Chapter 238: War Breaks Out
The Land of Grass was a small nation located northwest of the Land of Fire.
Unlike the Land of Rice Fields or the Land of Rivers that Mugetsu had visited before, the Land of Grass possessed its own Hidden Village—the Grass Ninja Village—and was considered one of the stronger minor nations in the Ninja World.
However, its unfortunate geographic position meant that its limited strength could never truly shine.
The Land of Grass bordered four countries in total: two small nations and two great ones.
The smaller nations were the Land of Waterfalls to the northeast, whose terrain made expansion impossible, and the Land of Rain, which shared a long border with Grass and was the most powerful minor village below the Five Great Shinobi Villages. The Land of Rain's strength alone was enough to deter any invasion attempts.
As for the two great nations—the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire—the Land of Grass dared not provoke either. Its only option was submission.
During the Second Shinobi World War, the Rain Ninja Village had already shown the world the overwhelming might of the Five Great Villages. Against that kind of power, smaller nations could only crumble, no matter how fiercely they resisted.
Thus, the Land of Grass's survival depended on siding with whichever great nation was winning at the time. Naturally, with Konoha's record of consistent victories, Grass had long aligned itself as Konoha's subordinate ally.
Of course, the alliance was not absolute. While publicly supporting Konoha, Grass also maintained quiet ties with Iwagakure, seeking to avoid destruction should the tides of war shift.
Despite its efforts to mediate and maintain neutrality, the Land of Grass could not escape its fate as a battlefield. Its location was simply too strategic.
At present, the Land of Grass was the ideal—and perhaps only—battleground for Konoha and Iwagakure's ongoing conflict.
Theoretically, the Land of Rain had an even better position for warfare, but its involvement would complicate matters. If Iwagakure attacked the Land of Fire through Rain, it would not only provoke the Rain Ninja Village but also raise the suspicions of the Land of Wind, which shared a border with Rain as well.
Since Iwagakure had no interest in antagonizing the Land of Wind, the Land of Grass naturally became the perfect route for invasion.
Perhaps because the current frontlines favored Konoha, the escort mission proceeded exceptionally smoothly. They encountered no attacks—not even from common bandits.
Mugetsu considered the situation and quickly understood why. Any sensible bandit seeing such a large convoy would assume it was guarded by Ninja and think twice before approaching.
It was also possible that, during wartime, bandits simply didn't dare wander aimlessly, fearing they might stumble into a battle between powerful Ninja.
"Hey, there haven't been any enemies for so long. Could it be that Kakashi was right this time?" Obito called out from atop the carriage, scanning the surrounding area with visible disappointment.
"I told you, the previous incidents were just bad luck. It's impossible for something to go wrong four times in a row," Kakashi said calmly.
To him, this was what a proper C-Rank Mission should be—quiet and uneventful. Their earlier assignments had been complete anomalies. Two Jonin appearing during one mission and a Raikage candidate during another were absurd enough to make him wonder if he was cursed.
"How about a race full of youth and passion?" Might Guy suddenly suggested, his eyes gleaming with energy.
"I refuse," Kakashi replied instantly. He had no intention of wasting energy on something so meaningless during a mission.
"I'll pass too," Obito said. "I know I'll lose."
He wasn't about to participate in something he had zero chance of winning. Now, if it were a challenge against Kakashi, that would be different.
"That's a pity!" Might Guy exclaimed dramatically, then leapt from the carriage and began running alongside it at full speed.
Mugetsu didn't stop him. For Guy, that level of exertion was nothing more than a warm-up.
Meanwhile, Mugetsu occasionally activated a sensory technique to monitor the surroundings, ensuring no enemies were nearby.
If only he could maintain the Byakugan for long durations, it would have made the job far easier—but the Chakra cost was simply too high.
Since there were no signs of danger, Obito, bored as ever, began chatting with the members of the supply convoy. Their conversations covered everything from work and daily routines to family and village life.
"How much money do you get for completing a single commission?" Obito asked curiously.
"Commission?" The worker he asked blinked in confusion before realizing what Obito meant. "Ah, you're asking about wages."
He paused for a moment to think, then said, "When there's a lot of work, I earn around seven thousand Ryo a month. Usually, it's closer to five thousand."
"Only five thousand a month? Do you not work much?" Obito scratched his head in disbelief.
The minimum reward for a D-Rank Mission was five thousand Ryo—and that amount was tax-free. Even though Mugetsu divided the mission rewards evenly among his team, Obito could still earn five thousand Ryo after just four D-Rank Missions, which usually took no more than an afternoon.
His question left the worker momentarily speechless.
