Escort Mission
Anyone who has been to the Land of Rain will tell you that it is a country of weeping.
Ming Jing deeply agrees with this sentiment. Though he is not yet inside the Land of Rain, but staying at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, the continuous rain and the humid air make the environment unbearable.
Especially now, still in the twelfth lunar month of winter, the weather is even colder and more damp.
As Kato Dan had said, the village did not directly assign them to the frontlines but instead placed them in a secondary position.
This location was originally a vital stronghold for Konoha's border defense during peacetime. It held a certain amount of military supplies, and once war broke out, it could effectively support the frontlines, serving as both a logistics center and a reserve troop base.
Kato Dan had already led a group of elite ninjas to the frontlines to take orders from Mito Kadoen, the commander-in-chief of the battlefield in this area.
As for the current camp, it was under the command of an Inuzuka clan member, a jōnin named Inuzuka Palato, who was in charge of the highest command.
Thanks to this connection, the missions assigned to Ming Jing and the others were relatively safe and easy.
Right now, they were on duty, guarding an area southwest of the camp.
"Nami, what's going on?"
Ming Jing turned to look at Aburame Nami, who had just gathered a swarm of bugs. The mist of his breath formed a white cloud in the cold air.
The answer came from Nami, who silently shook her head.
"Is that so? Well, in a few minutes, when the tiger comes back, it will almost be time to change shifts. Hopefully, the next mission will pass as safely as this one."
Ming Jing sighed softly.
Despite being nearly unrivaled among the genin of his age, Kato Dan had told him that his current strength already surpassed many chūnin, and he was likely only a few military exploits away from earning the rank of chūnin—or perhaps it would simply come down to the Chūnin Exams.
Inuzuka Yu and Aburame Nami were also stronger than most genin, and it wasn't out of the question for them to pass the Chūnin Exams either.
But with their current strength, especially in such a large-scale war, they would make no difference. They were barely better than the cannon fodder among genin.
To put it nicely, chūnin are the village's backbone fighters in the war. To put it bluntly, they're just high-level cannon fodder, expendable in the eyes of their superiors.
Only when one reaches jōnin, or at least a special jōnin level, can they escape the fate of cannon fodder and have enough self-defense capabilities—provided they don't encounter the Five Kage, Hanzo, or Tailed Beasts.
"Dingjing! I'm coming!"
Inuzuka Yu's loud voice reached them from a distance, and behind him, his ninja dog Tetsumaru, who had grown significantly in the past six months, followed.
Though dogs are generally considered adults after one year of age, the Inuzuka clan's ninja dogs are exceptions.
They don't reach full adulthood until about three years old—biologically speaking.
However, this doesn't mean that these dogs are weak before that age. For example, Tetsumaru, having just turned two, is already approaching the size of a young adult dog and can perform many Inuzuka clan jutsu in coordination with his partner.
Thus, Inuzuka Yu's strength has significantly increased over the past six months.
"Ding Jing, Nami, Uncle Palato said that we'll have to join the next supply escort mission after this one. If we keep doing these easy tasks, people will start talking, and it might lead to dissatisfaction."
Inuzuka Yu patted Tetsumaru's head as he spoke.
"Is that so?" Ming Jing replied. "I understand Senior Palato's reasoning. After all, those of us stationed here are either young ninjas with great potential valued by the village, or we have strong backing from our clans. If Senior Palato is too obvious in his favoritism, the ninjas at the back will start to cause problems."
Ming Jing was quite open-minded about this.
The three of them were among the best genin of their generation, with support from their respective clans. While the Inuzuka and Aburame clans may not be the top clans in Konoha, they were certainly more prominent than the average ninja clan. And the Uchiha clan, behind Ming Jing, was the most powerful clan in the world.
"That's the truth," Inuzuka Yu said. "However, the risk in escorting supplies is much higher. We need to be well-prepared and careful. I don't want any of us to end up missing."
The task of escorting supplies was often done in batches, with goods being delivered from rear strongholds to the frontlines. This was a key target for enemy forces. Once the enemy had intel, they could dispatch elite troops to intercept the convoy. Even without precise information, enemy ninja squads often tried to sneak into the rear to sabotage the supply lines.
While the danger wasn't as severe as being on the frontline, it shouldn't be underestimated.
Each month, one or two incidents of attacks on logistics teams occurred.
When Ming Jing and the others first arrived at the camp, they had witnessed an elite logistics team being attacked by Yugakure's forces. Several of them had died, and some survivors were horribly maimed—missing limbs and unable to continue as ninjas.
"It's okay. On average, we only run into attacks about once every five missions," Ming Jing reassured his teammate. "The last attack was just last week. We shouldn't be unlucky enough to run into another one. Even if we do, we'll survive it. Our team is strong enough to handle this level of danger."
Ming Jing patted Inuzuka Yu on the shoulder, offering some comfort.
---
The rattling of carts and the sound of horses' hooves filled the air.
Ming Jing, carrying his wakizashi on his back, kept a sharp eye on their surroundings as he walked in the middle of the convoy.
Beside him, several other cautious ninjas kept their guard up.
The dozen or so carts in the convoy carried a mix of sealed scrolls and other supplies.
The seal scrolls weren't small—about as thick as an adult's waist and a meter long. Though they could seal materials, their storage capacity wasn't extraordinary. Unlike in some fantasy stories, these scrolls didn't store cubic meters of items.
In the original series, characters like Senju Hashirama and Tenten used these scrolls to store weapons like shurikens. The same applied to Ming Jing.
These scrolls were also hard to make. They required precious materials and had to be crafted by ninjas skilled in both summoning and sealing jutsu. The principle was similar to that of the Flying Thunder God technique, allowing items sealed within the scroll to be summoned upon opening.