At 8 a.m. the next morning, Uchiha Yuan, Hyuga Asana, and Yamanaka Kagetsu regrouped and arrived beneath the Hokage Tower.
At this point, the area was already packed with shinobi and spectators.
Using his sensory abilities to locate Aburame Shibi, Kagetsu led the group to squeeze through the crowd.
"Shibi-sensei, we're here," Hyuga Asana said.
Aburame Shibi gave a slight nod without saying anything.
A few minutes later, the Third Hokage and his two advisors appeared atop the Hokage Tower, but Danzo Shimura was nowhere to be seen.
"Everyone, I am the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. You are all about to head to the battlefield to fight for the protection of the village, while this old man must remain here due to various responsibilities. I am truly sorry." As he spoke, Hiruzen removed his hat and bowed deeply to the crowd below.
He began by expressing his guilt, which lessened the resistance of some shinobi who had been reluctant to risk their lives on the battlefield.
Then came the customary Fire Will indoctrination. The crowd grew increasingly riled up, eventually erupting into waves of cheers.
Uchiha Yuan had originally intended to play along, but since their instructor Aburame Shibi remained expressionless and unmoved the entire time, they felt it inappropriate to cheer as well.
"Alright, that's the end. Let's go—head over to the group going to the Land of Bears." With that, Shibi turned and walked off.
Uchiha Yuan tested the waters by asking, "Shibi-sensei, do you not want to go to the battlefield?"
"I don't care one way or the other. What I don't want is to see kids like you heading to war."
Yuan was surprised. He hadn't expected Shibi to have such thoughts.
In this village so thoroughly indoctrinated by the Will of Fire, people like Aburame Shibi were rare indeed.
"No wonder Shino eventually chose to become a teacher," Yuan thought to himself. "Looks like it runs in the family."
Soon after, the four of them followed Shibi to the village gates and lined up behind a squad.
Gradually, more and more people joined the group.
Once everyone had arrived, a man appeared at the front of the formation. He wore a shinobi's hat, a tight black combat uniform, and green jonin armor over it. His pupils had a slight red tint.
"Shibi-sensei, who's that?" Kagetsu asked, staring at the man at the front.
"That is Lord Yūhi Shinku. He is the instructor responsible for training genin and chunin. Before I became a jonin, I too received his guidance," Shibi replied.
Uchiha Yuan perked up at the name Yūhi Shinku. In the original series, not much was said about him. Yuan recalled he was Yūhi Kurenai's father and a trainer for Konoha's lower and mid-ranked shinobi.
The canon never detailed his authority or status, but judging from Shibi's tone, Shinku seemed to hold considerable respect in the village.
Shinku died during the Nine-Tails Incident. Back then, he had ordered the young Gai, Kakashi, and Kurenai to stay far from the beast. He then joined Konoha's elite shinobi in confronting the Nine-Tails—and fell in battle.
"Everyone, we'll be fighting side by side for some time. As you all know, our destination is the Land of Bears. It lies southeast of the Land of Fire. It's a long journey, so we must move quickly.
"Recon squads, depart immediately to scout the path. Everyone else, protect the medical-nin and their equipment. Move out for the Land of Bears at top speed!"
At Shinku's command, Aburame Shibi immediately called Uchiha Yuan's team to step out of formation and head toward the Land of Bears.
Four other recon squads stepped out at the same time. Among the five, only Uchiha Yuan's team had four members—it was clear they were a jonin escorting three rookies.
The other four teams were composed of three chunin each.
Because medical-nin had to carry large amounts of gear, they moved slowly. The main force had to match their pace to protect them.
Having departed earlier, Uchiha Yuan's team was already far ahead after two days of travel.
"Shibi-senpai, we've just left the safe zone. A bit farther ahead is the warfront," said the leader of one recon team, leaping over to speak with Shibi.
"I know. From here on, we each split off. Let's minimize our visibility."
"Understood. Take care, Shibi-senpai." With that, the recon squad dispersed.
The other three recon teams also separated.
Each of the four chose routes with more complex terrain—ideal for ambushes—leaving Yuan's squad with the central path.
This path was the closest to the Land of Bears but lacked good hiding spots. It would be hard for enemies to ambush from here—but that also meant Mist-nin might be lying in wait for precisely that reason.
Shibi, a seasoned veteran, knew this well. He turned to Asana and said, "Asana, use your Byakugan regularly to check for enemies ahead."
"Yes, sir," she responded, activating her Byakugan and surveying the surroundings. Uchiha Yuan also activated his Mind's Eye, cautiously sensing movements nearby.
"Shibi-sensei, no enemies within a kilometer ahead," Asana reported periodically.
Shibi would then release his insects to mark the route as safe, so the main force could pass through later with peace of mind.
The recon team pressed onward. Asana checked the surroundings every kilometer to ensure safety.
After traveling nearly 20 kilometers, Shibi's insects suddenly came flying back from ahead. At the same time, Asana spotted something.
"Shibi-sensei, a ninja squad spotted about 600 meters ahead to the left. Roughly five individuals," she reported.
"Stop. Yuan, go ahead and scout. Find out the Mist-nin's setup," Shibi ordered immediately.
There were three reasons he sent Yuan.
First, Yuan could use Shadow Clone Jutsu—something the others couldn't. It was very convenient for scouting.
Second, Yuan's Body Flicker was extremely fast. Even if spotted, he could escape with it.
Third, Yuan had the strongest overall ability among the three. If worst came to worst and he couldn't escape, he could still hold out and buy time for reinforcements.
(To Be Continued...)