Chapter 28

Those who've been to the Land of Rain often call it a "weeping country."

Haruto agreed deeply. Although he hadn't yet crossed into the Land of Rain, merely staying at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain meant enduring constant rain for days. The air was damp, and the twelfth lunar month of winter made the weather cold and clammy.

As Kato Dan had mentioned, the village hadn't assigned them directly to the battlefield but rather to a second-line position. This location had served as an important Konoha stronghold in peacetime, stocked with supplies to support the frontlines and serve as a logistics center and base for reserve troops.

Kato Dan had already taken a group of elite forces to the frontlines under the command of Mito Kadoen, the region's commander. Meanwhile, the current camp was under the highest command of a Jonin named Inuzuka Palato, an uncle within the Inuzuka clan. This connection helped Haruto and his team receive relatively safe and manageable assignments.

Presently, they were on guard duty, monitoring an area southwest of the camp.

"Nami, any updates?" Haruto turned to Aburame Nami, who was observing the surroundings with her insects. As he spoke, his breath formed a misty cloud in the cold air.

Nami shook her head silently.

"Alright. In a few minutes, once Yu returns, it'll be time to switch shifts. Hopefully, the next mission goes just as smoothly," Haruto sighed.

Despite being notably strong among their Genin peers, and according to Kato Dan even having Chunin-level abilities, Haruto knew that his and his teammates' strength was relatively insignificant in a large-scale war. While they might be more skilled than most Genin, on the battlefield, they were little more than high-ranking expendables.

"Dingjing! I'm back!" Inuzuka Yu's loud voice cut through the quiet, with his partner Tetsumaru, a young but steadily growing ninja dog, by his side.

"Haruto, Nami," Yu called out, "Uncle Palato said we're up for an escort mission next. He's worried that sticking to safer assignments might start to raise suspicions."

Haruto understood. "I get it. Most of the people stationed here are either young ninjas with strong potential or those with clan backing. If Senior Palato showed too much favoritism, it would be hard to handle the pressure from both above and below."

"Exactly," Yu nodded. "But escort missions come with risks. We'll have to stay sharp; I don't want to see any of us missing by the end."

Escorting supplies required taking them in batches from rear strongholds to the frontlines, a process that frequently drew the enemy's attention. Small elite squads often infiltrated behind enemy lines to target these convoys, resulting in at least one or two attacks on supply teams each month.

When Haruto and his team had first arrived at the camp, they'd witnessed a group of injured Konoha ninjas return from an attack. Some had died, and others, who'd lost limbs, would never fight as ninjas again.

"Well," Haruto tried to reassure his teammate, "on average, attacks only happen once every few missions. Plus, our team's strong enough to handle these challenges."

…

The supply convoy moved forward with the creaking of carts and horses.

Haruto walked cautiously in the middle of the team, his wakizashi strapped to his back, while he observed the surrounding landscape. Among the ninja around him, everyone stayed alert, each aware of the importance of their mission.

The carts they guarded held a mixture of large supplies and sealing scrolls. These scrolls weren't huge but held a moderate amount of essential supplies within. Unlike the storage bags in fantasy tales, these scrolls couldn't store enormous amounts, but they were effective for transporting a fair number of shuriken and other ninja tools.

Sealing scrolls were also difficult to make, requiring precious materials and ninjas skilled in both summoning and sealing arts. Their mechanics were somewhat akin to the Flying Thunder God technique, allowing items to be summoned from within the scroll upon opening.

As Haruto continued to observe, he found himself reflecting on the dangers of this mission.

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