Over the next few days, Gento immersed himself in the busy preparations before the war.
The personnel lists submitted by the various clans were delivered to him one after another.
After carefully reviewing them, Gento fell into thought.
Although these clans had not committed their core combat strength, most of those they sent were experienced Chunin, rather than carelessly filling the ranks with novice Genin.
Behind these lists clearly lay a certain degree of recognition and a calculated bet on him, this young commander.
What surprised him the most was the Hyuga clan.
As one of the Hidden Leaf's prestigious clans, not only was the quality of the Shinobi they sent higher, but they were personally led by the branch family Jonin, Hizashi Hyuga.
This level of heavyweight support made Gento feel the burden on his shoulders grow even heavier.
At the same time, a vast amount of war supplies was categorized and sealed into specially made storage scrolls.
Special Soldier Pills, medical supplies, Explosive Tags, weapon resupplies…
Gento personally participated in the final inspection and sealing, ensuring that nothing could go wrong.
The Uchiha clan's participating members were finalized with the assistance of Great Elder Soen.
As the departure date drew closer, Kurenai became noticeably more clingy.
During these days, whenever Gento had free time, the two of them would engage in "deep interactions."
Sometimes, Kurenai would even come to find Gento three times in a single day.
This was partly due to the novelty of tasting the forbidden fruit for the first time, and partly due to her reluctance to see Gento leave.
Meanwhile, Gento had been thoroughly exhausted these days.
If not for a Shinobi's physique being far beyond that of ordinary people, he likely would not have been able to endure it.
He could only smile bitterly and comfort himself… this probably counted as a sweet burden.
Just as everything was nearing completion, a group of travel-worn Shinobi entered the Leaf.
This squad consisted of six people, all of them with blood-stained clothing.
They headed straight for the office of the Police Force elder, where they happened to encounter Gento, who was discussing final matters with Soen.
At the front was a boy, about eleven or twelve years old.
He had the signature black hair and deep eyes of the Uchiha clan, but at this moment, those eyes carried a composure far beyond his age, even a barely perceptible sorrow.
"Shisui Uchiha, reporting to Great Elder Soen."
Gento's gaze narrowed.
So this was the genius who would one day possess the strongest Genjutsu, "Kotoamatsukami"…
"Shisui, Tekka… why have you returned?"
Soen raised his head.
"We escorted the clan leader's body back to the clan."
Shisui stepped forward and presented a Sealing Scroll with both hands.
Soen took the scroll, walked to an open space, and formed hand seals to release it.
A pitch-black coffin appeared.
Soen slowly pushed open the lid. Lying inside was the body of the current Uchiha clan leader.
Parts of his body were incomplete, obviously having gone through an extremely brutal final battle.
Soen stared for a long time, the grief in his eyes hardly suppressed.
He took a deep breath and gently closed the coffin lid.
Gento watched everything without saying a word.
The figure within the coffin coldly reminded him:
This was the true Shinobi world… there were no warm and kind fairy tales, only cruel life and death and inescapable fate.
Before the tides of the era, for the weak, even choosing how to survive was a luxury.
Right then, his determination to grow stronger became even firmer.
"You have just withdrawn from the frontlines. Go back home, see your families, and rest well."
Soen turned to Shisui and the others, his voice already restored to calm.
The six bowed in acknowledgment and withdrew in quiet.
Soen sealed the coffin back into the scroll and turned to Gento, suddenly asking:
"What do you think of that child, Shisui?"
"Exceptional talent, steady temperament. He will surely become a pillar of the clan in the future."
Gento answered truthfully.
A trace of relief crossed Soen's face, slightly easing the earlier sorrow.
"Yes… he has already begun to stand out on the battlefield.
"Some time ago, by himself alone, he forced an elite squad from the Mist to retreat. The one leading them was a well-known Jonin.
"Ao, the one who possesses the Byakugan.
"By now, some people have begun to call him 'Shisui of the Body Flicker.'"
Soen paused.
