At dawn, the entire Land of Wind camp was on high alert. Cart after cart of supplies lined up to enter through the main gate, while patrol squads responsible for security inspected the perimeter in an orderly fashion.
After making several rounds without finding anything unusual, the patrol members finally relaxed. Generally speaking, camp raids took place at night or around dawn, when the darkness reduced visibility and made sneak attacks easier. Once daylight came, the chances of an attack dropped significantly.
One young Genin waved a hand and said casually, "Ha, Konoha doesn't seem that impressive. I thought they'd attack us. I worried for nothing all night."
"Enough. Don't underestimate the enemy!" The captain at the front turned back with a stern expression. "If the Land of Fire hadn't split its forces into three routes, we never would have driven them back so easily. Even so, we lost many comrades."
His tone softened as he continued, "I'm not saying this just to lecture you. No matter who your opponent is, never let your guard down. Otherwise, you'll pay a terrible price."
The young ninja clearly had never experienced the cruelty of war on the front lines. He still looked unconvinced on the surface. Seeing this, the captain could only sigh inwardly. Some things could not be changed through words alone; they had to be experienced firsthand.
"Captain, something's happening!"
Just as the squad captain was considering how to take his subordinates to the battlefield for some tempering, another subordinate's warning suddenly rang out beside him!
"Hm?"
The squad captain immediately snapped back to attention and looked in the direction his subordinate was pointing. He could vaguely see a group rapidly approaching their camp from afar. Judging by their numbers, there were nearly forty of them!
The young ninja looked