CHAPTER 57

Konoha, Mission Department

The Third Squad emerged from the mission office, making their way toward the village entrance.

Just moments ago, they had accepted a B-rank mission.

Recently, the situation in the ninja world had become increasingly tense. Even high-ranking shinobi like Orochimaru and others had been recalled to Konoha for various assignments, leaving them with no time to lead genin teams. This shift meant that Uchiha Kiyo and his peers, along with even some of their seniors, had been operating independently on missions for several months.

The nature of their assignments had also changed. Missions were now focused less on general duties and more on intelligence gathering and assassination. The mission they had just received required them to infiltrate the Land of Rain to gather intelligence. Given the possibility of encountering teams from Amegakure, the mission had been classified as B-rank.

"Judging by the current situation, war is inevitable. If this continues, the Second Shinobi World War will likely break out within the year."

Since the Naruto timeline had inconsistencies in its historical records, Uchiha Kiyo was uncertain about the exact timing of the Second Shinobi World War. He relied on his observations and gathered intelligence rather than specific dates.

Even as genin, the squad could sense the tension thickening like a brewing storm. Even Nawaki Senju—usually the most carefree of the three—was beginning to show signs of nervousness. However, alongside the anxiety, there was also excitement and frustration. He was eager to prove himself in battle, believing his performance in war would be a crucial step toward his dream of becoming Hokage. But at the same time, he was frustrated, knowing that Tsunade would likely do everything in her power to keep him away from the front lines. She had already interfered in their missions on several occasions. If not for their demonstrated ability to handle emergencies and return safely, Tsunade would likely have kept them confined to training within the village.

That was the reality of their squad—still officially a genin team. The prolonged tension in the ninja world had prevented the Chunin Exams from being held for years, leaving many capable shinobi stuck with the genin rank despite their growing strength.

For Uchiha Kiyo and Sarutobi Sho, their rank was meaningless; true strength was what mattered. However, Nawaki found the situation infuriating. Despite graduating three years ago and possessing considerable combat prowess, he was still technically a genin. The elders of the Senju Clan often mocked him for it, disregarding his actual strength and instead fixating on his lack of promotion.

In terms of combat ability, their squad was among the strongest of any recent Konoha graduates. Uchiha Kiyo, an elite chunin in skill, was already approaching the level of a tokubetsu jonin. Sarutobi Sho, after his recent growth spurt, had finally overcome his chakra deficiency. With the solid foundation he had built over the years, he had advanced rapidly and was now at least an elite chunin. As for Nawaki, while his chakra control lagged behind the other two, his vast chakra reserves and sheer destructive force placed him at the same elite chunin level.

In short, the Third Squad was made up entirely of elite chunin—a force to be reckoned with.

Naturally, Konoha would not let such talent go to waste. Despite Tsunade's efforts to shield them, the Third Hokage ensured they were assigned a steady stream of challenging missions. While they were never given high-risk A-rank missions, the sheer volume of assignments given to them was staggering. Over the past three months, they had barely had time to rest, completing one mission after another. In total, they had taken on approximately fifteen or sixteen missions—eight of which were B-rank, while the rest were high-difficulty C-rank assignments.

Though they sometimes grumbled about the workload, they understood the reasoning behind it. In truth, even if they had been left to train on their own, their progress would have been limited. The rapid improvements they had made were largely due to their developing bodies rather than self-training. The missions, particularly the battles, had been invaluable, forcing them to sharpen their skills and pushing their limits in ways that training alone never could.

After completing the departure formalities at the village gate, the squad set off for the Land of Rain.

Their current mission was part of a larger intelligence operation investigating the military presence of Amegakure in the eastern part of the Land of Rain, near Konoha's borders. The region had been divided into five zones, each centered around a major town. The Third Squad had been assigned the southernmost zone, which revolved around a settlement called Nanyun Town.

Despite being labeled a "city," Nanyun was only slightly larger than a typical town. In the context of larger nations, it would not even qualify as a minor city.

As a small country, the Land of Rain had relatively few actual cities, with most of its larger settlements being closer in scale to fortified towns.

Moving at full speed, the three elite chunin covered ground quickly, reaching the border of the Land of Rain within a day.

Upon arrival, they slowed their pace and concealed their presence before entering the country under disguise.

"Our objective is to investigate the areas surrounding Nanyun Town," Uchiha Kiyo reminded them. "This is an intelligence-gathering mission. Our goal is to map out their troop distribution. We don't need to engage in unnecessary fights. If possible, we should avoid direct confrontation. If we're forced into combat, it could jeopardize the mission."

"Kiyo, you're always so cautious," Nawaki complained. "It's not like we haven't fought against larger enemy groups before. Remember last time? We took down an elite jonin and four chunin."

Uchiha Kiyo shot Nawaki a sharp glare, his voice stern.

"And what happened after that? We were in the Land of Fire, where reinforcements were close by. We had no choice but to fight. But after that battle, we were completely drained. If backup hadn't arrived when it did, we would all be dead."

He continued, "This time, we're in the Land of Rain. We have no idea if the enemy has reinforcements nearby. If we exhaust ourselves against one squad, what will we do if another appears? Remember this—if we encounter more than three enemy chunin at once, our first priority is escape. Do not engage recklessly."

He directed his final words specifically at Nawaki.

Nawaki frowned. He could hear just fine, so why was Kiyo staring at him like that? Did Kiyo really think he was that reckless?

While he often acted carefree, he wasn't an idiot. His upbringing had instilled caution in him, and years of training under Kiyo had only reinforced that mindset. While he wasn't afraid of battle, he wasn't suicidal either. He valued his life.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You're the expert in this stuff, Kiyo. If you say it's necessary, then I'll follow the plan."

Satisfied, Uchiha Kiyo gave a slight nod, though he still felt that something was off with Nawaki's expression.

The Land of Rain was a bleak, impoverished place, with ceaseless rain and a struggling population. Poverty and suffering were rampant, and it was not uncommon to see refugees and displaced people wandering the streets. This economic hardship was one of the reasons the Land of Rain had turned to war—its resources were insufficient to sustain its people.

Their logic was simple: expansion was the only way to secure a future.

It wasn't entirely unreasonable. The buffer zones along the borders of the Fire, Earth, and Wind countries were largely uninhabited and remained unused. The Land of Rain's leaders viewed these lands as wasted potential—territory that could be cultivated and settled if only they had the strength to take it.

However, these regions served as strategic buffer zones for the great nations. Whenever war erupted, these smaller countries bore the brunt of the conflict. While nations like the Land of Fire rarely suffered direct attacks on their heartlands, buffer zones like the Land of Rain became the battlegrounds where wars were fought and refugees were created.

Blending in among a group of refugees, the Third Squad successfully infiltrated Nanyun Town.

Once inside, they did not rush to begin their investigation. Their first priority was to secure a base of operations.