"Protect the Commander-in-Chief!!"
Someone shouted loudly, but it was already too late.
The blade was simply too fast.
There were less than ten meters separating Guy and Sarutobi Sosuke, yet the flash of the Youth Blade had already swept over the heads of the crowd and slashed directly toward Sarutobi Sosuke's waist.
Clang!
Something hanging at Sarutobi Sosuke's waist was sliced cleanly apart.
It fell onto the ground, bounced twice, and rolled several steps away.
The Command Whistle.
Made entirely of bronze, the whistle had the word "Command" engraved deeply into its surface.
It was the highest-level assembly whistle within the entire camp.
Everyone froze instantly.
Sarutobi Sosuke lowered his head and stared at the whistle on the ground before slowly lifting his head to look back at Guy.
The confusion on his face rapidly transformed into furious rage.
"You!!"
But before he could finish speaking, Guy had already bent down, grabbed the whistle from the ground, and shoved it directly into his mouth.
Wheeeeeeeeeee!!
The piercing whistle sound instantly tore through the night sky.
This was not an ordinary assembly whistle.
It was the highest-level emergency whistle signal.
Three long blasts and one short blast.
Repeated over and over again.
Every person present had learned this whistle signal on their very first day at Mount Kikyo.
Yet no one had ever actually heard it blown before.
Because the only person qualified to use this whistle was the supreme commander of the camp.
And the meaning of the signal was unmistakable.
Enemy attack.
Large-scale enemy attack.
All forces immediately enter battle readiness!
Guy stood in the middle of the clearing with the whistle clenched between his teeth while his cheeks puffed tightly outward.
The whistle continued sounding without pause.
Everyone remained rooted where they stood, unsure whether they should move or not.
"How dare you!!!"
Sarutobi Sosuke's furious roar exploded from the high platform.
He rushed forward several steps and reached out toward Guy's collar.
"You're only a Chunin, yet you dare steal the Commander's Whistle?! This is outright rebellion!!"
Guy did not dodge.
He slowly removed the whistle from his mouth before suddenly lifting his head and staring directly into Sarutobi Sosuke's eyes.
Those eyes were bloodshot.
Terrifyingly bright.
The eyes of someone who had failed to sleep properly for sixty-eight consecutive days.
"I, Might Guy..."
His voice sounded hoarse and rough, as though squeezed forcibly out of his throat.
But every single word struck the ground like a hammer driving nails into stone.
"Guarantee it with my life."
Sarutobi Sosuke's outstretched hand froze halfway in the air.
"Three thousand Sunagakure Ninja..."
Guy's voice became louder and louder.
"Are currently slaughtering their way toward us from the Mountain Ridge!"
Then he swept his gaze across every single person present while roaring from the depths of his lungs:
"Everyone!!"
"Immediately!!"
"Enter battle readiness!!!"
By the final sentence, his voice had already cracked completely from overstraining itself.
A deathly silence instantly descended across the clearing.
Everyone stared at him.
They stared at this nine-year-old child covered in mud, his clothes full of tears and holes, his face stained with dirt, and his eyes red enough to resemble those of a rabbit.
He stood there with his blade stabbed into the ground while clutching the Command Whistle tightly in one hand.
His voice had already gone hoarse from shouting.
Yet not a single person felt he was lying.
Choza moved first.
He suddenly stepped out from the crowd and walked directly to Guy's side.
Then he turned around toward the direction of the 7th Battalion and roared thunderously:
"7th Battalion!!"
His voice exploded throughout the clearing like thunder.
"Emergency assembly!!"
"Everyone!!"
"Immediately enter battle readiness!!"
Swish!
The members of the 7th Battalion moved almost instinctively.
The muscle memory engraved into their bodies reacted faster than conscious thought itself.
Some sprinted toward their squad positions.
Others immediately checked their Ninja tool pouches.
Some rushed toward the tactical storage area.
One person shouted loudly while running:
"Where's Team 3?! Team 3 gather here!!"
"Over here!!"
"Team 4 assemble immediately! Hurry up!"
Once the 7th Battalion began moving, the members of Team 5 also immediately followed.
Someone raised their voice and shouted:
"Team 5 assemble!"
"Team 2! Team 2 move out!!"
The entire camp suddenly resembled a giant machine forced into full operation.
People burst out from tents while fastening their flak jackets as they ran.
Some crouched down rapidly organizing Kunai and shoving handfuls into the hands of others.
Others were already sprinting toward the defensive line.
