"I… I forgot I had to go to the battlefield!"
Seeing that the sun had already climbed high,
Sarutobi Hakuto hurriedly washed up.
Yesterday he had been full of excitement, ready to head straight to the battlefield.
But after returning home,
Izumi had insisted on dragging him into the hot springs.
While soaking,
Izumi suggested giving him a bath scrub.
And who would have thought…
Izumi, imitating Yukiko, scrubbed Sarutobi Hakuto so thoroughly,
even though he was only ten years old,
the sensation was unparalleled.
"Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto~ How does it feel?"
After asking,
Izumi's face flushed slightly, her body tense.
Sarutobi Hakuto, however, silently turned his head,
hugging her tightly.
Izumi, seeing this, blushed even more,
but her hands continued moving diligently,
cleaning Sarutobi Hakuto from top to bottom.
Back in his bed,
Sarutobi Hakuto couldn't help but recall the sensation,
and soon drifted into a deep sleep.
The experience had been far too pleasurable,
and he slept until the sun was high in the sky.
"Damn it! I'm only ten years old!"
"And yet I've been wounded by beauty! I could even oversleep a mission to the battlefield!"
"From today onward… I must quit hot baths!!"
Izumi had expected him to say something inspiring,
but… that was it.
She stared at him in complete disbelief.
Good grief, beauty wasn't even mentioned!
Ignoring Izumi's confused expression,
Sarutobi Hakuto went out into the courtyard.
Seeing that he was finally awake,
Uchiha Itachi and the others, who had been waiting, finally relaxed.
They were about to depart.
"Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto, we can…!!"
"Whoa!!"
"Whoosh!"
Before Itachi could finish,
they witnessed a scene that left them speechless.
Sarutobi Hakuto, without a word,
bent his knees slightly, then soared into the sky.
Yes—he flew!
Straight up!
The speed was so fast that in the blink of an eye,
he vanished into the horizon.
For a moment,
Uchiha Itachi and the others froze in place.
"Uh…"
"What do we do now?"
"Do we even protect him?"
No one knew how to respond.
Sarutobi Hakuto could fly—what kind of ability was that?
With this power, who could harm him?
Why even bother protecting him?
He could fly!
After a moment of silence,
they saw Izumi, accompanied by five Uchiha jonin, preparing to depart.
"Uh… you're going to the front lines too?"
"Of course!"
Hearing her reply,
Uchiha Itachi and the others didn't hesitate any longer.
They quickly followed.
Their task was to protect Sarutobi Sarutobi Hakuto,
but since he was already gone,
they would handle protection once they reached the front lines.
Soon, the two groups converged.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense.
Everyone fell into a silent, frantic march.
The reason was clear:
Sarutobi Hakuto's ability to fly had stunned them all.
With such a power, why even protect him?
The question marks were written all over their faces.
At the Fire Country border,
on the front lines,
Thanks to thorough preparation,
supplies accompanied the army.
Uchiha Fugaku led the allied forces,
and they quickly reached the border.
Looking ahead,
Kumogakure had already established a camp,
clearly preparing for a large-scale battle.
Fugaku wasted no time.
He ordered the allied forces to set up their own camp,
while dispatching several scouting teams to observe the enemy.
To be safe,
he assigned a Hyuga to each team.
With the Byakugan assisting,
Konoha had a clear reconnaissance advantage.
Additionally,
under the Hyuga's watchful eyes,
Kumogakure would find it impossible to launch a surprise raid.
They would be detected before even approaching.
With the Hyuga's support,
Konoha's camp was quickly established.
Fugaku and his officers gathered in the main tent to discuss strategy.
"Everyone, in war, the first strike is crucial!"
"I propose we act preemptively! Hit Kumogakure while they're unprepared!"
"They won't expect us to attack immediately after setting up camp!"
"What do you all think?"
As Fugaku shared his thoughts,
everyone in the tent agreed.
Even Nara Shikaku, usually the tactical advisor, had no objections.
Fugaku's preparations along the way had been perfect,
so no one questioned his plan.
Seeing everyone agree,
Fugaku finally understood what it felt like to stand united with the village.
Even within the clan, he often faced opposition,
but now he received the respect he deserved.
A surge of ambition ignited in his heart.
"Good!! Inform all units to prepare!"
"Once the camp is complete, we strike!"
With Fugaku's order,
everyone set about preparing.
As the Uchiha clan head,
this time Fugaku aimed not just to win the war,
but to ensure the Uchiha name once again resounded throughout the ninja world.
"Reforge the glory of the Uchiha! It is our unshakable duty!"
Meanwhile, at the Kumogakure camp,
small units had been arriving over the past days,
but the main force had yet to arrive.
Thus, they could not launch a full-scale attack,
sending only small teams into Fire Country territory to harass and relieve boredom.
The first to arrive, Yugito and Killer B,
remained in camp obediently.
As Jinchuriki,
they were like nuclear weapons—
not to be used unless absolutely necessary.
Now, they could only wait for the Fourth Raikage to arrive before taking action.
Seeing Konoha's fully established camp,
they were somewhat surprised at the speed.
Still, there was little worry.
From Kumogakure's perspective,
Konoha was an old tiger without teeth,
no match for their well-trained forces.
"Looks like a large-scale battle will start tomorrow~"
"The Raikage should be able to arrive in time, right?"
Yugito's concern was met with Killer B's nonchalance.
He knew his big brother too well.
"Dummy! Don't worry! Yo~
He'll arrive on time!
Then it will be time to strike the Fire Country! Are you ok?!"
Hearing Killer B's ridiculous rap,
Yugito facepalmed.
She had no patience for his self-indulgence.
"Let's go. Time to prepare for tomorrow's battle!"
Shortly after,
the Konoha army silently advanced toward the Kumogakure camp.