Naruto :Uchiha's Reincarnation

Especially Haruto Uchiha—when it came to strength, he was considered one of the top chunin. If he were to face Dalang now, the likely survivor would be Haruto himself. His team was now considered part of the backbone of Konoha's forces. They might not be at the level of jounin, but how many jounin were left in Konoha after so many years of war?

Kato Dan had mentioned that after so many ninja wars, Konoha had less than two hundred jounin left. The number was even fewer in other ninja villages. The jounin-level fighters would take on each other, leaving Haruto's team, with its current strength, a good chance of surviving—so long as they weren't careless or extremely unlucky.

After spending the day packing his ninja tools and reflecting on his three months of dedicated training, Haruto and his two teammates set out with the troops early the next morning.

This time, two squadrons were sent from the camp, consisting of both chunin and talented genin. They were led by Inuzuka Paladin and Shirogane Tokishin, each squadron made up of ten teams.

Once they reached the front lines, these teams would be reassigned based on their individual skills. Haruto hoped that Kato Dan and Tsunade would assign them to a less dangerous unit. After all, the current commander of the Rain Country battlefield was Orochimaru. Dan was close to Orochimaru, and Tsunade had grown up with him. With their help, the team could be placed in a safer position.

Haruto, however, wished they had more time to develop. It would be better if he could reach jounin level or higher before going into such intense battles. But Orochimaru seemed intent on mobilizing every available force in the Rain Country battlefield. Apart from the necessary defenses elsewhere, all available manpower was being sent to the front.

"Don't worry, Orochimaru has made arrangements," Kato Dan reassured them with a smile when they arrived at the camp, noticing the unease on his three students' faces.

"For young, talented ninjas like you, with great potential and certain backgrounds, Orochimaru has put you in the reserve force. You'll only be sent to the battlefield if we're at a disadvantage, in a stalemate, or when a final push is needed."

Kato Dan went on to explain the responsibilities of the reserve force. He briefly checked on their progress in training before turning to attend to his other duties. Now serving as Orochimaru's deputy, Dan was responsible for the intelligence network on the Rain Country battlefield. Additionally, since Jiraiya and Tsunade weren't inclined to handle administrative matters, many other tasks had also fallen to him and Mumu Gandao.

Haruto felt a bit relieved after meeting with his teacher. At least Dan held considerable influence over the battlefield's command structure and wouldn't send his team into excessively dangerous situations. Orochimaru also seemed to understand that young ninjas with promise should only be used in critical moments to avoid exhausting Konoha's future military power.

No matter what Orochimaru would become in ten or twenty years, for now, he was still loyal to Konoha—the village that had trained him. He was also Sarutobi Hiruzen's potential successor, the best candidate to lead in the future.

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Junior Troop Camp

Inside Kato's squad camp, Haruto sat down and began to unpack. With a swift motion of his hands, he summoned several items from a sealed scroll: a small iron pot, some dishes, seasonings, and a few scattered canned biscuits.

"Heh, I knew the camp would only have terrible dry rations and those awful military pills, so I came prepared," Haruto said with a grin to his teammates.

He had brought two sealing scrolls. One contained the cooking supplies and food, while the other held the standard ninja tools—kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, as well as bandages and basic medical supplies.

Inuzuka Yu grinned in return, pulling out a skinned rabbit. "Well, what a coincidence! Tetsumaru was fooling around earlier and managed to catch this rabbit."

Aburame Nami, her face expressionless behind her large sunglasses, took out a small bag from her waist. "Eating just that meat isn't good for you, so I had my insects gather some edible wild vegetables."

Haruto smiled, pleased that his teammates had been influenced by his foresight.

"Haruto, it's fine to cook in the camp, but what about when we're on a mission? If we cook like this out in the field, the smoke will give away our position," Inuzuka asked as he helped set up the stove.

A proud grin spread across Haruto's face. "No worries! I've been practicing Fire Release lately. Although I haven't fully mastered nature transformation yet, I've made some progress. Watch this—my newly invented jutsu!"

Forming hand seals, Haruto pointed to the stove.

"Fire Release: Super Smokeless Cooking Flame Jutsu!"

Inuzukas eyes widened in amazement. "Wow! Well, I've learned a secret technique from the clan too, one that can suppress smells and hide our traces! Nami, throw everything in the pot. Tonight, we feast! Haruto, you'll roast the rabbit after. We're heading into battle tomorrow—let's eat well tonight so we have the strength to fight!"

He clapped his hands excitedly. "Ninja Art: Hidden Smell and Trace Technique!"

What they didn't know, however, was that before Yu had even finished his jutsu, an old man with one blind eye and an iron pot slung over his shoulder had already caught the faint scent of food wafting from their camp.

"Haha, isn't this the camp of Dan and little Tsunade's disciples?" Maruboshi Kosuke stroked his beard and smiled as he walked toward the tent.

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