"Are you ready, Uchiha ninja!" This was the Uchiha Clan's gathering courtyard. It wasn't very large but still capable of holding over a hundred people.
Today was the day they were deploying to the front lines. Fugaku Uchiha had called for one final pre-departure motivational speech.
Each squad leader stood at the front of his team, with his subordinates lined up behind him. Looking around, Saitama seemed to be the shortest captain present. After all, the average height for an Uchiha ninja was at least 170 cm. Those who reached the Jonin level were usually adults with their growth basically complete.
When Fugaku finished speaking, the atmosphere became very quiet. This wasn't because the ninja were disrespecting him or ignoring him — it was simply tradition.
Standing in the front row, Saitama could clearly feel the whole unit's aura intensify, making his chest feel heavy and tight.
Fugaku Uchiha naturally sensed this shift within the troops too. His gaze swept across everyone's head before curling into a slight smile, his solemn expression covering his face.
"It looks like you're all ready! This is the first time in years that our clan has mobilized on such a scale for war. I hope we can leave a deep impression on our enemies and reclaim the glory of our ancestors!"
His passionate words echoed in every listener's heart. Everyone focused their eyes intensely. Saitama narrowed his eyes slightly, looking toward Fugaku Uchiha standing on the high platform ahead.
"Now then, Uchiha ninja! Depart!" Fugaku nodded and waved his hand.
This time, he wouldn't be joining them on the front lines himself. Instead, he entrusted command of the Uchiha forces to a middle-aged Jonin about forty years old named Uchiha Tianming, who was known for his steady temperament.
Uchiha Mori, although trusted by Fugaku, remained second-in-command due to his relative youth and experience, responsible for supporting Tianming in battlefield matters concerning the Uchiha.
"All squads, assemble at Konoha's main gate!" After Fugaku ordered their departure, Tianming loudly issued the first command.
"Hai!"
Almost all the squad leaders responded simultaneously to Tianming's order.
"Let's go," Saitama turned around, speaking to the two excited brothers behind him, his tone slightly firm.
"Hai!" They both nodded.
Many squads had already begun moving. Figures leapt from rooftop to rooftop, rushing straight toward Konoha's main gate.
Leading the way, Saitama was followed silently by Uchiha Huo and Yan. The trio sped forward, joining their clansmen and soon approaching the village entrance.
While jumping across rooftops, Saitama noticed another stream of gray-white figures orderly running toward the gate. When closer, he realized these were the Hyuga Clan's ninja force.
The Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan had always been in competition, so there was little to no interaction between them even when both gathered near the gate.
At this moment, the area had already become a sea of ninjas. As the strongest ninja village, being able to fight against several other villages simultaneously was no empty reputation.
Actually, the war with the Land of Water hadn't reached the point where Konoha deemed it absolutely critical. Deploying forces there was merely meant to prevent Kiri from becoming more aggressive.
Beneath the bright sun, friction between Konoha and Mist remained limited to small-scale probes. Konoha didn't want to fight on multiple fronts while Mist was watching whether Konoha still had the strength to withstand its attack.
The majority of ninja heading toward the Land of Water's border were from noble clans within Konoha Village, with very few commoners among them.
This was also part of Konoha High-level's strategy—to maintain a balance between clan power and commoner strength. This mission aimed to make the powerful clans understand that their survival hinged on interdependence with the village; sometimes, a clan must sacrifice part of its own interests to ensure the village's well-being.
The clan heads naturally understood these principles and didn't hold back when dispatching forces. At times like these, if someone tried to give evasive answers to Konoha High-level, they'd be the first to face consequences—and it would definitely come from rival clans. The top brass wouldn't even need to lift a finger themselves.
Beneath the bright sun, more and more ninja gathered, and Saitama spotted some familiar crests from different smaller and mid-sized clans.
Before long, the expected forces had all arrived, and everyone quietly awaited the signal.
"Boom!" A signal flare shot into the sky—this was the cue for the ninja forces to begin their advance. Each clan formed a regiment and the march commenced.
Apparently, the general leading this expedition was Tsunade. Saitama had heard Uchiha Fugaku mention it before, and there would also be an advisor to the Hokage accompanying the group as a liaison between the major clans and Tsunade.
At this time, Tsunade hadn't left the village yet, but it probably wouldn't be long now—after all, suffering from hemophobia, she was no longer suited for battlefields.
That was the current state of affairs, but once war erupted, a capable commander would surely rise to lead this front.
Saitama's personal choice for that role was none other than Jiraiya, another member of the "Sannin" trio alongside Tsunade. Right now, although Konoha was strong, truly reliable individuals were few in number.
Minato Namikaze was currently active on the western front, Orochimaru was operating in the south, and Jiraiya seemed to move around constantly, filling in wherever needed—he was dispatched wherever emergencies occurred.