Sarutobi Sosuke stood atop the high platform while his expression shifted from fury to complete livid rage.
He stared at the people moving throughout the camp.
He stared at the soldiers ignoring his authority entirely.
And finally, he stared at the nine-year-old child still standing in the center of the clearing while clutching the Command Whistle.
"Mutiny..."
His voice trembled violently.
"This is mutiny!! All of you are committing mutiny!!"
He stepped forward several times while pointing furiously toward Choza and then toward the people assembling below.
"Do any of you still recognize me as your commander?!"
No one responded to him.
The 7th Battalion had already fully assembled.
The 5th Battalion was rapidly moving toward the left flank.
Members of the 2nd Battalion were already checking explosive tags along the defensive perimeter.
Sarutobi Sosuke trembled violently from rage while continuing to scream:
"Stop! Everyone stop immediately! I am the Commander"
Whoosh!!
A streak of red light suddenly shot across the sky above his head before exploding brilliantly overhead.
Everyone instinctively looked upward.
That flare had come from the direction of the frontline station.
The sentry outpost closest to the camp had fired a signal flare.
The crimson light exploded across the night sky, and before it could even fade
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
One signal flare after another rose continuously from the same direction.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
More than a dozen red signal flares exploded consecutively, dyeing the entire sky blood-red.
Everyone in the clearing stopped moving momentarily.
They all stared upward blankly.
Each flare represented one frontline outpost.
For so many flares to appear simultaneously, there was only one possible explanation.
Every single outpost had spotted the enemy.
And that enemy had already arrived directly beneath their noses.
Boom!!
A distant explosion suddenly echoed through the night.
It was the sound of explosive tags detonating.
Someone was already using explosive tags to destroy something.
Then came a second explosion.
Then a third.
The sounds rapidly became denser and closer.
The expressions of everyone present changed drastically.
Sarutobi Sosuke still stood atop the high platform with his mouth slightly open, the second half of his previous sentence stuck entirely inside his throat.
He stared at the sky glowing red from signal flares while listening to the explosions rapidly approaching.
His face gradually turned pale.
Even his lips began trembling uncontrollably.
"Suna... Sunagakure..."
"They really attacked...?"
Guy did not even look at him.
Instead, he calmly hung the Command Whistle around his neck before pulling the Youth Blade back out from the ground and turning toward the crowd.
"Three thousand Sunagakure Ninja. Their vanguard has already crossed the Mountain Ridge."
He glanced toward the people still standing frozen in shock.
"From the Mountain Ridge to this camp, they'll arrive within twenty minutes at most."
Then he raised his voice sharply.
"Are you going to stand here waiting to die..."
"Or are you going to pick up your blades and fight?!"
Nobody answered him.
But everyone moved.
Not in chaos this time.
People sprinted directly toward their designated positions.
Choza was already standing at the very front of the 7th Battalion while roaring backward toward his troops:
"Check your Ninja tools! Every person must carry at least five explosive tags! If you're short on shuriken, get them from logistics immediately! Move faster!!"
The members of the 7th Battalion moved like a fully wound machine.
Some crouched while rummaging through bags.
Others passed supplies rapidly between one another.
Many stuffed equipment directly into their Ninja tool pouches while running.
The 5th Battalion had already reached the left flank.
The 2nd Battalion was now positioned at the frontline attaching explosive tags directly onto the ground.
Guy remained standing silently in the center of the clearing while watching everyone move around him.
Suddenly, someone sprinted past him and lightly slapped his shoulder.
"Thanks."
Without even turning back, that person continued running.
Another Ninja rushed by and shouted:
"If we survive this, I'll apologize to you!"
A third person stopped briefly, looked directly at Guy, nodded once silently, and then ran off as well.
Guy himself did not move.
Instead, he lowered his head and looked at his own hand.
The webbing between his thumb and index finger had already split open at some point.
He did not even know when it happened.
The dried blood felt sticky against his skin.
Guy switched the Youth Blade into his left hand and shook his injured right hand several times.
Fresh blood immediately flowed out again.
It hurt slightly.
That was good.
Pain meant he could still continue fighting.
Guy slowly lifted his head toward the direction of the Mountain Ridge.
Everything over there remained pitch black.
Nothing could yet be seen.
But the explosions were continuing.
Closer and closer.
Denser and denser.
Guy transferred the Youth Blade back into his right hand and gripped it tightly once more.
Then he turned around and sprinted directly toward Choza.
Returning to his own squad.
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