In the afternoon, the troops set off in full force—a massive procession nearly a thousand strong. Nearly five hundred had come from both major and minor clans. Among them, the Uchiha sent the smallest number—only about twenty people—while even the Hyuga dispatched an entire fifty members from their branch family.
But Saitama didn't care one bit. The Uchiha's combat effectiveness wasn't about numbers!
After marching nonstop for three days, Konoha's reinforcements finally reached the frontline.
Here, the battle had already turned into a stalemate. Konoha and Sunagakure were locked in fierce back-and-forth fighting. Though Konoha appeared stronger on paper, they couldn't commit all their forces to this front. After all, Konoha wasn't only fighting against Sunagakure. As a great nation surrounded on all sides by enemies, Konoha faced multiple battlefronts simultaneously.
The generals commanding this front against Sunagakure were Orochimaru and Nara Shikaku, who was still quite young but already famed for his strategic brilliance.
Once they settled into camp and found accommodations, Uchiha Hayashi followed Orochimaru's summons toward the main command tent. Orochimaru needed to hold a meeting to assign upcoming combat missions to each unit!
This meeting continued until late at night, and Saitama couldn't fall asleep inside his tent.
One reason was the oppressive atmosphere of being truly on a battlefield, stirring uneasiness within him. Another reason was that he simply dared not fall into deep sleep in such an environment.
At midnight, the camp grew quiet, with only patrolling guards still moving around, monitoring everything within and beyond the camp.
Tossing and turning restlessly, Saitama decided to step out of the tent for a walk, despite Uchiha Hayashi having previously warned against wandering off at night.
The sky was as dark as ink, dotted sparsely with stars faintly twinkling. In the lonely air of this night, silence thickened further.
Saitama's tent stood right next to Uchiha Hayashi's, but apparently he had already gone to bed. Not knowing whether he was asleep or not, Saitama didn't want to disturb him and instead chose to head another direction.
There were still many patrols, moving with high frequency. Along his walk, Saitama encountered several groups. Each person possessed formidable skill—at least Saitama could sense the abundant chakra, the life energy ninjas draw upon, flowing within them.
Saitama himself wasn't sure exactly where he intended to go so late at night. He just wandered around, quietly taking in Konoha's defenses.
Approaching a shadowed area, Saitama suddenly noticed a familiar figure not far ahead. This place was already near the main tent. Perhaps Orochimaru also liked taking strolls around the camp at night?
He dared not call out or greet him—Saitama knew his own rank was too low, completely incomparable with Orochimaru's stature.
Under the moonlight, that figure lifted his head, hair gently swaying in the night breeze. What remained visible to Saitama was merely a lone, proud back.
Swallowing hard, Saitama realized how charming Orochimaru appeared now—radiating both immense power and calm stability.
Slowly stepping back, Saitama didn't wish to interrupt Orochimaru.
One step… then another… Suddenly, Saitama abruptly halted mid-step. His entire body seemed to freeze stiff.
A pair of golden snake-like eyes locked onto Saitama, a flicker of sinister amusement flashing in them.
Saitama watched as Orochimaru turned around, facing him with a faint smile.
"I can feel your inner unease!" Orochimaru approached Saitama, lowered his head slightly, and whispered.
At that moment, Saitama felt the evening breeze turn icy cold, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. Despite months of training, Orochimaru's aura still made him feel suffocated—he was practically gasping for air.
The tension in the air thickened briefly, then suddenly lifted as Saitama felt Orochimaru release his oppressive presence.
"So young and already joining the battlefield? Has the Uchiha clan really run out of people?" Orochimaru pursed his lips; his tongue briefly slithered from his mouth as he spoke in a hoarse tone.
"Lord Orochimaru, you flatter me. As a member of Konoha, I have the responsibility to protect it, and coming to the frontline was my own decision."
"When has the Uchiha ever had someone like this?" Orochimaru showed more interest now. This brat's words were somewhat intriguing—not like the typical Uchiha he had met before.
"You graduated from the Ninja Academy less than half a year ago, yet you voluntarily applied for combat duty. Are you confident about your strength?" Orochimaru asked again.
Saitama lowered his head, his heart tightening—Orochimaru actually knew about him.
"The battlefield is where every ninja truly belongs, isn't it, Lord Orochimaru?" Saitama didn't back down, raising his head to stare directly into those shining snake-like pupils.
