Outside Konoha

How big was Konoha? That depended on how you defined it.

In the narrow sense, Konoha consisted of the sizable main town, partly enclosed by tall walls, along with several large training grounds in the forest near Kage Rock, including the legendary Death Forest No. 44.

This was the area Konoha prioritized protecting. From the shelters beneath Kage Rock to the surrounding walls, Sensory Barriers had been set up. Outside the large training grounds around the perimeter, traps were densely laid, and Ninja patrolled in shifts and maintained them regularly.

In the broad sense, Konoha was many times larger. Numerous villages, fields, and pastures surrounded the main town, providing its residents with the food, meat, eggs, milk, medicinal herbs, and other necessities they needed.

The Nara Deer Farm was somewhere in the surrounding area.

There were also several bustling towns with their own specialties. Some were industrial centers that produced necessities for Konoha, such as various snacks, processed foods, and household goods. Well-known brands sold throughout the Land of Fire and even the Shinobi World.

Otherwise, where did Choji and Naruto get their potato chips and cup noodles?

Others were geared toward entertainment and tourism, with casinos, hot springs, izakayas, and the like. Konoha had such places inside the village too, but they were respectable establishments, unlike those outside, which had their own... distinctive character.

Konoha held a special position in the Land of Fire. This vast region was essentially a designated autonomous area, governed by the Hokage and entangled in complex interests with the village's major clans.

Konoha's primary purpose was to train Ninja and protect the Land of Fire.

The surrounding districts, meanwhile, supplied the nutrition needed by this populous fortress of war.

In short, apart from the Military Expenses allocated by the Daimyo, Konoha also had its own stable internal cycle.

This hadn't been something Konoha deliberately established. After its founding, ordinary people in the surrounding areas had gathered there of their own accord, seeking the Ninja's protection.

As the population grew, Konoha had also guided its development, and gradually the mutually beneficial arrangement took shape.

The advantage was that life became more convenient for Konoha's people. Centered on Konoha, the area had developed into a bustling region second only to the Land of Fire's capital.

The downside was obvious too: of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha was the least secretive. The other four Ninja Villages would rather hide themselves as deeply as possible.

Early the next morning, at the Mission Hall.

Higashino Makoto met up with his teammates and followed Yugao Gekko there.

Choosing a mission and completing the paperwork to leave the village was a simple process. Over the past few days, the three members of Yun Jian Squad had already learned how to do it from their teacher.

The Mission Hall only handled D-Rank, C-Rank, and a few relatively easy B-Rank Missions. More difficult missions of B-Rank or higher weren't posted here; the Hokage Office assigned them directly to suitable squads based on intelligence.

So the Hokage himself rarely appeared at the Mission Hall. He only came to take charge in special circumstances, and even then, it might only be a Shadow Clone.

The Third was a busy old man. He couldn't sit here all day like an ordinary employee, slacking off. Besides, wasn't the Crystal Ball in his office much more useful?

Using a lot of Shadow Clones to handle his work, like some tireless workaholic, was probably something only the Seventh Hokage could manage. An ordinary person's body couldn't take it.

Higashino Makoto looked around the Mission Hall. Plenty of people had come to take missions, just like them. A few squads had Squad Leader Teachers with them; they were probably this year's newly graduated teams.

Some squads had only three members, and their teammates were older.

When they reached the iconic Konoha Gate, they showed their permits to leave the village. Once they were outside, Uzuki Yugao suddenly seemed much more cheerful. She leaped onto a treetop and gazed at the unfamiliar scenery in the distance, as if she were looking at a whole new world.

The Ninja Village kept a tight rein on its Ninja. Leaving the village without a mission or permission was tantamount to becoming a Rogue Ninja.

Even before graduation, Academy students and Ninja reserves weren't allowed to leave the village without permission or an adult escort.

She spread her arms and said happily, "So this is what the world outside is like. It seems almost the same as the village."

Gekko Hayate was a little speechless. "Of course it is. The area you're looking at is still within Konoha Jurisdiction."

