Naruto: Starting with the Two Kamui

Iruka held the kunai in his hand: "S-class missions involve classified information, and according to the rules, it is not allowed to be disclosed to anyone, not even your comrades... So, you're lying!"

Seeing that he had been exposed, Shui Mu simply shrugged and said, "This village is about to be destroyed. What good can come of going against a great power? Who wants to die with these guys?"

Iruka said, "Then you can simply leave. The Hokage said that you can choose to stay or leave voluntarily without being punished. If that's the case, why did you have to dabble in the Scroll of Seals!"

Mizuki said matter-of-factly, "Iruka, we've served Konoha for so many years, and in the end, we've even donated our wealth. Are you willing to leave empty-handed like this? Right now, Konoha's most valuable treasure is this Book of Seals! You can easily sell it on the black market for hundreds of billions of ryo!"

Iruka declared righteously, "How dare you desecrate the legacy of our ancestors! Put down the Book of Seals and come with me to apologize to the Hokage! We've been friends since childhood; I'll put in a good word for you!"

"Iruka, you're so annoying, blocking my way. I'll kill you too..."

"Looks like there's nothing more to say!"

Dangdang Dangdang!

Metal clashed, thud! Iruka fell into a pool of blood...

Mizuki stared at his bleeding ankle: "Damn it, knowing they're no match for me, they're targeting my feet and hands, trying to slow me down?!"

He hastily bandaged himself up and disappeared into the night... taking with him the Book of Seals of Konoha.

Represented by Mizuki, similar acts of kicking someone when they're down were playing out everywhere that night. People who usually appear kind and gentle revealed their true, ruthless nature when a crisis struck, viciously stabbing the wounded tree of Konoha... wishing they could dig it up by the roots!

The next morning.

Konoha ninjas and civilians gathered in an open area outside Konoha Village.

A ninja force of 15,000 stood on the east side. Kakashi stood atop the Earth Release: Earth Wall, his gaze sweeping over all the ninjas: "Gentlemen, thank you for staying and sharing the hardships with Konoha. The road ahead is fraught with danger. Please remember each other's faces, for we may never see each other again after we reach our destination!"

A somber atmosphere permeated the crowd.

"Even so, we must see this path through to the end. The great powers have already regarded ninjas as a thorn in their side. Perhaps it has not yet been shown to be obvious, but one day in the future, ninjas will lose their place in the world. Comfort now means even more painful sacrifices in the future. For this reason, Konoha is willing to be the first to take the plunge!"

"I firmly believe that this is the last darkness before dawn, and as long as we persevere, we will surely reach a bright future!!!"

"Long live the Hokage!!! Long live Konoha!!!" The Konoha ninjas shouted excitedly.

To the west was a square formation composed of tens of thousands of Konoha civilians.

"Hmph, a bunch of brutes are courting death, insisting on dragging us into this..."

"We're here to earn money from ninjas, why should we suffer with them!"

"It's all Minato Namikaze's fault! Damn it, where did they go at a time like this!"

They complained, but there was nothing they could do. The Land of Fire could no longer accommodate them, and they didn't have the agility of ninjas to survive outside the system.

The march is imminent.

"Please stand out one by one, you old people, women and children. Our Hyuga clan will be responsible for protecting you!"

"If you are pregnant, please inform us in advance. We will provide a bicycle frame for pregnant women to ride on!"

"Because there are too many of you, it will be difficult for us to protect you all during the march. Therefore, we will issue each able-bodied man a kunai and a shield... In case of any emergency, please do your best to protect yourselves and those around you!"

"These are ninja-specific ration pills, used to replenish stamina and satisfy hunger... Because open flames will reveal our hiding place, cooking is prohibited when camping!"

"If there are no objections, we will be setting off soon... Please stay close to us and do not act on your own. This is for the sake of your lives and the lives of your families!"

