At dawn the next day, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the air was biting cold.
Before Konoha's main gate, a force of over five hundred had already assembled.
People were saying their final goodbyes to family, friends, and comrades. The air was thick with low voices, brief reminders, and suppressed worry.
"Sensei, Shinichi—you have to be careful!"
Shizune and Kurenai stood at the front of the crowd seeing them off, worry written all over their faces.
They knew that with their current status as genin and their present abilities, they weren't qualified to be assigned to such a critical frontline support unit. They could only remain behind in the village hospital to continue their training. That sense of helplessness made their farewell all the heavier.
Shinichi looked at them, a gentle smile as always on his face. "Don't worry. We'll be careful. You two should focus on your training in the village too. What you're learning at the hospital is just as important—build a solid foundation now so you can be even more useful in the future."
Tsunade, on the other hand, was far more direct. She patted her two disciples on the shoulders, her gaze sweeping over their young faces. "That's enough—stop acting like it's a life-and-death farewell! While I'm gone, you two stay in the hospital and study properly. Learn all that professional knowledge and medical ninjutsu inside out! When I get back, I'll be checking—if you haven't improved, you'll answer to me!"
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei!" the two girls replied in unison, nodding vigorously.
Seeing that the time had come, Tsunade said no more. She turned toward the fully assembled unit. Her eyes were sharp as lightning as they swept across faces filled with tension and resolve. Taking a deep breath, she shouted: "All units—move out!"
With the order given, the formation began to move. The shinobi stepped forward in unison, forming a silent yet resolute current flowing toward the road outside the village.
From the crowd seeing them off, countless worried gazes followed their backs until they disappeared around the bend.
Farther away, at the edge of a rooftop, stood a silver-haired boy.
Hatake Kakashi.
He stood there alone, staring in the direction the unit had departed, his fist clenched tight.
"Don't you dare die, you bastards!"
With that, Kakashi spun around and vanished across the rooftops in a few swift leaps.
The moment they left the village, this force of over five hundred rapidly broke formation, splitting into twenty agile squads according to prearranged tactical groupings. Using the shinobi's signature high-speed movement, they bounded through the forest canopy and dashed across the ground, heading toward the western border of the Land of Fire.
The entire unit moved in an orderly, silent, and highly efficient manner, demonstrating Konoha's mastery and discipline in wartime mobilization.
The structure of the unit Shinichi was assigned to was clear, with well-defined roles.
Out of the five hundred-plus personnel, roughly one hundred were seasoned frontline combat elites, specially transferred from various combat units.
They were dispersed along the perimeter and key points of the formation. Their mission was to maintain constant vigilance during the long march—scouting enemy activity and responding to possible infiltration or ambushes by small Sunagakure units, ensuring at all costs that this critically important medical logistics force reached its destination safely.
Within the unit, three members of the Hyūga clan could be seen operating in reconnaissance roles. Once their Byakugan was activated, chakra flow and life signatures within several kilometers could not escape their perception.
This deployment alone made it clear just how seriously Konoha's leadership valued the safety of Tsunade and this unit—one carrying large quantities of precious medical supplies, as well as numerous medical specialists and logistical personnel.
As for the remaining four hundred-plus members, although their primary responsibilities were battlefield medical treatment, pharmaceutical preparation, equipment maintenance, and logistics management, every single one of them was a fully registered shinobi of Konoha.
Among them were veteran ninja who had withdrawn from frontline combat due to various reasons and now served in support roles using their experience, as well as medical-nin specialists who had still undergone full combat training.
Their individual combat strength might not match dedicated fighters, but they were far from being defenseless burdens. Overall, this was a well-rounded support force combining specialization with solid self-defense capability.
However, these five hundred-plus personnel—and even the more than five thousand combat shinobi already stationed at the front—amounting to over six thousand troops in total, were still only a portion of Konoha's deployed forces on the Sunagakure front.
They accounted for roughly thirty percent of Konoha's total combat strength. (Genin excluded.)
This was an unavoidable reality dictated by the Land of Fire's unique combination of advantageous yet perilous geography and strategic environment—especially after Konoha's leadership had carefully studied Higashino Shinichi's war analysis report and gained a clear understanding of the coming storm.
Because of this, every bit of military strength in the early stages of the war had to be calculated and weighed with extreme care.
The unit advanced steadily through the biting winter wind and drifting morning mist, crossing mountains, passing through plains, and heading toward the western border already engulfed in war.
At the same time, as Tsunade's medical logistics unit raced toward the southwestern battlefield, far away in the Land of Lightning, within the Raikage's office in Kumogakure—
"Third Raikage-sama, according to the latest intelligence summary: Sunagakure has launched a full-scale assault on Konoha's southwestern border. The war has now entered its fourth day. At present, both sides are locked in intense attrition and stalemate along the border. The front line is relatively stable—Sunagakure failed to achieve its initial objective of a rapid breakthrough. On Konoha's side, under Jiraiya's command, the defensive line has been preliminarily stabilized, though the pressure is immense and the losses significant."
"Additionally, intelligence operatives we have stationed in the northeastern region of the Land of Fire and within the Land of Hot Water have, over the past two days, reported several developments worth noting. Konoha has increased both the frequency and range of its regular patrols in that direction. Some border outposts appear to have reinforced personnel and stockpiled supplies, and there has been a noticeable rise in activity from small groups of elite Konoha shinobi."
"Although there is no clear evidence yet of large-scale troop concentrations, all signs indicate that Konoha's vigilance toward the northeastern direction has not decreased after the outbreak of war with Sunagakure—in fact, it has increased."
The Third Raikage remained silent, his gaze sweeping across the large map on the wall. After a long moment, he suddenly slammed his hand on the table and shouted: "Fine then! If Sunagakure attacks Konoha, then Kumogakure will attack Konoha too! They strike the southwest—I'll strike the northeast! We'll drive straight into the Land of Fire and take down even Sarutobi Hiruzen himself!"
He turned, his blazing gaze locking onto Dodai, who stood calmly at his side, and gave his orders: "Dodai! Start preparations immediately! One month—I want everything ready within one month: full assembly of frontline forces, tactical simulations, supply allocation, and logistical support!"
"In one month, I will personally lead our village's elite army and strike Konoha hard from the northeast! We'll hit them so they can't defend both ends at once—and we'll secure enough gains before those Sunagakure fools are completely driven back!"
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---