The Uneasy Command Room

After Uchiha Meikyō, Inuzuka Ryo, and Aburame Nami took out two Amegakure Chunin, they threw themselves back into the battle.

It could be said that their squad's strength was quite outstanding on this battlefield.

Uchiha Meikyō's current strength placed him among the better Chunin, while Inuzuka Ryo and Aburame Nami were not to be underestimated either. Working together, one or two ordinary Chunin were no match for them. Soon afterward, they joined forces again and killed another Amegakure Chunin.

After that, however, they claimed no more kills.

It was not because they could no longer fight, but because the three of them had drawn the attention of the other Amegakure Chunin. Three Chunin had been specifically assigned to hold them back, preventing Meikyō and the others from making any further moves.

Meikyō was not worried, though, because Konoha currently held the advantage on the battlefield.

Although a small portion of the supplies had been damaged, they had successfully suppressed Amegakure completely, keeping them outside and preventing them from touching the supplies again.

Takeda Hiroshi naturally noticed this as well.

His strength was on roughly the same level as Shirakumo Tokinobu's, though he was slightly stronger. Thus, he could spare some attention to observe the situation on the battlefield. He naturally understood that Amegakure could no longer achieve its objective. Continuing the fight would be pointless and would only increase their losses. After exchanging a blow with Takeda Hiroshi, he swiftly pulled away.

"Rain Ninja, retreat!"

After saying that, he withdrew without even arranging anyone to cover the retreat.

He knew that Konoha's people would not pursue too far while protecting the supplies, so it made little difference whether he left anyone behind or not.

At this point, Meikyō and the other two only managed to kill one Genin during the pursuit before Shirakumo Tokinobu ordered them to stop.

Their foremost task was to protect the supplies and deliver them to the Front Line.

"Everyone, rest in place for twenty minutes. Replenish your Chakra, inspect the supplies, then depart immediately! Both we and the supplies have been exposed. We must relocate as soon as possible!"

Shirakumo Tokinobu's expression remained steady as he issued the order cleanly and decisively.

Taking advantage of the time, Meikyō had Aburame Nami repeatedly use her Kikaichū to probe several Rain Ninja corpses on the ground. Only after confirming that they were truly safe did they search a few more bodies.

Unfortunately, these Amegakure ninja were all terribly poor, leaving Meikyō and the others with little to gain.

Perhaps because they had run into a wall, or perhaps because Shirakumo Tokinobu had relocated so decisively, Konoha's logistics transport unit did not encounter another enemy attack along the way. They successfully delivered most of the remaining supplies to the Front Line.

Konoha's camp in the Land of Rain lay entirely within the Land of Rain's borders.

The air here was even damper, and the sky seemed eternally veiled by dark clouds. No matter the hour, raindrops were always falling from above.

To make drainage easier, Konoha's camp in the Land of Rain had been built on a relatively elevated stretch of flat ground. Beside it was a slope, with a small river flowing below. Even if the rain became too heavy, there would be somewhere for the floodwaters to drain.

Not to mention, this high-ground terrain was better suited for defending a camp.

"Whew, I'm exhausted. I can finally get some proper rest."

The moment they entered the tent, Inuzuka Ryo could not help but drop onto the mat. Tetsu Maru remained by the entrance, constantly shaking his body in an attempt to fling the water from his fur.

"I asked the Jonin handling the logistics supplies. Master Dan is currently carrying out a mission outside the camp and probably won't be back for several days. Looks like we won't get to see him."

After saying that, Meikyō tossed some damp firewood onto the ground, intending to dry it with Fire Style before starting a fire. It would warm them up, and they could boil some water and cook something to eat.

"We're only staying here for one night, so we probably really won't get to see Master Dan and the others."

Aburame Nami said as she adjusted her sunglasses.

Her coat seemed highly waterproof. Meikyō and Inuzuka Ryo were both drenched like rats, while she appeared completely unaffected.

As they spoke, Meikyō had already started a fire on the ground.

"Forget it, let's cook something warm first. We've been eating Ration Pills these past two days, and I feel like my tongue is about to go bad."

Meikyō could not help complaining.

Although Ration Pills could replenish Chakra and were incredibly filling, their taste was truly indescribable.

"Huh? But... it doesn't seem like we have anything to cook?"

Inuzuka Ryo felt that he had spotted the key issue. However, Meikyō somehow pulled out a Beef Can and some scattered Wild Vegetables and Roots.

"Well, I brought them along before we left. We'll just have to make do. The Ninja Academy taught us how to identify these wild vegetables and such. I picked some relatively decent ones along the way. Add a little water to the canned meat, and it should taste fine."

"Awesome!"

Inuzuka Ryo immediately beamed with joy. Tetsu Maru also came running over from the tent entrance, panting happily as he wagged his tail and bounced excitedly at the Beef Can in Meikyō's hand.

Once the firewood had dried enough, Meikyō opened his mouth and breathed out a wisp of flame with Fire Style, lighting it. He then placed the opened Beef Can on the stone rack they had set up beforehand.

"Ah, miscalculation. We don't have a pot, so cooking it like this is inconvenient. We can only eat the meat while tossing these vegetables in to blanch them before taking them out."

Meikyō smacked his forehead, then took several twigs and used his Wakizashi to carve them into wooden skewers. He tossed the vegetables into the can, fished them out once they were cooked, and ate them.

Small patches of white foam floated atop the boiling meat broth. They picked out the meat and vegetables from within and put them into their mouths.

Being able to have a bite of something hot on such a rainy day was already a pleasure.

Especially since the can had been made to last as long as possible, it contained plenty of salt and thick beef fat. Even without seasoning, it tasted quite good.

There was not much of it, barely enough for three people and one dog, but everyone still ate to their hearts' content.

Their first meal on their first day at the Land of Rain's frontline camp was simple, unadorned, and peaceful.

Yet at this very moment, the Command Room of Konoha's frontline camp was far from peaceful.

"Lord En, the supplies that were just delivered have been inventoried."

A ninja reported to Mitokado Homura, who was seated in the main position.

"I understand. Distribute these supplies, along with the ones already in storage, as soon as possible."

Mitokado Homura replied, rubbing his brow with a headache.

After dismissing that ninja, only four people remained in the Konoha Command Room.

Mitokado Homura, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.

These four were the highest-ranking and strongest people currently stationed in this camp.