Departing from the Hidden Leaf Village gate at noon, it would take at least a dozen hours of travel to reach the front lines of the Land of Fire.
By evening, Shiraishi and his group of six found a strategically defensible location to rest for the night, planning to resume their journey at dawn the next day.
They expected to reach the Hidden Leaf camp on the front lines by the evening of the second day.
The ninja war between the Hidden Sand and Hidden Leaf Villages had its border along the junction of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire.
The Land of Rivers was a small country situated between the two great nations of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, with its northern border adjacent to the Land of Rain.
It possessed some ninja power, but its organized ninja villages were too weak and completely unknown in the ninja world.
Therefore, the ninja forces of the Land of Rivers were almost negligible in this war.
The six of them were resting in an open area, but there wasn't much desire for conversation among them.
Firstly, after traveling for most of the day, everyone was physically tired and wanted to rest properly.
Secondly, the two squads weren't very familiar with each other.
While Jiraiya and Sakumo might have had a good relationship, there was no particular connection between Shiraishi's trio and Minato.
Even if they knew each other, it was only by chance that they had heard each other's names, a mere nodding acquaintance, not even close to being ordinary friends.
"His strength is formidable."
Shiraishi, leaning against a large tree, was frowning in deep thought about natural energy when Ruri suddenly spoke.
"What?"
Shiraishi stopped thinking and instinctively looked up.
"There isn't a single flaw in him, from head to toe.
Even when resting, he chose a strategically defensible position, and he assessed it immediately, which shows his analytical abilities are top-notch.
He remained calm and composed when facing Sakumo-sensei, not intimidated by Sakumo-sensei's aura.
He is very confident in his own strength."
Shiraishi understood that Ruri was talking about Minato Namikaze, who was on the other side.
Shiraishi nodded in agreement with Ruri's assessment.
How could a ninja personally mentored by a Sannin be simple?
Moreover, he had already distinguished himself at the Ninja Academy, becoming a renowned genius.
In Shiraishi's estimation, Minato's current strength had likely already reached the Jonin level.
"But compared to you, Ruri, he should still be a bit lacking."
Ayane said with a smile at this moment.
Ruri's strength in Sakumo's squad was second only to the squad leader, Sakumo.
Coupled with the excellent bloodline ability of the Uchiha clan, it was difficult for ordinary Jonin to gain an advantage against Ruri.
"That's something only a fight can tell."
Although Ruri was proud, she felt that Minato, who was mentored by a Sannin, was not comparable to an ordinary Jonin.
However, Ruri was also very confident in her own strength, especially after mastering natural energy.
Her taijutsu alone would likely give Jonin-level ninjas a huge headache.
Furthermore, in battle, they would also need to constantly be wary of her Sharingan.
Overall, if a battle truly occurred, Ruri didn't believe there was any possibility of her losing.
But it was also a fact that the opponent's strength was considerable.
If circumstances allowed, she would very much like to test him, but at this time and place, it was more appropriate to exercise some restraint.
"Alright, it's almost time for patrol."
At this moment, Shiraishi stood up, ending the conversation about Minato.
Even though their last mission eliminated an elite Hidden Sand unit, and there had been no recent reports of destruction within the Land of Fire, they couldn't afford to relax.
Whenever they left the village for a mission, they had to be two hundred percent alert to prevent any accidents.
Sakumo's squad's patrol duties were always done in pairs.
Shiraishi and Ayane were responsible for the first half of the night, while Ruri and Sakumo were responsible for the second half.
Now that it was almost dark, Shiraishi and Ayane began their patrol for the first half of the night, checking the surroundings for any lurking enemies.
Nodding at Ruri, Shiraishi and Ayane disappeared from their spot and began their patrol.
Ruri glanced at their retreating figures but said nothing.
The patrol mission was relatively simple for Shiraishi's group, as Ayane's Byakugan ensured that within a five-kilometer radius, any approaching enemy would be detected and revealed in her Byakugan's field of vision.
Although it couldn't compare to sensory ninjas in terms of range, sensory ninjutsu could only determine distance, direction, and the number of targets.
The Byakugan's omnidirectional monitoring ability, however, could reveal what techniques the enemy would use and what methods their side needed to employ to seize the initiative and quickly suppress the enemy's morale.
It was precisely because of the Byakugan's contribution that the Hidden Leaf Village could avoid carefully designed enemy traps in every war, nullifying any enemy schemes or tricks.
"This is far enough."
In another part of the forest, Shiraishi stopped.
Ayane had already activated her Byakugan, and anyone approaching would be discovered by her.
From now on, they only needed to make periodic rounds in the vicinity to complete their patrol mission for the first half of the night.
Shiraishi took a note from his ninja tool pouch and handed it to Ayane.
Ayane tilted her head, not quite understanding, but still took it in her hand.
She looked left and right, finding no abnormalities, before opening the note.
It read: Are there any toads nearby?
