Iwagakure's Command Post – Land of Waterfalls.
Boom!
As the commanding officer of the Land of Waterfalls front, Onoki's son in law, Kitsuchi, slammed the table with a thunderous crack.
"Damn it! What an embarrassing display! And you still dare to call yourselves the elite of Iwagakure?" Kitsuchi's voice was like a boulder smashing into steel as he glared at his subordinates.
"We have over a thousand shinobi stationed here, yet we're being held back by a few hundred Konoha forces?! How am I supposed to explain this to the Tsuchikage? Or the Daimyo?!"
His fury wasn't just visible—it was overflowing.
As Tsuchikage's son in law, Kitsuchi carried not only his own pride but also the reputation of his father and the entire village. He had finally been trusted with command of a full army—only to suffer this kind of humiliation on the battlefield. The shame was unbearable.
The commanders seated around the table understood the pressure he was under. No one dared to speak while his anger boiled. Saying anything would only bring more scolding, so they stayed silent.
Only after a long pause did Kitsuchi calm slightly, though his voice remained chilling cold: "Speak. Why? Why have we failed to break through their blockade, even though we outnumber them by so much?"
A one-eyed shinobi sitting below him answered calmly: "There are many reasons. First—the terrain. The Land of Waterfalls is covered in thick forests. The amount of woodland is huge for a country this size. That favors Konoha, who are experts at moving through forested terrain. On the other hand, we Iwa-nin are more suited to open plains and rocky battlefields."
"That's not an excuse!" Kitsuchi snapped: "We're shinobi. The code of a shinobi is to endure what others cannot. Don't talk to me about terrain—shinobi must adapt to any kind of environment!"
He then turned to another man sitting on his right—a long-haired shinobi with a large scar on his face.
"Akagawa. What do you think?"
Akagawa replied in a cold, flat tone: "Failure is failure. There's no excuse. All we can do now is earn redemption through future victories."
Kitsuchi nodded in satisfaction. That was the mindset an Iwagakure shinobi should have. This was war, and in war, there would always be winners and losers.
Of course, he would try everything to win—but if they were defeated, he didn't want his men making excuses. Since he would bear the burden of failure, he expected his subordinates to carry that same weight.
"But…" Akagawa hesitated to continue.
Kitsuchi narrowed his eyes, and said firmly: "Speak."
"Our failure to advance at the Land of Waterfalls front... is heavily connected to that rising Konoha squad—Team Renjiro."
"Team Renjiro…"
At the mention of the name, not only Kitsuchi, but everyone in the room frowned at once. Their faces turned serious.
Renjiro's team was rising to fame—and that rise came directly at Iwagakure's expense.
"That damned squad!" One of the commanders growled, clenching his teeth in anger.
The others looked just as bitter—every face in the room showed hatred toward that team.
After returning to the battlefield a second time—this time in a different land—Renjiro's squad, once inexperienced rookies who had barely survived in the Land of Waves, had now become a frontline unit. They were carving their names into fame through strength and teamwork.
Under Renjiro's leadership, the team had defeated multiple skilled enemy squads and steadily built a reputation that spread like wildfire.
Of course, all those Iwa squads had been led by Special Jonin or lower. And Renjiro only ever gave the order to attack if the conditions were in their favor.
He was brave enough to risk his life to save his teammates—but only because they had been in a desperate situation. Under normal circumstances, he would never put his life in danger for no reason. That would be reckless—something only a fool would do.
"They must be eliminated." One of the Iwa commanders said coldly.
"If we let them continue like this, they'll completely ruin our strategic plans."
Another commander added bitterly: "But you all know it too. That damn team is nearly impossible to catch. No matter how many times we try, they always escape before we get there."
Indeed, Iwagakure had already sent several assassination squads to eliminate this growing threat. But every attempt had failed. Renjiro's sharp sensory abilities made ambush nearly impossible. They couldn't even get close.
BANG!
Kitsuchi slammed his fist down, shattering the desk. His killing intent surged.
"No matter how clever the prey is." He growled: "The one who brings it down… is a skilled hunter."
