Naruto: Hyuga Warlord

The Ninja Force was well-organized.

After the Jonin Military Meeting ended, under Sakumo Hatake's command, each commanding jonin returned to their sector base to recall and gather their directly commanded units. Once all personnel and basic supplies were confirmed in order, they reported back to the Central Command Tent.

Once every squad and independent unit stood ready, Sakumo immediately dispatched all reconnaissance ninja under his command. Groups of ninja hawks and ninja dogs fanned out from the camp under their handlers' commands, sweeping the area to block any possible leaks of intelligence.

By this time, although the lower-ranking chunin and genin still didn't fully understand what was happening, they had become slightly tense under the prevailing atmosphere.

Hyuga Soushu also completed mobilization after returning to his squad base, but rather than boast about attending the meeting, he simply ordered his ninja to prepare for immediate deployment.

Kosuke Maruboshi, an old hand seasoned by years of experience, could already sense something big was coming just by observing the tension at headquarters and across the camp. Still, he refrained from speculating aloud, silently pulling out a nearby ninja blade to polish it carefully.

His actions alone were enough to tell the chunin officers that something important was brewing. Yet none dared voice their thoughts openly in front of Hyuga Soushu, communicating only through subtle glances and expressions.

Other squad bases shared similar scenes.

Another ten minutes passed before a group of reconnaissance ninja returned to the camp, soon followed by the sounding of horns from the Central Command Center.

"Everyone!"

Hyuga Soushu slowly rose to his feet and addressed his subordinates, who wore expressions mixing nervousness and excitement. "Exactly as you suspect, under Captain Sakumo's overall command, our entire force will participate in a cross-border strike operation!"

"Our target — the Land of Wind!"

"Victory to all!"

As the horn echoed across the camp, the entire ninja military base instantly sprang into motion. Unit after unit marched out under their commanding jonin, following designated routes toward the Land of Wind.

In addition, some reconnaissance ninja had already departed earlier—they would act as the vanguard, responsible for eliminating enemy agents still lying in wait, ensuring the main forces advanced unimpeded.

Though according to current public information, Konoha's deployed ninja forces numbered only two thousand—half the size of Sunagakure's three thousand stationed along the Land of Wind's border—each one of them remained full of spirit.

Because as each unit left the base, every Konoha ninja caught a glimpse of Sakumo Hatake, fully armored, standing at the gate.

"March with the White Fang!"

Veterans originally stationed at the western front especially shared countless tales of Sakumo Hatake's heroic deeds with newly arrived reinforcements. As a result, confidence within the ranks grew even stronger.

"The army's morale is high."

Although Sakumo himself had personally decided to dispatch the entire force, he didn't truly relax until now, seeing firsthand the strong fighting spirit displayed throughout the ninja ranks.

If it had been in the past, Hatake Sakumo would have earnestly stopped others from praising him excessively, explaining that his achievements were the result of the collective efforts of all Konoha shinobi. But now, during wartime, he thought that if praise like this could boost the Ninja Force's morale, there was no need to correct it.

"With Lord Sakumo among us, there's nothing we can't overcome!"

Shirakawa Namiko offered praise at just the right moment.

"Then I'll trouble you again to take command as usual."

Hatake Sakumo gave a slight, modest smile and said to Shirakawa Namiko, "Just like before, you'll handle the command center while I take the vanguard."

This was also one reason why the two had always made an inseparable team.

Compared with being bogged down by paperwork, Hatake Sakumo preferred the sensation of personally charging into battle with blade drawn.

"Understood, Lord Sakumo!"

Shirakawa Namiko beamed happily.

Groups of Konoha ninja spread out across a front nearly ten kilometers wide, deploying over two thousand shinobi at once.

Although this inevitably thinned the front line, for shinobi, this wide array formation was more suitable than a serpentine one, particularly allowing combat specialists and Ninjutsu users to showcase their individual fighting capabilities.

In addition, elite reconnaissance squads took the lead, scouting ahead and eliminating Sunagakure spies.

Hatake Sakumo himself went directly to the forefront of the right wing. Once he crossed the Land of Rivers, he would personally lead the right-wing forces straight into Sunagakure's camp; Shirakawa Namiko would remain in the center to direct operations, while the left wing, commanded by Yechame Hamako, would handle the flanking maneuver. Hyuga Soushu was assigned under this unit.

"Nervous?"

While galloping forward, because they needed to match the generally slower pace of chunin and genin within the Ninja Force, Hyuga Soushu and Uchiha Mahiru weren't moving particularly fast, leaving them time to chat casually with Might Duy, who wore an anxious yet extremely excited expression.

"I'm n—"

Might Duy started to respond, then hesitated before answering honestly from the bottom of his heart, "Actually, yeah... I am a little nervous."

"That's exactly how it should be."

Hyuga Soushu smiled reassuringly and explained, "Nervousness actually enhances one's potential—especially on a battlefield that changes every second, it's important to stay alert for any sudden threats."

"Just facing Sunagakure? That's nothing big to worry about."

Kosuke Maruboshi added comfortingly.

Because Uchiha Mahiru mostly stuck close to Hyuga Soushu, and with heavy wartime duties, since arriving at the Western Camp, Kosuke Maruboshi had spent a great deal of time accompanying Might Duy. The honest and straightforward Might Duy deeply won Kosuke Maruboshi's affection.

"Toshimichi Jonin!"

After nodding slightly, Hyuga Soushu summoned Toshimichi Yamanaka and instructed him, "Your primary duty will be maintaining communication with participating field shinobi through Secret Jutsu and coordinating wartime support."

"Got it!"

Toshimichi Yamanaka responded crisply.

"Also, your Directly Commanded Squad will function the same way. As your mobile unit, they'll be deployed onto battlefields as needed. And remember, unless absolutely necessary, you must not engage in combat personally."

Hyuga Soushu gave one final order before raising his hand and summoning Mitotou Kousuke. "Your Directly Commanded Unit along with five other Chunin squads must wait until I charge into the prearranged enemy formation before launching your ambush attack. The only requirement is that your assault creates as much commotion as possible!"

"Want me to create a few shadow clones for bigger impact?"

Mitotou Kousuke thought for a moment and came up with an idea.

"That works fine."

Hyuga Soushu had no objection at all.

To him, the only job of his Ninja Force was to wave flags, make noise, and stir chaos among the enemy ranks. It would be perfect if he could personally collect all the bounties on those Sunagakure heads.

Thinking about it, Hyuga Soushu once again opened his System Interface through consciousness, entered the marketplace, and found the long-coveted equipment [Tri Force].

"Just 8 more Coins away!"

Licking his lips, Hyuga Soushu activated his Byakugan and scanned the area. He was looking for an unsuspecting escapee—someone who couldn't see through his disguise. Someone he could kill to earn those last few Coins for his gear!

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>