The fact that the Third Hokage had decided to personally lead the charge remained a closely guarded secret among the village elders. Uehara, naturally, was in the dark about the details, but even he could sense the shift in the air.
The second major battle of his life was about to begin.
Only ten days had passed since the last bloodbath.
During this brief window, the Konoha shinobi were engaged in a feverish scramble of preparation. They had only three days to turn a weary army into a razor-sharp blade.
Though barred from the front lines due to his recovery, Uehara followed his preparations to the letter—restocking ninja tools, organizing medicinal supplies, and checking his gear with methodical precision.
For Konoha's command structure, the most vital task—aside from logistics—was the reorganization of the shinobi forces.
Ninjas were sorted by their specialized jutsu into Reconnaissance, Strike, and Support units. The Strike Force was further refined into Close-Combat, Mid-Range Support, and Long-Range Bombardment units.
The more detailed the structure, the more flexible the command. However, such complexity was a double-edged sword. While it allowed for surgical precision, the sheer volume of orders increased the risk of catastrophic error at the tail end of the chain.
Uehara didn't concern himself with such high-level strategy. He was merely a small gear in the vast, grinding war machine of Konoha. He would turn as he was told to turn; the rest was none of his business.
Had Uehara been uninjured, he likely would have been thrust into a Close-Combat unit, perhaps even following the Third Hokage into the heart of the enemy formation.
Unfortunately, while he could move without major hindrance, his wounds had yet to fully knit together. Because of his youth, he was granted a rare modicum of leniency.
Instead of the bloody front, he was assigned to the Security Guard unit directly under the Command Center. Their duty was to protect the high-ranking staff, including the day's supreme commander, Tsunade, as well as the strategic advisors and the communication hub.
However, Tsunade had other plans for him. Knowing he had recently captured a massive avian beast, she didn't want him standing around a tent.
In a strange turn of events, Uehara became a one-man Aerial Reconnaissance unit.
While Uehara took to the skies, others were given the "opportunity" to draw blood on the ground.
Kakashi, the son of the White Fang, was naturally funneled into the Close-Combat Vanguard. Meanwhile, Rin and the other medical ninjas were stationed even further back than the Command Center.
The medical units were the "soft underbelly" of Konoha's formation—essential for survival but vulnerable to attack. They were to be kept hidden, guarded, and out of sight.
The three days of preparation vanished like mist. The Third Shinobi World War's final massive confrontation between Konoha and the Hidden Sand was about to ignite.
At midnight on the third day, the Konoha forces began to move.
The plan was to traverse the Land of Rivers under the shroud of darkness and pierce the borders of the Land of Wind by dawn. Stealth was paramount to ensure the suddenness of the strike, though achieving it was a Herculean task. The Sand surely knew the Hokage had arrived with reinforcements.
Aided by the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, Konoha's advance teams moved through the night like ghosts, systematically eliminating any Sand scouts lurking in the shadows.
But once the sun rose over the desolate plains of the Land of Wind, secrecy would become impossible. There was no place for 5,000 men to hide in that barren wasteland—unless a sandstorm provided cover by divine intervention.
At six in the morning, the Konoha army emerged from the dense forests of the Land of Rivers.
Uehara bit his thumb and slammed his hand against the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a massive puff of white smoke, the Yatagarasu appeared. Summons of this size drained a significant amount of chakra, but the strategic advantage was undeniable.
Uehara stepped onto the bird's back as it took flight, beginning his patrol to ensure the army didn't march blindly into a pre-prepared trap. In an enemy nation, caution was the only thing standing between victory and a mass grave.
He followed the designated route, eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of movement. Fifty kilometers into the Land of Wind, he turned back according to plan.
Finding the main body of the Konoha army, he circled the Command Center. He tucked his pinky into his mouth and let out a series of whistles—sharp, rhythmic, and piercing enough to be heard clearly from the ground.
The message: The path fifty kilometers ahead is clear. No enemy contact.
A signal flashed from below: Continue reconnaissance. Push deeper.
The Yatagarasu banked and accelerated, disappearing back into the desert sun. He flew another thirty kilometers past his previous mark before he finally hit pay dirt.
There, stretching across the dunes, was a massive host.
Uehara didn't linger long enough to be shot down and roasted. He did a quick, professional headcount and sped back toward his own lines.
He whistled the signal twice to ensure there was no misunderstanding:
"Enemy main force detected at nine o'clock. Linear distance: 65 kilometers. Estimated strength: 4,500 to 6,000 shinobi."
The news reached the vanguard in seconds. The Konoha army adjusted its heading slightly, their pace suddenly exploding into a full-tilt sprint.
The collision was imminent.
Both sides spotted each other almost simultaneously. Usually, shinobi battles begin with a tense, professional silence.
But as the gap closed, a thunderous roar of cheers erupted from the Konoha ranks. The sound was so sudden and deafening that Uehara nearly tumbled off his bird in shock.
What are they screaming for? he wondered. This isn't very 'ninja-like.'
He peered down from his aerial vantage point, and the reason for the soaring morale became instantly clear.
A single figure had broken away from the Konoha lines, charging forward like a meteor.
The Third Hokage.
He plunged into the enemy formation entirely alone.
If one were to describe the scene, it was a preview of how Uchiha Madara would one day devastate the Shinobi Allied Forces. Hiruzen Sarutobi was systematically dismantling the Sand army with the casual grace of a master.
It was a whirlwind of violence. He spun, he leaped, the leader of Konoha moving with a terrifying, eyes-closed confidence.
The display was so overwhelming that the Sand ninjas were too terrified to look, and the Konoha ninjas were too awestruck to blink.