The Land of Rice Fields.

  Habara gazed out at the boundless, dense forest. The lush greenery, like a child's crayon drawing with overly vibrant colors, had a peculiar, uling quality. The extraordinary quiet made it difficult for ahin to find peaind…

  This was a green hell, capable of swallowing everything, and waiting to do just that.

  The Konoha ninja squad had reached its designated position, and so far, their luck held – they hadn't entered any enemies along the way. Based on the principle of mission priority, Nindo's squad's target was that specific Kumo ninja. Therefore, it was unnecessary to create araneous plications during the mission.

  Although the Shinobi World War had reached its ter stages by this point, and the scale of warfare between the tries had drastically shrunk, this redu in scale didn't meaensity of the battles had also decreased. The reality was quite the opposite. After years of mutual sughter, the emotions of hatred and animosity between enemy tries had accumuted more and more. Reflected in the war, this meant that the iy of the fighting had actually increased.

  This was Habara's first time otlefield, and specifically, a ninja battlefield. Although he could feel the suffog tension, to be ho, he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He was pletely lost.

  Fortunately, the ander's and level was adequate. Upon reag their position, Nindo immediately began te the bat formation. His usually smiling face had now turned serious.

  By assigning each person to a suitable position, making the duties of ecifid small, the learning speed of a novice could be expected to increase quickly. They would soon learn what they should do…

  Because those who couldn't learn would die.

  In short, after the team arrived at the location, they quickly deployed in a "seard surround formation," also known as a "V" formation. In this formation, the two arms extending forward would move in the same dire like the hands of a clock, seeking out the enemy. Ohe enemy was discovered, the ninjas oer perimeter would guide the eowards the tral point, allowing the team to surround the enemy as quickly as possible.

  It should be said that this formation was suitable for a team with a numerical adva weaker average bat strength. It could fully utilize their numerical advao achieve the goal of outnumbering the enemy. However, the problem was that it was somewhat too passive… In essehis e of "turtle formation."

  Of course, based on the priority of enemy dete and the nature of bat between ninjas, the Konoha ninja squad's formation wasn't dehe furthest search distance could extend to more thay kilometers.

  Squad Leader Nindo ositioned in the ter of the formation. This was to allow him to promptly grasp the battlefield situation. Habara's squad was located at the rear vertex of the V, arguably the safest location in the formation.

  This good fortune had nothing to do with him being a novice. Habara instinctively believed that this was due to Nindo's personal bias… The squad leader's positioning might have been to protect his younger sister.

  After the operation began, Habara and Nobuyoshi hid in a thicket. Izayo was hidden in the opy of a rge tree more than teers away, and Daigo was o be seen.

  To maintain cealment, Habara couldn't move around, and he certainly couldn't speak freely. There was also the possibility of enemies suddenly appearing from behind the formation, so the reserve squad had to be pletely hidden.

  The light in the forest was dim, and occasionally, only the sound of birdsong could be heard. As time passed, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

  The first day passed without i, and the sed day was the same.

  This team had been squatting in this area for seven days, and nothing had happened. Okay, calling the team's formation a turtle formation was a bit inappropriate. This was clearly "a spider waiting in its web," or waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump.

  Even though nothing was happening, it didn't mean they were rexed. The ninjas at the front, stantly searg, were ohing, but Habara and the others at the back couldn't move a muscle, and they had to maintain a high level of mental tration… This was truly not an easy job.

  He didn't know when this damned mission would end.

  It would be best if the enemy never appeared.

  Just as Habara's mind finally started to wander, a particurly crisp bird call came from retively close by, clearing his somewhat muddled head.

  This sound traveled far in the quiet enviro, and soon, a simir sound responded from a distance.

  Habara didn't think much of it at first. What was se about birds chirping in the forest? But Nobuyoshi o him took out a notepad and silently wrote a senteh a pencil, then showed it to him:

  "Begin adjusting search dire. Squad leader approved."

  Habara o indicate that he uood. He couldn't uand Konoha's code, so he had to rely on a "transtor" to rey messages.

  However, there was something odd about Nobuyoshi's sentehe team seemed to be adjusting dire acc to pn, but the phrase "Squad leader approved" indicated that this adjustment wasirely based on Nindo's subjective decision. Someone had offered him advice or informed him of some intelligence, and he had made a new judgment.

  This suggested that there was likely a powerful sensory-type ninja oeam providing the squad leader with battlefield awareness. Who was this person?

  Habara instantly thought of the answer.

  The team's "radar" would iably be pced in the safest position, and this person wasn't Habara or Nobuyoshi, aainly not Izayo. So, it could only be Daigo.

  Daigo was extremely well-hidden, to the point where even her own squadmates didn't know her exact location, only that she was nearby.

  Well, the reason Habara's squad was assighe safest position wasn't just Nindo's personal bias. At most, he had mixed in some personal feelings.

  And since Daigo could provide information to the team from the furthest position, it meant that her sense was very wide, a necessary ability for an excellent sensory-type ninja.

  The team began to ge its search dire.

  The time roag noon, and the forest became increasingly humid and hot. Daigo's unication with the squad leader also became more frequent, with bird calls eg bad forth.

  Each time a message was reyed, Daigo would ge her position. Although she was very young, her ninja skills were impeccable. She hadn't left a sirace from start to finish.

  And after a short bird call, "transtor" Nobuyoshi almost immediately shoved his notepad in Habara's face. It read:

  "Prepare to ehe enemy at 15 o'clock!"

  Habara's jumbled thoughts – "How this team have such a surprisingly skilled sensory ninja?" "Should we fight or flee if we enter the enemy?" – were instantly cleared. Or rather, after seeing this sentence, Habara felt like his entire brain had beeed. All he could hear now was the "thump-thump" of his heartbeat.

  Habara couldn't help but lick his dry lips. He couldn't tell whether the smell entering his nostrils was the st of earth or the stench of blood.

  "Verifying enemy identity…"

  "Target firmed. Enemy is Kumo Jonin 'I', two casualties."

  "Begin guiding enemy pursuit, five casualties."

  Information tio be exged in the forest. And after just one enter, Konoha had already lost five people, a casualty rate of 20%.

  "Target approag ambush area…"

  Just as Nobuyoshi was halfway through writing this sentence, a bird call sounded again near Habara and the others. Then, Nobuyoshi suddenly stood up, and for the first time, spoke to Habara:

  "Enemy reinforts! Intelligence was incorrect. Kumo is not a two-man squad, but a four-man squad!"

  Sihe leading enemy was ae Jonin carrying out infiltratioions, if his squad size doubled, it was best to assume their bat power had also doubled… Inpetents wouldn't participate in infiltratioions; otherwise, the enter between Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin was enough to illustrate the sequences.

  Habara's mind was already a mess, so hearing this news made him even more fused.

  The forest seemed to instantly bee noisy.

  But before ninjas like Nobuyoshi could act blindly, Squad Leader Nindo's and came first.

  After hearing this and, Nobuyoshi instinctively tightened his grip on his kunai. He g Habara, then said in a low voice:

  "Mission…

  tinue."

  Yes, even with this sudden ge, the mission had to tinue.

  Because…

  Dying is a small matter; abandoning the mission is a great matter.