With Jiraiya, a Kage-level babysitter, around, it was hardly dangerous to let the Ninja Academy rookies see the corpses on a battlefield. As the old saying went, it was all about the atmosphere. Everyone believed that after being immersed in the atmosphere of a real battlefield, the next generation would, like their predecessors, understand the cruelty of war and the value of peace.
Of course, to put it less pleasantly, if you did not want to die, you could make someone else die first.
On a bright, sunny morning, the Konoha sightseeing group—no, the Konoha youth corps—crossed the border of the Land of Fire under the leadership of Jiraiya, one of the legendary Three Sannin. They were already very close to their destination.
Konoha had dispatched a large number of elite shinobi much earlier, sweeping this region over and over. Although the Konoha youth corps had technically left the country, safety was still highly assured. It was not much different from being back home.
"Heh heh, before I came, my father told me that we'd be serving under Jiraiya this time. So I absolutely have to kill at least one Cloud Ninja. I can't disgrace the clan." Surrounded by a group of children, Uchiha Shinji looked unbearably pleased with himself. Though everyone maintained a combat formation, they were standing far too close together for it to serve any purpose. If they were ambushed, they would have no strategic depth at all.
Hearing Brother Shinji show off his determination, some of the civilian children around him obligingly let out soft exclamations of admiration, making Shinji even more smug.
Xing Ran, who was mixed in with the group, was somewhat stunned. Had he really attended the same school as these people? Or did society force people to grow up too quickly? He