"Hey, Makoto, have you never been curious about the world outside?"

Higashino Makoto shook his head. "No, I'm very curious. But we'll have plenty of time to explore later. Come down—we're leaving."

Yugao Gekko smiled without saying anything. He led them away from the main road, leaping through the forest and heading straight east.

That was how Ninja were. The road? What was a road? To them, the shortest distance between two points was a straight line. They'd never take the main roads used by ordinary people and ox carts.

With Chakra, anywhere could be a road. Efficiency was what mattered most to them.

The towns surrounding Konoha were scattered around it like stars around the moon. None were very far from the center of Konoha, and at a Ninja's speed, they could reach them in no time.

On the way, though, they ran into another squad. It had only three members, all male, dressed in ordinary clothes. Their Konoha Headbands identified them as Ninja. They had no Squad Leader Teacher, and the youngest looked to be fifteen or sixteen, while the oldest seemed to be in his twenties.

Higashino Makoto recognized the three, not because they were famous, but because he'd seen them at the Mission Hall earlier. They'd just finished their paperwork and left as his group arrived.

They were quite friendly. The oldest, who seemed to be their leader, greeted them warmly. "Hey, seniors! And adorable juniors. Are you heading nearby to do a mission too?"

Yugao Gekko glanced at the three, said nothing, and simply smiled and nodded in response before darting past.

Gekko Hayate had always been a man of few words. Uzuki Yugao was only lively around people she knew well, so, like Yugao Gekko, she just nodded in reply.

From the beginning, the trio had treated Higashino Makoto as their leader. Gekko Hayate had graduated a year earlier than the other two, but he had no objection. It was a habit they'd formed when they were young.

Higashino Makoto gave a brief reply. "Yeah. You seniors are too, right? Well, good luck to all of us. See you!"

"Yeah, good luck! See you!"

Higashino Makoto's group of four moved faster and didn't stay to chat. The two groups parted as quickly as they'd met.

Once they had put some distance between them, Uzuki Yugao asked curiously, "Teacher, those seniors look pretty old. Are they still Genin? They don't seem to have a Squad Leader Teacher!"

Yugao Gekko explained to his students, "They are Genin. It's normal not to have a teacher. A Jonin isn't a babysitter. Usually, they only lead a newly graduated squad for a year, two at most. Their relationship ends once their subordinates are promoted to Chunin."

"What if they don't get promoted to Chunin?"

Higashino Makoto quietly added, "If they can't get promoted to Chunin in two years, their Squad Leader Jonin is even less likely to waste any more time on them."

Yugao Gekko said nothing, clearly accepting that explanation.

The Shinobi World was realistic and cruel.

The relationship between a Squad Leader Teacher and newly graduated students was, at its core, that of a superior and subordinates, with an experienced Ninja guiding newcomers. The superior was responsible for further training newly graduated subordinates, including passing on experience and techniques.

But if a subordinate had little talent, or if they and their Jonin never formed a strong enough bond, the Squad Leader Teacher wouldn't keep babysitting them. He certainly wouldn't take them on as disciples and form the deeply interconnected relationship of master and student.

The Konoha 11 of the future were special. Not every squad was like theirs.

Gekko Hayate then showed Uzuki Yugao another, more realistic side of the Ninja world. "Those three must have been regrouped later on.

"My old Squad Leader Jonin once told me that some Ninja weren't just limited in ability; they also lacked resilience. After seeing the cruel side of the Shinobi World and witnessing a teammate's death, they could easily be left with a shadow in their hearts. From then on, they only dared to take low-level missions in the village and muddle through.

"I think those three we just met are probably like that."

Uzuki Yugao fell silent for a while, then suddenly smiled again. "Hey, Makoto, Hayate, we must never become like that. Never!"

Yugao Gekko didn't encourage her. He only hoped silently that once she and Higashino Makoto saw the true cruelty of the Ninja world, they'd still hold fast to their convictions and keep moving forward.