As time passed, the sun began to set, its afterglow casting various reflections on the many mountain peaks.
Ren and the other three were currently standing on separate hills, overlooking the surroundings with their wide views.
"Captain, how much longer until the shift change?"
Suzuki turned his head and shouted to Ren, who was not far away. After all, watching the scenery for several hours was quite taxing for Genin who had recently graduated.
"Don't rush, about an hour more. Everyone, stay alert."
Ren didn't turn his head, his calm voice reaching the ears of the three.
"Yes!"
"Mm."
Looking at the three who were forcing themselves to stay alert, a hint of appreciation appeared on Ren's face. He stood up and said to them,
"Let's go, we'll patrol two more rounds. We can't be careless at this time. By the time we return from patrolling, the relief team should be here."
"Yes!"
The three did not delay after hearing him, quickly followed Ren, and headed into the distance.
On a hill, Ren and the other three stood spread out, patrolling the surroundings. Although it was monotonous, since the shift change was approaching, no one was slacking off.
"Hmm, no problems. Let's head back."
"Yes!"
Ren casually glanced around and then prepared to lead the team back.
This was the very edge of their patrol area, right next to the Land of Waterfall border. This was also where Ninja from the Land of Stone and Ninja from the Land of Cloud appeared more frequently.
"Hmm?"
Ren, who had just taken two steps, suddenly stopped. He then turned his head to the side, his eyes gradually narrowing. Suzuki and the others, who were beside him, were somewhat confused. After looking around for a long time and finding no one, they finally turned their gaze to their Captain.
"Captain, is something wrong?"
Yao stepped forward, asking cautiously. Ren didn't hide anything. After glancing at them, he chuckled lightly.
"A small discovery. Let's go, move lightly. It seems today you're about to have your first battle with Ninja from another country."
"Yes!"
The three immediately understood Ren's meaning and instantly became vigilant, but amidst their tension, there was also a hint of excitement.
They hadn't killed anyone yet. Right after graduating, they were assigned to the Interrogation Department and killed three foreign spies who no longer had any value, just to let them experience bloodshed.
As for why they didn't take on bandit missions, it was because too many Genin needed to experience bloodshed in the past two years, so most of the bandits within the Land of Fire had been eliminated this year.
Even if new groups formed, they would be wiped out by another group of Genin within two days. This also led to a significant improvement in public order within the Land of Fire this year, despite the economic downturn caused by the war.
Ren led the three over several hills, finally stopping on a high slope.
"Quiet, look ahead."
Ren turned around and whispered to them. After speaking, he crouched down, crawled up the slope, and peeked his head out to look.
"Yes!"
The others followed suit, lying prone on the slope like Ren, peering out with half their heads.
"This is..."
Below the hill where they were located was a small flat plain of several hundred square meters. At this moment, several figures stood on opposite sides, confronting each other. Although their clothes were not all the same, the others recognized them.
"Ninja from the Land of Stone encountered Ninja from the Land of Cloud, how interesting..."
Ren looked at the tense atmosphere below, a smile appearing on his face as he murmured.
"Captain, are we going to join the battle too?"
Shio, who was lying beside him, leaned over, gripping the scabbard behind his back, and said with some excitement.
"Don't be so impatient. Let them fight first. We'll stay put. In war, besides strength, you also need a bit of this."
Ren pointed to his temple and grinned at Shio.
"You must remember, our goal is to survive. And killing enemies, besides so-called merits, the most important point is still to survive.
Sacrificing for the Village is not your turn yet. Surviving in this bloody war, that is your mission.
A living person is always more meaningful than a memorial stone, understand?"
"Und... understood."
The three were momentarily stunned. Clearly, Ren's words somewhat subverted their understanding.
As for Ren, he didn't want his three team members to be forced by some so-called will and then rush to their deaths one after another.
They had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy; their youth hadn't even begun, and they were going to sacrifice themselves for some will. This was not what Ren wanted to see.
While they were talking, the battle below had already begun. Various powerful Ninjutsu filled the air, truly opening the eyes of the three youngsters who had never witnessed such a life-and-death battle.
"Hmm, the more intense the fight, the better."
A smile appeared at the corner of Ren's mouth. He then withdrew his body, took a few steps back, and began to form hand signs silently.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"
As several bursts of white smoke erupted, the three youngsters watching the battle were also attracted by the commotion from behind. Turning around, they saw several identical Ren standing in front of them, momentarily confused.
"You stay here for a while. I'll go observe the terrain first."
Ren stepped out from among the Shadow Clones. As he spoke, he turned to look at the Shadow Clone furthest to the side and smiled.
"Number One, I'll trouble you to look after them. Let them join the battle when the time is right."
"I know, go quickly. You don't need to teach me."
Number One silently rolled his eyes, walked to the side, and sat down cross-legged. Ren didn't mind and said to the other Shadow Clones.
"Then let's move."
"Hmm x3"
Thus, under the somewhat stunned gaze of the three youngsters, four Shadow Clones plus Ren's main body suddenly disappeared from sight, leaving only what seemed to be a Captain's clone beside them.
As for Ren's side, he and his Shadow Clones split into two pairs, each pair stealthily approaching the open area where the two sides were fighting from the east and west. Because the surrounding terrain was mostly hilly, they managed to sneak close without much trouble. Dozens of meters away, the two warring factions were engaged in battle.
"Tsk, it looks like these two Jonin are quite strong. They've been fighting for so long and are still evenly matched."
Ren watched the intense battle and sighed.
It had been almost a quarter of an hour since they started fighting. Both were Taijutsu-type Ninja, and the Ninjutsu they used were basically for enhancing physical abilities. Rocks flew and lightning surged across the field, a truly fierce battle.
"Let's move."
"Hmm."
Ren and his Shadow Clone exchanged glances, and then two streams of dark red Chakra enveloped them. Several tails emerged from behind them, and a violent aura shot into the sky, startling the combatants on the field.
"What's going on?!"
The two Captains cursed under their breath. After forcing their opponents back, they immediately retreated with their comrades. While being wary of the hill, two more violent auras were released from behind, directly sandwiching their two groups.
The three youngsters in the distance were dumbfounded. Shio widened his eyes and murmured,
"What is that...?"