On the third day after arriving at the camp, the ninjas there began replenishing their supplies and equipment.
Yuhara's squad was the last to reach the supply point. He followed behind his three teammates, replenishing his equipment the way they did.
First, he untied his Ninja Tool Bag and placed it at the designated spot. Then he took two brand-new ones. After checking the shuriken, steel wire, scrolls, medicine, and other commonly used medical supplies inside, he hung the new Ninja Tool Bags around his waist.
The Ninja Tool Bags contained only the most standard weapons and consumables. Yuhara continued following his teammates forward, and soon received a packet of Ration Pills. They were small, high in calories, and packed with energy, making them the ninjas' primary marching rations.
Finally, imitating his teammates, he took a bundle of long, narrow "paper packets" from a heavily guarded box nearby, watched over by two Konoha Ninjas. They looked about the same size as the currency issued by the Heavenly Bank. Yuhara casually picked one up, then saw that the center of the "Heavenly Bank currency" bore not the portrait of the Jade Emperor, but a simple, eye-catching Chinese character:
Explode.
For fuck's sake... Explosive Tags.
Were these explosives really just being handed out so casually? Based on Yuhara's impression, a single box of Explosive Tags could easily flatten this entire camp. At the thought, the Chakra in his fingertips nearly went haywire.
Fortunately, Yuhara had very steady hands. He silently took a deep breath, then carefully stuffed the bundle of Explosive Tags into his Ninja Tool Bag.
With a whole pocketful of "bombs" on him, Yuhara felt like he had become a terrorist.
The four of them finished replenishing their supplies. As they left the supply point, Yuhara thought it over, then quickened his pace and caught up with their captain, Jian Dong:
"Captain Jian Dong, I've never used Explosive Tags before... Could you tell me how to use them?"
For his own safety and that of his teammates, he had to understand how to use these explosives. Otherwise, if he accidentally "blew himself up," it would be a painfully stupid way to die.
Yuhara could only pretend to be a country bumpkin of a ninja who had never seen an Explosive Tag before. Normally, it was impossible for a ninja not to know how to use such standard equipment. But if he insisted that he had never seen or used one before, it was not actually that big a problem.
Sure enough, several teammates merely glanced at him, and then Jian Dong said, "The Explosive Tags issued by the village have already been filled with Chakra. They're powerful weapons that can be used at any time. Before using one, you only need to 'trigger' it. However, you must pay particular attention to the Explosive Tag's effective range..."
Jian Dong was not normally a talkative person, but she still gave Yuhara a detailed explanation of how to use Explosive Tags.
In short, there were two ways to use Explosive Tags: the "pull-trigger type," which reacted to allied Chakra, and the "trigger type," which reacted to enemy Chakra. The former was used for throwing attacks, while the latter was used to set traps... It sounded no different from using fragmentation grenades.
Yuhara listened very seriously, nodding repeatedly to show that he understood. However, after finishing her explanation, Jian Dong hesitated slightly before finally saying to him, "We're a reserve squad, so we definitely won't be thrown into battle without warning. You... should avoid using Explosive Tags unless absolutely necessary."
"..."
Yuhara felt a deep sense of distrust.
What a joke. Given his situation, the fact that Jian Dong was still willing to let him carry Explosive Tags already meant she trusted him considerably. Just imagine it—who would dare let an untrained recruit throw grenades?
Moreover, since Yuhara had asked such a painfully incompetent question, his teammates now had a rough idea of what kind of ninja he was... The "mature and reliable" image he had painstakingly cultivated over the past few days had officially collapsed.
This guy is basically useless on the battlefield... The three teammates arrived at the same conclusion simultaneously.
One hour after the supplies were distributed, the twenty-four ninjas left the camp. Under Rindou's leadership, they headed toward the front lines in a relatively tight formation.
The Land of Fire was comparatively safe, so there was no need for them to adopt a combat formation.
Until they set out, most of them, including Yuhara, did not know their destination or mission objective. Yuhara only knew that the squad had been heading north the entire time. Their enemies were most likely from Iwagakure or the Hidden Cloud.
Most of the ninjas traveled at a run. Yuhara and the others maintained a moderate pace and paid close attention to taking timely breaks along the way. By the standards of Yuhara's previous life, this naturally counted as forced marching. But with the physical constitution of a Chunin in this world, he found the journey relatively easy.
Five days later, they reached the border of the Land of Fire. Beyond it lay an extremely dangerous battle zone.
Captain Rindou called for everyone to stop. Once the ninjas had gathered in a circle, he pulled out a battle map and began explaining the mission:
"Our tactical objective is to kill Koto, an Elite Jonin of the Hidden Cloud. The mission difficulty is A-rank. According to reliable intelligence, the enemy has been operating in eastern the Land of Rice as a two-man squad during this period. Their squad is extremely powerful, and they've already killed many of our personnel. The village requires us to eliminate that dangerous factor."
As Rindou spoke, he used a pencil to circle the enemy ninjas' area of activity on the map.
"Next, we'll report to Konoha's forward outpost and obtain the latest mission intelligence. After that, the squad will proceed to the designated battlefield to search for traces of the enemy, locate the target as quickly as possible, and complete the mission."
Twenty-four ninjas against a two-man squad appeared to offer an overwhelming numerical advantage. However, the problem was that the Konoha side consisted of Genin and Chunin, while the enemies were Elite Jonin... The possibility of total annihilation was far greater than the possibility of completing the mission.
Otherwise, this mission would not have been rated A-rank.
After hearing the captain's explanation, Yuhara immediately understood Konoha's intentions: use their own unreliable cannon fodder to wear down the enemy's elite squad. They would make a huge profit if they won, and lose nothing if they were wiped out... It was a correct, intelligent, and cruel decision.
As a result, Yuhara's desire to escape Konoha instantly intensified.
"The difficulty of this mission is obvious. But the war has now reached its final stage. As long as we persevere and accumulate our advantage bit by bit on the battlefield, victory will ultimately belong to Konoha..."
Rindou gave another pre-battle speech. After saying a few things along the lines of "We must restore Konoha's glory," the squad set off toward the battlefield.
Before long, they reached Konoha's forward camp. However, apart from Captain Rindou, the squad did not enter the camp, choosing instead to wait outside.
Barely half an hour later, Rindou left the camp and returned to the squad with some news:
"Everyone, I have good news. The road ahead should now be clear. Not long ago, Konoha's 'Yellow Flash' drove back the Hidden Cloud's AB Brothers head-on. As a result, the Hidden Cloud's forces have significantly contracted in the direction we're heading..."
It sounded like good news. But after hearing the name "Yellow Flash," Yuhara did not feel excited or reassured. On the contrary, after truly becoming a member of this world, he only felt that such a heroic figure was simply too far removed from a lowly foot soldier like himself.
The "Yellow Flash" driving back the Hidden Cloud's formidable forces sounded to Yuhara no different from hearing that "the Great Sage Equal to Heaven just broke through the Southern Heavenly Gate." Both were events happening at the edge of the sky—admirable and inspirational, perhaps, but completely beyond reach.
Small fry only had small stories to write.
So what would Yuhara face next?
In any case, a world-famous masterpiece was about to unfold:
0.055 stuck at the front lines.
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