It took two entire days to travel from Konoha to Mount Kikyo.
Early on the third morning, the three of them finally stood atop a hillside and saw the destination of their journey clearly.
Mount Kikyo.
It was not just a single mountain.
Instead, it was an enormous mountain range stretching endlessly across the plains like a natural wall separating the Land of Fire from the Land of Grass.
At the foot of the mountains, densely packed tents spread across the terrain as far as the eye could see.
Thin trails of smoke rose continuously between the camps.
Farther away, trenches, wooden barricades, and earthen fortifications carved through the land like countless scars.
The air itself carried a heavy smell.
It was the scent of smoke and fire.
The scent of sweat.
The scent of blood.
And also the scent of tension hanging over the battlefield.
Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses unconsciously before swallowing hard.
"Thisā¦ there are so many peopleā¦"
Nobody answered him.
Might Guy silently stared toward the military camp while taking a slow deep breath.
"Let's go."
The three of them began walking down the hillside together.
The closer they got toward the camp, the heavier the atmosphere became.
None of the Ninja they encountered along the way were idle.
Some rushed past while carrying stretchers covered in blood, the wounded lying above them pale as paper.
Some crouched beside the road wrapping fresh bandages around injuries over and over again, yet blood still continued seeping through the layers.
Some leaned silently against trees with their eyes closed, making it impossible to tell whether they were asleep or already dead.
Occasionally, someone would raise their head and glance toward the three newcomers with scrutinizing eyes.
But most people did not even have time to pay attention to them.
Everyone was busy.
Everyone looked tense.
Everyone resembled a bowstring stretched tightly to its absolute limit.
Ebisu's sunglasses slipped slightly downward again before he hurriedly pushed them back up.
"Umā¦ where exactly are we supposed to go?"
Might Guy scanned the surroundings briefly before walking directly toward the largest tent in the area.
Outside the entrance stood a Chunin holding a stack of documents while writing rapidly without even looking up.
"Hello," Might Guy said politely. "We are the newly arrived Team 9 here to report for duty."
The Chunin finally raised his head and glanced toward the three of them.
His gaze lingered across their faces for several seconds before he eventually nodded.
"Follow me."
Then he turned around and walked away immediately.
The three quickly followed behind him.
They passed through several rows of military tents before eventually stopping in front of a medium-sized command tent.
The Chunin lifted the entrance flap.
"Captain Choza, your team has arrived."
Inside the tent, a large man crouched on the floor while studying a military map spread across the ground.
Hearing the voice, he slowly stood up.
The very first thing Might Guy noticed was his height.
He was over one meter eighty tall and stood there like a small mountain.
Then came his physique.
The iconic body structure of the Akimichi Clan.
Ridiculously broad and sturdy, with shoulders wide enough to block half the doorway by themselves.
Then came his appearance.
A round face.
Thick eyebrows.
Small eyes.
Hair sticking upward like a hedgehog.
He wore the traditional red combat armor of the Akimichi Clan, though the dim light inside the tent made the color appear darker than usual.
Akimichi Choza quietly looked toward the three children standing at the entrance.
Might Guy.
Ebisu.
Shiranui Genma.
Three eight-year-old children standing before him like little bean sprouts.
Choza remained silent for several seconds.
Then he finally spoke.
"Follow me."
Only three words.
Then he turned around and walked back outside immediately.
The three children froze briefly before hurriedly following behind him again.
Choza did not walk quickly, yet his strides were enormous.
The three practically had to jog to keep pace with him.
As they walked, Choza casually raised one hand before pointing toward the massive mountain range nearby.
"Mount Kikyo."
"From here all the way toward the western ridge over thereā¦"
His finger traced a wide arc through the air.
"That entire area is our defensive line."
Might Guy looked toward the direction Choza indicated.
At the foot of the mountains, trenches, barricades, and earthen walls stretched endlessly into the distance.
Watchtowers stood at regular intervals with sentries stationed atop each one.
"What about the opposite side?" Shiranui Genma asked calmly.
Choza glanced toward him.
"The Land of Grass."
"An army of ten thousand Iwagakure Ninja is currently stationed near the border."
"The nearest forces are less than fifty miles away."
Then he paused briefly.
"If they move at full speed, they can reach us within half a day."
Nobody spoke afterward.
Choza continued walking steadily forward.
"Mount Kikyo is the final western defensive barrier of the Land of Fire."
"If this mountain range falls, everything behind it becomes open plains."
"And another three hundred miles farther backā¦"
"ā¦is Konoha."
