Border of the Land of Fire.
This was the frontline standoff between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
Five days ago, the two sides were originally in a standoff at Falling Rock Valley in the Land of Hot Springs. Suddenly, the Land of Lightning launched an attack on the Land of Fire. The Konoha Ninja were caught off guard, suffering heavy casualties, and the frontline was pushed to the border of the Land of Fire within a few days.
Relying on reinforcements from the Land of Fire and desperate, fearless fighting, they barely managed to hold back the Kumogakure Ninja and prevent the flames of war from burning into the heart of the Land of Fire.
Konoha frontline headquarters.
The camp was deathly silent. No one was joking or making noise. The Ninja were either closing their eyes to rest or silently checking their Ninja tools. Even conversations were kept extremely low.
The air was filled with exhaustion, vigilance, and the heavy feeling of being ready to rush to the battlefield at any moment.
No one knew if they would return alive from their next mission.
"That summons really meant the war had broken out. My bad premonition has finally come true," Aoki Yoru thought to himself. Their squad was also within the scope of the conscription.
When gathering at the Village entrance, Aoki Yoru saw many familiar faces, including Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma, the current generation of Ino–Shika–Chō, and so on.
There were also his classmates from the same year. Many were still only Genin, their faces filled with anxiety and excitement, completely unaware of the cruelty of the impending war and not knowing how many of them would survive.
At the time, Aoki Yoru looked around and didn't see Might Guy. He was immediately disappointed. This was a bug-level character; if he were around, the survival rate would be at least ninety percent.
At this moment, the three members of Aoki Yoru's team were whispering about the upcoming war. As people who prioritized survival, their first goal was to stay alive on the battlefield, whether for themselves or their families.
Finally, the three summarized their strategy in one word—survival.
They decided to use only 50% of their strength in group battles, never proactively stand out, fight while retreating, and slowly muddle through the war period.
At the same time, the three exchanged their personal survival tips and all expressed that they had learned a lot. It had to be said that there were many talents in the Ninja World; he hadn't even thought of many of these ideas.
Kenta could actually control his breathing to then control his entire body's muscles and blood flow, making himself appear to be in a state of death.
And Yui could make her figure appear blurry and as if she had disappeared by manipulating the light refraction of moisture in the air.
Good heavens, if they hadn't said they developed these Ninjutsu to survive on the battlefield, one would have thought they were specialized in assassination. The Ninjutsu they developed were simply twice as effective for assassination; they were geniuses in the assassin world.
Just then.
A white Ninja dog rushed over from afar and stopped in front of them.
"Woof! Sorry to bother the three of you, Commander Shikaku requests your presence immediately at the headquarters."
As for the fact that Ninja dogs could talk, the few of them were curious at first, but after seeing Kakashi's Pakkun, they were no longer surprised.
Aoki Yoru had originally wanted to study the principle so that his Yatagarasu could also talk for easier communication in the future, but unfortunately, he couldn't figure it out in the end, and he was even blacklisted by the Ninja dog clan for his overly crude methods.
The three looked at each other, their expressions instantly becoming heavy. The relaxed atmosphere from before vanished instantly; they were going to have a real fight with the enemy.
Land of Fire frontline headquarters.
When the three lifted the heavy door curtain and walked into the tent, a strong smell of tobacco hit them.
In the center of the tent was a huge sand table, covered with small flags representing the enemy and their own forces, red and black intertwined, making people dizzy.
Shikaku was standing in front of the sand table, his brows furrowed tightly. The command baton in his hand poked back and forth on the border line; he didn't even look up when they entered.
"You're here."
Shikaku's voice was hoarse, carrying the exhaustion of days of overwork, and he didn't even raise his head.
"Commander Shikaku."
The three stepped forward and bowed solemnly.
Shikaku looked up, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over the three of them. "The Land of Lightning occupied the Land of Hot Springs and pushed the frontline to the border of the Land of Fire. It seems like they have the advantage, but it has also stretched their logistics supply line."
He picked up a command baton and tapped heavily on a valley on the sand table. "This is Sinking Rock Valley, which was originally the place where the two sides stood off. After being occupied by the Hidden Cloud Village, it became their logistics supply transit point.
According to information from spies, supplies sufficient for a thousand-person war have already been stockpiled here—including thousands of explosive tags, a large amount of food, medicinal materials, Kunai, and hidden weapons."
"And our supplies and personnel are not yet ready. Once the enemy's support troops arrive, they can immediately launch a medium-sized war, and the defense at the border will immediately collapse."
As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the tent seemed to freeze.
Aoki Yoru looked at the shape and location of the valley on the sand table, and his brain began to spin.
The valley was shaped like a long, narrow crack, with the rock walls on both sides piled up with dark brown clay, and a river winding at the bottom of the valley. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack, simply a natural barrier and also a natural ambush point.
"You have only one mission."
Shikaku stared at them intently: "Destroy this supply point at all costs and cut off the lifeline of the Kumogakure Ninja. Whether you blow it up, burn it, or sink it in the river, you must destroy it before the main Kumogakure force arrives."
"Understood," the three replied solemnly.
"Um, Commander Shikaku, is it just the three of us?" Aoki Yoru raised his hand to ask.
He had to ask; letting the three of them go to destroy the enemy's supply point was giving them too much credit.
Shikaku looked at them seriously. "Kakashi will return from the eastern defense point and go with you. It's just the four of you. The pressure on the frontline is too great now to spare too many people, and we have to keep people to deal with the surprise attacks of the Kumogakure Ninja."
As he spoke, he looked at them again, his voice hoarse and low. "Don't blame me for not sending more helpers. The Village's reinforcements won't arrive for a week, and the main force of the Kumogakure Ninja will arrive in two days. This raid determines whether the flames of war will burn into the heart of the Land of Fire."
Aoki Yoru's pupils shrank slightly.
Sending the four of them to raid was indeed extremely dangerous, but it was also the best method currently.
Their squad was currently the strongest combat squad on the frontline, so it was no wonder Shikaku would entrust the mission to them. This could be considered a desperate gamble.
The three bowed slightly to him and walked out of the tent to take their leave.
"This mission will not be easy; if things go wrong, we might end up dying there. You two prepare your tactical Ninja tools; don't be stingy with money. As long as the green hills remain, one need not worry about firewood."
Aoki Yoru instructed the two with a serious face. This time it was truly a life-or-death situation; all their trump cards had to be brought out.
In the evening, Kakashi returned. The four gathered together, and Kakashi said to them seriously:
"For this mission, I only require you to try your best to survive. Only by living is there a future."
Aoki Yoru looked at Kakashi with surprise. He thought he would tell them to prioritize the mission, after all, it concerned the victory or defeat of the war. It seemed he had also changed a lot.
Kakashi's tone suddenly became relaxed. "This mission seems like a nine-death-one-life situation, but not necessarily. Yoru, your Yatagarasu just happens to come in handy."
Then he turned his head to look at Aoki Yoru. "Yoru, you find the weak point of the defense. The explosive eggs of the Yatagarasu are just right for this aerial raid. If we are lucky, we might solve it in the air."
"Yes."
Aoki Yoru nodded seriously.
"We will see how the enemy is deployed and act accordingly. Yui is responsible for interfering with the enemy, and Kenta will raid with me."
The two nodded solemnly, their expressions filled with anxiety.
Night fell. Kakashi looked at the time and stood up abruptly.
"Everyone prepare, we leave for Sinking Rock Valley in ten minutes."