143- Well Oiled Machine

"Damn! They really are efficient," Renjiro couldn't help but think as they completed yet another mission under Minato's leadership.

If Renjiro were asked to describe how it felt working with Minato, Sama, and Yano in one word, he would definitely say "Efficient."

Working on missions with the three, plus Hiro, felt like being part of a well-oiled machine, with everyone perfectly playing their role to make the team function seamlessly.

The missions that Minato had chosen were primarily to provide reinforcements to the borders of the Land of Fire.

The only issue was that the Land of Fire was a major world power sitting on a large piece of land. This meant that if Minato and the rest were to provide reinforcements for the squads patrolling the borders, they would have to cover quite the distance.

Fortunately, Minato had the foresight to narrow down the scope of the missions to the borders between the Land of Fire and three other countries.

The countries were the Land of Rain, which had Amegakure; the Land of Waterfalls, which had Takigakure; and the Land of Hot Water, which had the Yugakure village. Minato had picked four missions to each of these three places.

Once Minato informed the squad where they would complete twelve of their B-rank missions, the first thing that came to Renjiro's mind was,

'Well, can't he just teleport us there? That would make things easier and take less time. But with that much distance between the three border points, I'm sure it would take most of his chakra. I don't even know how the Flying Raijin works or if Minato has already mastered it.'

Their first destination, where they were to act as reinforcements, was at the shared borders with the Land of Hot Water. While this was on the opposite side of their other destination, the Land of Rain, it made sense to go there first since the Land of Rain and Waterfalls were closer to each other.

It took the team a few hours to reach the Land of Hot Water, moving at a moderate speed. To Renjiro's genin self, this would have been considered his fastest speed.

The Land of Hot Water was serene, with its hot springs and all, but Renjiro and the rest didn't get to enjoy this as they immediately got to work under the cover of moonlight.

It was here that Renjiro and Hiro were introduced to a whole new realm of efficiency. Their first mission took only an hour to complete.

While it was fair, given they had two jounins on their side, what happened next was what gave Renjiro a surreal experience.

For Renjiro, being a new member of a team usually meant that he had to catch up with the various formations and dynamics of the team. However, the case was different with Minato, Sama, and Yano.

 After the first mission, Renjiro and Hiro noticed that the trio built their strategies around their new additions.

This was a big deal as it spoke not only of their abilities and teamwork but also of their experience and adaptability, allowing them to seamlessly integrate with people who were more or less strangers.

Coupled with the fact that Hiro and Renjiro already had chemistry from working together, they were quickly able to perfectly coordinate as a team.

Minato's strategies were also another factor that helped them. They were always adaptable, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of each member.

Sama's medical expertise ensured they could handle injuries swiftly, if they even got injured since they completed their missions faster than they were injured, while Yano's strength provided a solid defence. They created a mould where Renjiro and Hiro fit perfectly into the mix.

In the end, their missions in the Land of Hot Water ended up being easier than expected. Not only did they act as reinforcements, but they were also able to end most of the skirmishes that were rising around the area.

Once they had completed their tasks there, they headed to the Land of Waterfalls, which took them nearly a whole day, as they were essentially travelling from one end of the Land of Fire to the other.

The situation in the Land of Waterfalls was more chaotic. These were harsher regions, where any attacks on the borders between the Land of Fire and countries from these regions, whether they were probing attacks or full-scale assaults, had more to them than met the eye.

These regions encompassed countries that separated the Land of Fire from the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, so any aggressions here were either sponsored by Iwa or Suna.

Renjiro found this normalcy of constant aggression strange at first, but he quickly got over it. The major shinobi villages had to use other parties to constantly attack each other to ensure that no one enjoyed a long period of peace.

A period of peace in the shinobi world was merely an interlude to the next war, where the shinobi villages worked to arm themselves and raise their shinobi forces.

Nevertheless, the squad took two days to complete their missions in the Land of Waterfalls. Next, they would head to the Land of Rain.

The squad moved efficiently through the Land of Rain, their rain-soaked cloaks clinging to their bodies. The constant downpour was something they had to adjust to, the heavy rain drumming on their gear, providing a natural cover for their movements.

"It's strange," Hiro remarked, wiping water from his face. "I expected more resistance."

"I know what you mean," Sama said, her green eyes scanning the landscape.

Minato nodded. "Keep your guard up. We might be in the eye of the storm."

Unlike what most would expect, it was the easiest out of the three regions the squad had visited.

'You'd think that the fact that it had Amegakure would make things a bit harder for the squad and the Konoha forces at large since Ame had powerful and experienced shinobi like Hanzo and Heiji, Renjiro thought.

It wasn't until the situation became apparently clear that Minato explained, "It is not yet proven, but there have been rumours that Amegakure is going through internal strife. It seems that some upstarts have appeared, challenging Hanzo's power."

Renjiro's eyes widened as he thought, 'Has the civil war in Ame already begun? That makes sense, it happened after the second shinobi. Hopefully, things stay on track and Yahiko dies.'

The missions in the Land of Rain involved securing strategic points and providing support to local forces. Despite the constant rain and challenging terrain, the squad completed their tasks with remarkable efficiency. The lack of a more organized resistance only made their job easier.

Their last three B-rank missions all involved reconnaissance, with all of them focusing on Amegakure.

The initial part of their mission was to gather intelligence on the state of affairs within Amegakure and its surrounding regions.

The team successfully infiltrated the Daimyo's court, a feat that highlighted their exceptional skills and coordination. However, even this did not help them complete their mission as Amegakure was completely cut off even from the Land of Rain as a whole.

Unlike other shinobi villages that maintained a subservient relationship with their country and Daimyo, the situation was the exact opposite in the Land of Rain.

The Daimyo appeared to be at Hanzo's mercy. This unusual dynamic puzzled the team. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't gather any useful information about the reasons behind this power imbalance.

"We've tried everything," Sama said, her voice tinged with frustration.

Hiro nodded, wiping rain from his forehead. "It's like the whole village is shrouded in secrecy."

Renjiro added, "And with the internal strife Minato-sensei mentioned, it's even harder to get accurate information."

Minato, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. "We've done our best here. It's clear that the situation in Amegakure is more complex than we anticipated."

Yano looked at Minato and asked, "What's our next move?"

Minato paused, thinking carefully. 'While it'll be bad not to complete these missions, I don't think we can spend more time focusing on them. I don't even know why they're that low-leveled as it requires a highly experienced shinobi and not a huge squad like the one with me to get useful information about what's happening in Ame. Anyway, I'd just have to explain this to Lord Third when I get back to the village,' he thought.

"Let's shift our focus to our higher-ranked missions," Minato decided. "We can't afford to spend more time here with our tight schedule."

'This is the first time where I have not completed the missions taken. But Minato is right, getting more information on Ame is going to get harder and harder in the future.' Renjiro thought.

=====

Bless me with your powerful Power Stones.

Your Reviews and Comments about my work are welcomed

If you can, then please support me on Patreon. 

Link - www.patreon.com/SideCharacter

You Can read more chapters ahead on Patreon