Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou - Naruto: I Am Uchiha Shirou [26]

A few days later, the border of the Land of Fire saw the arrival of a ninja army, swiftly infiltrating the Land of Grass.

And the reaction of the Kusagakure?

During peacetime, they might show some deference. But in war? Who are they to talk to?

In this world, power speaks louder. The Land of Grass stood no chance of resisting the Five Great Nations.

In the vast forests of the ninja world, ninjas seemed as small as ants, yet they wielded jutsu capable of catastrophic destruction.

“Six squads ahead. The strongest chakra levels are mid-level Chūnin…”

Perched on a tree trunk, Hiashi and Hizashi, scouting for the unit, activated their Byakugan and calmly reported the intel ahead.

Nearby, the impulsive Tsume grinned with a bloodthirsty expression.

“Already being targeted as soon as we entered the Land of Grass? Perfect—we’ll get to test the quality of their ninjas.”

On another tree, however, Shikaku’s expression was solemn as he cautioned the group:

“Everyone, stay sharp. Lord Orochimaru led an elite team ahead to clear a path. Any enemy ninja reaching us now must either be from the Kusagakure or hired scouts.”

“Do not underestimate them. Stay alert and fight carefully.”

The ninjas perched on the trees grew serious. On the battlefield, no one cared about anyone else’s identity.

“Shirou, you’ve been through war in the Land of Rain. You’re the most experienced here,” Shikaku said, turning to Shirou.

Though Shikaku was skilled at devising battle strategies, most of their post-graduation missions were within the Land of Fire, primarily small three-person team tasks. This was a full-scale war—a completely different situation.

Meeting the others’ inquiring gazes, Shirou calmly stated:

“Fighting against squads of over ten ninjas is different. The enemy has six squads. Don’t let them encircle us, or it’ll put us at a disadvantage.”

Their team had no experience in large-scale skirmishes, and without coordinated jutsu training, teamwork could falter, weakening their combat power.

On the other hand, if the enemy was used to working together, even a dozen ninjas could be devastating.

“Alright, we’ll go with Plan B,” Shikaku decided.

The group took a deep breath, their expressions growing even more serious as they prepared for battle.

Shirou glanced around, his expression calm but with a hint of concern. The situation in the ninja world was deteriorating, or the village wouldn’t be so eager to push this group of second-generation ninjas into the field.

Under normal circumstances, they would have gradually advanced to Chūnin over time. However, many of them had already been hastily promoted to Chūnin for this war.

“Shirou.”

Kushina’s expression was also serious as she stood beside Shirou.

The group quickly formed three temporary squads:

Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka—the classic “Ino-Shika-Cho” trio.

Inuzuka Tsume and Aburame Shibi as a pair.

Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga as the sensory team.

Uchiha Shirou, Uzumaki Kushina, and Minato Namikaze as another team.

Most Chūnin no longer had fixed teams like the Genin squads, except for special cases like the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

“Kushina-san, be careful!”

Minato Namikaze warned, glancing at Kushina with concern.

Kushina snorted, uncharacteristically dismissive.

“Don’t drag me down!”

Though Minato had impressive grades upon graduating from the ninja academy, as a commoner with no Kekkei genkai or secret techniques, he wasn’t particularly outstanding compared to the others from prestigious clans or Kekkei genkai families.

Still, he displayed remarkable talent in Wind Release techniques, though his combat style largely relied on swift kunai strikes.

“The enemy is coming. Follow the plan!”

At a sharp command, the ninjas melted into the shadows of the forest.

Shikaku narrowed his eyes, watching the approaching enemy.

“Did they let these scouting squads through on purpose, to accelerate our growth?”

Indeed, this deployment wasn’t just to move the battlefield to the Land of Grass, but also to train their forces while weakening the smaller villages.

In the eerie silence of the forest, the faint twang of a snapping steel wire echoed, raising the enemy’s alertness.

“Not good!”

A loud shout was immediately followed by a chain of explosive tags detonating, filling the area with fire and smoke.

“An ambush!”

The trap took out one enemy ninja and severely injured two others, leaving one squad incapacitated.

“Ha! The Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku has arrived!”

A bold and comical laugh rang out as a white-haired ninja appeared on a high tree trunk.

The sight stunned the enemy ninjas.

“Konoha’s elite Jōnin, Jiraiya!”

Though not yet renowned as one of the “Legendary Sannin,” Jiraiya’s reputation as an elite Jōnin of the Land of Fire had already spread widely.

Facing such a figure, the enemy squad panicked and began to retreat—only to find their escape cut off by three figures.

“Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!”

At the forefront, Shirou formed hand seals and exhaled a torrent of flames.

“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!”

Flanking him, Minato and Kushina unleashed powerful gusts of wind, intensifying the flames into a massive fiery dragon that engulfed the enemy.

“Ahhh!”

Screams echoed as the fire consumed several ninjas.

“The fire jutsu hid shuriken!”

From within the flames, a hail of shuriken rained down, followed by even more chaos as one ninja suddenly turned on his ally.

“He’s been controlled!”

“No—it’s shadow manipulation! It’s the Nara clan!”

The supposed “Jiraiya” dissolved into smoke, revealing Aburame Shibi instead.

As the enemy’s formation crumbled, Konoha’s ninjas pressed the attack, exploiting their Kekkei genkai, secret techniques, and teamwork to devastating effect.

By comparison, Minato’s contributions, though impressive for a commoner, paled against the sheer power of his comrades.