Revolution in the Ninja World

The Land of Rice Fields.

Habara gazed out at the boundless, dense forest. The lush greenery, like a child's crayon drawing with overly vibrant colors, had a peculiar, unsettling quality. The extraordinary quiet made it difficult for anyone within to find peace of mind…

This was a green hell, capable of swallowing everything, and waiting to do just that.

The Konoha ninja squad had reached its designated position, and so far, their luck held – they hadn't encountered any enemies along the way. Based on the principle of mission priority, Nindo's squad's target was that specific Kumo ninja. Therefore, it was unnecessary to create any extraneous complications during the mission.

Although the Shinobi World War had reached its later stages by this point, and the scale of warfare between the countries had drastically shrunk, this reduction in scale didn't mean the intensity of the battles had also decreased. The reality was quite the opposite. After years of mutual slaughter, the emotions of hatred and animosity between enemy countries had accumulated more and more. Reflected in the war, this meant that the intensity of the fighting had actually increased.

This was Habara's first time on the battlefield, and specifically, a ninja battlefield. Although he could feel the suffocating tension, to be honest, he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He was completely lost.

Fortunately, the commander's command level was adequate. Upon reaching their position, Nindo immediately began to arrange the combat formation. His usually smiling face had now turned serious.

By assigning each person to a suitable position, making the duties of war specific and small, the learning speed of a novice could be expected to increase quickly. They would soon learn what they should do…

Because those who couldn't learn would die.

In short, after the team arrived at the location, they quickly deployed in a "search and surround formation," also known as a "V" formation. In this formation, the two arms extending forward would move in the same direction like the hands of a clock, seeking out the enemy. Once the enemy was discovered, the ninjas on the outer perimeter would guide the enemy towards the central point, allowing the team to surround the enemy as quickly as possible.

It should be said that this formation was suitable for a team with a numerical advantage but weaker average combat strength. It could fully utilize their numerical advantage to achieve the goal of outnumbering the enemy. However, the problem was that it was somewhat too passive… In essence, this was a type of "turtle formation."

Of course, based on the priority of enemy detection and the nature of combat between ninjas, the Konoha ninja squad's formation wasn't dense. The furthest search distance could extend to more than twenty kilometers.

Squad Leader Nindo was positioned in the center of the formation. This was to allow him to promptly grasp the battlefield situation. Habara's squad was located at the rear vertex of the V, arguably the safest location in the formation.

This good fortune had nothing to do with him being a novice. Habara instinctively believed that this was due to Nindo's personal bias… The squad leader's positioning might have been to protect his younger sister.

After the operation began, Habara and Nobuyoshi hid in a thicket. Izayo was hidden in the canopy of a large tree more than ten meters away, and Daigo was nowhere to be seen.

To maintain concealment, Habara couldn't move around, and he certainly couldn't speak freely. There was also the possibility of enemies suddenly appearing from behind the formation, so the reserve squad had to be completely hidden.

The light in the forest was dim, and occasionally, only the sound of birdsong could be heard. As time passed, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

The first day passed without incident, and the second day was the same.

This team had been squatting in this area for seven days, and nothing had happened. Okay, calling the team's formation a turtle formation was a bit inappropriate. This was clearly "a spider waiting in its web," or waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump.

Even though nothing was happening, it didn't mean they were relaxed. The ninjas at the front, constantly searching, were one thing, but Habara and the others at the back couldn't move a muscle, and they had to maintain a high level of mental concentration… This was truly not an easy job.

He didn't know when this damned mission would end.

It would be best if the enemy never appeared.

Just as Habara's mind finally started to wander, a particularly crisp bird call came from relatively close by, clearing his somewhat muddled head.

This sound traveled far in the quiet environment, and soon, a similar sound responded from a distance.

Habara didn't think much of it at first. What was so strange about birds chirping in the forest? But Nobuyoshi next to him took out a notepad and silently wrote a sentence with a pencil, then showed it to him:

"Begin adjusting search direction. Squad leader approved."

Habara nodded to indicate that he understood. He couldn't understand Konoha's code, so he had to rely on a "translator" to relay messages.

However, there was something odd about Nobuyoshi's sentence. The team seemed to be adjusting direction according to plan, but the phrase "Squad leader approved" indicated that this adjustment wasn't entirely based on Nindo's subjective decision. Someone had offered him advice or informed him of some intelligence, and he had made a new judgment.

This suggested that there was likely a powerful sensory-type ninja on the team providing the squad leader with battlefield awareness. Who was this person?

Habara instantly thought of the answer.

The team's "radar" would inevitably be placed in the safest position, and this person wasn't Habara or Nobuyoshi, and certainly not Izayo. So, it could only be Daigo.

Daigo was extremely well-hidden, to the point where even her own squadmates didn't know her exact location, only that she was nearby.

Well, the reason Habara's squad was assigned the safest position wasn't just Nindo's personal bias. At most, he had mixed in some personal feelings.

And since Daigo could provide information to the team from the furthest position, it meant that her sensory range was very wide, a necessary ability for an excellent sensory-type ninja.

The team began to change its search direction.

The time was approaching noon, and the forest became increasingly humid and hot. Daigo's communication with the squad leader also became more frequent, with bird calls echoing back and forth.

Each time a message was relayed, Daigo would change her position. Although she was very young, her ninja skills were impeccable. She hadn't left a single trace from start to finish.

And after a short bird call, "translator" Nobuyoshi almost immediately shoved his notepad in Habara's face. It read:

"Prepare to engage the enemy at 15 o'clock!"

Habara's jumbled thoughts – "How can this team have such a surprisingly skilled sensory ninja?" "Should we fight or flee if we encounter the enemy?" – were instantly cleared. Or rather, after seeing this sentence, Habara felt like his entire brain had been deleted. All he could hear now was the "thump-thump" of his heartbeat.

Habara couldn't help but lick his dry lips. He couldn't tell whether the smell entering his nostrils was the scent of earth or the stench of blood.

"Verifying enemy identity…"

"Target confirmed. Enemy is Kumo Jonin 'I', two casualties."

"Begin guiding enemy pursuit, five casualties."

Information continued to be exchanged in the forest. And after just one encounter, Konoha had already lost five people, a casualty rate of 20%.

"Target approaching ambush area…"

Just as Nobuyoshi was halfway through writing this sentence, a bird call sounded again near Habara and the others. Then, Nobuyoshi suddenly stood up, and for the first time, spoke to Habara:

"Enemy reinforcements! Intelligence was incorrect. Kumo is not a two-man squad, but a four-man squad!"

Since the leading enemy was an elite Jonin carrying out infiltration operations, if his squad size doubled, it was best to assume their combat power had also doubled… Incompetents wouldn't participate in infiltration operations; otherwise, the encounter between Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin was enough to illustrate the consequences.

Habara's mind was already a mess, so hearing this news made him even more confused.

The forest seemed to instantly become noisy.

But before ninjas like Nobuyoshi could act blindly, Squad Leader Nindo's command came first.

After hearing this command, Nobuyoshi instinctively tightened his grip on his kunai. He glanced at Habara, then said in a low voice:

"Mission…

Continue."

Yes, even with this sudden change, the mission had to continue.

Because…

Dying is a small matter; abandoning the mission is a great matter.