The next morning.
Shibis Squad assembled.
Bai Lu and the other two received notification that their Mission was to join the Supply Unit and escort the supplies to the Front-line Main Camp.
This was a Mission tentatively designated Rank B. Excellent, this was very Elite, skipping the useless Rank D and Rank C Missions and sprinting straight into Rank B, where battles would erupt.
"Because it is wartime, the Supply Unit could be attacked by Enemy Ninja at any time. Combat is almost unavoidable, but it's just a matter of the scale of the fight..."
Ichie said softly, feeling eager. Her talent would blossom on the battlefield.
"Theoretically, yes," Shibi pushed up his Sunglasses. "If we are lucky, we can reach the Front-line Main Camp smoothly. But if our luck is bad, we will be attacked by varying numbers of Enemy Ninja, and the Mission Rank could be raised to Rank A at any time."
As for Rank S? It wasn't impossible, but it was rare for a large number of enemy Jonin or at least one Kage-level expert to attack a small supply team, unless the enemy was crazy.
They weren't Minato Namikaze, after all.
Moreover, even if an Elite Jōnin attacked, having someone capable of fighting, tanking, and sensing like Aburame Shibi present would provide maximum resistance.
Honestly, considering Shibi's level, this was indeed a Warm-up Mission.
"Teacher Shibi, as the most perfect Elite Jōnin and practically the person with the highest overall strength below the Kage Rank, won't spend too much time training Rookies. He will soon return to the Front Line battlefield."
Bai Lu glanced at Jonin Shibi, who was as expressionless as a corpse.
Soon, the group of four set off and rendezvoused with the supply team of over a dozen people.
"The squad responsible for guarding us definitely won't have any experts. We are just a small supply team..."
In the team, a Middle-aged Man was muttering to himself, but upon seeing Shibi, he froze up like Deidara. "L-Lord Shibi?! Is this, is this really your Rookie Squad assigned to escort us?"
"That's right. Can we depart now?" Shibi spoke directly.
Along the way, everyone kept their mouths tightly shut. They were nervous but occasionally looked at Shibi, feeling a slight sense of security. Since Shibi, the most senior person, was also a Taciturn Person, he naturally wouldn't speak up.
Bai Lu proactively communicated with the others in the supply team and finally confirmed that the team's Captain and Vice-Captain, both Chunin, were actually very "familiar" to him... they were Iruka's Parents.
They would later die during the Nine-Tails Rampage.
"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?"
Unomiya Kawa, the Middle-aged Man, looked suspiciously at Bai Lu, who kept staring at him.
"Oh, you caught me..."
"Your eyes are practically glued to my face! I'd have to be blind not to notice! Is something the matter?"
"Nothing much. I just think you look a bit unreliable, Uncle. I might have to protect you later, so I wanted to get acquainted first."
Being called "Uncle" by a Brat who clearly looked down on him felt like a sharp stab to Unomiya Kawa.
However, recalling his six-year-old son, Iruka... being called "Uncle"... didn't seem entirely unacceptable anymore.
This bout of banter immediately dissipated some of the grimness and tension within the entire team.
Soon, everyone left Konoha Village, traversing several small towns and quickly moving toward the Border of the Land of Fire. The closer they got to the Border, the more cautious and alert everyone became.
Withered livelihoods, desolate wilderness, corpses visible everywhere... this was war, especially war between ninja, where powerful ninja attacks could easily destroy a small town.
"Ahead is the Border Post. This area is extremely close to Amegakure, which is a battlefield of the Three-Nation War. The ninja of Amegakure itself are also filled with resentment towards Konoha Village... However, our actions along the way have been very secretive, so we generally won't attract the enemy's attention."
Unomiya Kawa spoke solemnly, intending to remind everyone to be more vigilant.
As soon as his voice fell.
Several Enemy Ninja launched an attack on the team.