How to Survive as an Uchiha

60 – The Final Bath

Konoha was located slightly west of the center of the Land of Fire.

Perhaps the founders of the village didn't give it much thought during its establishment, but this location indeed favors Konoha for troop movements along the continental battlefront.

Whether it was an attack from Suna, Iwa, or Kumo, Konoha's ninja forces could reach the frontlines at roughly the same time.

The only exception was the southeast, where the distance to Kiri was almost double that to the other three major villages. However, their former ally, Uzushio, used to stand directly at Kiri's doorstep.

Konoha's military strategy has always been to focus on the three major powers on the mainland, leaving the others on the sidelines.

Thus, when Kumo launched a southern offensive, Konoha's decision-making speed far surpassed that of the time when they attempted to aid Uzushio.

By midday of the first day, a strategy meeting was held in the Hokage's office.

By that afternoon, all ninja were notified.

And by noon of the second day, a vanguard force of 2,000 Konoha ninjas departed from the village's northern gate, heading toward the Land of Hot Water.

Following them was a reinforcement force of no fewer than 5,000 ninjas, who would advance alongside organized logistics units.

The primary mission of the 2,000-strong vanguard was to rendezvous with the remnants of the Yu ninjas and establish a frontline base within the Land of Hot Water to eliminate Kumo's vanguard force.

At the very least, they needed to halt Kumo's advance within the Land of Hot Water.

Given the high-intensity and critical nature of the mission, the troops comprised only chunin and above. The high-ranking combat strength consisted of jonin from the Sarutobi, Uchiha, and Hyūga clans, with Hyūga Hizashi as the commander.

Though Hizashi belonged to the branch family, his strength was comparable to his elder brother, the clan leader, making him a respected leader.

Moreover, a Hyūga jonin was extremely effective on the battlefield, and everyone trusted this.

The Uchiha clan sent six jonin with three-tomoe Sharingan, including Masashi, who managed to take Shisui's place after a tense meeting with Fugaku.

As the forces assembled at the gate, Hizashi addressed the gathered clan representatives. "The Hyūga will take point. Our Byakugan will be essential for reconnaissance."

"We'll provide heavy assault support," the Sarutobi commander added.

Masashi stepped forward. "The Uchiha can handle intercepting their sensor types."

Among the three clans, the Uchiha had the fewest jonin, while Sarutobi had the most. Combined, the three clans contributed around 30 jonin.

This force alone could easily crush a third-tier ninja village.

Although Kumo, as the only village with a comparable scale to Konoha, has around 20,000 chunin and higher, their jonin count was fewer than Konoha's.

Theoretically, Konoha could mobilize even more jonin, but the current deployment was the limit for the three clans. The Hokage's office couldn't allocate more manpower either.

It wasn't a matter of being stingy; Kumo's movements required Konoha to remain vigilant against Iwa. Familiar with both Kumo and Iwa's aggressive tendencies, Minato had already prepared for the possibility of a two-front war.

Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, was notoriously opportunistic, infamous across the ninja world for his lack of scruples.

During the Third Great Ninja War, he attempted to raid both Konoha and Kumo.

Konoha thwarted his plan thanks to Minato and his students, while Kumo's losses were even greater, costing them a Raikage.

Both Konoha and Kumo were wary of the old man staging another surprise attack.

Masashi had some understanding of Ōnoki's mindset. The old man was always looking for opportunities to exploit Konoha but viewed Kumo as a long-term adversary.

Kumo's desire for Konoha matched Ōnoki's ambition for Kumo.

During the last war, he mobilized 10,000 Iwa ninjas to attack Kumo's vulnerable rear, only to be met head-on by the obstinate Third Raikage.

With the addition of Konoha's skirmishes, Iwa, which initially had the smallest losses, suddenly skyrocketed to the second-highest casualty rate.

In the original timeline, the conflict between Iwa and Kumo never ceased. Akatsuki's biggest client was Iwa, frequently hiring their members to disrupt Kumo.

The 2,000 elite Konoha ninjas moved swiftly, unhindered by the absence of genin in their ranks.

By nightfall, they had already entered the Land of Hot Water.

As they moved through the devastated countryside, the scouts reported back regularly.