"For the sake of victory—this squad must be removed. Use any means necessary. I authorize full resource deployment. Who will take this mission?"
The room fell silent. A heavy tension filled the air.
Finally, Akagawa slowly stood up and said in a serious tone: "I'll take it."
Kitsuchi locked eyes with him: "There will be no room for failure."
Akagawa replied solemnly: "I swear on my name—I will bring their heads back."
---
Konoha Encampment – Land of Waterfalls
The Konoha camp was built precariously along the edge of a cliff. It was thanks to this natural barrier that they had been able to stall Iwagakure's advance.
Commanding the entire front line for Konoha was Nara Shikaku, a familiar face to Renjiro.
Due to a shortage of manpower, Konoha had been forced to pull leaders from other battlefronts. Only those with the highest qualifications had been left to command entire forces.
With no better alternatives, the Third Hokage made a bold decision—entrusting the front to the younger generation.
Shikaku, as the head of the Nara Clan and a seasoned Jonin, was more than qualified to lead.
Inoichi had been reassigned to Konoha to serve in the corpse-processing unit. Choza was stationed at the Land of Waves front.
The original Ino–Shika–Cho trio had been split up to cover different areas of the war.
Renjiro's team had quickly risen to fame after arriving in the Land of Waterfalls.
Their rapid growth was partly thanks to the trust Shikaku placed in them. He recognized Renjiro's strength and judgment, and boldly assigned him several subtle but critical missions.
In return, Renjiro and his squad never once failed to meet Shikaku's expectations.
No matter how strong a shinobi is physically, everyone needs rest when they're tired.
Despite the strain on the front lines, the command unit made sure to give rest to any team that completed mid- to high-risk missions.
After returning from their last mission, Renjiro's team finally got a full night's rest.
---
Early next morning.
"How refreshing…"
Renjiro scratched his hands as he got out of bed, feeling energized.
After changing his clothes, he picked up his blade and stepped outside.
Now fully recovered, he wanted to find Meri—hoping to explore and develop the concept of "Rankyaku"—the wind-blade technique, inspired by her Kenjutsu style.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
About ten minutes later, Renjiro found Meri. She was already training with her sword.
"Good morning, Meri. I hope I haven't interrupted your training." Renjiro said with a gentle smile as he approached her.
"Good morning, Renjiro. It's okay, I'm almost done. Can I help you with something?"
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Meri lowered her sword and spoke in a sweet voice.
Although she didn't say it directly, both Tsugami and Maemon already knew she had a crush on Renjiro.
In fact, after spending nearly three weeks in the Land of Waterfalls, many people in the camp had noticed her feelings toward him…
Everyone—except Renjiro, the completely oblivious blockhead.
She was happy just to spend time with Renjiro.
But unfortunately for her, Renjiro's only desire at the moment was to increase his strength as quickly as possible—to improve his chances of survival in this dangerous world.
"Well, how should I put it…" Renjiro scratched the back of his head shyly, then took a deep breath and said in a hesitant voice: "I wanted to ask you about the sword technique you used yesterday."
"This idiot!" Meri pouted slightly, annoyed by his complete lack of romance or interest in her.
She looked at him and replied in a confused voice with a touch of frustration: "You mean Iai – Crescent Slash?"
"Yes! That's the one! Can you tell me how it works?" Renjiro looked at her with eager curiosity.
Meri paused to think for a moment, then said: "It's actually pretty simple. You infuse chakra into your blade and release it with a strong slash. But to make it really deadly, you have to combine speed, strength, and chakra perfectly. Only then will it strike like a true sword technique."
Renjiro touched his chin thoughtfully: "So the key is to fuse all three—timed perfectly with the strike."
Meri nodded gently: "Exactly. Also, according to my father… master swordsmen can even put their will into the blade—cutting with something like spiritual intent."
"I see." Renjiro said—and completely ignored that part.
It wasn't that he didn't believe it. He just didn't think something like spiritual will applied to him. If he had a "will" it was simply to live a peaceful life with the people he cared about. Trying to inject that into a sword technique just felt… weird.
Still—with one eager to teach and one hungry to learn—the two quickly lost themselves in a passionate discussion…
---
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