Marching Forward, Marching Forward, Marching Forward

Just as the assembly time was about to end, Uchiha Otoha appeared, wearing a combat uniform embroidered with the Fire Fan Clan emblem, his forehead protector on his brow. It's just... for some reason, he looked quite dispirited.

Seeing Otoha alone, Kushina couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't Otome come with you?"

Otoha subconsciously rubbed his butt, it still hurt a little, having been kicked several times before leaving.

"You... what's with that reaction?" Katsuki's mouth twitched, startled by Otoha's action. What the hell is he rubbing his butt for? That's asking for a misunderstanding.

"Otome can't come. My dad said I'm enough to go to the battlefield alone. Otome is young and stayed home." Otoha didn't notice Katsuki's gaze; he was looking at the dense crowd of Genin.

"But, Aunt Tsunade..." Kushina wasn't stupid and stopped mid-sentence.

As long as there are people in this world, there will be classes, and with classes comes privilege.

Given the status of Otoha and Otome's father, pulling Otome out of this mission wasn't a big deal. Even if this mission was arranged by Hiruzen, as long as it didn't affect Hiruzen's goals, he wouldn't bother. Besides, Danzo was keeping an eye on the Uchiha, so all he had to do was maintain the balance between the two, not lean entirely to one side.

As expected, Tsunade took roll call and didn't include Otome. Once everyone was accounted for, they set off immediately without a word.

One by one, large carts moved out of Konoha's main gate, pulled by tall, sturdy mules and horses, carrying all sorts of supplies. The Genin spread out, guarding the carts on either side. As for Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, they took positions at the front, middle, and rear of the convoy, respectively.

The ninja world is a strange place. While cinematic technology exists in this world, engines have yet to appear. Fortunately, ninjas are basically sprinters, capable of moving at lightning speed, not much slower than a train.

However, while ninjas could run anywhere at full speed, the transportation of supplies was a major headache for the leaders of the great ninja villages.

Warfare costs money. Food, weapons, clothing, bedding – it all costs money! Alright, compared to that, the most important thing is to deliver supplies to the front lines quickly and safely.

But such large quantities of supplies could only be transported by mules and horses pulling flatbed carts. Before Katsuki came to this world, he had questioned why methods like scrolls or Space-Time Ninjutsu weren't used for transporting supplies, as they would be safe and fast.

But upon arriving in this world, he realized how naive that idea was. Firstly, Space Scrolls aren't common commodities, and secondly, their storage capacity is extremely limited. While they could be used for transporting small quantities of urgently needed supplies, large-scale material transport still relied on the primitive method of animal power.

Otherwise, the cost of Space Scrolls alone would exceed the value of the supplies being transported, making it a case of "buying the casket and returning the pearl."

As for Space-Time Ninjutsu, only top-tier experts could master it, and they were few in number. Using these experts as mere carriers would be like "showing off a pearl to a sparrow," a foolish act that no one but an idiot would commit.

Therefore, animal-powered transportation remains the mainstream in the ninja world.

This, in turn, led to the development of warfare tactics targeting enemy rear supply lines. Various elite troops and spies would go to any lengths to disrupt the enemy's rear supply routes. It is said that Minato's famous battle at Kannabi Bridge in the future would be a prime example of such warfare.

But for now, Minato was still trailing along with the supply carts!

"Why is Minato in the same squad as my sister? Why? Damn squad system..."

Katsuki gnashed his teeth in hatred, staring at the swaying figure in the convoy ahead.

Ninja combat is conducted in squads of three. For Genin and Chunin, the squad system is the most perfect combat formation. This isn't just someone boasting; it's a system established through the trials of the Warring States period and the First Great Ninja War.

Thus, Katsuki's small group was inevitably split up. Unfortunately, Minato and Kushina were assigned to the same squad. He and Otoha were kicked out and placed in another squad, which is why he's still holding a grudge, complaining even after walking for half the morning.

In their three-person squad, besides Katsuki and Otoha, the third member was someone neither familiar nor unfamiliar – the boy with cataracts, Hyuga Tenzan.

Watching Katsuki muttering to himself, Hyuga Tenzan couldn't help but feel suspicious. This teammate didn't seem very reliable. As for Uchiha Otoha, he was so delighted to have escaped his sharp-tongued sister that he couldn't maintain the Uchiha clan's aloof demeanor, chuckling foolishly from time to time.

Hyuga Tenzan's heart sank. This wasn't right; it felt like he had two idiots on his team! This was a disaster, a real disaster! Under the squad system, an unreliable teammate could doom the entire squad!

Although the saying "never fear a god-like opponent, only a pig-like teammate" hadn't yet become popular, ninjas shared a similar sentiment. Nowadays, teammates often meant comrades in life and death, entrusting their lives to each other on the battlefield.

Hyuga Tenzan felt an unprecedented sense of annoyance, while the main convoy continued to advance steadily.

They left Konoha and sped northwest, but the speed of mules and horses was limited. Jiraiya, for one, was getting restless. At this time, Jiraiya hadn't started his writing career yet. Besides training, his leisure activities included visiting nightclubs or peeping.

Currently on the road, there was nowhere to visit. As for peeping, in this wilderness, what would he watch, two monkeys doing that? He wasn't at that point yet. Jiraiya, with nothing else to do, wandered around the convoy and spotted one of his observation targets – that little red-haired girl... accompanied by that blonde kid!

"Well, since I'm bored, I might as well have some fun with this kid!" Jiraiya stroked his chin, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Minato was carefully talking with Kushina, completely unaware that the turning point of his fate was about to arrive.

Meanwhile, Katsuki finally suppressed his grumbling and resentment. No matter how dissatisfied he was now, he couldn't do anything to anyone. In the end, he still lacked the strength and status to command attention.

Marching was a tedious and boring affair, especially since ninjas couldn't run freely, making it even more agonizing. Most Genin moved listlessly with the main group, with very few showing any spirit.

Katsuki mingled in the middle of the group. During the midday break for lunch, he put on the set of weighted training gear made of fine iron. His physique suddenly appeared bulkier, but most people around him were not familiar with Katsuki and didn't notice the change in the little guy. Otoha, on the other hand, knew how insane Katsuki's training was.

The only one who was completely unaware was Hyuga Tenzan. His eyes widened as he watched Katsuki, who had suddenly gained weight after lunch, his mouth agape in surprise. What... what was happening?

A cry of despair erupted from the bottom of his heart!

He was filled with deep unease about the future. Why were his teammates so bizarre?