Yue lay on top of the supply wagon, staring up at the sky with a grim expression, reviewing his first real battle.
On paper, the results were good—Team Oita had killed all the enemy nin.
But every single one of them was physically exhausted, which made it clear:
This was Team Oita's limit.
If the enemy had been slightly more numerous, the team might've paid a heavy price.
Yue also understood exactly where his own limits were.
Those he defeated were nothing terrifying on their own—at best, a few standard jōnin.
The real trouble wasn't that they were strong—
It was that they came one after another, forcing him to worry about his teammates and finish quickly, squeezing out his absolute maximum each time.
One mistake… and he'd have died in a ditch.
He had thought his strength was "pretty decent," enough to maybe influence events in this Third Ninja War.
After real combat?
The reality hit him like a truck.
If he took Team Oita into the Kannabi Bridge battle without Minato's timely support—
they'd all die.
He had even thought about saving Rin…
but Rin's death was a trap specifically crafted by Madara to break Obito.
If Yue got involved, he might die without even knowing who killed him.
"Weakness… is the greatest sin."
For someone who only wanted to quietly survive and grow, Yue could only sigh bitterly.
For the first time since he transmigrated, he felt a truly urgent desire for power.
Because being weak meant he could do nothing.
Change nothing.
The sense of helplessness wrapped around his heart like a cold fog.
Transmigrator styles nowadays were usually "reckless protagonist mode" or "cautious hermit mode."
Yue knew he had to stay cautious.
He didn't know if he had protagonist armor—
and today's battle proved that the moment he relaxed, he could die.
He really envied those transmigrator seniors—
open their eyes at age three, awaken an overpowered bloodline, and rampage across the Third Ninja War.
He even recalled a joke to cheer himself up:
A three-year-old nin butchers dozens on the battlefield.
A man looks at his three-year-old nephew playing with toy cars at home and wonders—
"Can… can this kid really fight a war?"
"Oita-sama, get some rest. We'll reach the front lines tomorrow.
Let's hold a quick team review of our first battle when we arrive."
Oita had noticed Yue looked troubled.
He assumed Yue was unhappy with his performance or blaming himself for something.
He planned to encourage him tomorrow.
But Yue's thoughts were elsewhere.
He couldn't stop the upcoming tragedies.
He couldn't just walk up to Minato and say:
"Don't let Kakashi and Obito go. And if they do go, protect them at all times, because Obito is going to turn evil and become the indirect cause of your death—and your wife's."
Even if Minato believed him…
he'd probably think Yue had brain damage.
---
The next afternoon.
The supply convoy Team Oita escorted finally reached the front where Konoha was fighting Iwagakure.
Thousands of ninjas were preparing for war.
After handing off the supplies, Oita gave the next order:
"All transport personnel will immediately return to Konoha to pick up supplies for the Cloud front."
Yue was surprised.
It seemed Team Oita would not be sent to the main battle lines.
Truthfully, he knew Konoha was at its weakest point during this war.
The village was in a talent drought—
The only top-tier combatant publicly available was Minato.
Then the Third Hokage himself had to take the field.
The next tier included the Ino–Shika–Chō trio and the young prodigy Shisui, who was already gaining a name for himself—but he was only Yue's age.
Strong, yes, but not top-tier.
Team Oita delivered their supplies back to Konoha, loaded another batch, and rushed to the Cloud front.
The moment Yue arrived, he was shocked—
The battle here was ferocious, even horrifying.
This front was commanded by Nara Shikaku himself.
After Team Oita delivered the materials, Shikaku immediately drafted them on the spot.
One jōnin and two chūnin were valuable assets.
And Yue, still a genin, was simply ignored.
At the front, commanders had full authority to mobilize any resource.
Team Oita had no new assignments after this delivery, and the supply convoy would return empty—no risk.
There was no excuse not to obey.
Even the Third Hokage had personally moved to the Mist front.
How could a small squad refuse Shikaku's deployment?
The losses against Cloud were enormous.
Shikaku had no choice but to use every resource possible.
With his cousin Roku in this squad, Shikaku understood their value well.
He didn't disband the team.
Instead, he gave Team Oita their first battlefield mission:
Provide support and extraction for reconnaissance teams at several locations.
After collecting battlefield supplies, Team Oita immediately set off.
Yue was speechless.
He couldn't exactly say:
"I'm a genin, I want to go home and level up in peace. I can't beat anyone."
He'd get executed for treason before he finished the sentence.
Oita repeatedly warned them to stay hyper-alert—
One unexpected situation on a battlefield could annihilate the entire squad.
Yue knew Oita wasn't exaggerating.
The commander of the Cloud front was the future Fourth Raikage—
A monster.
And with him was Killer B, perfect jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails.
If they encountered either of them, Team Oita would be wiped out instantly.
Running wouldn't even be an option.
No wonder Konoha was getting pushed back here.
It wasn't until Minato arrived later that the Konoha front finally stabilized.
Thanks to Oita's Byakugan scouting, the squad avoided several enemy patrols.
Eventually, they safely reached the designated extraction point to await the returning scouts.
Oita ordered everyone to find concealed positions and hide.
They must not reveal themselves before the recon team arrived.
If they got themselves attacked before the extraction…
that would be disaster.
Everyone found a good hiding spot.
In the eerie atmosphere of the battlefield, no one even dared breathe too loudly, terrified of being noticed by passing Cloud nin.
~------------------------------------
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