Chapter 11: Return to the Village
"Hmm... There are still a few flaws. It needs more refinement."
Gōenji stared at the devastation left behind by his latest technique, his expression slightly dissatisfied.
The power was decent, but the attack's range was still a little too wide.
According to his original plan, the impact should have left an irregular crater rather than an almost perfect circle.
Unfortunately, there was only so much he could accomplish in a few days. Bringing the technique to this level was already close to the limit of his current understanding of Fire Release.
Most other shinobi probably wouldn't even know where to begin.
Like Fire Dragon Iron Fist, this technique was primarily designed around a physical attack using the legs. The main difference lay in how he had manipulated its nature transformation.
Gōenji had adjusted the technique to emphasize one particular property of Fire Release—
Impact.
Pure destructive force.
"Next is the Fire Release Body Flicker."
His other major goal, developing a Body Flicker enhanced by Fire Release, was beginning to take shape as well.
Like Flame Tornado, the technique would use the explosive force generated by Fire Release's nature transformation.
With the limited resources currently available to him, Gōenji could only build upon what he already possessed.
Fortunately, the explosive force of Fire Release was extremely compatible with the Body Flicker Technique.
It was almost exactly what he needed.
Speed is power.
For a shinobi, that principle couldn't be more accurate.
That was why Gōenji wasn't satisfied with merely developing the technique. He wanted to refine it as much as possible.
At the very least, its efficiency had to surpass that of the ordinary D-rank Body Flicker Technique.
During his time stationed at the outpost, Gōenji continued researching and refining his ninjutsu.
The battle between Minato and the A–B duo had significantly eased the fighting on their front. As a result, they weren't receiving as many missions as before.
Gōenji spent most of his free time patrolling the area around the outpost with his Sharingan activated.
He took the responsibility seriously.
After all, it concerned his own survival.
If something unexpected happened—say, a monster like the Third Raikage suddenly appeared near their outpost—he would be in serious trouble.
Gōenji didn't want to get injured again.
He had no desire to experience the agony of torn skin, shattered bones, and damaged muscles a second time.
He hated pain.
Whoosh!
Just then, a group of figures appeared in the distance.
A masked man was leading them.
Gōenji immediately appeared in front of the approaching group, one hand gripping his short blade while chakra gathered beneath his feet.
He was ready to flee at a moment's notice.
At first glance, they appeared to be Konoha's forces—ANBU and reinforcements from the village.
But a shinobi couldn't rely on appearances alone.
They needed an identification signal.
Otherwise, he might make the same mistake as before, when he'd disguised himself as a Cloud shinobi and stabbed one of them in the back.
If that happened, he might not even realize how he'd died.
The squad leader immediately performed Konoha's identification signal.
Only after confirming the signal did Gōenji lead them back to the outpost.
Be cautious.
Then be even more cautious.
After the senior officers came out to receive the newcomers, Gōenji resumed his patrol.
Alone.
One could say that Minato trusted his strength enough to let him patrol by himself.
Under normal circumstances, a full squad would have been assigned to the task.
But this was wartime, and manpower was in short supply.
Under ordinary conditions, maintaining proper squad assignments was a strict requirement.
When Gōenji returned to the outpost after completing his patrol, he immediately noticed something unusual.
Several shinobi were packing their equipment, while the remaining forces had already formed an orderly line.
"You're back, Gōenji."
Uchiha Tekka spotted him and walked over.
"We've completed the handover. We're returning to Konoha to rest."
"Rest?"
Gōenji's mind immediately began working.
Then he understood.
As an Uchiha shinobi, he had already spent two years being dragged from one battlefield to another.
One front.
Then another.
Then another.
The only times he had returned to Konoha were when his missions happened to bring him back.
Even then, he usually had only two days to rest before being sent back out.
He had barely had any real time off.
Even a cow doesn't work this hard.
Gōenji couldn't help but feel a little speechless.
This rotation system existed for a reason.
During a prolonged war, the Ninja Academy had to keep producing new shinobi to replace those who had spent too long on the front lines.
Usually, the cycle lasted only a year or two before personnel were rotated.
It's time for a rotation.
If this continued indefinitely, Konoha would eventually end up with countless missing-nin.
Gōenji understood why the village couldn't simply keep its veterans fighting forever.
Constant warfare placed enormous psychological pressure on shinobi.
Eventually, some of them would break.
And once they broke, betrayal became a real possibility.
It was hard to imagine an ordinary person enduring this kind of life for long.
That was also why every major village maintained dedicated forces tasked with hunting down missing-nin.
War was simply too brutal.
Soon, Gōenji began the handover with the shinobi who were replacing them.
The new squad was made up mostly of young boys.
Only the squad leader was around Gōenji's age.
The youngest were barely ten.
Gōenji sighed.
These are the brats who graduated early.
Despite himself, a trace of pity appeared in his eyes.
He patiently passed on everything he had learned from his patrols.
He held nothing back.
After all, this was the entire point of a handover—to give the next group a better chance of surviving.
Children this young were being sent to the battlefield.
Gōenji couldn't help but remember his previous life.
At their age, he had been playing around in the mud before going home and getting scolded by his mother.
War really is cruel.
Why does a responsibility like this have to fall on children so young?
He shook his head.
There was no point dwelling on it.
Otherwise, he would only trap himself in unnecessary thoughts.
For now, he needed to focus on doing what he was supposed to do.
Besides, he himself was still just a child.
"Take this seriously."
The squad leader was also a Chūnin, and unlike the three youngsters behind him, he had considerable battlefield experience. He had earned his rank through the war itself.
Even so, Gōenji's explanation was unusually thorough.
He considered every possibility from multiple angles, explaining how to conduct patrols, identify suspicious activity, detect enemies, survive an ambush, and notify the main force.
For a Chūnin with battlefield experience, the information was still extremely useful.
What made it even more valuable was the way Gōenji explained it.
Simple.
Clear.
Easy to understand.
The three children standing behind their leader didn't feel the same way.
To them, Gōenji was simply an extremely serious shinobi.
They naturally assumed this was how every mission handover worked.
They were still young and full of confidence. Like many children who had entered the battlefield early, they believed they could display their abilities and make a name for themselves.
After all, hadn't the Yellow Flash, the White Fang, and the legendary Sannin all shaken the entire shinobi world?
Why couldn't they do the same?
Gōenji looked at them and nodded.
"Survive."
"Only by surviving can you become a king."
With that, he headed toward the center of the outpost.
He still had another mission to prepare for.
At present, he hadn't been promoted to jōnin and wasn't considered one of Konoha's senior shinobi.
That meant he still had to follow the mission assignments given to him.
Then—
"Gōenji?"
Minato noticed him and immediately waved.
"Come here for a moment."
Gōenji was slightly confused, but he walked over.
Minato reached into his equipment pouch and pulled out a scroll.
"For this return mission, you'll be the squad leader."
He handed the scroll to Gōenji.
"And you'll also be responsible for delivering this to the Hokage."
"Squad leader?"
Gōenji accepted the scroll, his confusion only deepening.
His combat ability was decent, but his ability to lead a squad had never been tested.
Why him?
Minato smiled and nodded.
"I've seen what you're capable of these past few days."
"Whether it's your combat ability or your attention to detail, you're fully qualified to lead a squad."
He gestured toward the scroll.
"All the other jōnin already have their own assignments, so they can't lead this group."
His smile widened slightly.
"That leaves you."
"I trust your ability."