Note: It has been brought to my attention that Yakura is actually a male character from the Land of Water, and our kunoichi from the Sand Village is named Pakura. As such, I will be correcting the name to Pakura starting from this chapter. I sincerely apologize for the confusion and any inconvenience this may have caused.
-----
Naruto World.
The Land of Rain, known as the Weeping Country.
If Hardy were to explain it from a geographical and climatic perspective, it's because the ocean monsoons blowing in from several directions are all blocked here.
To the southwest of the Land of Rain, bordering the Land of Wind, lies a massive mountain range stretching southward, enclosing nearly half the territory of the Land of Wind.
To the north of the Land of Rain are the high mountains and plateaus of the Land of Earth, which also block the moisture.
Moreover, the Land of Rain's terrain is lower than the neighboring Land of Fire and Land of Grass to the east, causing at least two directions' worth of oceanic moisture to converge here, making the Land of Rain the "rain pole" of the ninja world.
"At last, we're back on the soil of the Land of Rain."
Hardy stepped onto the muddy ground, carrying a sealing scroll on his back, following his teammates behind the main force.
Pakura wrung out her soaked sleeve, surveying her surroundings.
"The water resources here are as abundant as ever. I did several supply escort missions here last year, and I remember thinking: if only we could dig a big river connecting this place to our village, how great would that be."
Baki, carrying a large waterproof backpack, kept glancing around.
"Looks like I'm the only one here for the first time. Before joining this squad, my missions mostly involved delivering supplies to the western border outposts. But Pakura, you're right—if we could dig a canal connecting the two places, it would not only relieve water shortages along the route, but also allow for massive transport of goods. Whether for trade or moving food and troops, it would be hugely valuable!"
The western border of the Land of Wind faces the sea, but not far from the coast, a vertical mountain range blocks the moisture, so only a small area gets decent rainfall. By Hardy's estimation, it's a Mediterranean climate.
During the First Great Ninja War, Kirigakure once raided the coastal areas of the Land of Wind by sea, making that region a key defense zone for Sunagakure.
"I'm afraid it's not that easy. If you want to dig a canal like that—"
Although using ninja-level efficiency can save a great deal of manpower, the number of people required still wouldn't be too low, and the maintenance costs would be very high. If the river were to be cut off, poisoned, or even dammed upstream to launch a water attack, it might not pose much of a threat to the ninjas themselves, but it would inflict devastating damage on the commerce and agriculture that rely on this river."
Hardy shook his head as he spoke, memorizing the terrain and environment of this route, and continued:
"Suppose we spent a whole year and invested enormous resources to operate this canal, only for something like what I just described to happen. Most of our prior investment would be lost. So, if we want to dig a canal, we must firmly control the upstream area of the river."
Pakura and Baki exchanged glances.
This guy actually makes a lot of sense.
We all learned the same things in the ninja academy, so why is it that only you can think of this?
Chiyo, standing at the front of the group, couldn't help but think to herself as she listened to Hardy's words: As expected of my disciple!
At that moment, Kazekami Chiran came bounding over from the distance with a few leaps.
"Lady Chiyo, there are no signs of ninja activity in the ruins of Huiyu Town ahead, only a small number of refugees trying to survive."
"Then we'll set up camp there. As for those refugees, give each of them two days' worth of rations and send them north."
Chiyo nodded slightly.
According to the intelligence, the Konoha and Amegakure camps are located to the south and east of here, while the north is occupied by Iwagakure.
Delaying Konoha's contact with these refugees would also delay their discovery of Sunagakure's main force, buying more time to set up camp.
Once Konoha learns the location of Sunagakure's main camp, they'll definitely try to attack while Sunagakure is still settling in and exhausted from the journey, hoping to drive them away.
Of course, killing those refugees would also be an option, but ninja battles that directly involve ordinary people are against the rules. With so many eyes watching, such things cannot be done openly.
If Chiyo were a bit more ruthless, she might send those refugees off, then immediately dispatch a secret squad to eliminate them.
Of course, given Konoha's abilities, even without relying on these refugees, their ninja clans with sensory and reconnaissance skills—such as the Yamanaka, Hyūga, Aburame, and Inuzuka—could still locate Sunagakure's main camp in a short time.
But these matters had nothing to do with Hardy.
Even though he was Chiyo's disciple, he was still just a chunin.
Upon reaching their destination, the first task was to construct the camp's defensive works.
Those skilled in Wind Release would go chop trees for materials, those with Earth Release would build walls, and others would construct watchtowers and other fortifications.
"Chiran, once you're done here, your squad will be in charge of inventorying the supplies in the warehouse. This is a task I must entrust to people I trust and who are capable," Chiyo instructed.
After Squad 9, under Kazekami Chiran's guidance, finished building a watchtower, they received Chiyo's orders.
Hardy understood that this was probably a way of looking out for them.
Managing logistics meant they wouldn't have to fight on the front lines, and it was relatively safer.
Of course, that didn't mean it was completely safe—logistics are always a prime target for the enemy.
But the main force's supply depot was the central hub for all incoming supplies. The Sunagakure forces in the Land of Rain would collect their materials here, so there was no need to risk sending supplies out.
If even this place were breached, it would mean Sunagakure's main force had already been defeated by the enemy.
If that really happened, not only Hardy and his team, but the entire army would be at risk of total annihilation.
Ninja efficiency was high—within just a few hours, the basic defensive works were completed.
Just as Hardy arrived at the logistics area, he received orders from Chiyo.
Quickly inventory and distribute the camp's gas masks and antidote pills.
Because... the enemy had arrived!
And it wasn't the Konoha ninjas they had initially anticipated.
The newcomers were Amegakure ninjas led by Hanzo of the Salamander.
As the local powers, their intelligence was even more up-to-date than Konoha's.
Hanzo himself was regarded as one of the strongest figures in the current ninja world.
With master-level ninjutsu—especially Water Release—combined with grandmaster-level kenjutsu, Body Flicker Technique, and formidable combat instincts, he possessed fighting strength on par with the current Five Kage, and was considered a top-tier figure in the ninja world.
But what people feared most was Hanzo's poison techniques.
Whether it was the deadly toxins he exhaled with every breath, or the poisonous mist released by his summon, the salamander Ibuse, both were enough to strike terror into anyone who heard of them.