"You useless brat, your country's ninja couldn't even deal with a simple Religious Cult, and you want to partner up with us?"
After reading the letter, Frost Daimyo Cangyan immediately spat and said.
"If we really teamed up, who would be leading whom? You'd just end up dragging me down."
Though Daimyo Cangyan held Takigakure's strength in contempt, the idea of expelling Kumogakure ninjas from Frost territory did excite him.
After some thought, he summoned the leader of Frost Ninja Village.
"Your name is Frost, not Cloud, certainly not Lightning. You must find a way to make the ninja of the Land of Lightning leave Frost territory—understand?"
Having listened to the Daimyo's impassioned speech, the Frost ninja leader, wearing a forehead protector, remained silent.
Kumogakure was one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Even though only several hundred troops had entered the Country of Frost, that number still exceeded the total number of Frost ninja village ninja.
How could they possibly fight back? How could they dare oppose Kumogakure?
After hesitating for a moment, the Frost ninja leader replied cautiously, "Your Highness, are you suggesting we ally with Konoha to repel Kumogakure? Even if we successfully drove them back to the Land of Lightning, Kumogakure might retaliate, causing an even greater crisis..."
"Fool!" Daimyo Cangyan exploded in rage. "Just don't let them know it's you doing it!"
These useless fellows, besides being weak, aren't even smart enough.
They're ninjas, right? Don't ninjas specialize in stealth, assassination—stuff like that? Why not use covert operations instead?
"The process doesn't matter, nor does who wins between Fire and Lightning Countries. The ultimate goal is to return the Country of Frost to its rightful state! Now go figure something out!"
"I understand," the Frost ninja leader scratched his head, somewhat grasping the Daimyo's meaning.
...
"Move out—destination: Country of Hot Springs!"
After leaving the Daimyo's temporary palace, Hidekazu Ueno began urging his students to hit the road again.
"We're heading out again? But Teacher, you haven't even taught us anything yet," Hiroki Hyuga said.
At this, Hidekazu Ueno fell silent.
He felt awkward—upon reflection, it was actually true.
He looked at his three nominal students:
Hana Inuzuka, belonging to the Beast Summoning Style, or more accurately, the Gatai Style?
Hiroki Hyuga, purely focused on Taijutsu.
Itachi Uchiha, mastering Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu equally.
Each of them was extremely skilled in their own field; together, they made up a well-rounded team.
This left him unsure where to begin teaching.
What exactly was he supposed to teach anyway?
These ninja with family legacies didn't seem to need him for basic training supervision…
"Teacher, you haven't even introduced what style of ninja you specialize in," Hiroki Hyuga added somewhat exasperatedly.
"Erm..." Hidekazu explained. "I'm specialized in Wind, Fire, and Earth natured chakra. Besides that, I also know some assassination techniques."
Hiroki Hyuga instantly lost interest.
The teacher's skills had practically nothing to do with him.
He wasn't a naturally quick learner; spending extra time on ninjutsu would only slow down his progress.
Moreover, without the corresponding chakra natures, even if he learned specific techniques, he wouldn't be able to unleash their full power.
As for basic training like climbing trees or walking on water—please. The Hyuga's taijutsu required precise chakra control from a very young age.
What he really needed now was a ninja who could help him get the hang of Yang Release.
"If you have any interest in learning or understanding something related, feel free to ask me," Hidekazu Ueno said.
Seeing all three students clearly uninterested, Hidekazu Ueno felt even more awkward.
Their privileged backgrounds made him feel irrelevant as their teacher.
"Teacher, other squads always stress things like teamwork. Why don't you seem to care about that?" Hana Inuzuka suddenly asked.
"Only the weak need to huddle together," Hidekazu Ueno blurted out.
Itachi Uchiha gave a silent nod, as was his nature.
Pausing briefly, Hidekazu Ueno realized his words didn't quite reflect the Will of Fire.
Teamwork—how exactly was he supposed to build that again?
"How about we go get something to eat together?" He managed a smile as he invited them.
(Without turning around, Hiroki Hyuga replied coolly) "I don't think that's necessary."
Without turning around, Itachi Uchiha walked ahead, "I also believe you don't really want to, Teacher."
"This is boring. Let's go already!" Hiroki Hyuga urged impatiently.
"You're all so lifeless. How can this team possibly succeed? Oh yeah, Teacher, what squad number are we anyway..." Hana Inuzuka asked with a puzzled expression at the end.
"Not important. Once you become chunin, we'll just disband," Hidekazu Ueno replied indifferently.
Hana Inuzuka: "Unbelievable. You two could at least pretend to care."
Country of Hot Springs, Konoha Camp Site 1.
Regarding how to set up campgrounds—if ninja gathered together in one place, they might end up wiped out entirely like last time, yet setting up separate camps risked being picked off one by one. There was no perfect solution.
After weighing both options, Danzo Shimura ultimately decided to split into three camps arranged in a triangular formation, mutually supporting each other.
Inside the command tent, Danzo Shimura and over a dozen Jonin gathered together.
One Elite Jonin of the same clan stepped forward to report: "Lord Danzo, during these past few days of fighting, Kumogakure hasn't deployed any particularly strong ninja. The strongest among them were merely Elite Jonin. Furthermore, according to reports from our spies within Kumogakure, the Raikage has not left the village..."
Listening to his subordinate's report, Danzo Shimura revealed a faint smile.
So my suspicions were right all along. To guard against surprise attacks from other villages, Yugito dare not leave the Land of Lightning.
Since she won't be on the battlefield, there's no need to assign someone specifically to counter her...
Without her, among Cloud's deployed forces, who could still challenge me?
It's settled then.
This victory will be mine and mine alone.
Masking his expression, Danzo Shimura's gaze swept across the Jonin within the tent.
Aside from Jonin from the Uchiha, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Ino–Shika–Cho, Aburame, and Shimura clans, the rest were Commoner Jonin.
None of the clan leaders showed up. The most noteworthy individuals to him were three young jonin who had been gaining tremendous fame recently.
Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, and Shisui Uchiha.
All three were only in their teens. Their strength was formidable, making them the new generation's leading figures, as well as idols for many ninjas.
The other jonin inside the tent were older, but they were just veterans. In terms of fame, none of them could match Kakashi or Shisui.
Might Guy wasn't quite as famous as them, but people still saw him as a rising star.
Shimura Danzo mused over how to best deploy these three.
As for Kakashi, he was sent by the Hokage Hiruzen to redeem himself. He wasn't worth worrying about—so let him take point, might as well put his skills to use...
Might Guy, nothing more than a simpleton; assign him to the battlefield support unit...
And then there's Shisui Uchiha, who volunteered insistently to come along. Don't let him steal too much spotlight—stick him with camp guard duty...
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