Analyzing the Ninja World Starting from Konoha

Shortly thereafter, Konoha received intelligence from spies in the Land of Lightning that the Hidden Cloud Village seemed to be planning something big, and that the Third Raikage was personally leading the operation.

The news shocked the Konoha leadership.

Hiruzen Sarutobi urgently recalled Jiraiya and ordered the faster Minato Namikaze to go ahead and rush to the border to provide assistance.

The shadow of the Third Shinobi World War has fallen over everyone.

In addition to the three lines of defense—Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure—the village of Kirigakure on the opposite bank must also be guarded against.

Although Wuyin adheres to a closed policy and isolates itself from the world, one should always be wary of others.

After much deliberation, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally decided to send Orochimaru to take command of the Kirigakure defense line.

……

Inside the Konoha BBQ restaurant.

The charcoal fire was burning brightly, and the slices of meat sizzled on the grill, emitting an enticing aroma.

The four members of the Crimson Squad sat around a table, but the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Yuhi Makoto placed a piece of grilled meat into his bowl but didn't touch it. He put down the tongs and looked around at his three subordinates.

"After this meal, the Crimson Squad will disband."

His words were plain, yet like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

Although everyone was prepared when they returned to the village, a strange sadness still welled up when the word "disbandment" was actually uttered.

Yuhi Kurenai's eyes instantly reddened. She quickly lowered her head and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, but she still couldn't hold back her tears, which dripped onto the table.

Sarutobi Asuma, who was always loud and boisterous, was now mute.

He silently turned the roasted meat with tongs, stuffed a piece of golden-brown meat into his mouth, and chewed it vigorously, as if he wanted to swallow all his emotions.

Aoba picked up a piece of grilled beef tongue, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth to chew slowly.

"Teacher, what are our plans for the future?"

Seeing that no one spoke, he took the initiative to break the silence, his voice very steady and without any ripples.

Crimson picked up her glass, took a sip, and slowly said, "Crimson, Asuma, and I will most likely be sent to the Hidden Mist Line. As for you..."

He paused for a moment and looked at Qingye.

"As for you, your situation is rather special, and I don't know how the Hokage will arrange things."

Upon hearing this, Qingye nodded, not particularly concerned, or perhaps he had already guessed where he would be going.

What is the most tense and dangerous place right now?

This is undoubtedly the defense line of the river facing directly into the Sand Village.

War is imminent. With the Kazekage missing, Sunagakure is like a mad dog, biting people everywhere. The battlefield in the Land of Rivers is a giant meat grinder about to be turned on.

Even if the Third Hokage wanted to transfer him elsewhere, that old man Danzo would never let it go.

Given Danzo's vindictive nature, even if the Third Hokage wanted to place him in the rear, Danzo would definitely find a thousand plausible reasons to send him to the front lines to his death.

After all, he had caused him to lose an entire team of elite Root troops.

That old man won't forget this debt.

Now that such a good opportunity has arisen, we can eliminate this thorn in our side without bloodshed.

How could Danzo not be caught?

Just as Aoba had predicted.

Noon on the third day.

A masked member of the ANBU appeared at the door of Aoba's house.

"Yamashiro Aoba, the Hokage has ordered you to assemble at the village gate early the day after tomorrow and proceed with the support troops to the border of the Land of Rivers to report for duty."

After finishing speaking, the ANBU handed the transfer order to Aoba and then instantly disappeared.

Aoba glanced at the Hokage's crimson seal on the scroll, his expression unreadable.

The day of departure arrived quickly.

The leaves were shrouded in a thin layer of mist in the early morning.

Aoba didn't carry the sand gourd, as that would be too conspicuous. Instead, he put on his bag and arrived at the gate of Konoha on time.

A number of ninjas had already gathered at the rendezvous point, most of them with solemn expressions, silently organizing their equipment.

There were also many family members who came to say goodbye to their loved ones.

There were no grand pronouncements like those in action-packed manga before a battle; all that remained was worry for loved ones about to embark on their journey to the front lines.

He found a spot on the edge of the crowd and was about to close his eyes to rest when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Aoba!"

A familiar voice came from behind me.

Aoba turned around and looked at the three people walking quickly towards her with some surprise.

Kurenai walked at the front, with Kurenai and Asuma on either side.

"Didn't I say you didn't need to send it?"

"I can come and go as I please, what's it to you?"

Asuma pursed his lips, pulled out an exquisite lighter from his pocket, and tossed it to Aoba. "Here, I smuggled this out of the old man's study. It's said to be a gift from the daimyo of the Land of Fire. It can start a fire in strong winds."

Aoba caught the lighter; the metallic texture felt cold and heavy.

This guy may be stubborn, but he's actually warm-hearted.

Thanks.

Asuma looked around, then suddenly leaned closer to Aoba and whispered, "Actually... the old man had several arguments with Danzo about you. Danzo insisted that you possessed special sand control abilities and were the best candidate to go to the Sand Village battlefield. In the end, the old man couldn't withstand the pressure."

Aoba glanced at Asuma with surprise.

This kind of high-level intelligence is clearly not something a low-ranking ninja could easily obtain.

It's obvious that this kid was probably eavesdropping again.

Actually, Shinku knew about this too. After all, if Asuma could overhear it, how could he not receive the news?

He was also very curious about how this kid had offended Danzo to this extent.

I also asked Aoba.

"That old man Danzo tried to recruit me, but I refused."

Aoba casually offered an explanation, "Perhaps he holds a grudge because of that."

Shin-hong didn't believe a single word of this claim.

As a senior Jonin of Konoha, he had some understanding of Root's modus operandi. Simply refusing to recruit someone wouldn't warrant Danzo using his authority as Hokage's advisor to so blatantly target a promising genius.

This kid is obviously not telling the truth.

However, since Qingye didn't want to talk about it, he didn't press the matter further.

He walked over and straightened Aoba's slightly crooked headband.

"When you get there, don't be reckless. Survival is the most important thing."

Shinku pressed her palm heavily on Aoba's shoulder twice, her voice so low that only the two of them could hear it.

"Besides the enemy, be careful of what's behind you. Sometimes, the knife is handed to you by your own people."

Qingye's expression remained unchanged; she simply nodded slightly.

I know what I'm doing.

The assembly whistle blew.

The Jonin leading the team began counting the number of people.

"I'm gone."

Qingye waved her hand and turned to join the marching group.

He didn't turn around, but just waved to them with his back turned.

The march was tedious and oppressive.

Ninjas are an all-terrain unit; they don't really take any main roads. Once they determine the direction, they just charge straight in.

If the ninja world had satellites, they would have discovered that the trajectory of this support team was a straight line.

……