The Fire Temple had only appeared once in Naruto.
Because of Kakuzu's greed, he and Hidan stopped there during their hunt for a tailed beast. They killed the head monk, Chiriku, and took his body to a bounty station for payment.
Just as they were about to leave, they ran into Asuma and his team. A battle was inevitable, and it ended with Asuma's death.
After that incident, the Fire Temple was never shown again.
But regardless of its limited appearances, as part of the real-world geography of the Land of Fire, the Fire Temple was an important location for Konoha.
You could even say it was the village's throat — the single point connecting the mountains and the surrounding forest.
And, unfortunately, it was also the most direct invasion route for the Hidden Mist.
"I'll take responsibility for that sector," Senju Haruto said firmly, eyes fixed on the Fire Temple's location on the map.
First, his plan with Sarutobi Hiruzen was classified at the highest level — Konoha's ordinary shinobi couldn't know about it.
Second, since Haruto intended to collect Sharingan eyes, he'd never planned to have the Uchiha join forces with the rest of Konoha's ninja in the first place.
And finally, the sign-in system had just issued him a new task: head to the forests near the Fire Temple.
Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.
With one move serving two purposes, Haruto couldn't think of a single reason to hand the Fire Temple's forest defenses to anyone else.
"I'll lead the Uchiha clan there," Haruto said aloud. "We'll establish a defensive line in the forest and prevent the Mist from breaking into Konoha."
Kakashi and Hiruzen exchanged glances.
If they agreed to Haruto's proposal, the rest of their forces would be left to face the Hidden Cloud on their own.
"…Understood," Kakashi said at last, nodding. The Fire Temple sector would be Haruto's to command.
"Take me with you," came a voice from the crowd.
Hyūga Hizashi stepped forward, his expression grave, his eyes steady with resolve.
"The Byakugan of the Hyūga clan will provide full support!" he declared without hesitation.
In Hizashi's heart, Haruto was his savior. In this war, he wanted to be Haruto's eyes — his right hand — spotting and eliminating enemies on the battlefield.
Besides, Hizashi knew something else: the Hidden Mist were masters of the Hidden Mist Technique — an assassination method that shrouded the field in thick fog, masking their presence before striking without warning.
While the Uchiha's Sharingan was formidable, Hizashi doubted it would perform well against such tactics.
The Byakugan, on the other hand, was a natural counter to this style of combat.
In fact, during the Third Great Ninja War, the Hyūga clan had been Konoha's main force in holding back the Mist.
Haruto knew this well — he even knew exactly how Ao of the Mist had acquired a Byakugan in the first place.
Still, he had a role to play: the shining hero of Konoha, a man whose light even outshone Hiruzen's.
As for the darker, dirtier deeds? Those burdens belonged to Fugaku and Itachi.
Which meant that leading the Uchiha to their doom was something the rest of the village could never know about.
So, facing Hizashi's earnest request, Haruto refused him on the spot.
"I'd rather you assist Kakashi in making sure the Cloud's shinobi don't cross the Valley of the End," Haruto said, placing a hand on Hizashi's shoulder in a polite but firm rejection.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head out immediately."
The Fire Temple sat at the far southeastern edge of Konoha's territory. To reach it, Haruto would have to pass through the bustling market districts, then through Tanzaku Town, and finally the southernmost Konoha forests.
Once there, he'd still need to set up defensive lines — all of which would take time.
Hizashi, though disappointed, said nothing more. He had thought his eyes could help Haruto locate and eliminate enemies hidden in the fog.
But after Haruto announced his plan to take the Uchiha to the Fire Temple forests, the others quickly voiced their agreement.
To them, if Haruto and the Uchiha joined forces, holding that front wouldn't be a problem.
Even Hiruzen had no objections.
With the matter settled, Haruto left immediately.
He gathered the fully-rested Uchiha, outfitted them with fresh ninja tools and easily portable rations, and set off at full speed toward the Fire Temple forest.
There was only one thing Haruto regretted…
War in the Naruto world was brutally straightforward — nothing like the intricate strategies and tactics of the world he'd come from before crossing over.
The Fourth Great Ninja War had proven this well: eighty thousand allied shinobi against one hundred thousand White Zetsu, with the entire strategy boiling down to identifying the enemy's advance route, setting up defensive lines ahead of time, and then charging straight in when they appeared — relying on taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu in a head-on clash.
Today's situation was little different.
"It's a shame I've only just taken over as leader of Root," Haruto thought. "If I'd had time to train them, I could have introduced the three-three squad formation. That would've been far better than this mess."
He wasn't exactly a military buff in his past life, but he had some knowledge of such matters — and the three-three system was a widely used tactical formation.
It seemed simple on paper, but in practice it required significant training. Without it, it could backfire.
So after thinking it over, Haruto decided not to try implementing it in this battle.
"I'll wait until I'm back in the village and start training Root first," he murmured to himself, glancing at the moving Uchiha column.
According to his own count, the Uchiha force numbered over two hundred, with more than twenty of them wielding fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan.
It was an exceptionally strong unit.
Even without his direct involvement, they could probably hold back the Mist's advance.
"I just don't know how many ninja the Mist will send," Haruto muttered, shaking his head.
Deciding not to waste time on speculation, he focused on the march.
In less than half a day, Haruto and the Uchiha arrived at the Fire Temple.
The head monk who greeted them was none other than Chiriku — the same monk who, in the future, would be hunted down by Kakuzu.
"I am Chiriku, the head monk here," he said, introducing himself the moment he saw Haruto.
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