Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 92 Welcome to the Second Shinobi World War – Konoha's 1st Army Camp

P.S.: This illusion technique can take you back to the Fourth Shinobi World War, or even further back in time. It is mainly used for ninja training and trials, to maintain their sharpness even in peacetime, and for plots like the awakening of the Uchiha Sharingan.

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Konoha Village, the genjutsu training barrier.

The last rays of the setting sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and night enveloped the entire village.

Inside the barrier, however, it was as bright as day.

Dozens of "prototype lighting beads" provided by Orochimaru's Team Zero were embedded around the area, emitting a steady glow.

Uchiha Yogen, Shimura Sota, Sarutobi Nami, and Tachibana Shiori were sitting cross-legged on the four futons in the center of the barrier, following Yuhi Shinku's instructions.

They closed their eyes, trying to regulate their breathing, their hearts filled with tension and anticipation.

"Is everything ready?"

The calm voice of Shinobu Yuhi echoed throughout the venue.

"Yes, Ms. Shinku!"

The four of them responded in unison, their voices loud and clear, full of the youthful vigor unique to young ninjas.

"very good."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded in satisfaction. He turned around and waved lightly to the ninjas behind him who were also dressed in the attire of the Yuhi clan.

"Activate Illusion Magic Real Battlefield Simulation System."

"yes!"

More than a dozen ninjas from the Yuhi clan simultaneously began to rapidly form hand seals, their movements perfectly synchronized, as if they had practiced hundreds of times.

hum-

An invisible, massive chakra surge instantly spread outwards from the barrier in all directions.

Ye Xian and the other three felt a slight dizziness in their brains, as if their consciousness was being slowly drawn out of their bodies by a gentle yet irresistible force.

The scene before my eyes began to blur and distort.

The breathing of my companions, the voices outside the barrier, the rustling of leaves in the wind... everything was rapidly fading away.

Next came a pure, unadulterated expanse of white.

Time, space, self... all concepts seem to lose their meaning at this moment.

"So this is... the system developed by the Hokage and Shinku-sensei...?"

This was Ye Xian's last thought before his consciousness completely faded away.

……

I don't know how much time has passed.

The first sense to regain its sensation is touch.

A sticky sensation came from my cheek.

"Tick-tock...tick-tock..."

Liquid dripped onto my face and slid down my skin.

Next comes the sense of smell.

A fishy smell, a mixture of damp earth and rotting leaves, forcefully filled my nostrils.

The taste made Ju Xilin's stomach churn, and she almost vomited.

Then comes hearing.

The sound of rain, the incessant sound of rain, the sound of rain pattering on some kind of canvas, and the faint shouts in the distance.

Finally, there's the visual aspect.

Almost simultaneously, the four of them suddenly opened their eyes.

The scene before us is no longer a barrier field.

They were standing in a muddy clearing, the sky was gray and a drizzling, annoying rain was falling.

Before the four men were rows of military camps.

Rows of simple, earthen-yellow tents stood haphazardly in the muddy ground, their color dulled by the rain.

Between the tents, flags bearing the Konoha logo were stuck, drooping listlessly in the wind and rain.

All around, there were figures hurrying by.

They wore matching Konoha uniforms, their faces bearing the grim and weary look typical of war.

Some people were meticulously wiping their ninja swords and kunai under the eaves of their tents; others were working in groups of three or five, driving huge wooden stakes into the ground to reinforce the camp's defenses.

These people ignored the four of them when they suddenly appeared, as if they were nothing more than air.

In the distance, at the entrance of a huge medical tent, several medical ninjas were carrying a wounded man covered in blood, barely recognizable as human, and rushed inside.

The smell of blood and disinfectant mixed together could be smelled from a great distance.

All of this is so real it's unbelievable.

"Oh My God……"

Sota Shimura's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg. Staring at the incredibly realistic scene before him, he stammered, "This...this is illusion magic? Shinku-sensei is amazing! This is...this is exactly like the real thing!"

He took a step forward, wanting to experience that reality.

"etc!"

Uchiha Yoru gave a low shout and grabbed his hand.

The moment Yoru opened his eyes, he subconsciously activated his Sharingan.

The thin magatama slowly rotated in his eye socket, warily scanning everything around him.

As the team leader, his first reaction was not shock, but danger.

That's so true.

Every person, every tent, and even the feel of every inch of soil under his feet was so real that it gave him goosebumps.

If it weren't for Shinku-sensei's repeated emphasis that this was just an illusion before he entered, he might have thought he had actually been teleported to the battlefield by some kind of space-time ninjutsu.

"Captain, I..."

Sata was startled by Yoru's serious gaze and realized his lapse in composure, so he quickly withdrew his hand.

"This place... is so scary..."

Ju Xilin's voice trembled slightly.

As a medical ninja, she is exceptionally sensitive to the breath of life.

She could clearly sense that a shadow of death permeated the camp.

The faint killing intent emanating from the ninjas and the painful cries of the wounded were all laid bare before her eyes.

"My God... this incredible illusion... is it really an illusion? I can even feel how sticky the mud under my feet is!"

"This is no longer within the scope of illusion."

The team's "navigator," Sarutobi Nami, also put away his usual gentle and wise demeanor, his face full of solemnity.

He crouched down and carefully observed the surrounding environment. "The air humidity is over 90%, the wind direction is unpredictable, and there is a constant breeze... The environment here is exactly the same as the rain country described in textbooks."

"The depth to which the rainwater seeps into the soil... is exactly the same as in a real rainy day. This illusion even simulates the most subtle laws of nature."

As expected of a man hailed as a "calm navigator," even in this environment, he remained absolutely calm and immediately began analyzing his surroundings.

Just as the four were shocked, on guard, and analyzing everything around them.

A voice they were extremely familiar with and deeply respected resounded directly in their minds.

"Welcome to the Real Battlefield Simulation System."

It's the Hokage's voice!

All four of them shuddered violently.

"This is your first practical lesson. Everything you see, hear, smell, and touch will be absolutely real. You will feel pain, bleed, and even... experience death."

"The only difference is that when your vital signs drop to a certain threshold, the system will automatically force your consciousness out. But until then, I hope you can treat this place as a real battlefield."

The Hokage paused for a moment, seemingly giving them time to process and digest the information.

Then, the voice rang out again, carrying an epic weight.

"You are currently in the Second Shinobi World War."

"The location is the Konoha First Army Camp on the eastern border of the Land of Rain."

The Ninja World War? The Land of Rain?

These words made all four of them a little nervous.

They actually... went back to that time of war?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice, like that of a highly professional game narrator, introduced the background of this "dungeon" to them without any emotion.

"The Second Shinobi World War has broken out. Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure and a demigod of the Salamander, has declared war on the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth. The Land of Rain has become the most brutal meat grinder."

"In order to contain the enemy and create opportunities for other fronts, the village dispatched several small teams led by Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru to penetrate deep into the Land of Rain and carry out missions to lure the enemy."

"And what you will face next are the most cruel and ruthless enemies in the ninja world: the puppeteers of Sunagakure, the demolition squads of Iwagakure, and... the elusive assassins of Amegakure."

"Now……"

The Hokage's voice carried a hint of expectation.

"Listen to your first task."

As soon as they finished speaking, the four of them felt as if their bodies were being gently pushed by an invisible force.

Their gazes involuntarily fell upon the largest and brightly lit command tent in the center of the camp.

A bold and loud voice was faintly coming from inside the tent, as if something was being planned.

"This place is the front-line command post, where Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, is in charge."

"Go forth, future of Konoha."