from Kumogakure.
A raised his hand to silence the room.
"To further weaken Konoha's strength, the Mizukage has decided to select a team…"
"…to disguise themselves as Iwagakure ninja and attack Konoha."
"The goal is to trigger a war between the two villages as quickly as possible."
In truth, large-scale troop movements and resource transfers were difficult to hide from enemy spies.
Even if nations knew a major operation was happening, however, it was much harder to determine the exact tactics involved.
That was why Konoha had reacted so quickly when the Hidden Mist first invaded the Land of Fire.
Even before the war officially began, Konoha's border forces had been unusually large.
Because of that, Asuka had been unable to crush Konoha immediately, giving them enough time to receive reinforcements.
The Mizukage's plan was simple.
A false-flag operation.
Frame Iwagakure and push them into direct conflict with Konoha.
That was why only trusted ninja had been called to this meeting.
A needed to select a powerful team capable of causing enough destruction to draw Konoha's full attention.
Slowly, A turned his gaze toward Asuka.
"Therefore…"
"The Mizukage has specifically appointed Jōnin Asuka to lead this mission."
"I will serve as the second-in-command."
Everyone inside the tent immediately turned to look at Asuka.
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