2 days later,
Team 5 found themselves in front of the Hokage's building again with less than pleasant expressions as they glared at their sensei.
"Morning to you too. Relax, this time your mission is something interesting. We are delivering a supply scroll to one of our border patrol towers. It would be good if you could memorize the locations of border patrols; however, don't forget the technique I taught you if something goes wrong on a mission and you need their assistance. Let's go".
The 4 rushed towards the main gate of Konoha, and the 3 couldn't help feeling anxious and excited; it was their first time leaving the village. In their travelling formation, Enya took the rear, while Kudo took the left, and Ai took the right side. Shimura Takao took the lead; it was a kite formation.
The border tower was located about 96 kilometers (60 miles) south of Konoha. In the vast expanse of the forest surrounding Konoha, most villages were located closer to the capital of the Land of Fire.
For a normal person, it would take roughly 8.5 to 13 hours of constant running; however, for shinobi, it would take less, especially if highly ranked.
"We are going to be moving at a moderate pace, enough to tire you out but still leave you with enough energy in case there is an attack. Just because we are in the Land of Fire doesn't mean there won't be any danger." Takao said from the front, the team leaped from tree to tree.
"Sensei, why isn't it safe? I mean, it's our territory." Enya asked, following from behind, "Well, the Land of Fire is larger than you can imagine, and it would take more shinobi than we have, so we always patrol it so there are intervals of patrolling, and we try to switch them to avoid obvious gaps. So, be careful, you never know when a rogue shinobi might slip in unnoticed." Takao said as they continued towards the patrol tower.
"Sensei, are all missions within the Land of Fire, or can we go into the land of the other great villages?" Kudo asked, "Not really, we can go if there is a diplomatic mission, but we aren't allowed, as it could easily lead to war or close enough. Missions beyond the land of fire revolve around the minor villages next to the land of fire, where we have trade agreements. Though that means that you can easily encounter shinobi from the other great villages, and they might want to kill you." Takao chuckled.
"Why, though? What about the war and stuff?" Enya asked in an indignant tone. "If you can't prove it, it didn't happen." Ai answered, Takao nodded, "Indeed, so be careful not to get assassinated while on a mission. A shinobi must be discreet, get famous, and die. Which means always have hidden cards. Let's speed up since you are all so talkative." Takao shrugged off their death glares as they increased their pace.
Since it wasn't wartime and massive supplies weren't needed, a high-tier storage seal would do; only in wartime would there need to be multiple carts hauling cargo, and were susceptible to ambushes.
A few hours later,
A short tower fell into sight, and Takao released a sharp whistle in different pitches, which drew away the constant chakra fields scanning them. Though Ai wasn't a sensor, she had experience with chakra fields from Enya and Kudo; however, all of them were unable to mask their chakra when exposed to a chakra field.
In his sensor training, Kudo could now alter his chakra signature slightly to give false signals. Enya was much better and could almost blend in with various environments, their chakra signature hiding them.
Getting to the tower,
"Welcome, Jonin Takao-san," Hojo Naokane said, his bright smile failing to hide boredom plaguing this place.
"You know I am not that much older; I keep telling you to drop it," Takao said, sighing slightly. "No can do, how can I be so disrespectful to my saviour. Anyway, what brings you here?"
"We are the supply team," Takao said, bringing out the scroll, which prompted Naokane to look behind Takao as the 3 young shinobi, 'Genin huh.' His face was twisted from how funny the situation was. Shimura Takao of the Severing Wind was a genin sensei.
"Don't start, let's get this over with." Takao gestured at his students, who were barely standing. With a nod, Naokane led them inside. After showing the kids their accommodations, the adults moved on to business.
In an office,
"Chief officer, is it? Not bad. So, how many this time?" Takao asked, sitting across from Naokane.
"About 10, are you sure those kids are ready for this? It's not really a pleasant mission. There might be an attack on the way back." Naokane spoke pensively.
"It's the right mission, minimal combat and exposure to the filth that plagues this land. The sooner they get the notion that not everyone is worth saving, the better. The village doesn't need ineffective tools." Takao said with a sharp glint.
"Lay off with that kind of talk, one shinobi of darkness is enough. However, you are right, in terms of military might, we are nowhere near our state before the 3rd shinobi world war. Kumogakure has been making suspicious moves; we have been facing more ambushes, but probing attacks, nothing serious yet." Naokane's face was grim with worry; it was not pleasant, he had learned it firsthand.
Although he wasn't a genius, he was a survivor; however, how many geniuses can say the same? Most of them were buried beneath the soil, keeping the insects fed. That is the reality of war: survive, that is all there is to it. For shinobi, winning a war was a concern of Kages and advisors, not flesh being sacrificed. The sooner you understand your place in the machine, the better, or you will die chasing foolish ideals of grandeur and getting your friends killed.