"You should get some rest early. The Uchiha have their hands full," Orochimaru said without further questioning, turning around and walking toward the tent.
He had become slightly interested in this young Uchiha kid with bold confidence despite his tender age. According to his perception, Saitama also possessed chakra equivalent to that of an average Chunin.
If this war ended and this Uchiha named Saitama survived, Orochimaru wouldn't mind doing something—because he saw in Saitama's eyes the same burning hunger for power that he once had.
Unlike ordinary human wars, where massive supplies are stockpiled behind the camp to sustain the conflict, resupply in a ninja war happens only every few days. After all, infiltrating a ninja to burn food supplies or sabotage logistics isn't difficult at all.
On the second day after arriving at the frontline, Saitama learned about his mission.
Given the unique nature of ninja wars, each conflict always includes several alternative supply routes needing protection by ninjas. Saitama's current assignment was guarding one such route, ensuring the safe transportation of supplies.
Although these routes were critical information for Konoha, they might still be discovered by enemy spies—infiltrators among ninjas are nearly impossible to catch off guard.
Saitama's squad consisted of four members total. Kawaki, a thirty-year-old Konoha ninja skilled in Earth Release techniques, holding the rank of Chunin; Hayato Willow, a Konoha sword-wielding ninja practicing Konoha-ryu swordsmanship, also a Chunin; Itsuki Hyuga, a branch house member ranked as Chunin. And finally there was Saitama—a mere Genin officially but possessing actual Chunin-level strength despite being the only Uchiha within the team.
Three squads operated near this particular supply line, one of which was Saitama's squad.
Kawaki was the leader of this operation team, possessing extensive combat experience. His situational judgment far surpassed the rest of the team. It was even said that he had participated in the Second Great Shinobi War as a Genin and survived.
The other members didn't complain about this arrangement—Kawaki definitely had the strength to fulfill such responsibilities.
"Our task is simply to snipe any enemies attempting to ambush the food supply convoy. The enemy is in the shadows... and so are we."
With everyone gathered around, Kawaki began assigning tasks. As the only senior member of the squad, he felt it his duty to teach these rookies their first battlefield lesson.
"Set traps and wait for the enemy to arrive." Kawaki spoke with deep meaning, his eyes fixed on Saitama the whole time.
As soon as Kawaki finished speaking, Saitama slightly frowned, something Kawaki naturally noticed.
"I know some of you might be geniuses, but this is a real battlefield—individual strength alone won't turn the tide unless you're on the level of the Sannin! So leave behind your personal techniques!" Kawaki's last words seemed directed at someone specific.
Saitama nodded and scanned the group—no one objected.
His power indeed couldn't alter the outcome of an entire battle, so focusing calmly and completing what needed to be done according to the mission was clearly the best approach.
After setting up several small warning devices nearby, the squad set about preparing their defenses. This location was ten miles behind the battlefield, directly along the food convoy's necessary route.
"Captain, there's something happening!" Hyuga Itsuki suddenly gave the alarm while everyone else worked.
"What kind of situation?!" Everyone immediately started taking cover. Kawaki quietly asked the question.
"There are three chakra readings approaching from the northwest direction—they're not familiar." Hyuga Itsuki continued observing with [Byakugan], reporting to Kawaki.
"Get ready. See whether they're really enemies!" Kawaki felt uneasy—the traps weren't even fully set yet when this happened.
Crouched low in the grass, Saitama stared toward the northwest. The others were hiding not far away.
The vegetation here wasn't dense; there were very few places suitable for concealment. After all, they were close to Sunagakure's territory where strong winds and sand made it difficult for plants to grow.
"Shua!" A sound cut through the air as three figures approached swiftly, skillfully dashing across the uneven terrain until reaching Saitama's group's perimeter defenses.
The first figure paused on the ground, stopping in a grassy area. With a single wave of his left hand, the two smaller figures behind also halted their advance.
"Have we been discovered?" A bead of sweat ran down Kawaki's forehead. Age had given him more experience, but also brought attachments—family ties now made him cautious, unwilling to take great risks.
From Kawaki's observation, the leader was a Jonin from Sunagakure, with the following two being strong Chunin. Their side held absolutely no advantage in strength.
A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes. There was no need to waste their lives here. Taking this information back would allow them to report that Sunagakure had actually sent a Jonin to disrupt their supply lines.