"..."
Toads?
Ayane didn't quite understand why Shiraishi would ask such a question.
She just shook her head slightly.
There were quite a few insects around, but the nearest toad was over a hundred meters away, in the river.
"It seems there are no toads."
"Yes, no traces of toads were found nearby.
But, Shiraishi-kun, why are you particularly concerned about toads?"
Ayane blinked, asking the doubt in her heart.
"That's because many toads have suddenly appeared in the Hidden Leaf Village recently.
I'm worried that someone is setting up surveillance."
"Setting up surveillance with toads?"
"Yes, the one doing this is likely Jiraiya-sensei, one of the Sannin.
I heard he signed a summoning contract with the toads of Mount Myoboku.
And toads, being inconspicuous creatures, are easily overlooked, making them convenient for gathering intelligence, aren't they?"
This was the same principle as the cats Ruri trained.
He couldn't rule out that someone was using toads to gather information.
"Are they looking for something?"
Ayane showed a thoughtful expression.
"I'm not sure.
It could also be monitoring something.
Anyway, the toad situation has nothing to do with us; at most, we just need to pay attention when exchanging information later."
"I see, indeed."
Ayane nodded in understanding.
There were no unusual situations around them, nor were there any Anbu monitoring them, which meant their secret had not been exposed.
Excessive actions would only be counterproductive and attract unnecessary attention.
At such times, even if unexpected things happened, maintaining the usual rhythm was sufficient.
"Oh, and there's one more troublesome thing I need to tell you."
Shiraishi scratched his head, sighing helplessly, unsure how to begin.
"Troublesome thing?"
"Ah, it concerns Ruri."
Shiraishi's eyes involuntarily darted elsewhere.
Ayane thought of a possibility.
"It couldn't be..."
"It's exactly as you think; our secret has been exposed.
So, from now on, when the three of us act together, I won't need to deliberately hide my strength and will fight with full power."
Shiraishi continued scratching his head, feeling that things were becoming more and more troublesome.
Because he couldn't guess any useful information about Ruri's attitude towards this matter.
But this was also good; when the three of them acted as a team in the future, he wouldn't need to hide his strength or conceal anything.
This might even allow them to complete missions better.
Afterward, he only needed to push all the credit onto Ruri and Ayane, and he could continue to be an inconspicuous background character.
After all, safety first.
"I see."
Ayane lowered her head slightly, her expression hidden from view.
She didn't ask why it was exposed, as that question had become meaningless.
So, all they needed to do now was relax and get along.
But thinking about it this way, she felt a slight hint of unwillingness.
"I should have been the first to discover Shiraishi-kun's true secret, right?" Ayane thought, a little troubled.
"Um, are you okay?"
Seeing Ayane lower her head, Shiraishi was a little worried that she might be overthinking things.
"No, I'm fine. Actually, I also think it would be better if Shiraishi-kun confessed to Ruri a little earlier."
Ayane looked up and smiled, having already put away her feelings of disappointment, not showing them on her face. As for what she was thinking in her heart, only she herself knew.
He couldn't read anything from Ayane's smile; compared to before, she had indeed matured a lot.
Therefore, it was better to end this topic as soon as possible.
He always felt that continuing this kind of conversation, talking about another woman in front of one, things would become unusually terrifying.
Afterward, Shiraishi handed Ayane the method for cultivating natural energy, along with the auxiliary medicine.
He told her to quickly master the use of natural energy as well.
To be honest, among the three of them, Ayane was very likely the one most favored by natural energy.
Because the main fighting style of the Hyuga clan was taijutsu, which was the Gentle Fist technique used in conjunction with the Byakugan.
Shiraishi couldn't guess to what extent Ayane could enhance the power of the Gentle Fist after mastering natural energy, but the benefits she received from natural energy were definitely greater than his and Ruri's.
Shiraishi was very much looking forward to what level Ayane's strength would reach when she combined natural energy with the Gentle Fist.
Ayane took the items and didn't immediately start cultivating there, but instead patrolled the area with Shiraishi.
No problems were found during the first half of the night's patrol, but since Jiraiya's team also joined the patrol, the night patrol was divided into three shifts.
So, Shiraishi and Ayane finished their patrol mission two hours earlier than usual and returned to the camp to rest.
The night passed without incident.
At dawn the next day, the group of six set off again.
They traveled all day and finally arrived at the border area between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers just before dusk.
The Leaf Village's main base for confronting the Sand Hidden Village forces was stationed here.
There were over two thousand Leaf ninjas here, and the commander was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin along with Jiraiya, while Tsunade served as deputy commander, assisting Orochimaru.
Even so, the situation on the front lines remained grim.
After strict scrutiny, the Leaf ninjas guarding the large camp finally allowed them to enter.
Upon entering the camp, Shiraishi felt a suppressive atmosphere completely different from that of the Leaf Village.
Medical staff carried wounded people on stretchers into tents.
