Kushina, whose first mission had been so comfortable, found this a little hard to bear.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Most missions are probably like this. Our first one was only so easy because it was too simple," Mikoto said with a shrug.
"Hang in there. We're almost there." Uchiha Yin glanced around. "We haven't been attacked once on the road. We're already lucky. If we had been attacked, we'd be covered in sweat, maybe even blood. That would be even worse."
"True. I just hope we reach the battlefield soon," Kushina said. "We haven't even run into any bandits this whole week. It's been so boring."
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
After the Ninja of the Hyuga Clan confirmed there were no enemies nearby, the group used Fire Release to light a campfire.
Dan Katō sat alone, looking dejected. He held a Soldier Pill and chewed it without expression, seemingly lost in thought.
Before long, an approaching teammate interrupted him.
"Deputy Captain Dan Katō."
"Oh, it's you, Feizhu." Dan Katō snapped out of it and looked up at him. "What is it?"
"It's nothing important..." Feizhu shook his head. "There's just something I'm wondering about."
"Tsunade's apprentices are all so young. Sending them to the battlefield seems a little too dangerous."
"If young eagles never weather a storm, they'll never learn to soar. The battlefield is dangerous, but it's full of opportunities too."
Dan Katō managed a faint smile as he spoke.
"True. I heard Tsunade's apprentices are as strong as Jonin. Apparently, they even killed a Jonin from Kumogakure."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had ordered everyone involved in that incident to keep quiet, but rumors had still spread. Few people believed them, though.
"Those are just rumors. They must be exaggerated. You don't actually believe them, do you?"