Chapter 83: Transporting Supplies

As soon as Shindai and the others arrived at the supply station, they were immediately assigned to deliver a batch of supplies to the frontline.

Katsuhiko Takei quickly counted out several large boxes and sealed them into two large scrolls.

Katsuhiko Takei warned them, "I've marked the drop-off point on your maps. Be sure to arrive by the morning after tomorrow. If you're ambushed and can't protect the supplies, destroy them immediately—never let them fall into enemy hands!"

Kakashi nodded. "Understood. Then we'll get going now."

Kakashi took one large scroll onto his back, and Obito carried the other.

Since there were male teammates and Rin was a female medical ninja, naturally the physically demanding task went to the boys.

As for Shindai, asking him to carry anything would only result in complaints anyway.

Kakashi looked at Obito, Rin, and Shindai behind him and said, "Let's go."

Shindai and the others set off immediately under the cover of night.

While traveling, Kakashi reminded them, "Stay alert and don't lower your guard. You heard Captain Katsuhiko Takei—you might run into Sand or Rock ninjas lying in ambush. Keep watch! Shindai, use your Third Eye from high ground to keep watch around the area."

This wasn't the time for jokes—not when their own lives were on the line.

Shindai activated his Iron Sand Body to shape a floating eye that rose into the air. With his left hand covering his left eye, he transmitted the visual feed directly into the eye being touched by his hand, observing the surrounding area carefully.

By noon the next day, nothing had happened—the journey had gone surprisingly smoothly so far.

When they reached a riverbank, Kakashi stopped walking. "Let's take a short break. Shindai has been using his jutsu nonstop since last night; he must be tired."

"Must be tired? I'm totally exhausted here!"

Shindai released his Third Eye and plopped down onto the ground.

Well, technically speaking, it wasn't that bad. Maintaining the Third Eye didn't actually consume much chakra.

Still, he definitely felt worn out—from continuous usage over such a long period, even small amounts added up.

Kakashi pulled out the map and glanced at it. "At this pace, we should reach the frontline tonight."

When he heard they wouldn't arrive until evening, Shindai's face fell. "Huh? It's only noon now—and still half a day to go?"

After putting away the map, Kakashi replied, "We're already moving pretty fast. We should reach the frontline between eight and nine tonight. Usually, enemies won't attack during daylight, and the closer we get to the frontline, the less likely they are to intercept our supplies. So from now on, Shindai, you can just keep watch off and on with your Third Eye."

"But still—we can't afford to relax our vigilance. Keep alert while advancing. We'll resume in ten minutes. The sooner we get these supplies to the frontline, the better we'll all feel."

Shindai sighed.

It was really exhausting, mainly mentally. The constant tension from worrying about enemy attacks was draining. Just thinking about having to live like this from now on filled Shindai with despair.

He found himself missing that bed in Konoha's Grass Country base camp he'd only gotten to sleep in for one night.

Ten minutes seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Before Shindai could even finish resting properly, it was time to hit the road again.

With a heavy heart, Shindai followed after Kakashi and the others.

But they were actually quite lucky—the mission to transport supplies went smoothly. They arrived at the frontline around 8 PM.

After arriving at the frontline camp, Shindai was stunned by the scene before him.

Inside the camp were countless wounded ninja. Not far ahead, battle raged—it was ablaze with firelight, clearly a fierce fight in progress.

Many other ninja were also preparing to leave the camp and head into battle.

Seeing all the wounded ninja lined up inside the camp—more numerous and in worse condition than those at Konoha's Grass Country base camp—made Shindai feel deeply unsettled.

If things were already this bad inside the camp, how much more horrifying must the battlefield ahead be?

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara also wore heavy expressions.

Kakashi quickly found the supply officer responsible for handling incoming provisions inside the camp. After handing over the two scrolls filled with supplies, Shindai and their mission was complete.

Once finished, Shindai and the group needed to return immediately to the supply station, as there might already be more supplies needing delivery.

The return trip went even more smoothly—not a single attack or unexpected incident occurred.

When Katsuhiko Takei saw Kakashi bringing his team back, he asked, "Well then, did everything go smoothly?"

Kakashi replied, "Very smooth. No incidents occurred. We've successfully handed over the supplies to our comrades at the frontline."

Looking concerned, Katsuhiko Takei asked further, "The frontline must have been in intense fighting, right?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, very intense."

Sighing, Takei said, "The frontline your group delivered supplies to has a natural barrier—a deep ravine that must be held at all costs. If they break through here, then across the next region there won't be any more terrain advantages against the Sand and Rock forces.

Anyway, good work out there. Rest a bit if you can. We'll have others handle the next round of supply deliveries."

Though technically allowed some rest time, the base was overflowing with supplies. There was no way something as luxurious as beds would exist here. 'Rest' basically meant lying on the ground or leaning against supply crates.

Shindai couldn't possibly bring out a bed here—that would be extremely disrespectful.

Finding a corner, Shindai sat leaning against a nearby supply crate. His mind kept replaying images of the wounded soldiers from that frontline camp.

Their condition had been too horrifying—he couldn't forget them, not even now.

War is truly annoying. It's frustrating and completely pointless.

Over the next week and a half, Shindai and the others completed three more supply missions—some carrying equipment, others medical supplies.

Fortunately, nothing significant happened during these three trips. All were successfully completed without incident.

After returning from the latest supply mission, Katsuhiko Takei passed on some newly received intelligence to Shindai and the group.

In short, Sunagakure and Iwagakure had severed ties, and the Sand ninja had withdrawn from the Land of Grass.

Normally, this should have been good news—but it turned out to be bad.

With the Sand ninja gone from Grass Country, Iwagakure ninja no longer had to worry about being attacked from behind. They began full-scale offensives against Konoha's forces in Grass Country, creating an even worse battlefield situation than when the Sand ninja were still present.

Meanwhile, the Sand ninja who withdrew from Grass Country entered the Land of Rivers, where they engaged in frequent skirmishes with Konoha forces while looking for chances to seize Konoha's resources.

To relieve pressure on Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi mirrored Sunagakure's strategy by spreading rumors that Kumogakure's Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had lost control and run rampant—and that Iwagakure might be behind it.

Possibly as retaliation, Cloud ninja from Kumogakure have recently started launching surprise attacks from behind against Iwagakure.

This strategy has significantly reduced the pressure on Konoha.

Meanwhile, several Kiri ninja have already entered Wave Country, though their intentions remain unclear.

After resting for a day, Shindai, Kakashi, and their teammates received a new mission—

—to deliver another batch of supplies to another frontline location.

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