While the enemies had not yet fully approached, Kawaki signaled to the others with several hand gestures.
"Retreat! We can't fight them head-on!" Saitama understood this message from the gestures.
The others were thinking the same thing — there was no way a team of chunin could beat a jonin.
"Thud thud thud!" Just as they were about to retreat, the enemy suddenly rushed toward their hiding place and obviously discovered the Konoha ninjas concealed there.
"Run!" Kawaki shouted, then immediately accelerated backward.
"Do you Leaf shinobi really think you can escape?" The leading Suna ninja sneered, also dashing forward.
Thankfully his squad had a scout ninja who detected those Leaf ninjas hiding here; otherwise, he would have missed such an opportunity for credit.
This was a four-man Konoha team, and its highest rank was only chunin. This made the Sand ninja smile cruelly.
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!] An attack came flying over, forcing everyone to turn back to either block or dodge. As a result, they missed the best chance to escape.
[Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!] Kawaki barked coldly, and a massive wall of earth rose abruptly, blocking in front of the enemy's jutsu.
The technique scraped across the earthen wall, leaving huge gashes. Before long, the wall collapsed with a thunderous boom. Fortunately, it had still managed to stop the enemy's jutsu.
"Tch!" Kawaki exhaled sharply. He hadn't expected this mission to go sideways this fast.
Saitama's hand flew to the sword at his waist, his eyes locked on the approaching enemies.
The leader appeared to be a middle-aged, tanned muscular man wearing a Sunagakure forehead protector. He was likely the captain of this infiltration unit. The other two were young ninja in their early twenties, but their determined gazes told Saitama and the others that these two were no rookies.
"Kill them all!" The jonin captain said coldly while charging directly at Kawaki — he had figured out right away that Kawaki was the leader.
There was no turning back now — battle was inevitable! Exchanging glances, Saitama realized there was no escape. They'd have to stand and fight. Gritting his teeth, Kawaki and Hayato Willow engaged the jonin together, while Saitama and Itsuki Hyuga each took on one of the two chunin opponents.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!] A massive surge of heat blasted straight toward the chunin opponent — Saitama opened with this ninjutsu attack.
[Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!] The chunin responded likewise with a technique, spitting forth several compressed air bullets aimed directly at Saitama's fireball.
When both techniques collided, Saitama's fireball overwhelmed the Suna jutsu, continuing onward toward him.
"What?!" The Sand ninja had expected at least a draw between their techniques, never imagining his jutsu being pierced outright. He quickly dodged sideways, his expression darkening.
"Shing!" A sword sliced through the air, its blade glowing vividly with lightning chakra!
Saitama had already surged forward the moment he released his jutsu.
"Clang!" The enemy blocked with kunai, though he couldn't resist the electric current surging along the blade.
"Pzzzt!" The lightning surged down the kunai into the Sand ninja.
"Boom!" Kicking forcefully into Saitama mid-clash, the Sand ninja released his hold on the kunai.
Gliding backward, the enemy ninja's face darkened further.
The right hand that had just grabbed the kunai was charred black, and his entire arm felt slightly numb. If he hadn't let go quickly enough, he probably would've been killed in one strike.
Didn't expect someone like this existed in Konoha, the Suna ninja thought before resuming evasive maneuvers.
"Shua!" Saitama swung his blade again, not giving him time to recover. The sword in Saitama's hands now wasn't the ordinary one he'd originally bought. It was a reward from Fugaku Uchiha, his captain, after completing a pursuit mission. His previous sword had indeed been too inefficient in chakra conduction; Saitama had wanted an upgrade for quite some time. This new blade, forged with chakra-conductive metal, allowed excellent chakra transmission.
"Shua!" As the Suna ninja leapt into the air to dodge, Saitama swiftly completed another full swing, slashing at the enemy still airborne.
"Peng!" The figure was directly cut apart by Saitama's sword, scattering sand across the ground.
Glancing sideways, Saitama pointed his blade toward the ground. There, the Suna ninja crouched low, visibly shaken.
"Zila!" Sparks of lightning danced along the edge of the blade as Saitama stared coldly at the enemy ninja.
Mercy toward enemies meant cruelty to oneself. Saitama didn't intend to drag things out any longer—ending this fight sooner meant being able to assist others faster, and more importantly, escaping danger quicker.
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