And so, amidst compromise and trepidation... a team composed of Konoha ninjas and Konoha civilians embarked on their journey to the Dark Ninja Kingdom.

The Daimyo Mansion of the Land of Fire.

"Your Highness, judging from the timeline, the Konoha ninja have already set off!"

"Yes, send troops. Block all the passes in their path. Aren't they best at ninjutsu? Just make their ninjutsu useless. Don't fight them in close combat. Use archers and spearmen to deal with them."

"Oh right, didn't we import a batch of 'chromium' from the Land of Lightning a while ago? Let's use that... Ninja shields are like paper against chromium arrows and spears, utterly vulnerable!"

"understand!"

"Also, summon Sarutobi Asuma to me!"

"Your Excellency, sir." After a moment, Asuma bowed down.

"Your homeland is about to be destroyed... You don't hate me, do you?"

"They... deserved it!"

"Hmm, very good. I admire someone like you who understands the bigger picture. After this ninja rebellion is quelled, I will not treat you unfairly..."

"That would be my honor!"

"Before that, I have a task for you."

"Please give your orders, Your Excellency!"

"Since Konoha has decided to ally with the Dark Ninja Country, there is a high possibility that the Dark Ninja Country will intervene. I have heard a little about the style of the Shadow Uchiha Yu. Nine years ago, he attacked the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Waterfall and forced the Land of Waterfall to change its name to the Land of Darkness. A year ago, he attacked the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Lightning and forced the Land of Lightning to hand over the former territory of the Hidden Cloud Village."

"This time, we cannot rule out the possibility that he will strike directly at the heart of the enemy. If I am taken hostage by him, the situation will be extremely dire! To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I will leave my double in the Daming Prefecture and travel out in a carriage to seek refuge. I will also send out three other doubles, traveling in three identical carriages, to confuse the situation..."

Swish! The daimyo covered his face with his fan: "Asuma... your mission is to protect me personally! Understand?"

Asuma replied respectfully, "Asuma will do everything in his power to protect Your Majesty!"

As night fell, the Konoha army set up camp for the first time.

*Thud!* A burly man slung the shield off his back and collapsed to the ground: "Damn it! How are we supposed to walk with such a heavy shield on our backs?! Ninjas, can't you think of more ways to protect us?!"

"That's right! Isn't it your ninja's mission to fight to protect the unarmed!"

"Pah!!" A bald man spat out the soldier's ration pill he was chewing, yelling angrily, "Damn it, it's like eating candles!! Damn ninjas, bring me something edible!!"

Chapter 420 Cruelty and Mercy!

The soldiers' rations were unpalatable, so many civilians took down their cooking pots and stoves and started fires to cook on the spot.

"Hey! You over there, put out the fire right now! Do you want the enemy to discover our location?!"

"The enemy? Where are they? We're in the middle of nowhere, who could possibly find us!"

"Exactly! Ninjas always make a big fuss!"

Many hands make light work, and soon the firelight and smoke adorned the night sky beautifully... The ninjas could only watch helplessly as tens of thousands of people did foolish things... yet they were powerless to stop them.

"Lord Hokage, our attempts to dissuade them have failed. What should we do?"

"We can only be on guard, that's all we can do. Let's just hope that the million soldiers of the Land of Fire haven't infiltrated this close yet..."

Kakashi's voice was somewhat weak. He could use his decisiveness and ruthlessness on ninjas, but civilians and ninjas were different!

He closed his eyes and sighed inwardly: If I had the power of the First Hokage, I could be much more at ease...

The Land of Fire has deployed its entire military force to establish a blockade along any possible route Konoha might take!

Several kilometers away, the enemy's vanguard noticed something unusual in the sky. The commander personally rode his horse to a high place and used the Land of Fire's longest-range military telescope (its reconnaissance range exceeded that of the Byakugan, but it did not have X-ray vision; in open areas, it was superior to the Byakugan) to immediately spot the Konoha group that was resting in the distance.