"The countryside's been stripped clean," a scout reported, landing silently beside Hizashi.

A Hyūga scout activated his Byakugan. "No civilian movement within 5 kilometers."

"Kumo's being thorough," Hizashi noted. "They're planning for a long campaign."

The current state of the Land of Hot Water was even more chaotic than when Masashi last visited. This chaos wasn't due to rampant banditry. Quite the opposite—there were no bandits left.

Kumo ninjas, adhering to the hierarchical "two levels up, three levels down" system of the great ninja nations, maintained decorum with the Land of Hot Water's nobility and protected the lives of the lords.

However, they were far less kind to commoners—and bandits, in Kumo's view, were just another type of commoner.

In ninja warfare tradition, bandits were usually the first casualties, serving as a warm-up.

Seen as unproductive burdens consuming food resources, bandits were often exterminated by ninja forces conducting local food requisitioning. The local nobility, far from objecting, often welcomed this development. As for civilian casualties, they simply turned a blind eye.

The cruelest reality was this: during ninja wars, the greatest casualties were never the ninja.

This was also why allied nations exist.

After entering the Land of Hot Water, the Konoha vanguard rested to recover their strength.

At dawn the next day, they began

As the sun set, the laborers finished their day and moved to the crude camps outside the village. They weren't allowed to rest within Yu—only the Kumo ninjas enjoyed such privileges.

Watching some of the Kumo ninjas begin soaking in hot springs, the Hyūga signaled the others to start the operation.

Per their assignments, the Hyūga didn't directly engage but remained on standby, monitoring every movement of the Kumo ninjas with their Byakugan.

The Sarutobi prepared their gear and led their forces southward to block escape routes and initiate the attack from outside.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan was tasked with eliminating the Kumo ninjas inside the village as swiftly as possible and rendezvousing with the Sarutobi outside.

After the Sarutobi departed, the Uchiha jonin led their squads along the mountain slopes into Yu.

The mountain slopes were the source of several vital hot springs. To maximize the flow, Yu was built alongside these slopes, leaving this area unprotected by walls.

Even if the Kumo ninjas felt invincible, they still stationed guards here—albeit rather lazily.

"Quiet night," one guard muttered, scanning the darkness halfheartedly.

"Too quiet. Something feels—" The second guard's words died in his throat as a blade emerged from his chest. His partner's body crumpled silently beside him a moment later.

Konoha's outward intelligence might be lacking, but its internal secrecy was effective. Even Konoha's villagers were unaware that a vanguard force had been deployed, let alone the Kumo ninjas.

Masashi landed softly on a stone-paved street.

Using his Flying Thunder God Technique, he didn't join any teams but had marked every clan member and even Pakura with his teleportation seals.

His mission was to act freely.

The streets ahead twisted and turned, with numerous alleys. The combination of his Sharingan and chakra-sensing ability made navigation effortless.

Drawing his newly purchased short sword, Masashi moved silently toward his target.

The layout of Yu hardly suggested a military base. It was dominated by inns, with narrow streets and alleys often wide enough for just one person.

Suddenly, he accelerated.

His blade thrust forward, piercing through a Kumo ninja who happened to step out of an alley.

With a flick of his left hand, he threw a kunai toward another Kumo ninja emerging from a building. Before the second ninja could react, his head was severed in a flash of the Flying Thunder God.

A scream and curses broke the silence of the night.

Unavoidably, once an attack began, discovery was certain.

A squad of Kumo ninjas appeared on the street. They immediately spotted Masashi in his unmistakable attire.

"It's a Konoha ninja!"

Three Kumo ninjas roared, drawing their weapons and charging forward.

But Masashi was slightly faster.

Sheathing his short sword, he flicked his wrist. With a puff of smoke, several shuriken shot out.

Two shuriken were deflected, but the others grazed the lead ninja. Masashi vanished from sight.

A fiery explosion erupted among the Kumo ninjas, consuming them in flames. Their screams echoed as their bodies withered and shrank, leaving only shriveled husks behind.

Masashi ended his jutsu and sensed no more Kumo ninjas in this area.

He headed toward the next district, following the densest cluster of chakra signatures.