A month passed quickly, and Sixth Squad, where Chiba Inoyue was, completed 5 D-rank missions, 3 C-rank missions, and 1 B-rank mission before hurrying to the battlefield.
Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God was truly an excellent trump card; Sixth Squad only took an instant to travel from Konoha to the battlefield.
They departed at noon and arrived at noon.
The battlefield was cruel, especially a Ninja battlefield; its cruelty was no less than that of the Third Shinobi World War.
Inoyue, who had adapted to peaceful times, felt some discomfort and anticipation, along with a touch of novelty.
Less than half a day after the three arrived at the main camp, Minato Namikaze hastily departed.
Being away for a month, many matters had accumulated that needed his attention, and Sixth Squad was handed over to Jonin Kimura Taku.
Kimura Taku was a newly promoted Elite Jonin, with short grey hair, dark circles under his eyes, and a pale face.
He was not tall and very thin; his Ninja vest looked too big on him, and he stood in front of Inoyue and the other two like a bamboo pole.
"I am your temporary instructing Jonin, Kimura Taku!" This was the first sentence Kimura Taku spoke upon meeting the three, his voice appearing somewhat aged, perfectly matching his appearance.
"Now, introduce yourselves."
"Uchiha Suien, specialty Fire Release!"
"Kami Kida, proficient in Taijutsu and traps."
"Chiba Inoyue, Genjutsu-type Ninja." Introducing oneself on the battlefield was relatively simple; since it was a temporary team-up, only names and abilities were needed.
"Follow me! Since this is your first time on the battlefield, your first mission is outer perimeter guard." The bamboo pole-like Kimura Taku led the way out of the camp.
Although his figure was thin as a bamboo pole, his speed was very fast.
After leaving the camp, Kimura Taku began to sprint, with Inoyue and the other two following closely.
Midway, Kimura Taku looked back at the three several times, then accelerated again.
Genin's speed could never compare to a Jonin's, but Kimura Taku was only testing the three's basic strength, the extent of which was absolutely controlled so as not to affect their combat power.
...
After a period of rapid movement, by the time the four arrived at their designated patrol area, it was already completely dark.
This was within a dense forest, and patrolling here at night always gave the feeling that wild beasts could spring out at any moment to devour people.
Jonin Kimura Taku quickly handed over to the original Jonin on guard duty.
Area patrol, conducted in squad units, typically consisted of one Jonin leading two Genin.
The patrol duration was 8 hours, with three shifts per day; Sixth Squad took over at 8 PM, meaning new personnel would arrive to relieve them at 4 AM.
"A 1-kilometer radius is our patrol area, and your patrol area is a 500-meter radius; I will cover the rest!
You are free; I will return once every two hours." Kimura Taku's aged voice had just finished when he had already merged into the ground and disappeared, truly overly decisive.
"Hmph, that's too much, not even a single instruction!" Kami Kida was a bit annoyed; this Elite Jonin showed no intention of guiding them, being entirely cold, as if Inoyue and the other two were mere cannon fodder that could be discarded at any time.
"Don't be naive, this is a battlefield!" Uchiha Suien reminded him; after a month of working together, the relationship between the three had evolved from being at odds to accepting each other as comrades.
"Kida, set up four traps within the 500-meter radius of the patrol route; the first trap should be an area trap for multiple targets, the second and third should target individuals, ideally capable of one-shot killing a Chunin, and the last one should be effective against a Jonin.
Suien and I will be on guard within a hundred meters around you." Inoyue looked at the dark, oppressive forest around them, feeling a bad premonition.
"Effective against a Jonin?" Kami Kida was a bit troubled; although he believed his traps were impressive, he felt somewhat uncertain about the goal of making them effective against a Jonin, as he simply didn't know how powerful a Jonin was.
"Do your best! I have a bad feeling!" Inoyue's worry was not unfounded; although she had only recently arrived, after talking with other Ninja, there had been almost no conflict between Konoha and the Sand Ninja in the first half-month or so, it was very calm.
These phenomena, to Inoyue, were like the calm before a storm.
