In Naruto with the Flame-Flame Fruit

The situation between Konoha and Sunagakure had finally stabilized. With Orochimaru overseeing the region, there was nothing more to worry about in the Land of Wind.

But now, Kirigakure had launched an offensive, forcing Konoha onto the defensive. A number of recently promoted Chūnin had been scattered across the frontlines to hold the line—a necessity born from the lack of available manpower.

Now that this front was secured, it was time to send reinforcements elsewhere.

At present, Konoha was surrounded by enemies.

Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure had all declared war on Konoha. Meanwhile, Iwagakure of the Land of Earth watched hungrily from the sidelines. That old schemer Ōnoki was just waiting for the right moment to pounce and tear a chunk out of Konoha.

And the battlefield had been drawn in the Land of Waves—situated squarely between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.

The Land of Waves, surrounded on all sides by sea, lay directly between the two warring nations. With no shinobi village of its own, it had been helpless when the Land of Water initiated hostilities. The country offered some resistance, but it was futile. Kirigakure's ninja had easily seized control.

Now, Kirigakure was using the Land of Waves as a launch point to continually harass and raid the Land of Fire's borders.

Konoha, however, wasn't going to sit back and take it. After driving Kirigakure's forces out of their territory, they met them head-on in the Land of Waves.

Kiyosuke's team had simply received their orders before others. More squads would follow soon.

After packing up and collecting enough supplies from the logistics unit, the three of them departed immediately for the Land of Waves as reinforcements.

Kirigakure's intentions were clear to everyone—they were looking to profit from the war. But with Konoha's strength still daunting, they didn't dare launch a full-scale assault. For now, their activities were limited to small raids.

Their caution wasn't unfounded—after all, Kirigakure's population had been dwindling in recent years.

There was a reason they were known as the Bloody Mist.

Only a pitiful number of ninja graduated each year, but those who did were elites.

...

After three days of travel, the trio finally arrived in Konoha's territory. Waiting to greet them was a handsome young man with long, straight black hair—but what drew attention was his pair of pale eyes.

Not blindness—but the Byakugan, the Hyūga clan's kekkei genkai.

The Byakugan was unique to Konoha's Hyūga clan and, alongside the Sharingan, was considered one of the two great dōjutsu. It possessed superior insight, which was particularly useful in the fog-laden battles against Kirigakure.

The Land of Waves, with its damp climate and oceanic surroundings, was often blanketed in thick fog. Combined with Kirigakure's hidden mist techniques and silent killing style, they held a nearly insurmountable advantage on this battlefield.

For most shinobi, visibility was severely impaired. But the Byakugan remained unaffected, which was why the reconnaissance teams here were made up entirely of Hyūga clan members.

"I'm Hyūga Hizashi. I've received orders from Lord Orochimaru—starting now, I'll be acting as your temporary squad captain."

Hizashi spoke calmly, but inwardly he felt a headache coming on. The son of the Third Hokage, one of the Legendary Sannin's disciples, and the daughter of Shinku—any slip-up with this team would cause no end of trouble.

Kiyosuke glanced at him. Hizashi—the father of Neji, a man shackled by the Hyūga clan's caged bird seal, and ultimately the one sacrificed in place of his twin brother.

"Understood, Captain Hizashi."

After introducing themselves, Hizashi gave a nod.

"Follow me. The Land of Waves is in its rainy season. Conditions on the battlefield are against us, so stay sharp. I'll take you to headquarters first."

...

The operation in the Land of Waves was under the command of Konoha's elder advisors, Mitokado Homura and Koharu Utatane.

Like the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Root leader Danzō Shimura, these two had been students of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Having experienced both the First and Second Great Ninja Wars, they were veterans with a wealth of battlefield experience.

That's exactly why the Third Hokage had entrusted this theater of war to them.

Anyone else probably wouldn't have been able to hold this position with so few troops.

The strategy remained primarily defensive against Kirigakure.

The two advisors—both around the same age as Chiyo—sat at the planning table, discussing their next moves when Hizashi entered with the new arrivals.

They were already familiar with Asuma—the mischievous son of the Sarutobi clan. Kurenai didn't draw much of their attention either. But when their eyes landed on Kiyosuke, they gave him a more thorough look.

Homura spoke up.

"So Orochimaru sent you here, huh? Your abilities will be heavily restricted in this environment. Might've been better if you hadn't come at all."

Even the Uchiha, who specialized in fire-style ninjutsu, hadn't been deployed here. The thick fog rendered their Sharingan nearly useless, and fire-style techniques were largely ineffective in such wet conditions.

Kiyosuke's flame-based jutsu was similar to the Uchiha's, which meant his effectiveness here would be significantly reduced.

Kiyosuke replied, "Orochimaru-sensei said I needed the experience. He thinks I've been relying too much on my immunity ability—and that if I died, it'd be because I underestimated the enemy."

Orochimaru had clearly seen how overconfident Kiyosuke had become—so accustomed to not dodging attacks that he needed a real battlefield to sharpen his instincts.

Koharu added, "He's never been one to go easy. Even Hiruzen's idiot son got sent out here. You'll be assigned to Hizashi's recon team for now—missions will come soon enough."

"Yes, ma'am."

...

The four of them left and made their way to Hizashi's personal tent. It was a tight fit, but with a bit of squeezing, the four could just barely manage.

"The Land of Wind was dry as hell... and now this place is soaked to the bone. It's miserable," Kiyosuke muttered in discomfort.

The Land of Waves was humid to begin with, and being the rainy season made it unbearable. After only a short time here, they were already soaked, like they'd been dunked in water.

BOOM!

Thunder roared overhead. Sheets of rain poured down from the sky, hammering the tent in a steady rhythm.

"This is how it always is here," Hizashi said. "The air's so humid it's hard to breathe. Here—take this."

He pulled out a small package and handed each of them a pungent-smelling pouch.

"The climate here is perfect for bugs. Mosquitoes are everywhere, and many of them are poisonous. This is a repellent."

Due to the unique geography and weather, the Land of Waves was a breeding ground for insects. Early on, the sheer number of poisonous bites had caused numerous illnesses, creating major problems for Konoha's forces.

To address the issue, Konoha's medical-nin teamed up with the Aburame clan—experts in insect breeding and control—to develop this repellent.

However, the repellent affected the Aburame's own insects, so now the clan lived in a secluded corner of headquarters. Thanks to their unique constitution, poisonous bugs didn't harm them—some were even used as weapons.

Like the Hyūga, they'd become an essential part of the recon forces in this campaign.

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