In front of the army, Sakumo Hatake, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and other high-ranking officials stood against the wind, with Ino–Shika–Chō, Hyuga Hizashi, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, and others leading their respective teams behind them.
But strangely, most of their gazes were focused on Tsunade, or more precisely, on the young figure behind her.
"Tsunade-sensei, can I go stand with Ryufeng and the others?"
Ren, his face a bit stiff, asked his teacher, as being stared at by thousands of people was indeed quite uncomfortable.
"Don't move, just stand here. Try leaving for a second."
Tsunade didn't even turn her head, merely raised her fist and waved it behind her. Her calm voice came from the front, and Ren instantly felt a shiver.
Just then, Nara Shikaku stepped forward two paces, walked to Sakumo Hatake's side, and whispered,
"Lord Sakumo, everyone is ready."
"Good."
Sakumo Hatake nodded, looked at the thousands of people before him, circulated his Chakra, and his voice echoed across the entire field.
"Depart!"
"Yes!"
With the Commander's order, everyone began to move, led by their captains, rushing towards the main battlefield.
Ren flew through the forest, trees flashing past on either side. Behind him followed a dense throng of Leaf Ninja.
Ren looked at Tsunade, who was calmly beside him, and after a moment of hesitation, asked cautiously,
"Uh, Tsunade-sensei, did you call me here for some important mission?"
"Hmm?"
Tsunade turned her head, looked at Ren with a hint of surprise, then nodded.
"Not bad, your intuition is quite sharp. It seems you've grown a lot here too."
"Of course, don't you see whose disciple I am?"
Ren chuckled, then continued to ask,
"So what exactly is the mission, Sensei? Don't worry, even if it's blowing up Iwagakure or a night raid on Hidden Sand Village, I won't hesitate."
"No need for all that trouble. Your mission today is to kill the Explosive Ninja, Hiroki, from Iwagakure on the battlefield. Do you have confidence?"
"Huh? Hiroki?!"
Ren's heart jolted, and he became somewhat troubled.
Hiroki, Vice Captain of Iwagakure's Explosive Release Unit, possesses strength far exceeding that of an ordinary elite Jonin. He is a cut above my current self, and on the battlefield, everyone's moves are lethal. This mission, one careless mistake, and it could cost me my life.
"What, scared?"
A faint smile appeared on Tsunade's face, her voice drifting lightly into Ren's ears, instantly pricking the man's pride.
"Scared of what! He's just a mere Hiroki! Leave it to me, Sensei! Today, I'll cripple him!"
Ren didn't lower his voice at all, and it resonated particularly loudly in the forest where only the sounds of Ninja moving could be heard.
Everyone who was focused on their journey was drawn by Ren's words, and he instantly became the centre of attention. At the same time, most Ninja began to whisper.
"That guy, he's stealing my thunder!"
Asuma gritted his teeth, looking at Ren ahead, the flames of jealousy burning wildly in his eyes. He secretly thought that he must kill a few more enemies later, so that Kurenai, seeing his strength, would definitely change her mind.
"Senior Ren, he's so reliable!"
Kiba from the Medical Unit looked at Ren's direction with adoration, which made Rin sigh, rubbing her forehead.
This little girl is good in every way, but why is she so keen on idolising, and idolising Ren at that... though his Medical Ninjutsu is indeed quite powerful.
"Quiet!"
With Nara Shikaku's sharp shout from the front, these sounds gradually faded, and everyone began to focus on their journey.
Ren, meanwhile, awkwardly scratched his head. He had shouted it out in a moment of hot-headedness after being provoked. It was utterly mortifying.
"Alright, kid Ren, so confident! I'm rooting for you."
Jiraiya, beside him, wore a mischievous smile, leaning close to the two of them, patting Ren's shoulder teasingly.
"Indeed, confidence is a good thing, but you still need to be careful."
Nara Shikaku also came closer, looking at Ren with appreciation, and after a word of caution, returned to Inoichi Yamanaka and Akimichi Choza's side.
Ren's mouth twitched slightly. Only now did he understand what Shinnosuke's last words yesterday meant. Good heavens, so you were all waiting for me here.
"Very good, as expected of my disciple, this is how it should be!"
Tsunade's face showed a smile. Clearly, she was very pleased with Ren's performance.
"Yes..."
Ren gritted his teeth, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes. His left hand went into his Ninja tool pouch, gripping the Thunder God Sword inside.
It's just a damn Explosive, I'll fight him! I, Ren, am not to be trifled with!
Recalling his gains during this period, Ren suddenly felt his confidence surge. In terms of weapons, he had the divine Thunder God Sword, and in terms of strength, he had mastered the Yin Seal. The gap in strength between the two had long been bridged.
"We're almost there, get ready for battle."
Hearing Tsunade's reminder, Ren snapped back to attention. By now, everyone had emerged from the forest and arrived at a hilly area.
This was already considered the central region of the Land of Rain. The sky was overcast, indicating that heavy rain was not far off.
Not long after the Leaf Ninja arrived here, two more torrents of people appeared on the horizon.
The army from the north advanced majestically and aggressively.
Everyone wore dark red uniforms, earth-yellow combat vests, and Iwagakure headbands.
They were led by Commander Baiyan, Explosive Release Unit Vice Captain Hiroki, and the Four-Tails Jinchuriki Roshi.
The army from the west mostly carried scrolls, wore black long-sleeved inner shirts, and brown outer jackets. They wore Sunagakure headbands.
They were led by Commander Chiyo, Vice Commander Ebizo, and Magnet Release Rasa.
After the three armies saw each other, they didn't waste much time. After a brief preparation, they began to fight under the leadership of their captains!
"Kill!!!"
The voices of tens of thousands of Ninja simultaneously roared to the sky, and the dark clouds above responded with rumbling thunder.
"Sakumo Hatake, prepare to die!"
Chiyo produced a scroll from her body, and after unsealing it, the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu appeared before her, attacking White Fang from all directions under their master's control.
Sakumo Hatake did not speak, but drew his "White Fang" and responded with a blindingly fast sword flash.
"Senior Chiyo!"
Rasa had just begun to manipulate his Sand Gold, preparing to help Chiyo, when an unusual Kunai attacked. He instinctively dodged, and a figure appeared beside Rasa, holding the Kunai in mid-air, thrusting it towards Rasa!
"Who is it?!"
Rasa was both shocked and enraged, quickly manipulating his Sand Gold for defense. The surprise attack failed, and the figure immediately flashed five meters away, holding the Kunai and smiling at Rasa.
"Don't get distracted. Over here, I'm your opponent."