"Never expected the war to come so soon."
Shiki Uzumaki let out a slight sigh. It seemed that Yakushi Kabuto had been right—there wasn't even time for him to rest.
Still, one question haunted him: Why had they chosen him for this fight?
"Hmm. Given that kid's performance, he should be able to earn merits soon. Then we could arrange for him to serve as Jiraiya's secretary."
Homura Mitokado seemed quite satisfied with his plan. He and Koharu Utatane had already thoroughly discussed the matter.
Provided no unexpected changes occurred, they'd already decided that Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, would become the Fifth Hokage.
It seemed that within Konoha, only Jiraiya possessed such qualifications.
Before that, they had considered younger candidates. However, among them, Kakashi—though the most suitable—still lacked sufficient seniority. Right now, he still had a lot of room to grow.
Furthermore, Konoha now needed a ninja with tremendous fame as Hokage—to stabilize morale and intimidate neighboring countries.
Therefore, Jiraiya appeared to be the best choice.
"I just wonder whether Jiraiya will actually agree. After all, that man's personality resists being bound down."
Koharu shook her head, clearly worried about the proposal.
Homura replied, "In this situation, Jiraiya will shoulder the responsibility."
After saying that, Homura lowered his head in thought for a moment before continuing, "As for Shiki Uzumaki, even though we've already seen Kage potential in him, pushing him onto the battlefield so early—could it possibly be too much?"
Koharu shook her head. "Only war can make him grow fastest. Even the Fourth Hokage built his reputation through wartime experience. And he's merely a promising candidate worth cultivating. Although the revered late Third Hokage held him in high regard, he's far from being our only option. We're simply attempting to nurture him."
Pausing briefly, Koharu approached the Hokage's desk, a hint of sorrow flickering across her eyes.
Then turning around, she continued:
"Besides, while power is indeed an important aspect for a Kage, the more crucial qualities lie in earning other ninjas' trust and inspiring their courage to fight alongside you. Shiki Uzumaki influences those around him, motivating others to offer their strength for his cause—that was precisely why we earlier determined that he showed Kage potential. Therefore, let him develop his strength on the battlefield, and let the village's ninjas gradually place their trust in him."
To be continued.
Chapter 209 – The Frontline
It seemed even the heavens could not bear the tension between these two nations, and rain began to fall.
The thickly gathered dark clouds weighed heavily above, because everyone had already recognized one undeniable fact:
A brutal massacre was coming!
One destined to alter the fates of two great nations.
Who knows how many lives would be swallowed up by this immense meat grinder?
Yet within the marching formation, only one individual remained deep in quiet contemplation.
The person had striking red hair and wore a green ninja flak vest, just like everyone else in the group.
But nearly everyone could clearly tell one thing.
"Hey, that kid must be Shiki Uzumaki."
"He really stood out this morning — I never expected he'd be joining us for this mission."
"Yeah. I heard he's even mastered an A-ranked jutsu. At his age, he's truly a remarkable genius."
Although the group mostly remained silent, whispers could be heard from time to time.
Because of the twelve-year-old boy's unusually prominent presence, almost everyone made him a subject of discussion.
This group mainly consisted of highly experienced chunin and jonin.
The only exceptions were two individuals: one was that red-haired child; the other was Kusei, known as the strongest genin.
Yet no one in the team looked down on these two simply because one was young while the other was merely a genin.
They had both proven their strength. Especially Kusei — though just a genin, he often took on missions solo, and nearly every team wanted him on theirs. Kusei was a character from an anime. Only those who paid close attention might remember him.
Despite some conversations happening, this second squad composed of dozens of chunin and jonin clearly maintained great efficiency.
Several chunin whose chakra ran low found it difficult to keep up with the group's pace and could only keep restoring and sustaining themselves through Military Rations Pills.
Rustle... rustle...
The ninja continuously leaped through the forest, partly because they needed to pass through this woodland area.
Also, traveling among the treetops allowed them to avoid obstacles and conserve energy more effectively.
However, repeated collisions created a uniform rustling sound, synchronized among all the ninjas.
Shiki Uzumaki appeared lost in thought, still thinking about the letter he left for Sena Hoshino.
The letter simply said he needed to leave temporarily for training and would probably return in two days.
He still worried that Sena Hoshino might get anxious about him.
As his older sister, although she sometimes acted spoiled or teased him a little, only Shiki knew how fragile she truly was.
Still,
Shiki felt slight concern whether he could ever return from this war.
He figured he might just be the weakest link among all transmigrators. He always watched other transmigrators charging forward fearlessly, easily solving every difficulty they encountered.
Yet when it came to him? Everything felt so damn hard.
Before he realized it, he had already grown more attached than he meant to.
"Something wrong? You seem troubled."
Kusei standing beside Shiki Uzumaki asked with some concern. He always looked kind — like a warm-hearted old man.
Though aged, he carried no air of authority. He genuinely appreciated others' kindness and support.
Shiki slightly turned his head and glanced toward the elderly man before him, who carried an iron pot on his back.
Perhaps he was actually the most unique member of this entire unit. He wore simple clothes like those of an average farmer. Instead of a sword or any weapon strapped to his back, he carried a huge cooking pot and several iron spoons—along with various other kitchen tools.
He also appeared remarkably aged. Without knowing who he really was, anyone might have wondered why someone like him—a seemingly elderly man—was chosen for a mission like this.
But Shiki Uzumaki's eyes held deep seriousness, for he knew that this old man—who kept jumping forward as they moved—was actually incredibly powerful.
Even if he hadn't known that, Shiki—who always showed respect to the elderly and kindness to the young—would still treat him with dignity.
But Shiki also knew one more thing: the higher tier of [Konoha-style swordsmanship] lay in this old man's hands.
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