After all, Jiraiya was one of Konoha's rare all-around ninjas—an ideal general despite his questionable personality. Though flawed, he had never failed when it mattered most and remained a true pillar of Konoha!
Heard from others, the vanguard had already reached the border. Saitama's unit was part of the main force arriving later.
The entire ninja regiment swiftly moved through the forest toward the border.
Traveling at Saitama's group's pace while conserving energy for possible emergencies, it would probably take about a week to reach the border from Konoha Village.
Most of the ninja clans had dispatched their fighters under this policy, and those remaining had sent their forces during previous battles. Naturally, bringing together so many people with different personalities couldn't possibly lead to complete harmony—especially among clans with deep-rooted rivalries.
For example, the Uchiha and the Hyuga!
"So you're that Uchiha kid everyone's been talking about lately?"
It was a rest break for the entire ninja force. Saitama leaned casually against a large tree, two tall bodyguards standing beside him.
Opening his eyes, Saitama saw four Haku surrounding Huo. Uchiha Huo and Yan stood glaring.
"Something I can help you with?" Saitama asked as he noticed other Uchiha clan members nearby watching with disdainful expressions.
Frowning slightly, Saitama wasn't sure whether this was a challenge or not.
"Why don't we have a little match? Let me see how strong the Uchiha genius really is." The Hyuga clansman could also see the hostile looks from the surrounding Uchihas, but he remained calm.
"No need to wait!" Saitama gripped his sword, straightened up, and locked eyes with him.
"Huh?" Hyuga Dun stiffened as he turned to look at Saitama. Although still quite young at just nineteen years old, he had become a Jonin two years ago already, so he believed himself no less capable than Saitama.
"Whoosh!"
Saitama vanished from Hyuga Dun's sight, leaving behind a shallow crater where he had stepped forward.
"I think there's no need for us Leaf ninja to waste our energy like this at such a critical time, don't you agree?" Saitama leaned against Hyuga Dun's back, speaking into his ear.
At that moment, Hyuga Dun's body started to stiffen. Though unprepared in that instant, he hadn't even seen a shadow of Saitama before suddenly finding him standing behind him.
"Whoosh!" Hyuga Dun spun around, lowering his head slightly while staring into Saitama's eyes, seeing nothing but calmness within them.
"You do have some skill!" Hyuga Dun turned and walked away, followed shortly by several others—his teammates most likely.
"Tch!" Huo clicked his tongue, an unusual expression on his face as he watched the departing Hyuga group.
Uchiha Huo and Yan were just teenagers—fifteen or sixteen—not as composed as they tried to look. Seeing their squad leader defeat the provoking Hyuga challenger so quickly made both unable to hide their grins.
The gathered Uchiha returned to their resting places, feeling that their recently rising clansman was indeed powerful. In that brief moment, hardly anyone had actually seen what really went down—even without activating their Sharingan eyes.
"Let's keep moving!" After resting for another while, the forces resumed their march. The previous challenge had been merely a drop in the ocean—creating but a ripple before returning to calm once again.
Braving the wind and camping under the stars, after five and a half days, they reached their designated location. There, many Konoha ninja had already begun setting up camp, with its basic framework taking shape.
Konoha (Hidden Leaf Village) had completed most preparations for this war well before the Lunar New Year; now, it only needed its ninja forces to follow plans methodically to effectively resist Mist's current probing attacks.
"All right!" As soon as the main force arrived, Tsunade and several senior officers who had already arrived stood waiting at the front of the camp.
"The areas of the camp have already been divided. Everyone should find your assigned locations first and organize your belongings. At four o'clock this afternoon, all team leaders and above must report to the center of the camp for a meeting. For now, everyone is dismissed!" Tsunade's presence was formidable, her face exuding heroism. She held great authority among the ranks of Konoha ninja.
"Hai!"
"Hai!"
Saitama noticed a girl standing next to Tsunade, about the same size as him. From memory, he recognized her as Shizune, Dan Kato's niece, who had been raised by Tsunade after losing her entire family.
She must've already become a Chunin! Saitama knew Shizune was from Kakashi's generation, likely a few years older than himself, but due to early development, he stood slightly taller than her at the moment.
As Saitama walked into the camp, he quickly spotted the Uchiha Clan area. All Uchiha ninjas received their tent assignments from Uchiha Tianming before heading straight to their tents. Even though they were all ninjas, the journey had been exhausting, and most of them needed to rest.
Saitama's tent sat right beside the two brothers, Uchiha Huo and his younger brother. The setup was just for convenience.
There was an interesting arrangement in the way the clan camps were set up — the Uchiha and Hyuga areas were placed right next to each other.
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