Inoyue also knew she was putting Kami Kida in a difficult position, but on the battlefield, if one didn't try their best, death would always be waiting.
Inoyue certainly didn't want to be carried off horizontally on her first day on the battlefield.
After a month of working together, Inoyue became the brain of their small team.
Especially regarding Inoyue's sixth sense, the two were particularly convinced; since Inoyue said so, they naturally cooperated fully, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
Setting up four traps over a 500-meter distance took nearly two hours; because Inoyue spoke so gravely, Kami Kida was especially diligent.
For the four traps, he used up all his existing supplies, especially the last trap targeting a Jonin; since he didn't know the true strength of a Jonin, the power of this trap could only be increased without limit, and more than half of his materials were used here by Kami Kida.
...
When Inoyue and the other two returned to their rendezvous point, Kimura Taku was already waiting there; seeing them return, he didn't ask for specifics, just nodded, then leaned against a tree and said to the three, "If you have any questions, you can ask them now!"
"Sensei, you are our temporary instructing Jonin, so who is our real instructing Jonin?" Inoyue had wanted to ask this question for a long time, and it was also the doubt in Uchiha Suien and Kami Kida's hearts.
Kimura Taku, with his dark-circled eyes, glanced indifferently at Inoyue: "Regarding this question, I cannot answer you, because I also only temporarily received this order; as for who your real instructing Jonin is, the higher-ups have not informed me!"
Before asking, they were very confused, and after asking, they were even more confused.
Minato was also their temporary teacher, and the person in front of them was the same.
Who exactly was their instructing Jonin?
For a moment, there was no clue.
"Sensei, may I ask how long you will lead us?" Uchiha Suien thought for a moment and asked.
Kimura Taku looked at Uchiha Suien and gave a surprising answer: "Three days."
Three days, so short!
Minato had led them for a month at least, but he only had three days.
Inoyue felt something was amiss; frequently changing instructing Jonin was not a good sign; the problem should be with the higher-ups.
"Excuse me, Sensei, who is your direct superior?"
This question was asked by Inoyue.
Kimura Taku looked at the Little girl who was less than 8 years old in front of him, his eyes full of admiration; this Little girl was not simple, she must have sensed something from his answer.
The higher-ups required her absolute safety to be guaranteed within these three days, and if necessary, Uchiha and this sturdy kid could be abandoned.
He wondered what made her so outstanding that the higher-ups valued her so much.
"Danzo Shimura," Kimura Taku said without hesitation, because he understood that even if he said it, the three kids in front of him wouldn't know who it was.
Uchiha Suien and Kami Kida were full of question marks, because they indeed didn't know who Danzo Shimura was.
They didn't know, but Inoyue did.
A hint of surprise flashed in Inoyue's eyes; Danzo Shimura, she knew him too well, the founder and current leader of Konoha Anbu's 'Root', an absolute second most dangerous individual, and one of the people Inoyue had to stay away from.
Danzo was the second most dangerous person, while the first most dangerous person was Orochimaru, known as 'Snake Uncle'.
Orochimaru was a mad Ninjutsu scientist, and Inoyue was very worried that she would be used for experiments by him, especially after realizing her mental power was abnormally strong, Inoyue became even more worried.
If it was Danzo, then everything made sense; moving Minato, the Hokage candidate, was also a matter of minutes.
What was his purpose?
Uchiha Suien's Sharingan?
Or the sturdy Kami Kida?
Or was it herself?
Among the three, although Kami Kida was excellent in Taijutsu and traps, he still couldn't catch Danzo's eye; and Uchiha Suien's Sharingan, it shouldn't be the time yet, the Third Shinobi World War was precisely when the Uchiha's power was needed, Danzo wouldn't disregard the big picture like that.
Uchiha Suien and Kami Kida were both unlikely, which only left herself, with her abnormally strong mental power.
Analyzing it this way, there was a ninety percent chance it was herself.
What to do?
How should she respond?
Inoyue was a little flustered, because she couldn't afford to provoke Danzo, nor could she escape him.