Naruto: Assassinating Minato Namikaze at the Start

Chapter 16 Battlefield

As a buffer zone between two major powers, the land of the river is mostly low hills.

The main ridge of the mountain was occupied by the Konoha ninja army. Outside the mountain range, the open view was not conducive to concealed marches.

Battles between ninjas differ from those between ordinary people; they primarily involve assassination, destruction, and decapitation, with very few large-scale military confrontations.

In fact, the essence of war is still a matter of resource allocation.

The Sand Village launched the war partly to divert attention from the growing internal conflicts within the country, and partly out of a desire to take a piece of flesh from Konoha.

The Sand Village leadership also understood that destroying Konoha could be a slogan, but it couldn't be taken seriously.

Currently, the Sand Village has assembled a massive army of 10000 ninjas and is pressing them on the front lines, while the enemy only has 3000. This is a golden opportunity.

If you can hurt your opponent badly, you can force Hiruzen Sarutobi to sign a ceasefire agreement.

Konoha could easily give up some resources and missions, enough to feed Sunagakure. A single victory would be enough to quell the discontent within the country.

Meanwhile, the Konoha front-line camp stood there like a nail, constantly threatening the Sand Ninja forces.

Therefore, it must be uprooted; otherwise, it would be meaningless no matter how much land it occupies.

The probing phase of the war has ended, and recent conflicts between the two sides have become increasingly intense.

Mo Jingxian hid in a tree in the mountains and forests, making good use of the surrounding environment to conceal herself.

He monitored the situation for nearly an hour but found no trace of enemy infiltration.

Of course, he also used the fragmented time spent under surveillance to develop his body's potential.

Since clarifying his cultivation path, he has developed the habit of cultivating at any time.

Since it was not advisable to make any strenuous movements during the mission, he gradually developed his body and enhanced his body control.

At this moment, hundreds of muscles under the clothes are trembling slightly, consciously coordinating the muscle groups.

The force travels upwards from the coccyx, along the spine, to the occipital acupoint.

Wherever it passes, the surrounding muscles work together effectively, and the spine seems to come alive like a great dragon.

The 33 points of "Fate" attribute provided Mo Jingxian with all-round growth, and as he cultivated, his control over his body became more and more precise.

I believe that one day we will reach the level of subtlety, and that day should not be too far away.

A coded signal rang out in the woods as the captain gathered his team.

Mo Jingxian was the second to arrive at the meeting point, followed by Hinata Ayako, with Ishikawa Shinki arriving last.

Once all the team members had arrived, Shikata invited everyone to sit down and rest.

The squad had been formed for three days, and their first mission was to patrol the defense line.

The mountains surrounding the Konoha camp were divided into more than one hundred patrol points, and Mo Jingxian's team was assigned to three points: 35, 36, and 37.

The team patrolled between three points, monitoring for one hour, with a fifteen-minute break in between.

"Hurry up and eat something; another team should be coming to take over this afternoon."

Lu Tai urged them on, taking the opportunity to motivate the newcomers.

"It's been three days, and I still haven't seen what the Sand Ninja look like. Do you think... they might bypass us and launch a surprise attack from the plains?"

Ishikawa Araki offered his own ideas; he's usually quite talkative and enjoys using his brain.

"This is an interesting question. How about this, Sen and Ayako, you share your thoughts first."

Lu Tai didn't rush to answer, but instead threw the questions at the two newcomers, some of which seemed to be a test.

Ayako Hyuga blushed as she glanced at Mo Jingxian, then immediately lowered her head to avoid his gaze when he looked at her.

"I think it's impossible."

Mo Jingxian spoke with absolute certainty.

"Look at you, what are the Sand Ninja fighting for? To put it bluntly, isn't it just to take advantage of Konoha?"

His approach to the problem successfully piqued the interest of the two newcomers.

"Hmm, straightforward yet precise, please continue."

Shikata Jonin offered a word of encouragement.

He spread his hands: "What else is there to say? Isn't it obvious! If they bypass the camp and attack Konoha from the plains, the Sand Ninja will suffer a huge loss. Have they lost their minds?"

The group thought what he said made a lot of sense, but it seemed too simplistic.

Unlike the ingenious and resourceful national wars I had imagined, this game lacked any sense of epic scale.

"The immortal is right," said Lu Tai.

"Wars between ninjas have always focused on eliminating the enemy's manpower. Once a battlefield is chosen, both sides will continuously commit troops to fight until one side completely admits defeat."

"Does the captain mean that the land we're standing on now will become a meat grinder for ninjas in the near future?"

Lu Tai glanced at Xian in surprise and nodded.

"Yes! But not in the future, you've already stepped into this hellish arena right now."

The mountain forest was rather stuffy in July, and the two newlyweds' breathing became rapid.

This is the purpose of having a Jonin instructor: to guide newcomers to adapt to this brutal battlefield in advance.

"To survive in this hellish place, sometimes intelligence is more important than ninjutsu."

Lu Tai pointed to his head.

"Any mistake could put the entire team in danger, so you must not be careless or reckless from now on. Remember... you are a team, and only by trusting your teammates will you have a greater chance of survival."

The atmosphere was somewhat silent. The boy's passion was fading, and his understanding of war was gradually becoming clearer.

