Kushina Hadn't Slept Well

"Mm." Hatake Sakumo nodded. He took out a scroll and handed it to Uchiha Mikoto.

"The detailed mission information is in here. Read it carefully. Meet at Konoha Hospital at nine in the morning the day after tomorrow."

Uchiha Mikoto took the scroll. "Yes, Teacher Sakumo."

Seeing that he had delivered the mission instructions, Hatake Sakumo waved goodbye to Uchiha Sosuke and Uchiha Mikoto.

Konoha Hospital, eight thirty in the morning.

Qianye Lan and Kushina had already arrived early and were waiting there.

Kushina yawned and complained, "Why aren't Big Sister Mikoto and Teacher Sakumo here yet?"

After saying that, she rubbed her eyes, looking as though she hadn't fully woken up.

Qianye Lan replied, "I told you we left too early, but you wouldn't believe me."

Kushina leaned lightly against Qianye Lan and yawned again.

Looking at the dark circles under her eyes, Qianye Lan teased, "What, were you so excited about going on an A-rank mission that you couldn't sleep well?"

Kushina protested somewhat guiltily, "Of course not."

It wasn't that she hadn't slept well last night. She hadn't slept at all.

Last night, whenever she thought about going on an A-rank mission, Kushina became excited, and once she was excited, she couldn't fall asleep.

Seeing her guilty expression, Qianye Lan stopped teasing her about it. He simply pointed at a nearby bench and asked, "How about we rest on that bench for a while?"

Already very sleepy, Kushina naturally had no objection and followed Qianye Lan over to sit on the bench.

They sat side by side for a while. At first, Kushina was still talking to Qianye Lan, but after a little longer, she suddenly went quiet.

Qianye Lan felt a weight settle on his shoulder. Turning his head, he discovered that Kushina had fallen asleep against it.

At the sight, Qianye Lan gave a helpless smile. All he could do was shake his head helplessly and let her lean against him.

Some more time passed before Qianye Lan finally spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

He waved tentatively. The figure paused slightly, as though confirming something, then walked over without further hesitation.

As the figure approached, Qianye Lan greeted her softly. "Big Sister Mikoto."

Seeing Kushina leaning against Qianye Lan's shoulder, Uchiha Mikoto felt a little jealous, but she quickly recovered and gave her signature gentle smile.

"Lan."

She chose to sit on Qianye Lan's other side.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned rather strange, and Qianye Lan felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

He reached out to try to take Big Sister Mikoto's hand, only for her to mercilessly dodge him.

Just as he was about to try again, Big Sister Mikoto suddenly sat up straight and said, "Teacher Sakumo."

Qianye Lan could only stop his little movements and greet him as well.

Their voices also woke Kushina. She opened her bleary eyes and said, "Teacher Sakumo," too.

Hatake Sakumo nodded to them in response.

At that moment, a horse-drawn wagon fully loaded with goods approached along with several medical staff.

The medical worker leading them stepped forward first and said, "Lord Sakumo, we're counting on you this time."

Hatake Sakumo gave a reassuring smile. "No problem, Haruno Dai. Leave it to us."

After greeting the medical staff, he turned to Qianye Lan and said, "Prepare to set out!"

"Yes!"

Hatake Sakumo then began assigning duties.

"Uchiha Mikoto, your main responsibility is reconnaissance. Qianye Lan, your main responsibility is to use Shadow Clones to assist Uchiha Mikoto with reconnaissance and combat. Kushina, you only need to provide close protection for the medical staff."

Once the duties had been assigned, they officially began their escort mission.

While they were within Konoha's jurisdiction, everyone looked very relaxed.

Qianye Lan also took the opportunity to ask the other two medical workers their names.

They were Yakushi Aya and Nohara Mei.

Along the way, Haruno Dai asked a question that had puzzled her for a long time. "Lord Sakumo, this is clearly an A-rank mission, so why..."

Although she didn't finish, Hatake Sakumo still guessed her question and concerns.

Hatake Sakumo said calmly, "They're all my finest ninja. Haven't you noticed their vests?"

Only then did Haruno Dai notice that Qianye Lan and the other two were wearing vests that could only be worn after becoming Chunin.

Her concerns vanished instantly, and she said somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry, Lord Sakumo. I failed to notice."

Hatake Sakumo nodded slightly, then said gravely, "We're about to leave Konoha's jurisdiction. Please be careful."

Haruno Dai nodded solemnly and returned to the main group.

Hatake Sakumo had deliberately raised his voice just now to put Qianye Lan and the others on their guard.

Hatake Sakumo stopped first, and the advancing convoy stopped with him.

He said, "Let's rest for now and continue tomorrow morning."

The others had little objection. After all, they only needed to reach the designated location within seven days. At this pace, even with normal rest at night, they would arrive in four days.

Hatake Sakumo also began assigning the night watch.

"Qianye Lan and I will take the first half of the night. Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto will take the second half. Fire a signal flare if you encounter an enemy. Any problems?"

Qianye Lan and the others nodded to indicate that they had no problems.

Everyone else found places to rest.

Qianye Lan first scattered powder nearby to repel snakes and insects.

He also set several simple traps nearby. They weren't very powerful, but when triggered, they would make a loud noise to alert everyone.

After setting the traps, Qianye Lan and Hatake Sakumo began their watch for the first half of the night.

The two leaned against trees, silently watching the crackling fire.

The occasional hooting of owls in the forest left Qianye Lan feeling a little unnerved.

Nothing unexpected happened that night. When the second half of the night came, Qianye Lan woke Uchiha Mikoto and Kushina and indicated that it was their turn to keep watch.

Kushina opened her bleary eyes and looked at Qianye Lan in some confusion.

Then she sat up, her hair already a little tousled from sleep.

Qianye Lan reached out to remove a leaf from her hair and repeated, "It's your turn to keep watch."

Only then did Kushina register what he meant, and she groggily followed Uchiha Mikoto to keep watch.

Two days passed like this, and the convoy finally reached the first of the most dangerous locations.

Looking at the canyon pass in the distance, Qianye Lan summoned a Shadow Clone and sent it ahead to scout the route.

They still had to pass through two more passes like this one.

Twenty minutes later, Qianye Lan received a Shadow Clone's memories.

He turned to Hatake Sakumo behind him and said, "Uncle Sakumo, it's safe ahead. We can proceed."

Hatake Sakumo nodded, then signaled for the convoy to continue.

Meanwhile, the Red Sand Mercenary Company was waiting in boredom at the second canyon pass.

Hino Ryo spoke first. "Boss, why isn't Konoha's convoy here yet?"

Akasuna Kotsu, the commander of the Red Sand Mercenary Company, reassured him. "Just wait a little longer. Don't be so impatient. My informant in Konoha told me two to four days."

As their commander, he still commanded considerable respect, so Hino Ryo quieted down and said no more.