Chapter 20 – The Smell of War
The wind over the western border carried the stench of blood.
Smoke hung in the air like fog, and the ground beneath their boots was blackened with ash.
For the first time since becoming shinobi, Yuva, Tenzo, and Daichi Hiwatari stood in the presence of real war — not missions, not training, but chaos carved into the land itself.
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🏕️ The Forward Camp
Rows of tents stretched across the muddy valley.
Everywhere they looked, shinobi moved like clockwork — carrying stretchers, hauling supplies, or returning from the field with blood-stained uniforms and hollow eyes.
A scream echoed from the medical tent.
Tenzo froze.
Two medics stumbled out, their gloves red. Behind them, a man thrashed on the cot, half his arm missing, chakra still sparking violently from the wound.
"Hold him still!" someone shouted. "He's going into chakra shock!"
Tenzo's stomach twisted.
Daichi looked away.
Yuva's jaw clenched — but his heart was pounding too fast to hide it.
Everywhere, death lingered.
Not the clean, silent kind they'd dealt before — but slow, ugly, and human.
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⚔️ The Briefing
A chūnin officer stood atop a crate, shouting over the noise.
"All genin squads are to report under the Forward Support Division! You'll handle supply routes, guard assignments, and retrieval missions! Do not engage the enemy unless ordered!"
His voice was sharp, but his eyes were tired.
Behind him, two stretchers passed by — one carrying a body covered in a sheet, the other holding a child no older than eleven, whispering for his sensei.
Daichi's fists shook.
"Is this… really war?"
Yuva didn't answer. He was staring at the horizon — where black smoke rose from the distant hills.
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🌫️ The Weight of Reality
That night, as they set up their tent, the camp's silence felt heavier than the sound of screams.
Men and women sat outside, staring blankly at the ground.
Some muttered names.
Some sharpened weapons that were already sharp enough.
Others just… waited.
Yuva sat beside a small fire, staring at his reflection in the flame.
He saw the tremor in his own hand and hated it.
He wanted to be calm — strong — but the truth was simple:
he was terrified.
Tenzo sat nearby, his hands faintly glowing green, practicing slow chakra flow to steady himself.
"Too many wounded," he whispered. "They keep coming. There's not enough medicine…"
Daichi stared at the stars. "And tomorrow, we could be them."
None of them slept.
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💉 Morning After
At dawn, the sky turned gray again. The rain came without mercy, washing the camp in mud and blood alike.
Tenzo was summoned to help in the medical tents — his Mystical Palm Jutsu was needed for the minor wounds.
He worked beside older medics, his small hands covered in blood.
He saved a man twice his size — then watched another die before he could finish the seal.
Outside, Daichi hauled crates of water and supplies to the defense lines.
He saw soldiers digging shallow graves, rain filling them before they could even finish.
No one spoke.
Yuva, meanwhile, was sent to patrol the perimeter.
He found burned kunai, scattered headbands — some with Konoha's leaf scratched through.
He picked one up and stared at it for a long time.
"This is what it means to be a shinobi," he murmured. "Even your village can become your enemy."
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⚠️ The Fear of the First Night
When darkness fell again, a distant explosion shook the valley.
Someone shouted orders.
Torches flared.
Every shinobi in the camp reached for their weapons.
For a moment, Yuva thought this was it — their first battle.
But then the sound faded, replaced by the slow, steady hum of rain.
Just a scouting skirmish, the officers said.
But the fear it left behind didn't fade.
Yuva lay awake, eyes open, hand resting on his sword.
He listened to the rain and the muffled sobs from the next tent.
And for the first time since he'd been reborn into this world, he understood what true fear was — not of dying, but of surviving long enough to see everyone else die instead.
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🌅 The Dawn Before the Fire
By morning, the camp was alive again — messengers running, captains shouting, troops preparing.
Yuva stood with his brothers as the horns sounded from the command tent.
"Team Hiwatari!" a voice called out. "Prepare to move out. Your orders will come soon."
Tenzo adjusted his cloak, Daichi gripped his knuckles, and Yuva's eyes hardened.
The fear was still there.
But now, it had a purpose.
The war had begun.
And they were part of it.