Trial in the Dark (Second Update)

The Land of Rain neighbors the Land of Birds and the Land of Rivers.

In reality, however, the Land of Birds and the Land of Rivers are both minor nations, all of which are surrounded by the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind.

Once war erupts, these three small nations inevitably become mired in the conflict.

The Land of Rain, in particular, being at the very center, often becomes the heart of the battlefield.

Precisely because of this, the people of this country suffer greatly from the ravages of war, and the nation's power is weak.

Amegakure, which relies on the Land of Rain, is even more marginalized; even when accepting missions, they are restricted to the most dangerous and difficult assassination-type tasks.

Iga Kawaji introduced the mission to his three team members while they were on the move.

"The signs of war are already appearing. Although no one wishes to see this, basic preparations must be made."

"As the central convergence point for the three great powers of Wind, Earth, and Fire, the Land of Rain will surely become a primary battlefield once war breaks out in the Shinobi World. Rather than blindly encountering enemies later, it is better to be prepared now."

"Our mission is to enter the Land of Rain to gather intelligence and collect information on the general distribution of ninjas from various countries within the region."

Intelligence missions are considered quite common in the Shinobi World.

But common does not mean simple.

Especially when it involves intelligence between nations, almost every one of them can be classified as A-rank or higher!

The danger of an A-rank mission is self-evident!

Gong Yi frowned. He had just graduated and was already participating in an A-rank mission; had the situation become this tense?

As Iga Kawaji spoke, he glanced back at the group, his gaze lingering on Gong Yi for a moment longer than the others.

"Don't be afraid. Although most intelligence missions are A-rank, the scope of this one is so broad that our village has dispatched more than just our team. Similar missions are underway in the Land of Rivers and the Land of Birds. We even have comrades already in the Land of Rain."

Gong Yi felt Iga Kawaji's gaze and the corner of his mouth curled upward.

He wasn't afraid; he was simply in the habit of thinking about the deeper implications of everything.

Perhaps to put Gong Yi at ease, Iga Kawaji added a few more words.

"Although it is an A-rank mission, because many teams are involved, the risk is spread out. In other words, the difficulty of this mission is roughly around C-rank. Of course, if we encounter battles between ninjas, or if relevant big shots appear, the mission difficulty will rise accordingly."

"Heh, we shouldn't be that unlucky."

When he said this, Iga sounded indifferent.

He was very confident in his own strength; few Jonin who came from the Anbu were weaklings.

As long as he didn't have the terrible luck of running into a squad led by two or three Jonin, he was confident he could bring these three youths back in one piece.

The mission briefing concluded. Iga did not go into further detail; he would play it by ear once they arrived.

With a wave of his hand, Iga channeled his Chakra into his feet and darted forward!

"Follow me! Don't fall behind!"

Gong Yi, Ogawara, and Hyuga Senso hurriedly followed.

The sun was scorching in the sky, casting mottled shadows of leaves in the forest as several figures moved rapidly, constantly stepping on tree trunks.

This continued for more than three hours.

Iga Kawaji's pace was fast but steady, ensuring he remained within his team members' line of sight while forcing them to exert themselves to keep up.

Gong Yi was maintaining his Gravity Technique at eleven times, which was slightly strenuous as he was not yet fully accustomed to it.

When he sensed Iga Kawaji occasionally glancing back to check on them, his heart stirred.

This must be the captain's test for the three of us!

Thinking of this, Gong Yi issued a command to the Scholar System.

"Disengage eleven times Gravity Technique, ten times!"

Going from eleven to ten meant subtracting not only the gravity multiplier but also Gong Yi's lack of adaptation.

Almost instantly, he returned to the ten-fold gravity state he had grown accustomed to before the graduation exam.

Relying on his explosive physical fitness, he followed behind Iga Kawaji with ease.

Behind him were Hyuga Senso and Ogawara, in that order.

Huh, he still has energy to spare!

Catching Gong Yi's movement and his steady, rhythmic breathing in his peripheral vision, Iga Kawaji was somewhat surprised.

Just as Gong Yi had guessed, Iga Kawaji was indeed using this forced march as a test.

After all, he had just taken over this squad, and he wasn't very familiar with the members; after all, the information in their files was static.

They were currently within the borders of the Land of Fire, which was relatively safe, so even if they burned through some stamina, with him watching over them, a short rest would be no problem.

Moreover, a forced march could reveal a member's true capabilities.

Things like stamina, Chakra control, speed, and so on.

Originally, he had expected Gong Yi, as a newly graduated Genin with little experience in long-distance travel, to lag behind.

But he hadn't expected Gong Yi to stay right on his heels, pulling ahead of the other two by a significant margin.

When he saw this earlier, Iga Kawaji had been puzzled, but upon remembering that Gong Yi had defeated a veteran Chunin during his graduation exam, he had felt relieved.

But as Gong Yi followed him without any strain, even when he increased his speed, Gong Yi still didn't fall behind, and Iga Kawaji was shocked.

"The Naruto told me to pay close attention to this child. Truly, his talent is immense!"