"Damn it, what a ridiculous name. And why should I have to pay for your meals?"
Asuma was displeased yet again, but Kyosuke simply ignored his complaints and winked at him instead.
"I think you have the spirit of a rebellious youth, Asuma, so I won't bother you with a boring introduction. Let's just skip yours."
"Hmph!" Asuma crossed his arms, left utterly speechless.
He hadn't intended to introduce himself anyway, wanting to make Kyosuke uncomfortable, but the captain had completely beat him to the punch.
Being just a young boy, he didn't quite know how to counter such shameless tactics.
Kyosuke stood tall, perfectly acting the part of a seasoned captain, and addressed his squad.
"As the captain, I should be guiding your training. But Asuma and Shizune, you both have deep family traditions and secret techniques, so I have nothing to teach you."
"Kosuke, if you have any questions, you can ask me—as long as you treat me to meat."
You have nothing to teach, or are you just lazy?
You only want to teach Kosuke so you can scam free meat from him!
Asuma and Shizune saw right through their captain's transparent intentions.
Kosuke, however, just nodded happily. "Don't worry, I can cook and hunt. I often catch wild game from the Konoha forests, so I can guarantee you meat every single day."
You really have way too much free time. Have you already retired? You even have time to hunt on the side.
Kyosuke thought for a moment, suddenly recalling the urgent notice he'd received from the Anbu at dawn.
"By the way, gather at the Konoha gates at noon. We're deploying to support the front lines against the Sand Ninja. Get your gear ready."
Kyosuke turned and left, leaving Asuma and Shizune looking a bit anxious. After all, this was a real war.
Kosuke smiled warmly and reassured them. "Don't worry, you are both excellent Konoha Ninja. As long as we watch each other's backs, nothing bad will happen."
Hearing this, Shizune somehow felt even more worried.
Asuma and Kyosuke seemed far more likely to cause trouble for each other than actually help.
Kyosuke returned home to pack. The moment he opened his door, he was startled by a head of vibrant red hair.
Kyosuke's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly feigned immense distress.
"Kushina! I'm going to the battlefield! I'm so scared, so worried, so sad! What if I don't come back and never get to see you again?"
He assumed Kushina was there to violently reprimand him for yesterday's spy joke, so playing the victim seemed like the safest bet.
I'm already acting this miserable; surely she won't hit me.
Kushina, being a war orphan herself, deeply understood the cruelty of war. Seeing the conflict escalate these past few days had left her in low spirits, though she tried not to show it.
That morning, Minato had said his goodbyes to her, and she learned that both he and Kyosuke were deploying to the front. Naturally, she had come to see Kyosuke off.
Though she was genuinely worried, seeing Kyosuke's exaggerated, fake crying turned her concern into a mix of anger and amusement. Her fist clenched instinctively.
She wanted to punch him. But knowing he was heading into a life-or-death battle, she sighed and tossed a scroll at him instead.
"Cut the act. This is the Four Symbols Seal scroll. Memorize it, and destroy it immediately afterward."
Kyosuke stopped his fake crying. Deeply moved, he took the scroll, his voice trembling for real this time.
"Kushina... could you... also teach me the Eight Trigrams Seal...?"
Such a shameless request—I shouldn't have been nice to him.
Bam!
Kushina's fist finally connected squarely with Kyosuke's head.
"You idiot! It will take you who knows how long just to master the Four Symbols Seal, and you already want the Eight Trigrams Seal too?! Too greedy!"
Hey, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. What if it worked?
Kyosuke rubbed the steaming lump on his head, grinning foolishly, and didn't dare argue back.
Before leaving, Kushina couldn't help but turn back with a serious reminder. "You must come back alive. I want to see the day you become Hokage."
Kyosuke immediately pounded his chest. "Don't worry, Kushina! I'll also keep a close eye on Minato and make sure no other women get close to him!"
Bam!
The door slammed shut as Kushina left quickly—likely afraid that if she stayed a second longer, her fist might introduce itself to his face again.
Finally, she's gone. I really don't know how to handle these heavy emotional ties.
Everyone should just laugh and be happy, avoiding the heavy stuff. That's so much easier.
Sitting in his chair, Kyosuke's smile slowly faded. He opened the scroll and began carefully memorizing its complex contents.
At noon, Kyosuke arrived at the Konoha gates and found his three subordinates waiting.
This time, Konoha was dispatching five thousand ninja troops, with Homura Mitokado serving as the supreme commander.
As for Danzo and Jiraiya, they had been sent to the northern borders of the Land of Fire to defend against the looming threat of the Stone and Cloud Ninja.
The Cloud and Kirigakure had recently declared war on each other but hadn't engaged in large-scale battles yet, so the Cloud Ninja still required heavy monitoring.
To the east, along the coast, only a small patrol team could be spared. This included the Maito family, from whom Kyosuke had managed to score a free send-off meal earlier.
Konoha simply didn't have the military strength to fight off all its enemies at once. Their limited forces were stretched painfully thin.
Hopefully, the Cloud, Stone, and Kirigakure won't decide to attack us all at the same time!
Back in the village, the Third Hokage was currently praying devoutly. His sheer stress had even put a stop to his crystal ball peeping!
Five thousand shinobi stood in formation outside Konoha Village—a truly magnificent, imposing sight.
Many villagers had gathered to see off their loved ones, the atmosphere heavy and somber. After all, no one knew how many of these faces would return alive.
Kyosuke's old academy teacher, Takahara Naoyasu, had also come. He handed Kyosuke a finely crafted short sword.
"Kyosuke, your old short sword is wearing out. It's time for a new one. Just make sure to come back alive to use it!"
Replacing his chipped blade, Kyosuke bowed solemnly. "Thank you, Teacher!"
With the army fully assembled and ready to march, Takahara Naoyasu couldn't stay to chat. He patted Kyosuke's shoulder heavily and walked away.
His students had only just graduated this year, and they were already being thrown into the meat grinder of war. It made Takahara sick to his stomach.
"Kyosuke, just follow close to me."
As his former teacher left, Minato approached alongside Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.
Kyosuke knew Minato was looking out for him and didn't refuse the offer, nodding in agreement. He then turned to Obito, immediately putting on his haughty 'squad leader' persona.
"Minato, this is your new team member, the Genin Obito, right?"
Seeing Kyosuke tease the Uchiha boy, Rin and Shizune giggled. Asuma looked away in annoyance, Kakashi muttered something about 'troublesome idiots,' and Obito instantly flushed with anger.
"Hey! You're just a newly promoted Chūnin, don't look down on people! I'll surpass you in no time!"
Kyosuke was about to fire back a sarcastic retort when the entire area suddenly fell dead silent. Turning around, he saw the Third Hokage and Homura Mitokado step out from the village gates.
"I'm counting on you this time." The Third Hokage looked solemnly at Homura.
Homura didn't waste words, offering a curt nod. "I will assist Orochimaru in crushing the Sand Ninja."
The Third Hokage didn't bother with a grand speech. Defending their home from invaders didn't require extra motivation.
Besides, Kyosuke thought dryly, with five thousand people spread out, most wouldn't be able to hear the Hokage's voice anyway.
Imagine the Hokage standing up there shouting through a little merchant's megaphone—now that would be a sight!
Homura Mitokado turned and led the march toward the battlefield. Kyosuke and the rest of the Konoha forces followed in silence, forming a massive, surging wave of shinobi.