They Were All Child Laborers, So There Was Nothing to Fear

The Land of Fire, northeastern direction.

After leaving the village, the Konoha team headed straight for the border.

At first, Yuhara thought that everything Captain Hayasegawa had said was meant to keep everyone from getting too tense. After all, they were all rookies with thoroughly ordinary strength, so describing the mission's difficulty and danger as simpler than they really were was a way to reassure them.

However, as they gradually approached the mission site and entered an area where fighting could break out at any moment, Yuhara realized he had been wrong... This captain really did believe that the mission posed no danger.

Even after reaching the border, the twelve-person team continued moving in a tight formation.

As a reconnaissance ninja, Tigo wanted to remind them of something out of a sense of duty. However, Yuhara reached out and stopped her. He felt that even if he said something, it might not be useful, so it would be better to observe the situation first.

"Captain Hayase, we've reached the border. Should we spread out into a search formation now?"

Everyone realized that this method of movement was inappropriate, so before long, someone could not help suggesting it to the captain.

"Spread out?" Hayasegawa glanced at the ninja, then shook his head with an utterly helpless expression.

"Don't blindly memorize those tactical regulations. What matters is analyzing the specific situation.

"Spreading out is indeed the correct approach, but only when the team possesses a certain level of overall strength and specialized abilities. Given this team's situation, if we split up, we'll only be defeated one by one in short order.

"Only by staying together can this team make any limited contribution."

At first glance, his words seemed to make some sense. However, after hearing him say this, nearly everyone decided that the man was a complete idiot. Even the kindhearted ninjas who did not think so maliciously could only feel that the captain's emotional intelligence was below zero.

Analyze the specific situation? Don't split up?

What was the first requirement of ninja warfare? The most important requirement? Intelligence. The more efficiently intelligence could be obtained, the more correct the tactic was. Ninjas exchanging their lives for intelligence was commonplace. Even if they were students from the Ninja Academy, once they stepped onto the battlefield, they still had to use a dispersed formation when necessary. This was not something decided by strength at all.

Twelve ninjas marching in a neat line while patrolling the border... The sight was almost too beautiful to behold.

Once they realized that the captain was unreliable, all the ninjas with battlefield experience became highly vigilant. No matter what, the captain's orders were still the captain's orders, and they had no way to refuse them.

This sort of patrol mission was certainly a long-term assignment. Having to keep obeying a captain like this could only be described as torture.

Every few steps, Yuhara glanced at Tigo. Only after Tigo shook her head to indicate that there was nothing unusual ahead did he relax slightly.

Even when the team was about to approach the coastline, the captain still had not issued any different orders for the different ninjas. This made the team look less like they were carrying out a mission and more like they were on an outing.

Although he knew it might not accomplish anything, Yuhara decided to try saying a few words. He quickly walked several steps forward and said to the captain, "Captain Hayase, the closer we get to the coastline, the more dangerous it becomes. Shouldn't we consider moving the reconnaissance ninjas to the rear? Also, since this is a long-term mission, instead of putting all our effort into patrolling, shouldn't we choose a suitable location to set up a camp or outpost on the first day?"

Although Yuhara did not understand tactics, he at least knew how important it was to move the radar to the rear and prioritize logistical preparations.

"Genin, I'll say this one last time. Stay where you're supposed to stay, do what you're supposed to do, and don't cause trouble for the team. Understand?"

The captain's reaction could only be described as completely unsurprising to Yuhara.

After seeing Yuhara obediently return, the captain, believing himself to be offering earnest advice when he was actually just unwilling to explain, said, "Ninjas like you aren't sensitive to changes in the situation of the Ninja World because you can't receive timely intelligence. Just a few days ago, Konoha and Sunagakure signed a ceasefire agreement. The Ninja World War is about to end. Understand? Don't be so overly nervous. It only makes you look narrow-minded and shortsighted."

In reality, it was not a ceasefire agreement, but the captain could not be bothered to explain the details.

However, in Yuhara's view, leaving aside whether the Ninja World War was really about to end and assuming for the sake of argument that it was, shouldn't a ninja still stand firm and do his duty to the very end?

In any case, Yuhara understood now. This captain merely treated the local patrol mission as a "routine formality" and did not believe they would encounter any danger.

To the north lay the weak and powerless Land of Hot Water, while the Mist Village to the east had not crossed the sea in a very long time. Wasn't such an environment safe enough?

In theory, it was very safe. However, even in the safest place of all, Konoha, plenty of ninjas died inexplicably every year.

In short, under the leisurely leadership of this ninja captain who understood the overall situation of the Ninja World and had determined that peace was coming, every member of the team felt their scalps go numb as they gradually approached the coastline.

The weather was clear that day, and visibility was excellent. That counted as a stroke of luck. Near noon, the team passed by a lake. In roughly two more hours, they would reach the coast, then scout along it until they reached the boundary of their mission area, after which they would begin the return journey.

They were to patrol back and forth and immediately report to Konoha upon discovering any trace of the Mist Village. That was the content of the mission.

Everything had been normal before they passed the lake. However, the moment the team reached its shore, something abnormal suddenly happened.

The calm surface of the lake suddenly churned with waves. In the blink of an eye, four figures burst out of the water and landed on the surface... They were Mist Village ninjas. The Konoha side quickly confirmed it from their forehead protectors.

"Where are the reconnaissance ninjas? What the hell were the reconnaissance ninjas doing?"

Captain Hayasegawa immediately began hopping mad, but the enemies had clearly been hiding in the lake. Under such circumstances, how could a reconnaissance ninja like Tigo have discovered them in advance?

However, the moment Hayasegawa got a clear look at the four enemies, he calmed down again. His face even took on a confident expression, as if victory were already in his grasp. Of the four enemies, only one was an adult ninja. Of the other three, two appeared to be merely fourteen or fifteen years old, while the last looked to be only seven or eight.

A Chunin in all likelihood, or a Jonin in the unlikely event, leading three Genin on a training expedition. That was the conclusion Hayasegawa reached after seeing the scene.

"Squads One, Two, and Three, everyone take notice. Eliminate the Mist Village enemies immediately!"

The captain issued this order because, in his view, although the ninjas on both sides were rookies, his side at least had the advantage in numbers. Losing a few people to eliminate those four enemies would be a profitable exchange.

At that moment, the four enemies looked toward the Konoha team as if they were looking at a group of brain-dead idiots.

"Run."

Yuhara drew a deep breath, then spoke to Tigo beside him. At this point, he no longer cared in the slightest about the brain-dead captain's brain-dead order.

"?" Tigo was somewhat confused.

"Run!" This time, Yuhara shouted so loudly that everyone on their side heard him.

Hearing someone retreat in the middle of the battle, Hayasegawa immediately flew into a rage. Those four enemies represented at least some credit. Why run now? What was there to fear?

However, before the captain could speak, Yuhara continued, "The short one is the Mist Village's candidate for Fourth Mizukage! Run! Every person who can escape counts!"

After saying that, Yuhara shoved Tigo backward.

Yuhara had no idea whether the man was actually a candidate for Mizukage. He had said it merely to explain the other side's strength as quickly as possible. But the green hair, short stature, and staff strapped to his back... the future Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, had an appearance that was simply too distinctive.

The "ordinary squad leader" Hayasegawa had identified was named Juzo Biwa.

The two "fourteen- or fifteen-year-old Genin" were Karatachi Yagura and Mei Terumi.

The useless rookie who was not even ten years old came from the famous Hozuki Clan of the Mist Village and was named Mangetsu.

Captain Hayase's thinking had not been wrong. If they could eliminate those four enemies, it really would have been a fairly substantial achievement.