At the Konoha Gate
Kushina Uzumaki looked at Haruki with some hesitation. His appearance was extremely ordinary—neither ugly nor noticeable. If he were in a crowd, he wouldn't stand out at all.
"Teacher, why are you using this face?" she asked.
"Too many acquaintances," Haruki shrugged. In the past few years, he had been too active. The last time he took Minato Namikaze out, they were quickly noticed. Although he wasn't afraid of anything with his strength, it was not conducive to Minato and the others' growth.
"You guys brought kunai and shuriken, right?"
"We did," the three replied in unison.
"Coat your ninja tools with this poison," Haruki said, handing out three glass vials. "Be careful, don't be like Orochimaru who likes to lick his weapons. It's deadly."
He wasn't someone who played fair, and being a ninja was inherently a shadowy profession. They used any means necessary to increase their chances of victory. Minato and the others didn't object and carefully coated their blades.
"Since it's the battlefield, the poison is lethal, so be very cautious," Haruki reminded them again. He didn't want any accidents where they might accidentally poison themselves.
"Got it. I'm not that foolish," Kushina said, raising her small fist, while Minato and Mikoto silently nodded.
After finishing, the four of them immediately headed to the western front of the Land of Fire.
---
The Konoha camp was bathed in a dim yellow light, giving it a heavy atmosphere.
Haruki looked around and frowned. The previous defeat had been worse than he expected. After presenting his credentials, he was allowed to see Sakumo Hatake lying on a hospital bed.
Sakumo's face was pale, his body wrapped in white bandages, with traces of violent lightning chakra still evident.
"You all can leave now," Haruki said, waving his hand.
The four medical ninjas beside Sakumo exchanged glances.
"May I ask who you are?" one of them finally asked.
Haruki suddenly remembered he was in disguise. For now, he couldn't reveal his true identity. "I am a student of Haruki-sama. He sent me with a special medicine and a unique healing technique to save Lord Sakumo."
"I see."
The four had no doubts. If he could approach Sakumo, his identity must be legitimate. After they left, Haruki signaled Minato, who set up a simple chakra barrier to block the view. Haruki stood in front of the unconscious Sakumo, forming seals with his hands. Several streams of pale green chakra spread from him, forming a complex healing array.
"Is this the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique?" Minato recognized the array, shocked.
In the two months he had spent with Haruki, he had never seen him perform such a large-scale medical jutsu.
Normally, this technique required a team of medical-nin working together for an extended period, but this was just the beginning.
Haruki continuously performed several A-rank medical ninjutsu, leaving Minato and the others in awe. This immense chakra far surpassed that of an ordinary jōnin.
Haruki finished, not even breaking a sweat. "Sakumo, I didn't expect our reunion to be like this," he said softly.
"Is that... Haruki?" Sakumo sat up, his white hair sticking up messily. More importantly, his injuries were completely healed. Only Haruki or Tsunade could achieve this.
"Yeah," Haruki nodded. "Now, tell me about the current situation."
Sakumo sighed, looking apologetic. "It was my mistake that led to such a terrible situation."
"Now's not the time for regrets," Haruki said. He knew Sakumo had a sense of samurai honor; otherwise, he wouldn't have committed suicide after a failed mission.
After a moment's pause, Sakumo began to explain the battle conditions. Although Haruki had been briefed by the Anbu, he only knew the basics, not the details.
"In short, we are using the terrain to hide and changing camps every couple of days to barely hold off the Sand Village's offensive. But the biggest problem now is the hidden Cloud ninjas. As long as we don't know their whereabouts, organizing a counterattack is very difficult."
"These two are too mobile. It's not your fault," Haruki said after listening. "The priority should be to bring the Hyūga clan, who are guarding the eastern front against Cloud Village, over here."
"But if we move them, won't Cloud Village seize the opportunity to launch a full-scale attack?" Sakumo asked worriedly.
The Byakugan was ideal for dealing with highly mobile enemies, as it acted like both a telescope and a radar. That's why they had been deployed to the eastern front to monitor Cloud Village's movements.
In previous wars, Cloud Village hadn't participated much, but that didn't mean they would remain inactive.
In the original story, Kushina was kidnapped by Cloud Village around this time, indicating their involvement in the later stages of the Second Shinobi World War.
"They won't," Haruki reassured. "Since they only sent two people, it shows they're just trying to fish in troubled waters."
However, this was already a prelude. In a few more years, the Third Shinobi World War would fully break out.
"I'll suggest to the Hokage to send the Uchiha clan to the western front," Haruki added. With Konoha struggling to muster reinforcements, they would need to graduate the Academy's students early if necessary, but that wasn't feasible yet.
Sakumo, lacking other options, agreed.
"Now that's settled, let me introduce you to my three students," Haruki said, waving his hand. "Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and Mikoto Uchiha."
Sakumo was slightly surprised by this combination but didn't question it. They greeted him politely, and then Haruki took his leave, leading his students to their mission.
"A B-rank mission to locate the Sand Village's supply depot. Supplying over a thousand ninjas is no small task, so there must be one or several hidden warehouses," Haruki explained, tracing a line on the map. "Based on the information, the Sand ninjas are active in this area. To gather intelligence, we need to infiltrate, but we'll face many battles. Be careful."
"Teacher, our first mission is a B-rank?" Minato scratched his head. If he remembered correctly, they had just graduated.
"Would you rather join me on D-rank and C-rank missions, tending to the wounded or transporting supplies?" Haruki asked.
"No, no," Minato quickly shook his head.
"Teacher, aren't you coming with us?" Mikoto sensed Haruki's underlying intention.
"If I'm there, you'll become dependent on me," Haruki said, handing the mission scroll to Minato. "Minato, you're now the team leader. Go, and don't disappoint me."
He watched them leave, and when no one was looking, three small white slugs slipped into their clothes. Haruki, recalling the information from Orochimaru, approached a tent.
"Hiruko," he called.
"Who?" Hiruko looked at Haruki coldly.
"Danzo-sama sent me to assist you," Haruki replied, mimicking the tone of the Root members. In his intervention, Danzo hadn't collaborated with Orochimaru but with Hiruko, another scientific ninja and Orochimaru's friend.
Hiruko, limited by his talent, had turned to human experimentation. His Chimera Technique, which could merge kekkei genkai, was intriguing. Judging by Hiruko's relatively healthy appearance, he hadn't yet merged any kekkei genkai.
"Assist me?" Hiruko didn't doubt him. His collaboration with Danzo was nearly secret.
"Hmm. You need kekkei genkai, and I have a way to get you the Byakugan."