"Brother Ren, wake up."
Ren opened his eyes to see Itachi standing beside him, pushing him urgently.
There are a lot of footsteps outside. Is the operation about to begin?
"No rush, Itachi."
Ren sat up, stretched leisurely, and then stood, speaking with a hint of laziness.
He had been sleeping lightly, and with his perception constantly active, even if Itachi hadn't called him, he would have woken up after a short while longer.
"The operation has indeed begun, but the gathering point is in the open space outside our tent, so there's no need to be so anxious."
As Ren spoke, his gaze swept around the tent. Shio and the other two were already fully prepared, currently performing their final equipment check before the operation.
"If there are no problems, let's go. There are still five minutes until the gathering time, so let's head over and assemble."
"Yes!"
After checking their gear, the group followed Ren out, with Itachi trailing closely behind, their formation subtly shielding him.
Although surprised that such a young child was also going to the battlefield, Shio and the others didn't ask much, instinctively protecting him.
Upon arriving at the gathering point, the first person Ren saw was Fugaku standing at the very front with his hands at his sides. Fugaku also spotted Ren and his group, and with an Instantaneous Body Technique, he appeared before them.
"Ren, Itachi will be in your care from now on!"
Fugaku glanced at his son, then turned his gaze to Ren, speaking with a serious expression.
Although he had arranged for Uchiha experts to secretly protect Itachi, having Ren's open protection would put his mind at ease.
"Understood, Uncle Fugaku. There's no problem with just bringing them along for training."
"Hmm."
Fugaku nodded slightly. Noticing Suzuki and the two others behind Ren, he didn't ask any further questions. After giving a few more instructions, he returned to the front of the formation.
Ren, meanwhile, led his group to a corner and stood, quietly awaiting the start of the operation.
A few minutes later, the formation was complete. With a command from Fugaku, the several hundred-strong force began to move, entering the forest one after another and disappearing into the darkness, under the watchful eyes of others in the tents.
"Listen up, this mission is different from before."
As they sped through the forest, Ren also gave instructions to the group to prevent any unexpected situations.
"You haven't participated in a large-scale battle with thousands of people like this, and it's a night raid. Don't think about acting independently; you must always stay together as a group."
"Ah?!"
Upon hearing this, Suzuki immediately let out a wail, saying with some reluctance,
"We're strong too, Captain…"
"Enough!"
Ren interrupted him, looking at the dejected group and speaking in a deep voice.
"Originally, you weren't even supposed to be part of this operation. If anything unexpected happens while I take you, how can I explain it to your family and friends?
On a large battlefield like this, even Jonin face the threat of death at any moment, let alone you Genin."
...
After Ren finished speaking, the group fell silent. The defiance on Suzuki's face disappeared, and he clenched his fists, no longer making a sound.
"Alright, I'm just telling you not to act independently. Staying within fifty meters of me is fine. Also, you've practiced coordinated combat a lot, haven't you?"
Ren turned his head, speaking exasperatedly. Upon hearing this, the group's eyes lit up, and they became energetic once more.
Although they couldn't fight alone, a squad combination battle seemed pretty good.
"Itachi, just stay by my side."
Ren turned to look at Itachi, who was silently keeping pace, and said softly.
"Originally, I had planned to act alone and have a good fight, but now that these guys are here, I can't spare the worry. So this time, I can only watch others charge while I act as a bodyguard and slack off."
"Yes!"
Itachi responded, his hand instinctively reaching for the Ninja tool pouch on his waist, seemingly a bit nervous.
Ren, however, had no time to pay attention to that side. They were now approaching the Land of Waterfall's border, and the Iwagakure Border Line and the patrolling people within it had already entered Ren's perception range.
Fugaku's side had clearly noticed the situation ahead as well. With a command, everyone stealthily hid in the forest, awaiting the next order.
"Be careful. Remember to stick close to me later."
"Yes!"
Ren said without turning his head, his gaze, aided by his perception, constantly sweeping back and forth across the distant Iwagakure Border Line, seemingly searching for something.
They didn't have to wait long. The surrounding Konoha Ninja received orders to disperse into squads and move forward with the help of their perception Ninja.
"Follow me!"
Ren whispered to the group behind him, leading them to a weak Chakra signature in his perception, a sentry post, following behind the main force.
Their squad wasn't part of the plan, so there were no arrangements. Ren could just lead them in action.
Boom!!
As a loud explosion came from afar, fire shot into the sky. Ren glanced at it once and then ignored it, focusing all his attention on their current location.
"Enemy attack! It's the Konoha guys!"
The Iwagakure Ninja also discovered the Konoha Ninja who had snuck close and immediately became flustered, trying to set up defenses to counter, but it was clearly too late.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!
Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!
Various Ninjutsu began to fly through the air, breaking the night's tranquility.
"Let's go!"
Ren used an Instantaneous Body Technique to flash close, aiming at the enemy's watchtower. After forming hand seals for a moment, he let out a low shout.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
Chakra surged around him, and a water dragon burst from behind Ren, circling in the air for a moment before tearing through the air towards the front.
Earth Release: Earth Wall!
A thick earth wall rose in front of the watchtower, crashing into the incoming water dragon. The next moment, the earth wall collapsed, sending sand and rocks flying, while the water dragon, its power undiminished, attacked the watchtower!
Rumble!!
The two collided without any suspense. The watchtower was directly struck in the middle and collapsed, and as it crumbled, the terrified screams of the Iwagakure Ninja echoed incessantly in the air.
"Go! Take down the Iwagakure Ninja in one fell swoop!"
Ren turned around and shouted at the somewhat dazed Konoha Ninja around him.
"Yes!"
Only then did everyone awaken as if from a dream, looking at Ren with awe as they all charged into the breach Ren had created.
"Let's go, stick close."
Ren used several Instantaneous Body Techniques to appear before the dazed group, speaking in a deep voice.
"Yes!"
"Captain, such strong Water Release…"
Upon hearing Ren's voice, the group hurriedly followed. Suzuki, looking at Ren's back, murmured softly.
Ren's battles during this period had mostly been won by his monstrous strength. This was the first time they had seen such powerful Ninjutsu from him.
Shio and Yao exchanged glances, then sped up to follow, their eyes filled with eagerness and fanaticism as they looked at their captain, who was clearing the way for them.
The captain is indeed very strong!