"Camping in the wild and starting such a large-scale fire, ninjas wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Are they just civilians from Konoha? The wise and mighty Daimyo, with a single decree, has left those burdens with us, greatly facilitating our operations!"

"General, should we immediately deploy the arrows?" the lieutenant asked.

"No rush. Our main force isn't here, so it's difficult to wipe them out in one fell swoop... Besides, look at those ninjas, they're all on high alert. They're probably too weak to stop those civilians to keep up! We should hold back for now, lower their guard, and then strike them when their defenses are weakest!"

"So what do you mean?"

"First, lie in ambush and keep a close eye on their movements. Immediately notify the troops in the rear to assemble. There is a valley surrounded by mountains ahead; let's use that as their burial ground!"

"General, you are wise!"

"Hmph... Ninjas, a lowly clan that only knows how to fight. In the face of the art of war, they are nothing but chickens and dogs!" The commander glanced at them disdainfully and spurred his horse back.

Nothing happened until the commoners finished their meal!

After putting away the cooking pots and pans, they looked at the ninjas with a mocking expression: "See? You always make a mountain out of a molehill! Nothing happened..."

"Come on, let's go pee!"

"I need to poop!"

"Let's go together!"

The civilians completely relaxed their guard.

"Throw, throw, throw! Behold the power of my shuriken!" In an open space, many children gathered together, throwing kunai everywhere. The tools that ninjas used in bloody battles had become toys in their hands.

One mischievous kid even said, "Have you ever heard of explosive tags? They can blow rocks away with a bang! Let's go ask the ninjas for some to blow up an ant nest!"

"Hahaha, these are lousy pills from a ninja, even my dog ​​won't eat them!" Some people even use soldier pills to feed their dogs.

Watching this unfold, the ninjas were disappointed and disheartened. Kakashi looked exhausted. The order was even more chaotic than expected. The combination of ninjas who had risked their lives and civilians who were used to comfort on the battlefield!

It was much more awkward than I had imagined.

Shikaku walked over: "Kakashi, do you want to hear my honest opinion? Leaving them behind and going forward alone might be the wisest decision we could make..."

Kakashi gazed at the night sky: "Once we arrive in the Hidden Abyss, let's put the past behind us. All those grudges and entanglements, as well as the long-standing ninja system, will be reshuffled. At least until the very end in Konoha, I want to uphold the ninja way of Konoha to the very end!"

Shikaku laughed and said, "As expected of you... Kakashi, I think all the ninjas who stayed behind will respect your decision!"

That night, the common people slept soundly on the spot, while the ninjas did not sleep a wink.

The next day, after the civilians woke up, they lit fires again to cook and consume the food they carried with them, while the ninjas could only fill their stomachs with wild fruits or dry rations found nearby.

At noon, the army continued its advance and came to a valley surrounded by mountains.

"Stop!"

"Shikaku?"

"The terrain ahead is perfect for an ambush. If I were the enemy general, I would definitely set up an ambush here! I suggest we take a detour!"

"Isn't this just worrying unnecessarily? We haven't seen a single sign of the enemy yet," one of the ninjas said.

"Moreover, if we take a detour, it will inevitably increase the time we are stranded, and the longer we stay, the more likely things will go wrong."

"Perhaps I'm being overly pessimistic, but if my prediction comes true, we'll face utter ruin!"

"Let's do as Shikaku says, the whole army will detour!" Kakashi made a decisive decision.

Seeing that the ninjas weren't going straight but instead taking a detour, the civilians behind them immediately started grumbling: "Hey! Ninjas, why don't you take the proper shortcut and go around taking the long way? Are you out of your minds?!"

Tens of thousands of elite soldiers were lying in ambush on the surrounding high mountains.

The commander exclaimed unexpectedly, "This is truly surprising! These ninjas actually have some strategic thinking!"

"Are we just going to let them take a detour like that? All that effort we put into this plan will be wasted."