A week later, at the Uchiha clan compound, Shen wiped away his "tears" after finishing Cocoon's "funeral," looking utterly dejected as he walked out.
The funeral was definitely real, but the body was just an illusion made of chakra.
The tears were real, too, although they were simply crafted from chakra.
Not a single Uchiha noticed anything strange.
Once again by the Nama River, Shen sat quietly with his eyes closed.
Through Sage Mode's sensory abilities, he sensed a familiar presence. "Nayou? Why are you here?"
"Shen," Nayou said, looking worried. "Are you okay? I heard one of your elders passed away."
"I'm fine. Grandpa Cocoon isn't really gone." Opening his eyes, Shen stared seriously into her round, moon-like eyes. "He'll always live in my heart."
"Mm-hmm." Nayou walked over and gently sat beside him.
Both turned their gaze toward the river, its surface occasionally rippling in the breeze.
Shen was thinking about an important decision—whether or not to bring her with him on his upcoming mission to the Land of Grass.
At the same time, Nayou was also wondering if she should follow him.
A few days ago, their Scientific Combat Division had received orders to help Sunagakure resist Iwagakure's invasion of the Land of Grass.
Of course, the reason came down to a certain 'heroic Kage' who used the excuse of seeking battlefield glory to make the final call.
Shen, who focused only on growing stronger, knew how difficult it was for a member of the main house to get onto the battlefield.
Nayou understood this too—if you weren't marked with the Caged Bird Seal, the only way to go to war was to be heavily protected by members of the branch house.
Unless someone fundamentally changed the Hyuga clan's system, the main house would never risk losing their Byakugan over a war that wasn't a matter of life or death.
"Nayou, do you want to go to the battlefield?"
"I do want to… but…"
Seeing her hesitation, Shen gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "I have a way."
"Eh? You don't mean…"
"That's right. I'll take you and walk proudly out of the Hyuga clan compound."
Unlike what Nayou feared—running away—Shen wanted to openly take her to the battlefield.
"One day, I'll fix the Hyuga clan's broken system."
"Mm-hmm, I believe you." Nayou lowered her head, not wanting him to see her blushing.
Unaware of her thoughts, Shen added, "In three days, I'll come to the Hyuga clan grounds to pick you up."
Glancing up shyly before lowering her head further, Nayou whispered, "Okay… I'll wait for you."
Meanwhile, far to the north in the Land of Lightning.
Standing atop a high mountain, Sakumo received a request for reinforcements from Jiraiya.
After two months of harassment, Kumogakure had finally launched a counterattack using the same tactic as Konoha and Yugakure.
For the past few days, they had been dispatching one-third of their forces to strike a specific front.
As soon as reinforcements arrived, the Kumogakure ninja would immediately retreat, allowing a different third of their forces to launch an attack elsewhere.
"That enemy commander isn't easy to deal with—they truly live up to being from the Land of Lightning." Sakumo sighed helplessly before organizing his troops to support Jiraiya.
"Move out!"
Jiraiya got into his personal vehicle and headed east toward a certain mountain.
Leading the resistance against the Kumo shinobi's assault, Jiraiya ended the final enemy of an unknown wave with a kunai and collapsed from exhaustion onto a nearby rock. Gasping for breath, he stared down the blood-soaked trail littered with fallen bodies, his brow furrowing deeply.
"Hey? No need, really. I've already called Sakumo for reinforcements." After hanging up Tsunade's call, Jiraiya began pondering the abnormal behavior of Kumogakure shinobi.
Today's assaults had come in rapid succession, with new waves emerging every half hour.
Initially, he thought they would attack as usual—launching one or two-hour strikes before withdrawing.
But now, after more than three hours, Kumogakure showed no intention of stopping their attacks at all.
"If this continues, we'll have no choice but to switch to squad-based operations," Jiraiya believed that fighting on enemy territory was definitely disadvantageous for their side.
Returning to traditional ninja combat was undoubtedly the best choice, but this meant losing the battlefield buses capable of transporting over a hundred people at once.
Moreover, with traditional warfare tactics, Konoha and Yugakure wouldn't hold any numerical advantage, leading to increased casualties and forcing them back to Hot Water Country for defense.
From a distance, Sakumo could clearly see Jiraiya with his worried expression, seemingly troubled by something.
He quickly approached and anxiously asked, "What's wrong? Are our casualties really heavy?"
Jiraiya tilted his head slightly and shook it in response. "Casualties are slightly higher than yesterday, but they've been attacking in waves today. I just can't figure out what the enemy commander is planning."
"This?" Sakumo, supporting his chin with his left hand, suddenly recalled an unusual sight on his way here. "Earlier when I came, I saw a Kumogakure unit of about a hundred people. The moment they saw us, they fled."
He stopped himself, realizing a very likely possibility. "Could it be that Kumogakure intends to weaken your forces, lure my reinforcements in, then finally..."
"Finally, they can concentrate all their strength to attack the western front, and if lucky, might even push straight through and conquer Hot Water Country?" Jiraiya completed his guess.
"Orochimaru is in danger!" x2
The two exchanged glances and promptly issued orders simultaneously, assembling their troops to head westward.
Within the Kumogakure camp,
just returned from the eastern front, over a hundred Kumogakure shinobi made Yi's lips slightly curl upwards into a smile.
These repeated offensives were not meaningless at all.
Every time the enemy reinforcements arrived, Yi meticulously recorded their arrival times and directions in a detailed table.
When attacked from the east, support came from north or south.
When attacked from the south, support came from west or east.
After repeated observations, Yi originally assumed these patterns happened simply because of proximity.
However, the complete lack of activity directly opposite the attack direction caused him some suspicion.
Konoha's communication devices had range limitations!
This bold hypothesis had led to today's repeated attacks on the eastern front to test further possibilities.
If the enemy remained stationary, either their commander was too stupid to perceive the true objective, or Konoha's communication equipment allowed them to act without concerns about repercussions.
If they had indeed gone west, then his guess had been right.
He didn't believe for a second that Konoha's forces wouldn't relocate their equipment before mobilizing.
"Lord Yi, they've indeed gone west," said the Kumogakure Anbu after finishing his report, waiting on-site for further orders.
"Move out! Southbound target!" Already prepared, Yi personally led the team into action.
His aim was to swiftly eliminate Konoha's Northern Commander.
Breaking the current siege around Kumogakure's main base, he sought to create a glorious future where Kumogakure would dominate the world of shinobi—the shinobi world.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>