The Escort Mission

Konoha had entered a state of war, and the violent machine was running at full speed.

The peacetime training system had been abandoned. There were no tedious missions to find cats or catch dogs, and no time left for rookies to grow.

At a time like this, newly promoted Genin were thrown straight onto the battlefield.

It was like tossing a pile of poisonous insects into a clay pot. Only the final survivor earned the right to enjoy peace.

Mo Jingxian received his mission assignment soon afterward. Less than a week later, he was handed his mission orders.

The days in June dawned early.

It was just past eight in the morning when a large number of supply wagons gathered before Konoha's gates. They were carrying provisions to the front lines.

By the time Mo Jingxian arrived, the convoy was ready to depart.

"Captain Yamashiro, here are my mission orders."

He found the leader and handed them over.

Yamashiro Baiyun checked them, confirmed everything was in order, then returned them.

"So you're Mo Jingxian."

"Yes. Is there anything you need, Captain Yamashiro?"

Yamashiro Baiyun gave him a meaningful look.

"Nothing. Go join the others."

Mo Jingxian joined the ranks and quietly assessed the team's makeup.

One High Ninja: Yamashiro Baiyun, who was also the mission captain.

One Chunin and four Genin, including Mo Jingxian. Six ninja in all were escorting the convoy.

The standard formation for two ninja squads.

The wagons were covered with tarps and lined up neatly. More than twenty civilians were driving them.

He couldn't tell what the wagons were carrying, but he could smell a faint herbal fragrance in the air.

The wagons rolled out of Konoha's gates in orderly groups and followed the established route. Before long, they had vanished from sight.

At exactly nine in the morning, it was finally the turn of Mo Jingxian's team.

At the captain's command, the wheels began to turn, and the convoy set off.

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

"Stay alert. The enemy could appear at any moment."

Captain Yamashiro was at the front of the convoy. His voice carried from far away, yet every word was perfectly clear.

The High Ninja led the way, and the Chunin brought up the rear. The four Genin split into two groups.

One group guarded the middle of the convoy, while the other two spread out to keep watch, staying a hundred meters away.

The two groups took turns escorting the convoy.

In truth, the convoy hadn't traveled very far in those three hours, covering less than twenty kilometers.

"Stop! We'll rest here for half an hour."

The order came, and the convoy halted in an open area. The travelers seized the chance to take a few bites of their dry rations.

This was Mo Jingxian's first mission. The novelty of leaving the village was wearing off, and the rest of the journey didn't look as if it would be pleasant.

This was the ordinary life of a ninja. Most missions were like this.

He hurriedly chewed a few bites of dry rations, then secretly gathered a mouthful of water with his talent and washed down the dry bean cake stuck in his throat.

The convoy set off again. That afternoon, it was Mo Jingxian's group's turn to guard the perimeter.

He ran and leaped among the forest trees, leaving one huge trunk after another behind.

Ever since leaving the village, Mo Jingxian had kept the Mist of Vitality active. He had no intention of dying to a Kunai hurled from the shadows.

They had only just left the village, but there was no such thing as being too careful.

After his improvements, the detection version of the Mist of Vitality consumed less Chakra and was much fainter. It was easy to overlook unless someone paid close attention.

The journey went smoothly, with no danger. Before nightfall, the convoy reached its planned campsite.

The sun sank below the horizon, and the last traces of sunset faded from the sky.

Night fell.

The convoy formed a circle, with fires burning around its perimeter. Their shifting light cast the faces of those nearby in alternating shadow and glow.

"Xian, come over and rest. Have something to eat."

Mo Jingxian had just returned from patrolling. He didn't immediately refuse the unexpected invitation.

He walked over to the fire and sat on the ground.

He took the roasted flatbread Yamashiro Baiyun handed him and began eating heartily.

"I've heard Lord Minato mention you. He's praised your talent more than once."

Now he understood. Affection and resentment never came from nowhere.

Mo Jingxian swallowed the mouthful of flatbread.

"You know Big Brother Minato?"

"I followed Lord Minato for a while. I was deeply impressed by his character, and I hope we'll have the chance to fight alongside each other again."

The admiration in Yamashiro Baiyun's eyes when he spoke of Minato was unmistakable.

"Yeah, Big Brother Minato really is a good person. I admire him too."

There was no need to say too much. Sometimes it was best to leave things at that.

Yamashiro Baiyun made as if to stand.

"Take your time eating. I'll make another round."

He patted Mo Jingxian on the shoulder and whispered, his voice low enough for only the two of them to hear:

"If we're attacked, be sure to stay close to me."

Mo Jingxian watched Yamashiro Baiyun disappear into the shadows of the trees and smiled silently.

Wherever people gathered, there were connections to be made. That was the benefit of getting in with the right crowd.

Why was he so sure Yamashiro Baiyun wasn't trying to deceive him? Because so far, he hadn't seen any change in the man's reputation score.

His goodwill was entirely because of Minato Namikaze.

For three days, the convoy traveled without a hitch.

That day, Mo Jingxian was moving along with the convoy.

Suddenly, an alarm rang out in the woods not far away.

The convoy stopped immediately. Mo Jingxian drew his short blade and stood ready, keeping watch.

A moment later, branches rustled in the canopy as the ninja assigned to perimeter patrol hurried back.