"Of course, I'm not saying that having high strength is bad; what I mean is that intelligence is just as important as strength."

The group silently ate their fill, and then continued on to their next post.

The defensive line around the main camp was not a straight line, but a network of hundreds of ninja squads.

Mo Jingxian's team was one of them; they spun their webs and waited for their prey to take the bait.

One side was on high alert, while the other side tried every means to sabotage it, and the battlefield officially entered the second phase.

Shikata led the way, Mo Jingxian brought up the rear, and they protected Hinata Ayako and Ishikawa Shinki in the middle.

As the team traversed through the forest, Nara Shikata suddenly stopped, clenched his fist, and raised his right hand.

The team went from moving to still in an instant, and the personnel cooperated perfectly, demonstrating strict discipline.

"Ayako Hinata scouted the surrounding area."

As Shikata gave the order, Hinata Ayako activated her Byakugan.

"Report to the captain: No enemy traces found."

"Okay, let's keep going."

The team maintained formation and continued towards the next mission location.

This scenario has occurred several times over the past three days, and Captain Lu has remained cautious throughout.

Under his guidance and example, the boys quickly shed their immaturity and became more and more like qualified ninjas.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

Several figures flashed by quickly, and the leaves in the forest rustled in the wind.

Upon arriving at the location, the group, familiar with the area, split into four groups and hid in the blink of an eye, disappearing into the dense forest.

Mo Jingxian found a hidden tree hole and scurried inside like a squirrel.

The active mist activated and gradually spread outwards.

This technique has been improved, and it's no longer appropriate to call it "Active Mist," but he's too lazy to change the name.

Now, when this technique is used, it covers a range of 100 meters around him, and there is no fog at all. He uses sealing runes to connect the water elements in the air, forming a rapid information channel.

Having made preparations, Mo Jingxian immersed herself in cultivation once again.

Half an hour later, Ayako Hinata sent a message.

"Enemy detected!"

The team quickly assembled, and the captain ordered her to explore again.

Ayako Hyuga's eyes bulged with veins, and chakra gathered in her eyes.

"Three enemies are approaching from five kilometers away, at a very fast speed, and are expected to arrive in three minutes."

"How strong is the enemy?"

"One Jonin, two Chunin."

The role of the white eye on the battlefield is amplified to an extreme degree; it's practically a portable radar.

Battles between ninjas heavily rely on intelligence; whichever side discovers the enemy first has a higher chance of winning.

It's important to know that ninjas are high-attack, low-defense creatures; even a Jonin can be taken down by a single kunai.

It's easy to see how important the eye roll is.

Otherwise, Kirigakure wouldn't have gone to such lengths to obtain a Byakugan.

Of course, there are also those barbarians from Kumogakure, who have always coveted the Byakugan and never gave up their wicked intentions.

Not to mention the enemy, even Mo Jingxian is envious. Even if it can't be used openly, it would be good to have it on the scales.

The idea flashed through my mind, but my attention was pulled back to reality.

Captain Lu Tai gathered the three of them to devise a strategy against the enemy.

"Based on Ayako's intelligence, we can confirm that this is an elite enemy squad, and we have a chance to take them down."

Jonin Shikata's eyes swept across the faces of his three teammates one by one.

"Mo Jingxian".

"exist."

"Can you initiate the attack and hold off the enemy's Jonin for one minute?"

Mo Jingxian nodded affirmatively.

"No problem."

"very good."

Lu Tai then looked at the other two.

"You two fight a Chunin, hold out until I come to help."

"Yes" x2

The tactics are simple: adopt the strategy of Tian Ji's horse racing.

Mo Jingxian held off the enemy Jonin for a while, allowing Lu Tai to swiftly kill an enemy Chunin.

Then they helped the two eliminate their opponents, and finally joined forces to surround the enemy's Jonin.

Even a Jonin could be defeated here if someone is caught off guard; this highlights the importance of intelligence.

The simpler the plan, the fewer mistakes there will be in its execution, and the greater the chance of success.

"Alright, everyone, go and get ready."

They quickly set up a simple trap, and the group split up to find hiding places.

Nara Shikata hid in the shadow of a large tree, his body slowly fading until he disappeared without a trace.

Mo Jingxian's active mist spread out, enveloping a radius of 100 meters around her.

In my perception, Jonin Shikata's chakra was still there.

The other party blends into the shadows, which can deceive the eyes, but cannot deceive the information transmitted back by the water element around them.

Mo Jingxian's lips curled up; within her perception range, nothing could escape her notice.

His use of water element perception, when explained in detail, has nothing to do with chakra, and no one has been able to decipher it to this day.

As his understanding of the water element deepened, he gradually discovered many application tips.

These techniques, when combined with ninjutsu, do not increase the lethality of ninjutsu.

But at crucial moments, it can play a decisive role.

The bulging veins at the corners of Ayako Hyuga's eyes, the slightly trembling hand of Araki Ishikawa clutching his kunai, and Captain Shikata's deep, murderous gaze.

The wind in the forest, the dancing leaves—all of this was within Mo Jingxian's perception.

After a dozen or so breaths,

Three Sand Ninjas stepped into the area of ​​the Living Mist.