Chapter 766 : A Slow March!

“What is happening there?”
“Yeah, what was that loud roar? Are we under attack again?”
“Fool, we just beat Sunagakure and Orochimaru. Who'd dare to attack us so quickly?”

Discussions broke out among the civilians in Konoha. The ninjas immediately realized, ‘So the army has already gathered…’

Even the few remaining spies in Konoha became alert. Needless to say, they didn't dare to attract any attention. Instead, they just followed the crowd to get an idea of the army's scale. It would help them to get an idea of Konoha's intentions.

In the third training ground, the morale was high. Everyone was quickly assigned to their units and the three Generals moved ahead to take charge of their divisions, leaving just Fujin, Renjiro and Shikaku behind.

Fujin turned his gaze to the right and said, “Ah, I forgot to inform you about them.”
Shikaku followed Fujin's gaze and saw Bunjiro flickering in the training ground along with Fujin's students. He glanced at Fujin and asked, “Are you planning to take them with you?”

Fujin nodded, “Yeah. I have trained them quite a bit, but haven't given them any real experience. Considering their strength, going through normal Genin missions will be useless for them. So, this will be a good opportunity to break them in. I'll take them with me for this exercise.”

Shikaku thought for a bit before nodding. He replied, “Alright. That shouldn't be an issue.”

Fujin added, “Though I didn't train the other kids much, they have grown quite strong too and most can compete with Chunins. While they are still some distance away from being able to join the Anbu, you could send them on normal missions with one of the Anbu instructors, either from my compounds or from the headquarters.”

Shikaku immediately nodded and said, “Over a hundred new ninjas. That'll be very helpful.”

Even though the number of deaths didn't reach three figures, the number of wounded far surpassed it. Depending on their injuries, they needed a few days to several weeks of treatment and rest. In addition, Konoha was forced to deploy a large number of ninjas to dissuade any other hidden village from doing anything stupid. Fujin's three-thousand-strong army was a part of those efforts too. As such, getting over 30 new and enthusiastic squads to do easier missions was a timely help for Konoha.

Bunjiro's group walked to Fujin while looking at the army formations. Sayaka asked curiously, “What is happening here, sensei?”
Fujin replied, “We are heading out to have some fun. Wanna join in?”
Yuji immediately exclaimed, “Of course sensei!”
However, his companions were a bit more wary and didn't immediately nod. Unlike Yuji, they weren't very fond of what Fujin called ‘fun’.
Hikari nervously asked, “What do you mean by fun, sensei?”

Fujin smiled and replied, “What could fun mean for a ninja? We're going out to hunt some of our enemies. So, do you want to fight? Or do you want to stay in the compound until you grow old?”

Immediately, Fujin's students' expressions changed. They weren't scared; instead, they were excited. They had long wanted to take on some missions, but Fujin never agreed until this day.

They answered at the same time, “We're ready, Sensei! Of course, we'll fight!”

Fujin's smile disappeared and was replaced by a serious expression. He said, “This won't be a fun mission or a simple training exercise. I won't be there to help you or save you. A single mistake could end up being the last mistake of your life. So, let me ask you again. Are you guys ready?”

Fujin's strictness doused their excitement. However, it didn't change their desire. They had already made up their minds. In just a few seconds, all five nodded.

Fujin said, “Good. From now, until we return back to the village, Bunjiro will be your team leader. You have to follow every single one of his orders. Be careful and look after one another. I'd like to see all five of you come back alive. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sensei!” Fujin's students answered in a chorus. Fujin turned his gaze to Bunjiro and nodded. The clone that Fujin created before leaving his house had met up with Bunjiro and passed the relevant information and orders. His job would be to find appropriate situations for the kids to gain some valuable experience and ensure that they don't die. So, there was no need for any more words.

Bunjiro nodded in return, took the kids away and began informing them about what was expected of them along with other routine things. While he did so, the army was finally properly segregated into different units. The three Generals took charge of each division and began leading them out of Konoha.

