Chapter 76 — The Outpost
Once they left Konoha, Captain Yamaguchi immediately increased his speed, the other three following right behind him.
"This mission is classified as C-rank," he explained as they ran.
"If everything goes smoothly, all we need to do is deliver the supplies to the outpost. The only requirement is—move fast."
As he spoke, he pulled out three storage scrolls and tossed them backward—one to each of the three young shinobi.
"These contain part of the supplies. Each of you carry one. If anything happens on the road, we need to ensure at least someone gets the supplies to the outpost."
Taichi and the others caught the scrolls and stored them in their ninja pouches.
"Captain, heading this direction… are we going to the Land of Rain or the Land of Grass?" Yōhei asked curiously.
"The Land of Rain."
Yamaguchi's answer was short and crisp. He didn't even turn his head.
"Ohhh, Rain Country." Yōhei sighed theatrically. "I heard it rains nonstop over there—like the sky itself is always crying."
Then he added, grinning: "Say… do you guys think we'll run into trouble again? It feels like every mission we take ends up getting messy!"
"Yōhei."
Captain Yamaguchi shot him a sharp glare.
"Close your mouth and keep running."
Taichi and Saori, a few steps behind, glanced at each other and stifled laughter.
They were nervous—but also a little excited.
The Land of Rain was anything but peaceful.
Bordering three great nations, it saw constant conflict—even in times of "peace."
This mission would be a rare chance to broaden their horizons.
---
They sprinted until noon before Yamaguchi finally called for a break.
Even Taichi was panting by then, and Saori—whose physical stamina was the weakest—looked like she barely had energy left to speak.
"Captain… this pace is a bit much…" Taichi voiced the question everyone wanted to ask.
"At this speed, if we actually encounter enemies, we won't even have the strength to fight back."
"You're right." Yamaguchi nodded calmly.
"But earlier, we were still close to the village. I wanted to test your limits. From here on, we'll slow down."
Hearing that, Saori let out a long sigh of relief.
If they'd continued at that breakneck speed, even if the supplies reached the outpost, she would've been half-dead.
"Saori, this won't do at all~ You're totally dragging us down," Yōhei teased, trying to lighten the mood despite being just as exhausted himself.
Saori shot him a deadly glare and didn't bother replying.
Taichi chuckled softly at the exchange.
After eating and resting for an hour, the team set off again under Captain Yamaguchi's lead.
This time, his pace was noticeably slower—enough that even Yōhei let out a sigh of relief.
Just like that, they traveled day and night.
Nearly two full days passed before they finally approached their destination—Outpost No. 7.
Before they even drew close, a kunai whistled out from a tree ahead, shooting straight toward them.
Thankfully, the group stopped just in time—the kunai embedded itself into the ground right at Captain Yamaguchi's feet.
A clear warning.
"I am the jōnin in charge of this supply delivery. Here is the mission scroll."
Yamaguchi held the scroll high for visibility.
A moment later, a wary chūnin stepped out from behind the tree.
Even when he emerged, he kept a safe distance of over ten paces, hand extended silently—gesturing for the scroll.
Noticing the extreme caution, Yamaguchi's expression tightened.
Without hesitation, he tossed the scroll over.
The chūnin caught it and first examined the exterior patterns, then slowly unrolled it, checking carefully as though expecting traps.
Only after confirming there was no danger did he inspect the mission details and coded authorization.
Once everything matched, the chūnin finally relaxed.
"Sorry. I'm Tengshan. Not long ago, we were attacked by foreign shinobi, so… we've been on edge."
"I understand."
Yamaguchi sighed inwardly—so it's true after all.
Then he asked, "Is the outpost badly damaged?"
Tengshan's expression instantly darkened.
"…Very. You'll understand once you see it."
He led the group forward.
Behind him, Taichi and Saori exchanged a look—their eyes practically saying:
"Yōhei, you really ARE a jinx."
Yōhei wanted to cry.
He'd only been joking earlier—not asking fate to prove him right.
He couldn't tell if this was bad luck for the outpost… or bad luck for them.
The moment they stepped into the outpost, the scene struck them like a hammer.
Chaos everywhere.
Damaged tents, shattered equipment, dried blood on the ground—
The battle had clearly happened very recently.
Worse still were the wounded.
Several badly injured shinobi lay on the ground, groaning in pain.
But no medical ninja tended to them.
Taichi hurried forward, tugging lightly at Captain Yamaguchi's sleeve.
When the captain turned, Taichi gestured subtly toward the wounded.
Yamaguchi understood instantly.
"Does the outpost not have a medical ninja? I see many wounded receiving no treatment."
"We're just a small outpost… we don't have any medical shinobi stationed here."
Tengshan's voice trembled.
"Normally, we handle minor injuries ourselves. But this time… some of my comrades are hurt too badly. They won't… they won't last…"
His grief was unmistakable.
"My team has a medical ninja," Yamaguchi said at once.
"Taichi, go help the wounded."
"Yes, sir."
This was exactly what Taichi had hoped Yamaguchi would say.
"That's great—thank heavens!" Tengshan's eyes lit up as he looked at Taichi like he was some rare treasure.
He turned and shouted into the camp, "Yukiya! Get over here!"
"I'm coming! Coming!"
A young genin rushed out of a tent, clothes soaked in blood, bandages and scissors in hand.
"Take—"
Tengshan hesitated, glanced at Taichi, then asked, "Your name?"
"Matsushita Taichi."
"Right. Take Taichi to the critical patients—he's a medical ninja!"
"Ah?!"
Yukiya froze, then suddenly brightened.
"Senior Takayama won't die now!"
He grabbed Taichi's hand and dragged him straight into the camp.
Taichi didn't even get the chance to say goodbye before he vanished into the tents.
Seeing Yukiya's urgency, Yamaguchi could roughly guess how dire things were.
Worried Taichi might be overwhelmed, he turned to Saori.
"Saori, go assist him.
Yōhei and I will report to the outpost commander."
"Yes, Captain!"
Saori immediately sprinted after Taichi.
"Tengshan, take us to the person in charge. After handing over the supplies, we'll help with whatever we can."
"R-right! I forgot myself in the excitement…"
Tengshan straightened up—then suddenly paused, anxiety creeping into his expression.
"Captain Yamaguchi… Taichi is so young. Are his medical skills really reliable?"
Yamaguchi didn't hesitate.
"Don't worry. His medical ninjutsu has been personally acknowledged by Lady Tsunade."
Tengshan's eyes widened—then filled with relief.
"Thank goodness… thank goodness…"
He quickly wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.
"Come. I'll take you to the commander."
---
Inside the Medical Tent
Taichi followed Yukiya into one of the few intact tents.
Inside were three grievously wounded shinobi, each lying unconscious on makeshift beds.
Even unconscious, they groaned weakly, bandages drenched in blood.
They were still bleeding.
Still dying.
Without intervention, they didn't have long.
Taichi stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
It was time for a medical ninja to work.