Chapter 17: The Front Lines
At that moment, an ANBU operative appeared at the door. "Akatsurugi," he stated without preamble, "the Hokage summons you."
Akatsurugi was taken aback. He hadn't expected the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to call for him. He'd only just been promoted to Chunin. Surely this wasn't a congratulatory visit?
Regardless, he quickly followed the ANBU to the Hokage Building.
With the ANBU leading the way, his passage was unimpeded, and he soon stood before the office door. Akatsurugi knocked and, upon hearing a muffled "Enter," pushed the door open.
Stepping inside, he found all of Konoha's powerful F4 present. He immediately bowed. "Greetings, Lord Hokage, Lord Advisor, Honored Elders."
Indeed, Danzō Shimura currently held the position of Hokage's Advisor, while Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane served as Konoha's elders. These four firmly controlled the village's core power.
As for his teacher, Uchiha Kagami... well, though he bore the title of elder, he held no real authority. There was also Akimichi Tokujō, who commanded significant influence but knew his place, managing only the affairs of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio and never overstepping.
"Ah, Akatsurugi, you're here. Good, you've made Chunin," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a genial smile.
Surprisingly, Danzō Shimura actually gave a slight, approving nod—a rare occurrence. It seemed the old warhawk bore him no particular ill will. Perhaps the later versions of these people just dropped the ball, Akatsurugi mused internally.
"You flatter me, Lord Hokage," Akatsurugi replied promptly.
Hiruzen tossed a scroll over. "The reason I called you here is regarding the front lines. Kagami sent a message requesting your presence. Consider it a long-term assignment. It will be logged as an A-rank mission."
Akatsurugi quickly caught the scroll, scanned its contents, and said, "I will prepare to depart immediately."
Hiruzen nodded, but added a warning. "Go and get ready. Remember, the battlefield is different from anything you've experienced. Observe, learn, and do not act recklessly!"
Akatsurugi acknowledged the order and left the Hokage's office. He hadn't expected his teacher to summon him to the front. It seemed Kagami wanted him to adapt to the realities of war. In other words, the conflict was likely escalating.
Returning to Kosuke's home, Akatsurugi briefly explained the mission and his impending long-term absence. Kosuke simply nodded, offering no further advice. There was nothing more he could teach Akatsurugi; the boy would have to learn the rest on the battlefield.
Changing into his gear, Akatsurugi packed his ninja tool pouch, taking all one hundred of the explosive tags Uchiha Kagami had given him. After a final check to ensure nothing was missing, he set out with Ryūjin Jakka strapped to his back.
At the village gate, after a brief inspection of his credentials, he was waved through. Stepping beyond Konoha's walls, Akatsurugi took a deep breath of the outside air and set his course for the border.
After two days of travel, he arrived at the Konoha border encampment. Presenting his mission scroll, he was quickly admitted and found his teacher, Uchiha Kagami.
"I called you here to help you adapt while the border situation is relatively stable," Uchiha Kagami explained.
Akatsurugi understood his teacher's good intentions and smiled in gratitude. Kagami assigned him a tent and gave him a day to rest. The following day, he took Akatsurugi on a border patrol.
As they walked, Uchiha Kagami began imparting crucial battlefield knowledge—warning signs, enemy corpse traps, common ambush points. The core lesson: touch nothing unless absolutely necessary.
Akatsurugi committed every word to memory. This was the kind of knowledge that saved lives.
"What do you see ahead?" Uchiha Kagami asked abruptly.
Akatsurugi looked in the indicated direction but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Pay attention to the ground," Kagami prompted. "Look at the soil. Has it been disturbed?"
Akatsurugi stared harder, finally discerning a slight inconsistency in the earth's texture. But honestly, who could possibly notice that?
Uchiha Kagami picked up a stone and tossed it onto the suspicious patch. The ground collapsed inward, followed by a muffled whump and a small explosion from below. Akatsurugi was speechless. This is the battlefield?
He remembered thinking Senju Nawaki's death in the anime was absurd—killed by a mere explosive tag. Now, he understood. If it were him, he'd probably be dead too. Such traps were littered across the battlefield.
"On the battlefield, the smallest oversight can be fatal," Uchiha Kagami stated grimly.
Akatsurugi nodded, vowing to himself to be hyper-vigilant. This damn place was far more dangerous than he'd imagined.
He felt a surge of gratitude for having a teacher like Uchiha Kagami. Without this guidance, he'd be walking blind into a deathtrap.
How do I develop the Flame-Flame Fruit? he wondered, not for the first time. If I could fully elementalize it, I wouldn't have to fear ordinary physical attacks like these.
The thought prompted a question. "Sensei," he began, "if someone has a Kekkei Genkai, how should they go about developing it?"
Uchiha Kagami possessed the Sharingan; he must have insights into bloodline development. Perhaps his experience could be applied.
Kagami looked at him, surprised. "Do you have a Kekkei Genkai?" he asked with a faint smile.
Akatsurugi gave an embarrassed smile. "I'm not sure, Sensei. But I've noticed my Fire Release is significantly stronger than others at my level. Much stronger. I was wondering... could that be a Kekkei Genkai?"
Uchiha Kagami pondered this. He hadn't paid it special attention before. "Show me a Fireball," he instructed, his eyes shifting, the tomoe of his Sharingan already spinning as he focused intently on Akatsurugi.
Akatsurugi didn't hesitate. Despite being on the border, he felt safe under his teacher's watchful eye.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, roaring across the open field.
The tomoe in Uchiha Kagami's eyes whirled wildly before stilling and fading away. Seeing Akatsurugi's expectant look, he chose his words carefully. "It is indeed considerably larger and more potent. It seems your physique is unique. Perhaps an ancestor truly did possess a bloodline limit. However, I've never heard of a purely fire-based Kekkei Genkai. I know of Blaze Release, a combination of fire and wind, and Lava Release, combining fire and earth. But yours appears to be pure fire... The shinobi world is vast, I suppose. It holds all manner of wonders."
Akatsurugi smiled inwardly. He'd eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit—that had to count as a Kekkei Genkai. But developing it was proving to be a real headache.