"Next, I will organize each of you. Although you don't have to directly participate in the war for the time being, you must take part in the defense of the village and the logistics of supply transportation."
The jonin continued. Although the Second Ninja War has already broken out, in the early stages of the conflict, it is impossible for each country to dispatch most of its forces for large-scale battles.
The main battlefield of this war is not on the border of any two countries, but in the land sandwiched between the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind. The Land of Lightning is geographically not far from the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, with the Gobi Desert and other small countries acting as a buffer. As for the Land of Water, it is even farther away on an overseas archipelago, making participation in the war difficult in the short term.
So, in reality, the main objective of this war now is to see which country can take the initiative on the battlefield of this unknown land. Whichever of the three countries—Fire, Earth, or Wind—controls the situation can turn to attack the other two.
But that is by no means an easy task. Although the land is small, it also has its own armed forces—the Hidden Rain Village, led by Hanzo of the Salamander, also known as the Demigod.
In this complex situation, large-scale fighting will not break out for the time being. The most effective strategy at this time is to send small groups of elite ninjas to cross the land and reach the borders of various countries to harass and sabotage their progress.
It is even possible to go deep into other countries and attack various ninja villages. If the rear is in chaos, the ninjas on the front battlefield will naturally not be able to fully commit to the battle.
However, this is extremely difficult, and the number of elites required is absolutely massive.
This war is likely to turn into a long, drawn-out conflict.
Because of this, the defense of the village has become particularly important. However, with the size of Konoha Ninja Village, it requires a large number of people.
Although some of these ninja school students are not up to par, there is no other choice.
After all, the war situation changes rapidly. If a large-scale battle occurs, the defense work will fall to these newcomers, which would worsen the situation.
So before a large-scale clash occurs, it's crucial to familiarize them with everything.
"Guard Team One, Captain Ichihara Kai. First Squad: Miura Yamato, Atte Toru, Sawaguchi Hide. Second Squad: Tsukawa Keiko, Benji Saburo, Sawamura Dai. Third Squad…"
The jonin held a book with the names already divided and read them aloud, announcing the grouping of the hundreds of newly promoted genin.
In normal times, each team of three people would have a teacher or instructor leading them. But in wartime, it's impossible to follow the usual rules given the current manpower.
So the teams were organized into guard units, with a captain who is an elite chunin or special jonin, so these fresh ninja school graduates could get familiar with the village's defense work as soon as possible.
"Guard Team Six, Captain Akai Hideji. First Squad: Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Yoruki, Takenouchi Rin. Second Squad: Uchiha Mikoto, Akasaka Yu."
Soon it was Minato's grouping. When he heard that he and Uchiha Yoruki were in the same group, he looked surprised and then noticed the gaze cast by Yoruki.
Minato smiled at him, but Yoruki still had that defiant look.
"This guy."
But Minato didn't take it personally. With his current mindset, he wouldn't bother with a "child."
"Now, do you all know who your teammates are?" After the assignment, the jonin glanced at everyone and asked.
Then, the dozen or so ninjas who had been standing behind him stepped forward.
"Guard Team One, come here and gather."
"Members of Guard Team Three, hurry up, I'll give you ten seconds!"
"Guard Team Five."
These were obviously the captains of each guard team. They stood apart and called out.
Hearing this, everyone dispersed to find their respective teams.
"It's okay if there's no forehead protector for me, but why is there no team?"
Kushina approached the jonin, angrily raising her eyebrows.
"What's your name?" The jonin didn't look at her but asked calmly.
"Uzumaki Kushina."
The jonin then scanned the roster in his hand but didn't find her name.
"Your name is not here," he said directly.
Kushina was angry for a moment, but Minato stayed with her, holding her arm.
At this time, Sakumo stepped forward and said, "Let her be assigned to the Sixth Guard Team with Minato."
"Yes, Lord Sakumo," the jonin responded, not daring to disobey.
Minato nodded to Sakumo, then looked at Kushina and smiled, "Okay, let's go."
Kushina curled her lips, glared at the jonin, and followed Minato to where the Sixth Guard Team was gathering.
Swish! Sakumo disappeared from the spot.
Not long after, Minato and Kushina noticed that the dozen or so Anbu guards hiding in the shadows had also left.
Ten minutes later, at the Hokage Building:
"Bang!"
Danzo pushed the door to the Hokage's office open forcefully. He walked in without any regard for Sandaime. Before Sandaime could ask, Danzo spoke first.
"Why did you stop supervising Uzumaki Kushina and remove all the guards around her?" Danzo questioned.
Sandaime raised his eyes and replied, "Supervision? That child is not a criminal. The village is short of manpower right now, and there's no need to waste so much manpower watching her."
Hearing this, Danzo's face twisted in anger. "She is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! Letting her walk around the village at will is courting disaster!"
"It has been more than half a year since the seal, and the Nine-Tails in Kushina's body has not stirred at all, which shows she can suppress it well. Locking her up—is that really the best way to protect her? This is Konoha. If someone can breach the defense barrier and enter the village, what's the point of setting up extra protection around her? I am the Hokage. This is my decision. You are not to question my orders. I have many matters to attend to. Stick to your responsibilities and do not overstep your bounds!" Sandaime's eyes hardened, and a sudden wave of murderous intent filled the room, shocking even Danzo.
Though Sandaime usually appeared gentle, when angered, he was like an awakened lion—overwhelming and unbearable.
Danzo gritted his teeth, but deep down, he still feared Sandaime.
"Hmph."
He snorted coldly and left.
Somewhere underground in Konoha, Danzo sat in the main seat of an underground hall, his eagle-like eyes flashing with cold light, his face gradually contorting.
"Hiruzen," he muttered through clenched teeth. No matter the situation, this man always suppressed him.
It had been this way for a long time.
If this were the past, he might dare to challenge Sandaime. But now, Sandaime is not alone. Under his command is a group of powerful ninjas that Danzo cannot ignore.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade... and Hatake Sakumo.
However, gradually, his expression shifted again, and a sinister grin spread across his face, accompanied by an extremely cold laugh.
"Isn't this Ninja War my chance?"
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