"Good! Good! Good! I’m going to reward him heavily!"

The Daimyo shouted good three times in succession. Then he abruptly stopped walking and looked toward the elderly butler, Sosho, who stood respectfully nearby with his hands lowered.

"Sosho, what do you think about granting our Konoha genius ninja a..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Daimyo himself realized the impropriety and stopped, recognizing that he had become overly excited.

Granting a formal title to a ninja did not fit established protocol. Up until now, the Land of Fire had only officially granted a title to one ninja.

That person was Tsunade, and that was because she was the direct eldest granddaughter of the first Hokage. Her title symbolized the unbreakable alliance between the Land of Fire and Konoha and carried immense political significance.

In fact, when Tsunade received that title, she had only just been born and was not yet even a ninja.

Thinking of this, the Daimyo said no more. He turned and returned behind his desk, spreading out a special sheet of imperial gold-patterned paper.

Dipping his brush heavily into ink, five vigorous and majestic characters appeared upon the page.

Champion of the entire army.

He set down the brush and quietly examined the still-wet calligraphy for a moment, satisfaction visible in his eyes, before raising his head toward Sosho.

"Sosho, have this calligraphy properly mounted. Prepare imperial wine and gifts as well, then personally lead people to the northeastern frontline. Mm... Act according to the situation when you arrive."

"Yes, your Highness. This old servant understands."

The elderly butler Sosho, who had served the Daimyo for many years, immediately bowed and accepted the order, naturally understanding the meaning behind the Fire Daimyo’s words.

Although the achievements Shinichi Higashino had created were dazzling enough to shock the Shinobi World, at this moment, he was still deep within the Land of Lightning, being relentlessly hunted by countless elite Kumogakure ninjas. No one could guarantee whether he would return alive.

Especially now that the Village Hidden in the Cloud had reportedly been completely enraged, to the point that even Genin had joined the search teams.

If, by the time Sosho arrived at the frontline, that legendary young ninja had already broken through the encirclement and returned victorious with his unit, then this reward, filled with supreme honor, especially the personally written imperial inscription, Champion of the entire army, would naturally belong rightfully to Shinichi Higashino himself.

This would not only serve as the deserved coronation of a young hero but also as a display by the official Land of Fire government toward Konoha, showing its appreciation for talent and military merit. It was also a political investment and personal gesture of goodwill toward Shinichi Higashino himself.

With the shocking talent and glorious military accomplishments Shinichi Higashino had demonstrated, he would inevitably become a powerhouse standing at the peak of the Shinobi World in the future, perhaps even becoming a figure comparable to the former God of Shinobi, the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

At the same time, Shinichi Higashino also had a high possibility of competing for the position of Hokage in the future, so establishing goodwill in advance was extremely necessary.

But if, upon arrival, the news he received was tragic, if this young hero had failed to return alive and instead perished upon enemy soil, then these imperial wines and treasures would become official offerings for the fallen heroic spirit and consolation for Konoha’s loss, gifted instead to the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As for that deeply meaningful calligraphy, it neither should nor could be displayed again.

"Oh, right."

The Fire Daimyo suddenly remembered something else and specifically instructed, "When you meet Hokage-sama, be sure to convey my greetings to him, and also relay my intentions. No matter how the situation develops in this war, the Land of Fire will firmly stand on Konoha’s side and provide comprehensive support. Konoha’s ninja should simply fight freely. Everything in the rear will naturally be borne by the nation."

"This old servant will remember it well and will deliver your highness’s words without missing a single one."

Sosho bowed deeply once more with utmost respect before quietly withdrawing from the study.

...

Three days later, at night.

In a dense jungle near the southwestern border of the Land of Lightning, a force of more than three hundred people was taking a brief rest in a clearing within the forest.

The Shinichi battalion.

They had departed with five hundred men. After the first raid on the Village Hidden in the Cloud, just over four hundred remained. And after so many days of fighting, the force had now been reduced to a little over three hundred.

Almost everyone was injured. Those with lighter wounds merely had torn clothes and blood-seeping bandages wrapped around them.

The severely wounded had pale faces as they leaned against tree trunks to rest, barely maintaining their combat strength.

But regardless of how serious their injuries were, every pair of eyes still shone with light. It was the pride born from achieving earth-shaking victories over the past several days, from playing the mighty Village Hidden in the Cloud and enemies more than ten times their number in the palm of their hands.

Yet beneath that light, a deep exhaustion could no longer be concealed.

Days of nonstop high-intensity infiltration, rapid marches, encounters, and counter-encirclement battles had continuously drained everyone’s stamina, spirit, and chakra.

Even with the specially made medicine provided by Shinichi, whose effects far surpassed those of ordinary medical drugs, acting as support...

And even though every single person here was an elite ninja with powerful conviction... the captain’s medicine was ultimately not some miraculous, immortal elixir, and they themselves were still only flesh and blood.

Especially during these past three days, the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s pursuit forces had suddenly increased dramatically. The frequency and intensity of encounters had risen in a straight line, and every fierce clash came with casualties.

The three hundred people still standing now were almost all at their limits. Their chakra was nearing exhaustion, their stamina severely overdrawn, and they were relying solely on willpower and burning passion to keep themselves going.

"Captain, there are enemies to the east, about five hundred men, advancing this way."

"Captain, there are about 500 people in the western mountain forest area, and the mountain pass has been sealed off."

"Captain, we’ve spotted several enemy battalions at the northern valley entrance. They’re tightening their encirclement, and their numbers are estimated to be no less than eight hundred."

"Captain, the largest number of people are to the south, estimated to be over a thousand, and they have already blocked the road leading to the border."

In the Shinichi Battalion, the reconnaissance team members, represented by Ren Inuzuka and his wife, and the Aburame brothers, kept gathering bad news from all directions and reporting it to the young captain in the center of the team, who always had his eyes slightly lowered, as if he were resting with his eyes closed.

’We’re surrounded!’

The thought arose in the minds of everyone present.

What would happen if you were completely surrounded by enemies ten times your size, or perhaps more, on unfamiliar territory?

Perhaps there’s only one?

However, the anticipated panic did not materialize. Instead, a sense of relief and calm quickly enveloped the small clearing in the woods.

All eyes turned to the young captain in the center.