Ninjas gathered in twos and threes beside the tents, holding simple hot food, their gaunt faces numb as they dryly ate the food in their hands.
Then, whether from loss of appetite or the food being too unpalatable, many ninjas directly vomited, clutching their chests and gulping down water.
Passing through the medical area, one could still hear constant agonizing screams like those of demons emanating from the tents.
Everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit, needing only a trigger to unleash the long-suppressed negative emotions within them, causing them to collapse on the spot.
This was war.
Sakumo and Jiraiya needed to meet with Commander Orochimaru, while Shiraishi's trio, plus Minato, had to wait outside the camp.
This waiting period wasn't long; after about a few minutes, Sakumo walked out of the tent with a scroll in his hand, which contained the mission for Sakumo's team.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Time was pressing, so Sakumo planned to explain the mission details to Shiraishi's trio on the way.
"Well then, we'll meet again next time, Minato."
"Okay, goodbye. Please be careful."
Facing Shiraishi's kind farewell, Minato also smiled slightly, watching Sakumo's team of four leave the camp.
◎
"Next, we will split into two groups. The mission is to cut off the Sand Hidden Village's supply lines."
Without wasting time, about a few kilometers from the Leaf Village camp, Sakumo stopped in a river valley area and concisely described the mission's content.
"Just our one team?"
Shiraishi's trio was slightly startled.
"There will be Anbu assisting along the way. Also, this mission is of great importance, and no traces of our whereabouts can be revealed. Therefore, if we encounter anyone who isn't one of us along the way… kill them all!"
Sakumo's face was cold, and Shiraishi's trio felt a chill.
The Sand Hidden Village's supply lines couldn't be within the Land of Fire; they would only be able to cut off the Sand Hidden Village's supply lines by entering the territory of the Land of Rivers.
In other words… even if they encountered ordinary civilians from the Land of Rivers, they had to eliminate them all without leaving a single trace to prevent their whereabouts from being leaked.
"Head in this direction. About fifteen kilometers away, there will be an Anbu squad waiting."
Sakumo pointed to the southwest.
Shiraishi's trio looked in the direction Sakumo pointed; further ahead was the territory of the Land of Rivers, not within the Land of Fire.
"If you understand, let's begin the operation."
After Sakumo finished speaking, he disappeared in another direction.
Shiraishi's trio exchanged glances, each seeing the solemnity in the other's eyes.
Not only was a cruel order given to eliminate all witnesses, but the mission's objective was also to cut off the Sand Hidden Village's supplies. This was clearly an incredibly difficult S-rank mission.
Even with Anbu assistance, this mission was full of danger.
Shiraishi exhaled and said, "There's no need to worry too much. Since they gave me such a mission, it means that this mission is possible to complete. The most important thing now is to rendezvous with the Anbu personnel."
Indeed, although Sakumo had given them a mission, the specific steps of the mission were not provided.
It was clear that Sakumo had his own mission, and he only knew this much.
Shiraishi's trio needed to rendezvous with the Anbu personnel to know how to proceed with the mission and coordinate with them.
Ruri and Ayane had no objections, so they immediately took action.
The distance of fifteen kilometers to the southwest was covered in just over ten minutes.
As Sakumo had said, Leaf Anbu were indeed lurking there, a total of four people.
However, one thing was peculiar: the masks these Anbu wore were slightly different in style from the masks worn by Anbu ninjas Shiraishi had seen before.
The patterns on the masks of these Anbu ninjas gave off a sense of suppression and coldness.
Especially their eyes behind the masks, they were cold and emotionless, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, just like a group of machines.
"You are…"
"We are ninjas from the Anbu 'Root'. This mission to cut off the Sand Hidden Village's supplies will be a joint effort between us and you."
The leader among them stepped forward and spoke indifferently to Shiraishi's trio.
"Root?"
Regarding Shiraishi's trio's confusion, the leading ninja didn't explain anything, continuing in an indifferent tone, "For the subsequent operation, the three of you will be responsible for a feint attack to attract the enemy's attention, and we will be responsible for the destruction."
As he spoke, the leading ninja lifted his shirt, revealing his body densely covered with 'Explosion' (burst) talismans.
The three ninjas behind him were also the same; they lifted their shirts, their skin densely covered with explosive tags.
"…"
"So, once the feint attack plan succeeds, you must find a way to quickly disengage from the battlefield and escape. Because the explosive tags on our bodies are specially made and extremely powerful. Don't blame us if you accidentally die then."
"…"
It seemed that for this mission, their own people were the ones they should be most wary of, more so than the Sand Hidden ninjas.
Who in their right mind would cover themselves with explosive tags that could detonate at any moment?
A bunch of lunatics! Shiraishi's trio felt a headache coming on.
The three of them suddenly felt an urge to immediately run far away from these lunatics, fearing that these people might make a mistake and spontaneously perform an explosion art, sending all of them to the heavens.