The dry grass lining the cave floor gave off a faint, earthy scent of wood and parched earth. Deep in the shadows, the three wounded men lay in a heavy, fitful sleep. Sato and Takahashi were slumped against the jagged stone walls, their heads nodding in a shallow doze, while Tanaka stood like a silhouette at the cave's mouth. His gaze was fixed on the distant, scarred battlefield, his posture rigid as he scanned for any sign of Iwagakure pursuit.
In the farthest corner, Lin Yue sat enveloped in the crimson glow of the setting sun. With a flick of his will, he summoned the translucent system interface. The recent skirmish had honed his and Rin's edge, and he needed to quantify that growth before integrating his new assets.
[Host Panel: Uchiha Yue (12 years old)] Rank: Genin (Intermediate) Chakra: 210 Ninjutsu: * Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Proficient)
Substitution Technique (Proficient)
Clone Technique (Proficient)
Basic Medical Skills (Beginner) Genjutsu: Basic Genjutsu (Sharingan-derived Resistance) Taijutsu: Basic Physical Techniques (Beginner) Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (One Tomoe)
Lin Yue's eyes tracked the data. His chakra reserves had swelled slightly since his arrival, and the heat of combat had refined his Great Fireball and fundamental arts. However, the "Genjutsu" section remained a glaring void, and his stamina was a ticking clock he couldn't afford to let run out in a war of attrition.
He swiped the air, bringing up Uchiha Rin's profile.
[Summoner Panel: Uchiha Rin (15 years old)] Rank: Genin (Senior) Chakra: 580 Ninjutsu: * Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Master)
Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique (Skilled)
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall (Skilled)
Earth Release: Earth Flow Bullet (Beginner)
Three-Body Technique (Master) Genjutsu: Fox Mind Magic Taijutsu: Basic Physical Techniques (Proficient) Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (One Tomoe)
Rin can hold the line and strike hard, Lin Yue mused, his fingers drumming against his knee. But we're blind to scouts, vulnerable to traps, and one bad wound away from collapse. Their current group was five strong, but with Sato hindered by injuries and supplies, they were a slow-moving target. Worse, the new summons were ghosts—unregistered shinobi who needed a lie to live.
He stood, his sandals silent on the stone, and approached the cave entrance. "Uncle Tanaka," he whispered.
Tanaka didn't turn, but his shoulders shifted. "Speak."
"I've made contact with three of my clansmen. They were on a reconnaissance loop nearby and have agreed to rendezvous with us."
Tanaka paused. His gaze lingered on the horizon for a long moment before he gave a slow, measured nod. "Fine. We need rear guards. Just make sure they keep pace. We aren't stopping for laggards."
Tanaka's expression remained stoic, but a furrow formed between his brows. Uchiha? This deep into the Iwa front? They should be at the coast, holding back the Kirigakure... He kept the thought behind his teeth. In this war, extra blades were worth more than questions.
Returning to the gloom, Lin Yue closed his eyes. System. Expend 300 points. Summon three Uchiha Genin: Specializations in Reconnaissance, Traps, and Medicine. Order them to mask their chakra and assemble at the cave's rear.
[Ding—Summoning Successful!]
Uchiha Kage (14, Reconnaissance): Wind Release: Wind Cutter, Chakra Sensing (Proficient). Uchiha Rai (13, Traps): Lightning Release: Earth Walk, Trap Triggering (Proficient). Uchiha Ho (13, Medical): Illusionary Technique: This Is Not the Technique, Medical Ninjutsu (Proficient).
Three ripples of pale blue light shimmered outside the cave's mouth, hidden by the jagged terrain. As the light died, three figures emerged from the gloaming, clad in the high-collared navy of the Uchiha. They moved with a practiced, predatory silence, their auras suppressed to a mere flicker.
Kage adjusted a heavy scouting pack; Rai's hand rested near a kunai pouch concealed beneath his tunic; Ho stood at the rear, a medical scroll tucked into her belt.
"Master," Rin murmured, stepping toward them. "The plan?"
"Tanaka believes they're reinforcements," Lin Yue replied. "We move as a single unit."
"Yue! Move out!" Tanaka's voice cut through the air. "The sun's down. Night belongs to the dead if we stay still."
"Moving!" Lin Yue called back.
He and Rin stepped out into the twilight. Kage, Rai, and Ho followed, playing the part of a weary patrol meeting their comrades. Tanaka's eyes swept over the newcomers—sharp, assessing—but he didn't interrogate.
"Rin, take the point. Clear the path and watch the flanks," Tanaka barked, falling into command. "Sato, Takahashi, keep the wounded between you. Yue, you're in the center. You three—" he gestured to the new Uchiha, "—take the rear. If something breathes behind us, I want to know before it strikes."
"Understood," they chimed in unison.
As the column moved, Kage's eyes took on a distant, focused sheen—sensory ninjutsu spreading out like an invisible net for five hundred meters. The group slipped into the deepening woods, their shadows stretching like long, dark fingers across the forest floor.
"Contact ahead! Dense brush!" Rin signaled a halt. She crouched low, her fingers flying through hand seals, the scent of ozone and heat rising from her.
Kage caught Lin Yue's eye and gave a subtle, two-finger sign: No Hostility.
"Uncle Tanaka, wait," Lin Yue said, stepping forward. "It's just the wind in the branches."
Tanaka exhaled, the tension in his hand relaxing away from his weapon. "Keep your eyes sharp. The Iwa love their pits and wires."
As they crossed the threshold into the timberline, Rai's movements became a blur of efficiency. He drifted toward the larger trunks, trailing razor-thin silk threads and pinning explosive tags with a soft thwack. Behind them, the forest was becoming a labyrinth of lethal triggers.
Watching them work, Lin Yue felt the cold weight of the battlefield lift, if only slightly. They had sensors to see, traps to ward, and hands to heal.
He glanced back at Kage and made a sharp, downward gesture: Sharpen your focus.
Kage nodded, his eyes narrowing as he pushed his perception to its limit. The group pressed on, disappearing into the dark maw of the forest, heading toward the flickering hope of the temporary base.