We've Got Connections!

With last night's experience fresh in their minds, Team Five was impressively efficient when they met up the next day.

Todo and Erina were afraid their teacher, Motochika, might pull another stunt, so they both arrived half an hour early.

Soji showed up a little later, but when the three of them met, they still had about fifteen minutes before their scheduled meeting time.

"Good morning, Todo, Erina." Soji waved to his teammates. "Sorry, I think I'm late."

"Not at all. We're the ones who got here too early." Akimichi Todo scratched his cheek awkwardly, while Erina took the opportunity to tighten her backpack straps.

Unlike Soji, who only had a standard-issue ninja tool pouch hanging behind him, the two who'd arrived earlier seemed to have brought a lot of equipment in case of an emergency.

For a ninja, carrying all that gear wouldn't affect their efficiency over a short period. But if they had to march a long distance, the extra equipment would become a burden.

They were all rookies on the battlefield, so Soji understood his teammates' thinking. Still, he couldn't let the chance to remind them of a few important things pass him by.

Truly objective and rational people planned ahead, before problems arose.

In any case, Soji didn't want to wait until his teammates could barely walk before making snide remarks and playing the bad guy.

"As the saying goes, 'A long journey makes even a light load heavy.'

"If you carry everything just to prepare for an emergency, you might end up fumbling around when you actually need something."

"But if we don't bring enough supplies, what if we run into trouble again, like last night...?"

"This is really a question of trade-offs and priorities. Nobody can account for everything. It's the same with strategy and tactics as it is with equipment. Otherwise, the Second wouldn't have sacrificed himself to cover the retreat..." Soji shrugged and sighed helplessly.

"From a practical standpoint, we can only choose the items we're most likely to use, given our limited carrying capacity. Trying to prepare for everything can backfire."

"But what if it's a long mission and we really do need to bring a lot of supplies?"

Erina pulled her backpack around to the front and unzipped it, looking through it for ages. Even after staring at it until she was overwhelmed by indecision, she couldn't pick out many things she considered "unnecessary." "It's not like I can just swap out or modify the talismans..."

At that, Soji pointed to his own ninja tool pouch and continued, "During wartime, if there's a special need to carry a lot of ninja tools, or certain supplies need to be kept separate, the village provides frontline squads with point-to-point logistical support.

"Ninjas working on the front lines can leave equipment that would throw off their balance with the transport unit, and have them take it to the front."

"I see!" The chubby boy wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a relieved breath.

Erina moved to the boy's side and asked curiously, "Where did you hear all this, Soji?"

"A senior who looked after me at the hospital happened to have served in the last Shinobi World War." Soji tilted his head and gave her a warm smile. "Ever since I heard the situation at the border was getting more tense, I've often asked him for advice. What about you, Erina? Didn't your parents give you any pointers?"

"No, no." The girl raised a hand and quickly fanned herself in front of her nose. "My mother isn't a ninja, and my father's out on a mission right now. There's no one at home to talk to me about this stuff~ Todo's situation is probably about the same, right?"

"Uh, pretty much. But both my parents are out on missions at the same time..."

"...Every family has its troubles."

Soji patted Todo on the shoulder.

Their longing for their parents, their worry about the fighting—there was no need for words.

Just then, their teacher, Motochika, arrived right on time.

Like Soji, he noticed that his two students were carrying clearly overloaded packs and immediately launched into a brief lesson.

Once he'd finished saying all the usual things, Nara Motochika finally explained the main purpose of the trip.

"Unfortunately, we don't have time to get accustomed to working together. The situation on the southwestern border has deteriorated rapidly, and the Hokage has ordered us to complete the supply route and repair all the necessary defensive facilities as soon as possible.

"So Team Five will officially set out at eight this morning, escorting the medical team from Konoha Hospital to the border, where they'll be stationed at the Jingu Forest Field Hospital, which is under construction. You can hand over any extra equipment to the hospital for transport."

"Now that's good news!"

Erina relaxed, but quickly followed up with another question. "In that case, can I ask them to transport some other things too? I spent ages deciding what to bring last night, and left a lot of the larger equipment in my family's workshop!"

"In theory, that shouldn't be a problem... But don't blame me if the hospital refuses because you're bringing too much."

Motochika suddenly remembered something halfway through. He rubbed his chin and looked at Yamada, who was traveling light. "Soji, you're also on Konoha Hospital's support roster this time. You should know more about this than I do, right?"

"Yes." Soji nodded readily. "According to the hospital's plan, each member of the accompanying Guard Unit can transport about two cubic meters' worth of cargo, not counting food and water."

"Only two cubic meters? That's nowhere near enough!"

Erina pouted pitifully, her big, bright eyes full of hints...

Soji met her gaze head-on, but remained perfectly calm, utterly unaffected.

Instead of giving Erina a clear answer, he turned to Motochika and Akimichi Todo, bringing the other two members of Team Five into the conversation.

"That's the official rule, but ordinary genin probably don't have that much luggage to bring. So if you look beyond the per-person average, the hospital's support team still has plenty of spare capacity."

He paused, then straightened up and deliberately raised his voice. "To better carry out our escort mission—and, even more importantly, to ensure the field hospital gets built properly—I think it'd be best to redistribute the transport capacity as needed. As one of the doctors supporting the hospital, I'm willing to coordinate things. What do you think?"

"You've already arranged everything so neatly. What could I possibly object to?"

After his talk with the Third Hokage last night, Motochika had been prepared for Soji to be far more capable than others his age.

He spread his hands in a shrug and gestured for his other two students to speak freely.

"I don't need much. I already told the hospital what I needed through the proper channels. If either of you has equipment you can't carry, don't miss this chance!"

"Great! In that case, I've got two multi-purpose launchers. I'll leave them in your hands, Soji~"

"Um... Soji, I also have some special ninja tools that work with my clan's secret techniques... I'm counting on you!"

"Sure, sure. Tell me what you need. If I can arrange it, I will."

As the saying went, there were four ways to forge an unbreakable bond: going to school together, fighting side by side, sharing a porn magazine, and splitting the spoils.

Soji had come from humble beginnings, and he wanted to expand his social circle and lay the groundwork for his grander plans. Without hesitation, he started a little side business, using public resources for private gain!

Besides, Director Inoue Hisahide wasn't exactly a stickler for the rules. Soji felt no guilt about sneaking things through his connections.

What could I do? I had connections up above!