Kaze stared at Tanzō in shock. "Father, I'm still a kid!"
The battlefield in the Land of Rain was privately called a "slaughterhouse" by many in Konoha.
In the bloody battles involving tens of thousands of combatants, even Jonin were just slightly larger ants. Human lives were as insignificant as fluttering catkins in the wind or floating duckweeds in the rain.
Now, Tanzō wanted to send him, a good - for - nothing, to the battlefield. Wasn't this just sending him to his death?
Tanzō closed his eyes slightly and wasn't moved by Kaze's words. "You're my son, Tanzō Shimura's son. When Konoha needs you, what's wrong with sacrificing yourself?"
"Besides, the heirs of great clans like Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara have all gone to the battlefield. Can't my son go there?"
"But..." Kaze was a bit desperate. "But I'm the only heir of the Shimura family!"
Tanzō's lips twitched slightly, and a strange look flashed across his face. "Yes, you're the only heir of our Shimura clan..."
Kaze thought Tanzō had changed his mind. But then Tanzō waved his hand and calmly said, "Alright, go prepare. You'll leave with the next batch of ninjas next week."
Kaze looked at Tanzō, who seemed to say "My decision is final, no more words", and for a moment, he felt lost...
"Ding! Host, don't worry. This system will help you solve your problems!"
[Option 1: Immediately cut off the father - son relationship with Tanzō. Maybe you won't have to go to the battlefield. After all, a filial boy won't have bad luck. Completion reward: Defense 5. Maybe it can let you withstand your dad's beatings.]
[Option 2: Pretend to agree. Tonight, when Tanzō isn't prepared, just run away from Konoha. Completion reward: Speed 5.]
[Option 3: A real man in a chaotic world should wield a sword to achieve extraordinary feats. I'm definitely going to this battlefield, not even black stockings can hold me back! Completion reward: 5 free Attribute points, 1 random skill.]
Kaze glanced at the three options with a terrible mood.
There's no doubt that the first two options are just crazy as hell!
His dad was the biggest spy chief in the country. Could he really escape his dad's grasp?
If he really dared to refuse or run away, he'd probably be arrested on the spot and then dragged to the battlefield with a broken leg... Tanzō would definitely do such a thing, no doubt about it.
Now he could only choose Option 3 to get the reward and then try to find a way to survive somehow.
"I understand, Father." Kaze replied reluctantly and then turned to leave the room.
Behind him, Tanzō suddenly opened his eyes and muttered in a barely audible voice, "The arrangements are almost done. I hope there will be some gains."
After all, he had really gone all out for this scheme...
[Skill generating... Congratulations, host! You've obtained Poison Mastery!]
Hearing the system's prompt, Kaze felt a bit better.
Well, it was okay. At least it wasn't some useless skills such as Awei's 18 - Style Mastery, Ōtsutsuki Elbow Strike, or Uchiha Body Slam.
Soon, a large amount of memories appeared in Kaze's mind. They were the memories of his daily hard work in studying physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry and other knowledge!
Not only that, but there were also a vast number of memories of him concocting poisons and pondering poisoning techniques.
Suddenly, his originally empty head was filled with a "pop" sound. Kaze felt like he had instantly become a master of toxicology.
"This skill is great. I can definitely concoct some poisons in the next few days. They'll definitely come in handy in battles."
As for the extra 5 free attribute points...
Although he had previously planned to focus solely on wind manipulation, his current defense value was not high, so adding 5 points to it wouldn't make much sense...
He should improve his strong suit first!
With the experience of his previous one-on-one with Vivi Uchiha, Kaze decided to allocate all 5 attribute points to speed!
As long as I'm fast enough, those guys won't even touch me!
"Hey?"
After allocating all the points to speed, Kaze was somewhat surprised to find that his other attribute values had also increased!
[Killing power: 11
Speed: 20
Defense: 12
Chakra: 13]
It seemed that an increase in one attribute also had a driving effect on the others. It was indeed right for him to specialize in one thing first!
"20, which means my current speed has reached the level of a Tokubetsu Jonin."
By then, if he couldn't win, he could just run away and use poison. His chances of survival should be much higher, right?
As for being accused of running away during a battle...
Please, he was the eldest son of the Shimura family. What running away during a battle? That's called a strategic fallback!
Kaze encountered some difficulties when purchasing materials and equipment. Some things were impossible to buy even with money during wartime.
But what was Kaze's status?
He directly leveraged his connections in the Anbu and gathered all the necessary items within three days.
Three days later, in a newly built makeshift laboratory.
Kaze was wearing a white lab coat and a gas mask. He slowly poured a tube of transparent liquid that had just been heated and condensed into a small poison pouch.
"Phew, I finally finished..."
Kaze let out a long sigh and looked at the three poison pouches in front of him with a satisfied expression.
The first poison pouch held the venom he'd extracted. Once smeared on a blade, if it drew the opponent's blood, the latter would surely kick the bucket.
The second poison pouch contained a lethal poisonous gas. Once released, it would form a large amount of purple smoke, making it an excellent tool for escape.
The third poison pouch was also the one that had cost Kaze the most effort!
The poison inside wasn't fatal; it could only paralyze the nerves. However, it was odorless and extremely difficult to neutralize!
Once inhaled without notice, even those with abundant chakra would be affected by the poison... Of course, cheaters were always an exception.
Kaze put on rubber gloves and carefully put away the three poison pouches, placing them in the ninja tool bag that Kushina had given him.
In the pink ninja tool bag, there also lay a brand-new set of ninja tools.
This was a gift from Minato, that broke guy. He saved up money for this by munching on steamed buns for days and finally bought it for Kaze yesterday.
"Really, do they think I, Master Kaze, would be short of these things?"
Tomorrow is the day he will head to the battlefield.
Kaze stroked the ninja tool bag on his waist, and his restless heart gradually calmed down.
Thinking of the worried looks on Kushina and Minato's faces this morning, Kaze grinned.
"Those two idiots. Good people die young while villains live a long life. I'll definitely outlive everyone!"
It was the day of departure.
Under the Hokage Building, there were ninjas fully equipped and ready to go.
Among them, there were many young faces and some stooped figures.
Hiruzen looked at the thousand people he'd managed to gather with a silent sigh in his heart. Once they went to the battlefield, he wondered how many of them would return.
"The future of Konoha is entrusted to you all, gentlemen..."
Hiruzen's gaze swept across each face, as if trying to engrave everyone's appearance in his memory.
"Where the leaves of Konoha flutter, the fire endures!" Someone in the crowd shouted.
"Endures!"
"Endures!"
One after another, shouts rang out, overlapping and piercing the sky.
Hiruzen's eyes felt a bit sore. He bowed slightly towards the crowd below and then clasped his hands, saying,
"May you all have a prosperous military fortune. I, Hiruzen, will await your triumphant return!"
Kaze in the crowd curled his lips. Let's be real, that old Third Hokage was really good at brainwashing people.
After such a show, many ninjas were itching to lay down their lives for Konoha right then and there, looking deeply touched as if they were ready to die for a close friend.
However, upon closer inspection, it was mostly civilian ninjas who were deeply affected.
How could the ninjas trained by the great clans be swayed by a few sweet words from the Third Hokage?
Everyone was going to war just to safeguard their common interests.
Anyway, after the rally, the team leaders stepped forward to do the roll - call. The present ninjas were divided into teams one by one.
The army is about to set off!