Few hours? Of course not. They worked nearly every day—and when the pay was higher, they often worked day and night.
"Ordinary people can't compare to you Ninja-sama," the worker finally said with a faint smile.
That was simply the difference between worlds. The cost of a Ninja's equipment alone could surpass what an average family earned in a year.
Obito frowned. He didn't understand why such a massive gap existed. It felt unfair, but he couldn't make sense of it.
When the convoy finally reached the border of the Land of Fire and prepared to enter the Land of Grass, Mugetsu called his disciples back to the carriages.
"From here on, we'll be entering the Land of Grass," Mugetsu said seriously. "It's dangerous right now, so I need all of you to stay alert."
"Thousands of Ninja are currently fighting in this country. Anything could happen."
He then spent half an hour lecturing them, explaining the harsh reality of war.
Mugetsu knew he could protect himself and his students if things went wrong, but he didn't want them to underestimate the nature of war just because of that.
War was always cruel. It consumed lives and destroyed everything beautiful.
Even Obito, usually full of energy, grew quiet and focused. There were no jokes or complaints this time.
As they entered the Land of Grass, the air itself seemed to grow heavier, filled with an invisible tension. The scenery changed too—the roads scarred, the trees darkened by smoke and ash.
Along the way, they began to encounter Ninja—either Konoha shinobi or Grass Ninja.
From their calm but watchful expressions, Mugetsu could tell that Konoha currently held the advantage. If they were losing ground, the tension in those soldiers' eyes would have been far more severe.
"Could this finally be my first normal C-Rank Mission?" Mugetsu thought.
They had already completed three C-Rank Missions, yet none of them had ever gone according to plan. Not a single one had ended with a proper C-Rank completion record.
As they drew closer to their destination, Mugetsu began sensing more and more Ninja in the area.
He switched from his sensory technique to his Byakugan. While sensing ninjutsu could detect Chakra, the Byakugan allowed him to see exactly who was nearby.
Every hour, he activated it briefly, scanning the area in a 1.5-kilometer radius. No one could hide from his gaze.
Finally, the supply convoy reached Konoha's military camp on the Land of Grass battlefield without a single attack.
"Mugetsu? What are you doing on the battlefield?"
A familiar voice caught his attention. Mugetsu turned to see Minato approaching, his expression showing mild surprise.
In Minato's understanding, it didn't make sense for Mugetsu to be here. He was an Academy instructor, and it wasn't the school break season. Unless Konoha was desperate, they wouldn't send one of their best teachers to the front lines.
"I'm an intern teacher, remember?" Mugetsu said with a calm smile. "It's basically like being a Jonin in charge of a squad. This time, I brought my students to complete a C-Rank war mission."
"I see—a logistics mission," Minato said, glancing toward the supply wagons. He quickly understood what kind of assignment Mugetsu had taken.
"Mugetsu, make sure your students stay within the camp and don't wander off," Minato advised. "Iwagakure has been quiet for two weeks now. That usually means they're preparing for a major offensive."
This camp was positioned safely behind the front line, but even so, Minato couldn't take chances knowing two of Mugetsu's team members were still students.
"We're not going to run around," Obito said indignantly, feeling underestimated.
"That's good," Minato replied kindly. "Only by listening to your teacher can you become excellent Ninja."
"This guy really looks like Teacher Mugetsu when he smiles…" Obito muttered under his breath. Once again, his theory that the two were secretly brothers resurfaced.
"It seems this mission will actually go smoothly," Kakashi said, finally relaxing.
By this point, they had effectively completed the mission. All that remained was to unload the supplies, rest briefly, and then return to Konoha.
Crack!
Suddenly, a sharp sound tore through the air—a flare shot into the sky, bursting into a brilliant signal of crimson light.
Rumble!!!
Moments later, a deafening explosion followed. Flames roared on the horizon, so bright they could be seen from the camp itself.
"Damn it, Iwagakure has launched a large-scale surprise attack!" Minato's expression hardened instantly.
That signal was the highest-level alert in Konoha's battlefield system. Every shinobi who saw it knew what it meant: prepare for battle immediately.
Kakashi stared at the sky, speechless. Even an Academy student would recognize that flare—it was the signal for total mobilization.
"…Do I really bring bad luck?" Kakashi muttered weakly. Every time he said there would be no problems, disaster followed.
Mugetsu's face darkened slightly. He, too, understood what that signal meant.
"The enemy… who could it be? The Third Tsuchikage himself?" he murmured, his eyes narrowing. "No, that's unlikely… could it be…"
His voice trailed off as he began to suspect which force Iwagakure had sent this time—and what kind of nightmare was about to descend upon the Land of Grass.
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