"Enemy attack! A large band of robbers is heading this way!"

Konoha's ninja immediately assumed battle positions, guarding the convoy from four directions.

A few minutes later, a rustling sound came from the woods.

One robber after another emerged from the trees.

Calling them robbers was a stretch. They looked worse than refugees.

There were a lot of them, nearly two hundred in all, arriving one after another.

But their weapons were all different, and not one was a decent piece of iron. They had nothing but sticks and stones.

They were filthy and unkempt, most with only a few scraps of cloth to cover their private parts.

Their exposed skin was cracked like the bark of an old tree. Their bones jutted out, as if they might tear through their thin skin at any moment.

They were a walking pile of bones.

"Stop! If you don't want to die, get out of here!"

The threat had no effect. The crowd kept closing in.

Mo Jingxian didn't know how to describe the scene. It was as if a rock were weighing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

A few Kunai took the lives of the men at the front, but the crowd showed no sign of stopping.

There was no fear left in their eyes, nor any other emotion. Only numbness remained.

"Take them out."

The captain had given his order. His subordinates could only obey.

A blade cut through a neck. The blood was red.

The severed head's eyes were finally free of numbness. With a brief look of contentment, they closed forever.

Mo Jingxian had never imagined his first battle would be like this.

There was hardly any real resistance. The enemies were cut down in rows like wheat.

Perhaps death was a kind of release for them.

Even after the last enemy fell at his feet, he still couldn't bring himself to sheath his blade.

The convoy set off again. The mood, which had been fairly relaxed before, was now grim. That baptism in blood had quickly stripped the new ninja of their innocence.

There were no lectures, and no right or wrong. Only survival.

From that moment on, Mo Jingxian plunged headfirst into the vast cauldron of the Ninja World.

Night fell again.

Hidden among the treetops, he could still see the faint, flickering firelight nearby.

A ninja's life was a little dull. It was all traveling and keeping watch, nothing like he'd imagined.

The Mist of Vitality spread little by little around him. Every so often, it helped him find a bit of amusement.

A small bird appeared within his perception. The mist slowly gathered around it, growing denser.

By the time the bird sensed danger, it was too late. The mist turned into a miniature Water Flood Dragon and wrapped tightly around it.

The Water Flood Dragon pinned it to a branch. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't get free.

Slowly, a fine golden line appeared along the Water Flood Dragon's body. Its grip suddenly tightened.

The poor bird opened its beak, but no sound came out.

Fortunately, the Water Flood Dragon suddenly loosened its grip, and the bird survived.

No!

That wasn't supposed to happen.

Hidden in the treetops, Mo Jingxian tested the idea of incorporating the principles of Sealing Jutsu into the Water Dragon Technique.

Ever since waking up in the hospital, he had been trying to make it work. Unfortunately, he still hadn't succeeded.

The Adamantine Sealing Chains technique required powerful Yang Release Chakra to use. He didn't have that.

But could he imitate it with Chakra of another nature?

Mo Jingxian had nearly finished deconstructing the technique's principles. He could even use water to imitate them, but every attempt had failed.

What was he missing?

The bird was still firmly bound to the distant branch, while he remained completely stumped.

Imitation, frequency, energy—he compared them one by one, but his thoughts felt blocked, like a sealed-off opening.

Just as he was at a loss,

a flash of insight crossed his mind.

That was it—the symbols!

Language had to follow an order, so the symbols used to communicate with the world should follow an order too.

Different carriers were equivalent to different linguistic environments.

I'm such an idiot. How did I not think of that sooner?

With inspiration pouring in, Mo Jingxian immediately began to experiment.

The bird was in for a rough time.

One moment, it was squeezed until it could barely breathe. The next, it was shivering from the cold.

At last, it instinctively sensed a great terror descending upon it and began to struggle desperately, as if with one last burst of strength.

The golden lines on the little Water Flood Dragon's body twisted and intertwined, gradually forming mysterious symbols.

An unknown rule descended. The bird stopped struggling. It was still alive, but had lost control of its body.

A rune finally took shape, and the Water Flood Dragon's body suddenly collapsed.

The bird seized its freedom and shot into the sky, flying far away from this place of nightmares.

Mo Jingxian held out his palm, and a Water Flood Dragon appeared above it.

Then the Water Flood Dragon turned into mist and reappeared in the distance.

The first attempt to combine the principles of Sealing Jutsu with the Water Dragon Technique had succeeded. The more he tested it, the more adept he became at using it.

A Water Flood Dragon as thick as his arm emerged from his back, raising its head toward the moon as if it were alive.

Then a second, and a third...

He summoned eight Water Flood Dragons in one breath.

It was the perfect match for the Adamantine Sealing Chains technique.

The Water Flood Dragons surged behind Mo Jingxian, as if he had suddenly grown eight extra arms.

The novelty of it made him eager to play around. He controlled the dragons as they wound among the branches.

Every piece of information within the Mist of Vitality flooded into his mind, nearly making him tumble from the tree.

He'd gone too far.

He quickly withdrew the technique, cutting off most of his connection to the Mist of Vitality.

He could barely contain his excitement. If circumstances allowed, he would have laughed at the top of his lungs.

Tonight, a new ninjutsu

had been born in his hands!