"Just like you, Hokage-sama promoted him directly to Jonin without examination."
"He is a descendant of Kagami-sama. Kagami-sama and the Third Hokage were both disciples of the Second Hokage. There is that connection.
"I intend to recommend him to the Anbu to be personally trained by the Hokage. What do you think?"
Gento frowned upon hearing this.
Shisui was undoubtedly a rare treasure of the Uchiha clan.
Once he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan in the future, his role would become even greater.
If handled properly, it might even be possible to resolve the conflict between Uchiha and Leaf.
But if things followed the original storyline, after joining the Anbu, Shisui would be misled by the Hokage and the higher-ups with the so-called "Will of Fire," ultimately meeting a tragic end.
In Gento's view, the so-called "Will of Fire" was nothing but a toxic brainwashing ideology.
Burning oneself to illuminate others; what utter nonsense, nothing more than shackles used to bind people's thoughts!
Burning yourself would only result in others warming themselves with your corpse.
If a group requires someone to carry the burden forward, then it means someone else is living in peace because of that sacrifice!
Such a good seedling like Shisui could not be handed over to the Hokage to be led astray again!
"Hand him over to me."
Gento spoke decisively.
"This battle against the Hidden Sand is the best stage for Shisui to temper his edge and establish merit. When he returns victorious, what he brings back will not only be experience, but real military achievements and prestige!"
Soen showed hesitation.
His intention of letting Shisui enter the Anbu was indeed to cultivate him, but was it not also to temporarily remove him from the frontlines and prevent him from being prematurely lost on the battlefield?
Such an outstanding genius… Soen truly could not bear to let him take risks.
Seeing his concerns, Gento continued.
"The Hidden Sand does not have any top-tier powerhouses overseeing this war.
"The risks are controllable; this is a heaven-sent opportunity to accumulate experience and establish authority. The battlefield is the fastest path for a genius to grow."
After a long silence, Soen finally gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Very well!
"Gento. You and Shisui are both the future hope of the Uchiha. On the battlefield… You must ensure your own survival!"
"Understood."
The two discussed the subsequent arrangements in detail before Gento took his leave.
---
The next day, the Hidden Leaf held a grand funeral for the Uchiha clan leader.
Under the gloomy sky, a drizzle fell nonstop.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, led the high-ranking officials to personally attend and offer condolences, his eulogy solemn and sincere.
The Uchiha clansmen stood silently in the rain, bidding farewell to their clan leader.
The civilians of the Hidden Leaf were already accustomed to such scenes.
With years of war, farewells had become a part of their lives.
After the funeral, Gento officially led his forces to the battlefield.
This time, Leaf gathered a total of over six hundred Shinobi to participate in the war.
Compared to battlefields that often involved thousands, this number was not large at all.
To conceal their movements, Gento split the forces into smaller units, advancing in batches and secretly moving toward Kikyo Pass.
Each squad was equipped with Shinobi from the Hyuga or Inuzuka clans, using the Byakugan and their sense of smell to avoid enemy reconnaissance to the greatest extent possible.
Although this would slow their movement somewhat, it ensured that their strategic intentions would not be exposed.
After more than half a month, all personnel finally converged at the designated location.
Next, under Gento's command, the Shinobi set up a full one hundred thousand Explosive Tags along the Hidden Sand army's inevitable route and the surrounding areas.
Once all preparations were complete, all that remained was to conceal their presence and wait.
Time slowly passed.
Over these past few days, within the hidden range of Leaf Shinobi, multiple squads from Sand had begun secretly entering the Land of Fire for reconnaissance.
Even though their movements were especially covert, none of it could escape the Hyuga clan's Byakugan.
Gento knew that with the appearance of these reconnaissance Shinobi, the war was not far away.
Sure enough, that very night, a Hyuga Shinobi entered the underground command post Gento had established and reported:
"Report to the Commander-in-Chief! Our Byakugan reconnaissance squad has confirmed that a large number of Hidden Sand Shinobi are advancing toward our preset ambush zone!"
...
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