CH_34

"The fighting over there is probably over." After a moment, Tōji noticed that the sounds from the Konoha camp had gradually faded.

The dozen or so Konoha genin all strained their eyes looking into the distance.

"Let's spread out and hide in the woods on both sides first!" Tōji suggested. "Come out only once we confirm it's our own people."

There was half a sentence Tōji didn't say—what if it was a group of enemies…

Those who understood would agree; those who didn't wouldn't object either. So the dozen genin each found hiding spots in the woods.

Against an enemy with strong sensory abilities, this kind of hiding wouldn't mean much. But if there was even a sliver of a chance to survive, anyone would take it.

If fighting was still going on up ahead, staying together was safer. But if the fight was over and the victors were the enemy, scattering was the better move.

Tōji's chosen hiding spot wasn't particularly well-concealed—but it had the advantage of making escape easier.

Natchi didn't ask questions—he just stuck close to Tōji.

Soon, the area returned to its "normal stillness," with only the rising and falling chorus of insects and the rustle of leaves in the night breeze.

Though Tōji figured Konoha had won—after all, in the original plot, Hizashi survived, and the Iwa forces were held back around the Kannabi Bridge area.

But you could never rule out surprises—and it was hard to say whether some Iwa-nin might flee in this direction right after the fighting ended.

"Someone's coming!" Natchi whispered to Tōji.

Tōji nodded, staring nervously into the distance that he couldn't really make out.

Coming into view was Hizashi leading the Hyūga squad!

When Hizashi returned, all the genin felt like they'd found their anchor again, and filed out of the woods one by one.

Of course, someone would step forward to report the battle that had just happened.

Hizashi listened, then simply said that the fighting up ahead had ended in Konoha's victory—and ordered everyone to deliver the supplies to the camp immediately.

As for the dead and wounded, he only gave them a glance. Mm… he seemed rather detached from life and death.

The group finally arrived at the Konoha camp. The sprawling encampment was dimly lit. Tōji and the others could see Konoha shinobi busy with post-battle repairs and reorganizing.

Since they were assigned to a corner area, they couldn't see much—and they knew even less about the earlier battle. No one was going to come explain things to a bunch of genin.

As long as no one came looking for trouble, Tōji was more than content.

『Time to get some good rest!』 After dinner, Tōji did a brief "post-battle reflection" and then lay down on his blanket spread on the ground.

By "convention," shinobi who transported supplies to the front were basically kept there. But in this battle, Konoha's genin weren't all that useful. The enemy's weakest were at chūnin level—and their jōnin ratio was high. Konoha couldn't possibly send genin straight to their deaths.

Tōji remembered from the original plot—

When Minato Namikaze first arrived at the battlefield, a Konoha unit of several dozen had been whittled down to just four by an Iwa unit of similar size.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were also pushed to the brink by an Iwa squad—saved only by Minato's timely arrival.

By then, Kakashi was already a jōnin who could use the 【Lightning Cutter】, and both Obito and Rin had been chūnin for over two years.

『As lowly genin who can't even make the cut, we'll probably just get assigned to some menial task or another.』 Tōji decided to rest well for the night, without overthinking it.

Of course, resting well didn't mean deep sleep. After all, Tōji wasn't just at the front lines—he was in a corner of the Konoha camp…

If the Iwa-nin sent a raiding party to attack from this corner, and he happened to be sound asleep… even if he could fly, it'd be too late to escape.