Revolution in the Ninja World

Tap, tap, tap.

Habara followed the Konoha ninja, step by step, up a flight of stairs. When the other ninja finally pushed open the door at the top, fresh, bracing air rushed in.

After more than a month in this new world, Habara had finally seen the light of day again.

Unfortunately, it was nighttime, and just as dark.

Overhead was a bright, full moon and a river of stars dotting the inky sky. The curtain of night concealed a town where points of light flickered like stars. The continuous chirping of insects mixed with the occasional, faint sounds of people, making everything seem so peaceful and serene… This was indeed the Land of Fire's Konohagakure.

Okay, admittedly, Habara was looking at all of this through rose-tinted glasses. Konoha during wartime could hardly be called "peaceful and serene." In reality, the village was constantly on edge.

However, no matter what, a town above ground felt much better than an underground prison.

Habara couldn't help but take a deep breath, and he kept his head tilted up, staring at the moonlight.

At this moment, the feeling of being reborn finally became more tangible.

"Just like your name, isn't it?"

Seeing Habara gazing at the night sky, the Konoha ninja didn't urge him to hurry. Instead, after a while, he spoke.

Habara was momentarily stunned. When he realized what the other man was referring to, he slowly nodded…

Seeing that he'd snapped back to reality, the ninja finally started walking again. As he walked, he said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Nindo, and I'm a Chunin. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you'll be following my orders… That is to say, you'll be my subordinate."

From Orochimaru's test subject to a Konoha ninja's subordinate? This change was completely unexpected. Habara directly asked, "I shouldn't be a Konoha ninja, this…"

"You are now. You've officially become a Konoha Genin," Nindo interrupted Habara, then explained, "According to our investigation, you were previously a wandering ninja with no conflicts with Konoha. Moreover, you were previously aided by Orochimaru-sama, so there are no issues with your identity."

This explanation… was hard to believe. Orochimaru's actions were considered "aid"?

And based on Habara's preconceived notions, ninja villages were highly insular organizations. They maintained a considerable degree of distrust towards all outsiders. How could a wandering ninja be so easily allowed to join Konoha?

Nindo continued, "However, unfortunately, there isn't much time for you to adjust to your surroundings. We'll be heading to the front lines to carry out a mission soon."

Hearing this, the "reasonableness" of Habara becoming a Konoha ninja without a rigorous background check seemed to make sense. A word directly popped into his mind, a word that sounded somewhat festive to others but felt particularly ominous to him…

Cannon fodder.

In the later stages of the Shinobi World War, every ninja village faced the same problem: a shortage of manpower. When even five or six-year-old children were being sent to the battlefield, it was understandable to use some unconventional methods to expand the ranks.

In war, human lives were a kind of consumable.

And since he was "cannon fodder," theoretically, there was no need to discuss whether he was trustworthy or not.

Although this ninja named Nindo seemed to have a gentle and friendly personality, just as Habara had no way to refuse becoming Orochimaru's test subject, he now had no way to refuse becoming this man's subordinate. He could only go with the flow.

Besides, leaving Konoha might not be a bad thing for Habara.

"You're a Magnet Release kekkei genkai user, right?" Nindo asked again. As the squad leader, he needed to quickly grasp certain information.

"Yes, I… don't really use conventional ninjutsu," Habara replied, following Nindo's line of questioning. His statement was an understatement; it wasn't that he didn't really use them, it was that he couldn't use them.

Not to mention "jutsu," he hadn't even mastered "hand seals."

During their conversation, they arrived at the main gate of Konoha. After verifying some documents, they left the town and eventually reached a small camp not far from the wall.

"I have a general understanding of the situation. You'll be added to a reserve squad. I'll introduce you to your teammates."

In reality, verbal descriptions of combat ability were meaningless. Only performance on the battlefield could prove anything. The specifics couldn't be known until the battle began.

Then, Nindo led Habara to a tent in the camp. He lifted the tent flap with one hand and stepped inside.

Habara followed closely behind him.

There were three people in the tent. When they saw that it was Nindo who had entered, they quickly stood up.

"Let me introduce you. These three are Squad Leader Izayo, and squad members Daigo and Nobuyoshi," Nindo said, pointing to each of the three people as he introduced their names. Then, he pointed to Habara and said to the three, "Your new squad member, Habara."

Habara observed the three:

Squad Leader Izayo was a woman who looked to be around twenty years old. Judging by the expression between her eyebrows and the similarity in their names, she had a familial relationship with Nindo… She seemed to be a serious and calm person.

Daigo was a girl of only twelve or thirteen. When Habara looked at her, she gave him a sincere smile. She seemed to have a friendly and sociable personality.

Nobuyoshi's age was between Habara's and Izayo's. During the introductions, he didn't even look up at Habara… He seemed to be a gloomy, withdrawn, and difficult-to-approach young man.

Aside from Nindo, the age progression of the four people in the tent was actually quite clear… Daigo (13), Habara (15), Nobuyoshi (17), Izayo (19).

From a normal perspective, these four were all child soldiers who shouldn't be on the battlefield. But by the standards of this world, even a young girl like Daigo should be a qualified warrior.

After Nindo finished the introductions, he quickly left.

The tent fell silent.

The silence turned into a prolonged quiet, and the prolonged quiet brewed an awkward atmosphere.

It was actually the youngest, Daigo, who spoke first. She said to Habara:

"Your eyes are very pretty…"

"…"

Habara's gray eyes had a metallic sheen, so when he looked at others, they often appeared sharp, focused, and even aggressive. This had nothing to do with his subjective emotions; it was easy for others to perceive him as someone difficult to approach.

However, if one were to describe his eyes as clear and beautiful, that would also be true.

Faced with his young teammate's compliment, Habara smiled and said, jokingly, "If I were to describe my eyes more accurately, I should say… they have a gaze like liquid helium." [Note: This is a reference to the extremely cold and clear nature of liquid helium, playing on the metallic, "cold" look of his eyes.]

Using this as a starting point, Habara began a simple conversation with his three teammates.

However, a day later, he discovered that this team in the camp had a very serious problem:

Simply put, the team in the camp consisted of six standard four-person squads, totaling twenty-four ninjas. This could even be called a large squad or a battalion, yet the overall commander of this team was Nindo.

A ninja team of this size should, by all rights, be commanded by a Jonin.

However, Nindo was only a Konoha Chunin.