Late that night, the darkness was as thick as ink, and the cold wind was biting.
Within the territory of the Land of Hot Water, in a remote valley border area.
As a small nation caught between larger powers, this was almost an inescapable fate.
In times of peace, it served as an unspoken buffer zone between the major nations' ninja villages. But once war broke out, it would often bear the brunt, becoming a place for infiltration, lurking, and even direct clashes between various forces, a frontline battlefield.
At this time, a unit of about a hundred people moved like shadows blending into the darkness, silently assembling and advancing. They finally stopped on a slightly elevated, wind-sheltered slope.
Everyone suppressed their chakra fluctuations and held their breath, leaving only vigilant eyes scanning the surroundings.
At the very front of the team, Shinichi Higashino stood quietly, his gaze piercing the heavy night as he looked toward the faint outline of a desolate village in the distant valley, which seemed long abandoned.
That was the target of this mission.
For the past two weeks, the fourth independent battalion unit he led has been like a tireless dagger, repeatedly cutting into the flanks and rear of the Village Hidden in the Cloud, carrying out numerous high-risk infiltration and sabotage missions.
Even though Shinichi personally led the charge and drew the greatest firepower, casualties were still inevitable due to the Village Hidden in the Cloud's increasingly intense counter-infiltration, targeted encirclement, and suppression, and the number was not small.
However, whenever casualties occurred and manpower gaps emerged, Orochimaru, the overall commander, would promptly transfer experienced and suitable ninja from other units or reserve forces to replenish the fourth independent battalion, ensuring its full and sustained combat effectiveness.
In addition, although the fourth independent battalion unit suffered considerable casualties, most of them were wounded rather than killed.
After all, with Shinichi, who is now considered one of the top Medical Ninjas in the Shinobi World, leading the team, and each member carrying various emergency medicines prepared by him, the number one pharmacology master in the Shinobi World, all kinds of fatal injuries can be effectively contained and treated in the first instance.
Shinichi knew very well that these team members who had followed him through countless life-and-death situations, from the initial formation and training to their current ability to carry out various dangerous missions in tacit understanding, were, in a sense, his original core force with a certain degree of loyalty and combat synergy.
Saving one life means preserving a reliable source of capital and connections for the future. That's why he cherishes these people's lives so much, not only out of a sense of responsibility as a leader and doctor, but also as a long-term strategic plan.
At this moment, there was a middle-aged ninja in the team who was also wearing a standard black combat suit and was hidden in the darkness, but he seemed particularly out of place, and you could even say that he had a strange sense of awkwardness.
Might Duy!
Among the new batch of reinforcements from Konoha that arrived at the front line yesterday, Shinichi unexpectedly spotted Might Duy. He immediately submitted a request to the headquarters to have Might Duy assigned to his fourth independent battalion unit.
Speaking of which, the current Might Duy was already very different from the Eternal Genin of a few years ago, who had been ridiculed in the village and could only rely on self-torture-like training to sustain his dream of being a ninja.
Since the Chunin exams held in the Village Hidden in the Sand two years ago, Might Duy impressed the third Hokage with his amazing performance of opening the Eight Gates, and not only was he promoted to Chunin, but his amazing potential and tenacious fighting spirit also caught the eye of Master Chen, a master of Taijutsu in Konoha.
Over the past year, Master Chen has provided systematic guidance to Might Duy on numerous occasions, correcting many of his previous erroneous training habits formed due to a lack of proper instruction, and imparting more refined and systematic Taijutsu and tactical ideas.
This allowed Might Duy to move beyond relying solely on brute force and willpower to train blindly and, instead, while maintaining his original diligence and enthusiasm, embark on a more systematic and efficient training path.
Aside from the Eight Gates, this ultimate forbidden technique that remained his greatest trump card, Might Duy's current Taijutsu skills and chakra usage in his normal state were already incomparable to before; it could be said that his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.
Although due to his age and limited talent, he could not possibly grow to the level of his son, Might Guy, who would eventually reach a point where even god-like opponents would feel terror, he was still a deeply formidable asset, a trump card capable of turning the tide at critical moments.
Shinichi glanced around for a moment, then looked away, intending to ask the two reconnaissance team members, Toma Aburame and Tsume Inuzuka, about the situation.
But at that moment, a chill suddenly surged up to his tailbone.
The chill came without warning, yet it was as sharp as an ice pick piercing his spine, as if an unseen venomous snake was flicking its tongue, staring intently at him from the shadows.
Ominous Omen!
"Abandon the mission! Everyone retreat!"
Shinichi spoke directly and decisively.
As soon as he finished speaking, all the team members looked at him in utter astonishment. This was the first time Shinichi had given an order to abandon the mission.
In their impression, this young captain before them was always a man of careful planning and meticulous execution. Even when faced with the most dangerous missions, he could always find a way to break through and lead them to complete or even exceed their goals. He never showed any fear or hesitation.
But this time, before the mission even truly began, and before even making contact with the enemy, he actually ordered a retreat?
A new team member, who had just joined the team yesterday, couldn't help but lower his voice and say, "Captain, the situation in the village ahead hasn't been fully ascertained yet. Shouldn't we scout it out first before..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: A ninja's duty is to complete a mission, and to give up without even trying is a violation of the ninja's creed.
Moreover, the painful lesson of Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, who ultimately lost his reputation and committed suicide in resentment after abandoning a mission to save his comrades, is still vivid in the minds of Konoha ninjas.
"This is an order! I will take full responsibility."
"Evacuate immediately!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the veteran team members' almost blind trust in their captain instantly overwhelmed their doubts, and they set off immediately as ordered by Shinichi. Some of the newly joined team members followed suit.
The group quickly and silently disappeared into the night, leaving only the sound of the wind and the soft rustling of leaves.
Behind them, that abandoned village remained deathly silent, as if the Ominous Omen just now had been an illusion.
But only a moment later… A wild, fierce, and tyrannical aura, like a dormant volcano suddenly erupting, shot up from the center of the village!