Iwagakure Joins the War (Fourth Update)

The walls of the residual maze gradually cracked and collapsed with the death of its caster.

Chu Yingxiong stood there on trembling legs, watching the maze walls crumble and reveal a figure examining something before a corpse.

At last, he truly felt like he had escaped death.

Even as a Veteran Reincarnator, an old hand among Reincarnators who had experienced more than ten Mission Spaces, he only now realized how insignificant he truly was.

Sure enough, the Ninja War Mission Space was far too dangerous!

Looking at Uchiha Yue, whom he had met once before, Chu Yingxiong’s rationality told him that he should go up and express his gratitude, perhaps build some rapport.

But the relief of surviving that crushing pressure left him unable to move his feet.

Fortunately, at that moment, Xu Yue’s Wood Clone, who had been mixed in with his team and had failed to escape because his outward abilities were lacking, walked over with a bitter expression.

"Captain Chu, I just received a notification. My favorability with Uchiha Yue has been used up again."

Xu Yue’s Wood Clone’s words finally helped Chu Yingxiong fully recover. As he looked at Xu Yue, a faint trace of gratitude appeared in his eyes.

Though the other party had not actively sought help, that big shot had risked danger to come intercept the enemy. Clearly, it was thanks to this newcomer’s connections.

Chu Yingxiong might not have been strong enough, but from their brief exchanges earlier, he could tell that perhaps because of his youth, Uchiha Yue had actually been at a disadvantage.

He just did not know what method he had used to turn the tables at the brink of death.

This was a tremendous favor, more than enough to repay the debt of saving a life. And since he had asked the other party to make introductions before, this newcomer had probably spent quite a bit of the favors he had accumulated.

Still, it was someone else’s favor that had saved his own life, so Chu Yingxiong naturally did not feel too burdened by it. He could just occasionally give this newcomer a hand; showing a little gratitude would not cost him anything.

But asking him to compensate Xu Yue?

Compensate my ass. Forget whether he could afford it—even if he could, he would never spend it on something like this.

"Xu Yue, look on the bright side. The most important thing in Reincarnation Space is figuring out how to survive. You may have wasted some favorability, but he still saved you, didn’t he?"

Chu Yingxiong spoke to Xu Yue in an earnest, fatherly tone.

"Captain Chu, are you all right?"

"Captain Chu, thank goodness. The enemy has been dealt with…"

"…"

At that moment, the other Reincarnators who had scattered in all directions began returning as well.

Even the Promotion Mission teams from the other legions showed their "concern" for Chu Yingxiong. The Chunin from their own legions had all fled, and Chu Yingxiong was now the only Reincarnator powerhouse they could come into contact with during their first Promotion Mission. Naturally, they had to repair the impression they had made earlier.

This interruption completely drew attention away from Xu Yue’s Wood Clone throwing Kunai to coordinate with the fight.

Even if someone had noticed, they would probably have dismissed it as Xu Yue desperately throwing Kunai in attack. Throwing Kunai at an opponent of that level—what a disgrace.

Quite a few Reincarnators learned from Chu Yingxiong that Xu Yue had been the reason he was saved. Not only did they feel no gratitude, but they were even somewhat pleased by his misfortune.

The more eagerly they had fawned over Xu Yue on the surface for latching onto the thigh of such a terrifying figure, the more intensely they had envied him. Now that they knew his favor had been greatly depleted, they naturally felt more delight than gratitude…

Minato Namikaze, who had dealt with the enemies ambushing the wounded and rushed over to support Xu Yue, relaxed slightly when he saw Xu Yue examining the corpse.

Because the enemy had scattered to attack the wounded, and to avoid needless casualties, he could only choose to trust his teammate, "Uchiha Yue"!

He trusted that Yue could use the Flying Thunder God Technique to keep the enemy occupied.

But he had not expected this elite jonin-level opponent to be killed by him alone.

This was an enemy who would have taken even Minato some effort to deal with. He had even worried that this fellow would tie him down and delay the rescue, yet the boy had resolved the threat.

That was an extraordinarily impressive achievement!

Killing an elite jonin at the age of twelve—whether it was luck or some special method, it was still proof of his ability.

A ninja who could complete a mission was a good ninja, no matter what methods he used!

"An incredibly impressive result. But you must remember that there is still a gap between your current abilities and enemies of this level. Never let a single victory go to your head, especially after you become famous and your abilities are gradually exposed."

Minato Namikaze understood the hot-bloodedness of young people. After all, he had been the same, and had even suffered for it. So while praising him, he also offered his advice.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Minato. I’ll keep it firmly in mind."

Xu Yue smiled lightly and expressed his thanks. Given his personality, he might be ruled by exhilaration when facing an opponent he liked, but becoming arrogant was impossible. He lacked that emotion…

"Senior Minato, there’s something strange about this Grass Ninja. Although he wore a Grass Ninja forehead protector, all of his ninjutsu were Earth Release techniques. I also examined the body. His traits don’t match those of the various clans in the Land of Grass, but he does resemble the highland people of the Land of Earth."

After expressing his thanks, Xu Yue rose and wiped the blood from examining the corpse off his hands, his expression unchanged.

"You mean the Land of Earth."

Minato Namikaze frowned upon hearing Xu Yue’s words.

The Land of Earth did not share a direct border with Konoha, with the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Waterfall lying between them. The Land of Rain had Hanzo, known as a demigod, making it one of the more formidable small nations. The Land of Waterfall was surrounded by countless waterfalls, giving it natural defensive advantages and making it relatively neutral.

Only the Land of Grass lived up to its name, constantly wavering between Konoha and Iwagakure.

Now that they had directly launched an attack, with Iwagakure ninja mixed among them, it was obvious that they had sided with the other party this time! They did not think highly of Konoha, which was under attack from multiple fronts.

Although the war against Sunagakure had temporarily come to a halt, a true ceasefire had not yet been reached. Meanwhile, fighting had already broken out in the Land of Lightning.

If the Land of Earth chose this moment to go to war with Konoha, it would undoubtedly be the best possible timing for them!

If Sunagakure had not severely wounded the Fourth Kazekage, the Land of Fire would now have to face simultaneous wars against three nations!

The Land of Fire, with its most fertile lands, truly was the first target to be coveted.

Even though the Land of Wind had been crippled, the Land of Earth, which shared a direct border with it, had still abandoned the half-crippled Land of Wind and chosen to cross the border to wage war in the Land of Fire.

Minato Namikaze possessed sufficient strategic vision. He clearly understood that since Grass Ninja and Iwagakure ninja hidden among them had already appeared to ambush their wounded unit, they could not afford to indulge in wishful thinking.

They absolutely could not count on the other side suddenly withdrawing its decision.

Iwagakure had likely already begun full-scale preparations for war. They might even have already entered the war…

Today’s guaranteed second update!