Chapter 143 - Reconnaissance

Endless yellow sand, sand dunes connected, waving like ripples and drifting with the wind. The vast desert and the magnificent sea of sand are silent and solemn. It always gives you a monotonous color: yellow, yellow, and forever the scorching yellow. It is as if nature has solidified the torrential sand waves and the sweeping heat, making it eternally still.

This place is within the territory of the Land of Wind. In the distant sky, at the end of one's vision, a small black dot can be seen. It is swiftly gliding through the high altitude at an unusual speed.

Standing on the back of a bald eagle, Hitsugaya Toshiro holds a long telescope, carefully observing the terrain and landscape below. He is also searching for signs of human activity in the vicinity, looking for evidence of ninja activity and attempting to gather useful information from them.

"Let's go; we've scouted this area enough. It's time to return to camp!" He puts away the telescope and lightly taps his foot, giving an order to the giant eagle under him. They had been out on this reconnaissance mission for quite some time and felt it was about time to head back.

Receiving the signal, the giant eagle smoothly turns without causing Toshiro to feel any bumps. Then it grumbles, "Toshiro! Next time we have such a mission, you must treat us to more food! This harsh environment is too tough for a 'bird.' This time, I want ten... uh! I want fifteen whole roasted lambs!"

Upon hearing this, Toshiro can't help but rub his forehead. He wonders whether teaching this bird to talk was a good idea, as it now occasionally gives him headaches. This summoned beast, now having just learned to speak, struggles with figurative language and sometimes blurts out things that leave Toshiro speechless.

If it were just that, it would be bearable, but this bird has also learned to haggle, frequently asking for higher "wages." Toshiro can't help but reminisce about the times when a single glance from him would make the bird obediently follow his commands.

"Remember to add more cumin when roasting the lamb; it tastes better that way!" Seeing the bird becoming increasingly demanding, Toshiro can't stand it any longer and stomps his foot in frustration, shouting angrily.

"How dare you make more requests, and cumin-flavored no less! You ugly bird, you sure have big dreams for such a little head."

"If you find this environment too dry or hot, why don't you fly higher? How dare you ask for fifteen whole lambs! Do you know how much fifteen lambs cost?"

"I'm just doing this to make it easier for you to get a better look during reconnaissance!"

"Excuses..." 

Since this bald eagle began gaining intelligence and learning to speak, its living habits have gradually become more human-like. After trying cooked food for the first time, it has despised its usual diet of sea fish and other caught prey, putting a significant strain on Toshiro's wallet.

Even so, Toshiro can't help but question whether he found a helper or if the bird found a long-term meal ticket. Given this eagle's size, if he had to feed it regularly, the thought alone makes Toshiro shudder. No wonder no one else raised large or giant summoned beasts – it's not that they didn't want to, but simply couldn't afford it. With that kind of money, wouldn't it be better to train more ninjas?

After returning to camp and submitting routes suspected of ninja activity to the higher-ups, Toshiro, now free, goes back to his tent and immediately falls asleep. This reconnaissance mission took nearly a week. Although it was just a rough reconnaissance of the Sand Country's logistics supply line, the process was time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Thanks to 'the eagle's' aerial advantage, Toshiro could complete such an extensive reconnaissance mission alone. Though he could only mark out some suspicious points roughly, the danger was undeniable. A single misstep could lead to a disastrous encounter with a ninja from the Sand Village, and being alone behind enemy lines would mean a near-certain death.

He's still very young, with plenty of good times ahead, so he is always extremely cautious during reconnaissance missions, making sure the eagle flies higher to ensure his safety. Fortunately, the Sand Village's flying summons are no match for 'the eagle,' and their rare flying ninjas can't compare with 'the eagle' in speed.

If this weren't the case, Toshiro would have been in real danger! It seems that smart people are indispensable in any world, especially during wartime! Following the concept of airborne transportation, the idea of aerial reconnaissance was proposed by the ninjas of the Leaf Village.

Due to manpower shortages, the camp's leaders did not hesitate long before assigning Toshiro the frontline reconnaissance task. After a few initial attempts, they discovered the advantages of aerial reconnaissance. They frequently sent Toshiro over the frontline Sand Village camp to scout their rear deployments and logistics.

The results were remarkable, though not precise, the efficiency was undeniable. It also saved a lot of manpower and prevented many ninja casualties. Even less accurate information can be invaluable. If ninjas were sent to infiltrate and conduct detailed reconnaissance behind enemy lines, the casualties would be significant, and once discovered by Sand Ninjas, they'd likely not return.

With Toshiro's aerial advantage and the Leaf's excellent intelligence system, their reconnaissance results were almost irreplaceable. Therefore, Toshiro became quite valued in this Leaf camp, prominent in emergency logistics transport and frontline enemy reconnaissance.

Toshiro was somewhat speechless about this role change. He had never expected that the battlefield he imagined, full of killing, death, and smoke, would unfold in such a manner. However, it was still better than being cannon fodder on the front lines.