He stopped walking afterward before turning around toward the three children.
"So this place cannot be lost."
"Not even a single step."
Might Guy silently nodded.
Choza glanced toward him briefly before continuing onward.
"Our Team 9 is stationed toward the eastern side."
"It is not considered the main battlefield, but that does not mean it is safe."
"Iwagakure reconnaissance units occasionally slip across the border."
"The supply routes also require constant protection."
Eventually, Choza stopped beside another tent before lifting the entrance flap.
"This is where we stay."
The three looked inside simultaneously.
The tent itself was very small and simple.
Four military cots.
One low table.
Several wooden supply boxes.
Nothing more.
It could not possibly look more primitive.
"Put away your things first."
"Then come find me outside."
After speaking, Choza immediately turned around and left again.
The three quickly placed their belongings down before hurrying back outside.
Choza now stood nearby with a military rations pill in his hand that he was casually chewing on.
"You three."
He spoke indistinctly while chewing.
"Introduce yourselves."
"From today onward, we are members of the same team."
Might Guy spoke first.
"Might Guy, eight years old, specializing in Taijutsu."
Then he paused briefly before raising a thumbs-up confidently.
"Youth exists to burn brightly!"
Choza's chewing motion paused slightly.
He silently glanced toward Might Guy.
But he did not say anything.
Ebisu coughed awkwardly afterward before pushing up his sunglasses.
"Ebisu, eight years old, specializing in various forms of foundational Ninjutsu knowledge."
He puffed up his chest proudly.
"In the future, I will definitely become an outstanding elite Ninja!"
Choza continued chewing quietly.
Still no reaction.
Shiranui Genma kept his toothpick hanging lazily from his mouth.
"Shiranui Genma, eight years old, specializing in shuriken techniques."
Choza finally nodded slightly afterward.
Then he swallowed the last bite of his military rations pill.
"Akimichi Choza."
"Twenty-three years old."
"I like eating."
Then he paused briefly.
"I specialize in eating."
The three children froze simultaneously.
Then suddenly, Choza grinned.
It was not the smile of a stern military captain.
It was the smile of someone casually saying:
"I'm still human too."
"Just joking."
He turned around and continued walking again.
"I specialize in the Multi-Size Technique, the secret art of the Akimichi Clan."
"But for now, you won't need to concern yourselves with that."
"Come on."
"I'll take you to meet the neighboring units."
The three immediately followed behind him again.
Ebisu lowered his voice quietly.
"This captainā¦ actually seems pretty decent?"
Shiranui Genma did not answer verbally.
However, the toothpick in his mouth rotated once lightly, clearly expressing agreement.
Might Guy walked quietly at the very back.
His gaze rested silently upon Choza's broad back ahead.
Akimichi Choza.
In the original story, he survived all the way until the end.
Ebisu survived too.
Genma survived too.
Might Guy himself also survived.
As for everything that happened between now and thenā¦
He did not know.
But he understood one thing clearly.
For a very long time from this moment onward, the four of them would form an extremely deep bond together.
And starting from todayā
Team 9 had officially been formed.
[Bond Triggered: Team 9]
[Reward: monk value +30]
Might Guy froze briefly.
Then he smiled.
Thirty points.
It was not much.
But it was exactly enough.
Enough to push the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic directly to its limit.
Without any hesitation, Might Guy immediately added all thirty monk value points into the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic.
The System panel opened instantly before his eyes.
[Host: Might Guy (Eight Years Old)]
[monk value: 3]
[Supreme Techniques List]
[Muscle-Tendon Change Classic (High Grade): 999 (Pure Perfection)]
[Precept-Breaking Blade (Medium Grade): 999 (Pure Perfection)]
[Great Vajra Leg (Low Grade): 1000 (Supernatural Mastery)]
[Great Vajra Finger (Low Grade): 1000 (Supernatural Mastery)]
[Golden Bell Shield (Low Grade): 320 (Mastery)]
[Items: Small Restoration Pill Ć3, Shaolin Sobering Stone]
Might Guy stared silently toward the System interface.
"Both the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic and the Precept-Breaking Blade have already reached bottlenecksā¦"
"I wonder when the breakthrough opportunity will finally appearā¦"
He murmured quietly to himself.
However, only moments later, determination quickly returned to his eyes once more.
This was now the battlefield.
Danger could appear at any moment.
But danger itself also represented opportunity.
Opportunity for growth.
Opportunity for breakthrough.
And Might Guy firmly believed one thing.
That breakthroughā¦
Would not take very long to arrive.
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