The next morning, Gekko Chizan was already waiting at the village gate.
In front of him were five fully loaded carriages.
"Chizan-kun, everything is ready on my side. We can leave anytime."
Honda Saburo slowly walked up to Gekko Chizan, who nodded in response.
"Honda-san, you're here early. We still have half an hour before departure."
"Heh, it's a habit. This shipment is pretty important. Even us logistics folks have to stay sharp."
Konoha wasn't just made up of shinobi; there were also plenty of civilians.
Merchants, logistics personnel, and more.
Honda Saburo was part of logistics, specializing in supply storage.
This time, besides him, there were four others managing the five carriages.
"Still, this war broke out suddenly. I heard Iwagakure and Kumogakure are really going at it?"
Taking the cigarette Honda Saburo handed him, Gekko Chizan chuckled.
"Honda-san, I'm not even an adult yet."
"Heh, you're already a Jōnin. Who cares about that? Go ahead, it's from the Land of Iron. Tastes different from what we get here."
Hearing that, Gekko Chizan laughed. A money-lover like him couldn't possibly dislike cigarettes.
But he'd never shown that side to outsiders. As someone who had mastered the art of hiding, he liked to keep both his strength and hobbies concealed.
The two puffed on their cigarettes amidst the morning fog, waiting for the Three Little Ones to arrive.
Maybe it was because this was a B-Rank mission, but the first to arrive was surprisingly Uchiha Obito.
Seeing the goggle-wearing boy dash over, Gekko Chizan looked mildly surprised.
"Yo, Obito. Not helping the old lady find her stuff today?"
Obito grinned.
"I told her yesterday I had a mission today and asked her not to go out."
Damn... You can do that? So the old lady is just a side quest in your life now, huh?
Before the scheduled time, Kakashi and Rin also arrived one after the other. Seeing that Obito beat them here, they both looked surprised.
"Alright, Honda-san, let's move out."
"The sooner we deliver, the sooner we're done."
At Gekko Chizan's signal, the B-Rank escort mission officially began.
As the carriages slowly rolled forward, Gekko Chizan and the others flanked them on both sides.
"Hahaha! We're finally out of the village!"
"So exciting!"
Obito shouted the whole way, making everyone in the convoy laugh.
The Land of Fire was quite peaceful, especially with Konoha's presence.
Gekko Chizan was at ease. The only concern was the border, since the mission destination was outside the Land of Fire.
Jiraiya's base was in the southwest of the Land of Grass, near the border with the Land of Fire.
But once they left the Land of Fire, danger could appear at any time.
"Right, Kakashi, Obito, Rin, I've got a gift for you three from your teacher."
"Custom-made kunai. Take care of them. Don't lose them."
"If you do and I find out, I'll string you up."
"Especially you, Obito."
During dinner, Gekko Chizan called the trio over and handed them three kunai marked with jutsu.
"Chizan-sensei, what's this on the kunai?"
Obito examined the weapon curiously.
"My jutsu formula. Flying Thunder God mark. With this, even if you fall into a ditch, I can still save you."
"Remember my words: don't lose it!"
No matter what, these three were now under his command, and he'd take full responsibility for them. He wasn't about to let some old geezer get his way.
Because of the carriages, progress was slow.
It took two full days just to reach the border from Konoha.
As they were about to enter the Land of Grass, Gekko Chizan had the carriages stop.
He called the Three Little Ones to him.
"We're about to leave the Land of Fire. The Land of Grass is not as safe."
"Kakashi, Obito, guard Rin. I'll protect everyone else."
"Remember: slow and steady. No reckless moves!"
"If you spot enemies, do NOT pursue!"
"Understood?"
Gekko Chizan's tone was stern. The three were still young—better to warn them in advance.
Kakashi drew the blade on his back, flashing a confident smile.
"Don't worry, Chizan-sensei. I'm way stronger now than when you used to beat me up."
Obito clenched his fists energetically.
"Yeah! After Pakura-sensei's training, we're nothing like we used to be!"
Their words made Gekko Chizan pause slightly.
Pakura's training? When did that happen? Why didn't he know?
After the briefing, the convoy slowly crossed the border.
Gekko Chizan's caution wasn't without reason.
The Land of Grass had already become a battlefield between Konoha and Iwagakure. Though not on the scale of the Land of Rivers, Iwagakure had their eyes set on domination.
They'd definitely have operatives hidden along the border, ready to strike at any moment.
Walking steadily in the middle of the convoy, Gekko Chizan used his insect sight to scan everything within a thousand meters.
He smiled disdainfully.
What did he see?
As expected, Iwagakure had set up positions along the border. A pincer formation—frontal assault and rear cutoff.
Iwagakure clearly intended to wipe out the Konoha forces in the Land of Grass.
"Honda-san, if fighting breaks out, you and the others hide immediately."
"Kakashi, Obito, Rin—get ready for battle."
As Gekko Chizan finished speaking, he vanished.
The trio, familiar with him, knew this meant he activated Transparent Release and concealed himself.
As the convoy continued forward, Iwagakure's shinobi silently approached.
Two squads—eight people in total.
They were positioned in trees on the east and west sides of the convoy.
"Captain, that's Konoha's supplies. Should we hit them?"
A shinobi on the western flank licked his lips with a savage grin.
But his captain didn't respond, confusing him. He turned to look.
"Looking for him?"
"Too bad. He probably can't give you orders anymore."
Colorful serpents had replaced his captain, slithering next to him.
Behind him stood a tall man with a sly grin.
"You—"
"Mmph!"
The poor Iwagakure shinobi was silenced before he could cry out, buried in venomous snakes.
"Ah, yes. What's the point of Shadow Snake Hand without real venomous snakes?"
"Tsk, as for the other squad... let's see how Kakashi and the others do."
After all, this was a mission. Gekko Chizan couldn't hog all the kills himself—gotta leave some for the kids to practice.
From what he observed, both enemy squads were ordinary.
Only one Jōnin among them—the captain he just killed with the snakes.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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