"Neji, how is it?"
Some time has passed since the last mission.
During this period, Hagoromo and her team successively accepted several C-rank and B-Rank Missions.
Only this time was I finally able to accept an A-rank mission.
This was only possible with Hiruzen Sarutobi is currently at Sunagakure Konoha and Iwagakure.
Their demonstrated strength is almost undeniable, and they are also busier with missions.
Hagoromo's team has three Jonin and Special Jōnin alone, so in order not to waste them, they can only start by issuing A-rank missions.
Neji's strength is at least considerable, based on the reports from these recent missions.
Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly saw Neji's growth before he agreed.
"No problem, Master."
Neji nodded and then leaped back to his unit.
"There are no suspicious targets in the vicinity for the time being," Neji said with a serious expression.
Hagoromo nodded, and then continued with her actions.
This mission is to transport supplies to the front lines in the Land of Grass, which has been going on for almost two months now.
Ōnoki was stunned, after all, his Four-Tails Jinchūriki was currently in Konoha's hands.
However, they were unable to advance into the front lines, as their opponent was Jiraiya, a veteran ninja who had experienced Second Shinobi World War and Third Shinobi World War.
Meanwhile, the battlefront in Sunagakure was constantly pressuring him for an explanation; how could Ōnoki possibly compensate for so many supplies?
Therefore, Ōnoki's gaze fell upon the supply convoy behind Konoha.
After all, Konoha's troops have always been on the front lines in the Land of Grass, so transporting them here would definitely require a long journey.
Although Takigakure was warned by Konoha not to allow Iwagakure to pass through their territory, they still couldn't stop Iwagakure's small team from infiltrating.
Therefore, Konoha's supplies have been intercepted several times in the past two weeks.
Generally, these missions to transport supplies to the front lines are classified as B-Rank Missions, and are carried out Chunin Jonin Chunin.
However, with the constant harassment from the Iwagakure, the losses had become substantial, so it was directly classified as A-rank mission.
"Alright, let's continue!"
Hagoromo gave instructions to the grain transport team behind her, and only after hearing Hagoromo speak did the team resume its slow march.
The Yutoshi brought up the rear, while the Kokone was positioned in the middle, keeping watch.
Neji led the way, with Hagoromo providing support. Once the group began to move, Hagoromo led Neji to a seat on a carriage.
If they were simply traveling, they would naturally follow their own walking routes, but now that they are following a supply convoy, they can only move slowly while sitting in a vehicle.
"Teacher, what is war like?"
Neji was resting with his Byakugan turned off, asked Hagoromo beside him.
"War?" Hagoromo pondered for a moment, after all, she had only experienced it once.
Kakashi himself led the main force, so it was hard to explain for the time being.
"The teacher couldn't explain it clearly either, but what's clear is --"
"Regardless of your strength, everyone is equal on the battlefield."
Hagoromo thought for a moment before speaking.
"Equal?" Neji was taken aback, somewhat confused by what he meant.
"Yes, unless your strength can sway the course of the battlefield, sometimes even small mistakes can lead to unexpected consequences."
Hagoromo nodded and said that this was not something he made up on the spot.
Although Senju Nawaki was Genin at the time, he still possessed the Senju bloodline and was killed by the Explosive Tags.
"The battlefield is a machine of flesh and blood, built from countless lives."
Neji nodded as he listened to the examples Hagoromo gave.
There are all sorts of examples, and there are even many instances of Jonin dying on the battlefield.
Ignoring Neji's contemplation, after all, the cruelty of war cannot be represented by simply recounting a few events or examples.
The journey involved frequent stops and starts, taking significantly longer than previous missions.
Fortunately, there were no major obstacles along the way, and the few Iwagakure were all dealt with safely by Hagoromo and the others.
However, as they drew closer to the front lines of the Land of Grass, Hagoromo began to feel uneasy.
After all, this transport route was one of the few that hadn't been exposed.
However, traces of Iwagakure have already been found.
Without any information, Hagoromo could only shake her head. It was better to send the supplies over as soon as possible than to figure things out for now.
In the following time, Hagoromo and Neji began to take turns sensing, trying to deliver the supplies in the safest way possible.
Whether Hagoromo was overthinking it or not, at least the supply convoy arrived safely at Konoha's camp in the Land of Land of Grass.
"Hagoromo! You've finally arrived!"
Just after handing over with the ninjas in the camp, a familiar voice came from afar.
Hagoromo turned her head and saw Akimichi Chōza walking quickly towards her.
Neji, who was standing nearby, quickly bowed and greeted them. After all, he had been training with Choji, and would often go to the Akimichi Clan to eat and drink for free whenever he had nothing to do.
Neji already knew Choza.
"Hey, Neji, I didn't expect you to have graduated."
Choza was taken aback when he saw Neji, but then he understood.
"Senior Choza, what's this?" Hagoromo looked at Choza with some curiosity, after all, she had just seen Choza.
The look on his face clearly showed relief.
"If you don't get here in the next couple of days, I'll probably have to lead a team to investigate."
Choza, remembering the important matter, looked at Hagoromo with a serious expression.
"Huh? Why?" Hagoromo was taken aback; this puzzled him.
"I don't know what's going on, but the Iwagakure side seems to have gone mad; even those previously hidden routes have been discovered one after another."
Choza's face was very unpleasant, after all, these routes were painstakingly developed by their Akimichi Clan.
"What were the losses?"
Hagoromo frowned. Just as she had worried, the exposure of these routes meant that the transportation of supplies to Konoha would become even more difficult.
This is not good news for Jiraiya is on the front lines.
"Although there were still losses, nothing was looted by Iwagakure. Based on the previous experiences, this transport team was basically equipped with multiple Jonin."
"However, none of these routes will be usable anymore."
At this point, Akimichi Chōza remembered to ask Hagoromo, "By the way, did you encounter any Iwagakure ninjas on the way?"
"Yes, but it was just a small team. It seemed more like they got lost and ended up there."
Hagoromo nodded and said, "I took care of them before they could send out the message."
"Call--"
"That's good, at least we won't be completely without a way out."
Choza breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
"Oh, right, come with me first, Lord Jiraiya needs to see you."
After Choza finished speaking, he beckoned Hagoromo to follow.
Without hesitation, Hagoromo instructed the Yutoshi and Kokone to make contact with the ninjas in the camp, Neji and headed towards the main tent.