Outside the training ground, several hundred people had gathered. Some were curious to see what the commotion was about, some were here to see off their friends or relatives while some wanted information. Their eyes suddenly widened on seeing the first division led by Kurama Illumi march out of the training ground.

“Oh my god! This is true! We're sending our army out!” Several civilians exclaimed, some excited while some worried. The family members of the ninjas nervously prayed for the safe return of their kin. Of course, the ones who were the most nervous were none other than Suna spies.

They thought, ‘It hasn't even been a day since our attack ended and Konoha is already sending an army. The big question is, is this just for a show or are they really planning something big? And, is Suzuki Fujin really the leader as the rumors say?’

They waited patiently to see how strong the army was. The civilians and even some ninjas cheered for the army and wished them luck as they exited Konoha. Seeing the first division was led by Illumi and the second by Konomi, the spies breathed a sigh of relief thinking, ‘Both are newly promoted Elite Jounins. Konoha wouldn't go to war with them. However, it depends on how many divisions there are…’

As the third division appeared, the spies became tense. They analyzed, ‘The number of ninjas has exceeded the previous numbers during their training exercises. It won't be a simple show. I hope that the number of divisions is less than 5. Otherwise, it'll be a huge trouble…’

As the third division left the training ground, the crowd grew bigger and the cheers became louder. The crowd momentarily became silent as Fujin and Renjiro followed behind the three divisions before erupting into a loud cheer.

“It's Fujin-sama! He's leading the army!”
“As expected! Not only did he slaughter our enemies yesterday, he's already leading our counterattack!”
“Make them pay, Fujin-sama!”

The spies were relieved and worried at the same time. The fact that there were only 3 divisions meant that Konoha wouldn't be attacking Sunagakure directly unless they were planning to send a follow-up army. However, Fujin's terrifying track record against Sunagakure worried them. Not to mention, he had already displayed the ability to slaughter hundreds of ninjas by himself. It made the Legend of the Spectral Swordsman even more terrifying. The spies waited patiently, intending to send messenger birds right after the army left and the crowd dispersed.

Renjiro teased with a hint of amusement, “You've become quite famous now, Fujin.”

Fujin wasn't bothered. This world wasn't like his past one. He wouldn't be endlessly followed by everyone who admired him. Even if a few did, he wasn't worried about anyone trying to enter his house or bother him while training. So, being famous didn't change his life in any way. As for the enemies, he was on their radar for a long time. Fujin replied, “It was expected after yesterday's battle. Still, I should've expected Shikaku to ask us to move so slowly. He doesn't let any resources go to waste…”

Fujin chuckled and so did Renjiro, who replied, “That is natural. He wouldn't let go of such an easy opportunity to raise the morale of the village. Armies and strong ninjas are too convenient to do that.

And, it isn't just at the top level. You can use it at all levels in a war too. For example, if a group of Chunins is in a tough spot and you send a reputed Jounin to reinforce them, their morale would shoot through the roof. They could hold an enemy that they shouldn't even with the Jounin's help.

Of course, morale has its limits. Unless the enemy is scared off into retreating, they will eventually die. However, they can buy you valuable time to move your other forces around. Keep that in mind. How you do this will be a major factor in your success or failure as a commander.”

Fujin nodded as he and Renjiro finally placed a foot outside the village. At the very next moment, both disappeared! The three divisions in front of them were moving fast as well. Within moments, the entire army disappeared from the crowd's sight.

Fujin said, “Well, we can discuss such tricks later. What are the main strategies and tactics we use during wars?”

[A/N: For the first time in nearly a couple of years, I spent a couple of days without thinking about the book at all. Sorry for the sudden break, but I guess I needed to take my mind off it for a few days to refresh a bit. Anyway, let's go strong once again. Hopefully no more breaks until the start of the timeskip. The release schedule for the upcoming chapters will be this time (plus minus an hour).]