Chapter 25

Inside the tent, it was utterly silent.

Everyone else had already fallen asleep; only Uchiha Jin lay in bed, staring blankly out the small window at the night sky.

He wore an expression of deep sighing.

Cannon fodder simply had no human rights!

Think of the training plan for Team A in Konoha: not only did they have a Jonin instructor, but they also had to endure the bell test and perform D-rank missions within the village; only after their bonds were truly forged would they be allowed to handle C-rank missions.

And what about Team B?

Nothing at all!

A cannon fodder Chunin as an instructor; a bell test? Don't even think about it!

If Itachi couldn't even steal the bells, Itachi'd be sent back to school?

Dream on!

For cannon fodder squads like theirs, they were just sent here to die.

There were no bonds between them, no trust to speak of; instead, there was only scheming and mutual deception!

Thinking of all the troubles he had encountered since leaving the village, he couldn't help but shake his head in sigh.

Truly, it was a headache!

For a cannon fodder squad like theirs, surviving until the end of the war was already extremely difficult.

And now?

Ishikawa Ki had been sent back like this piece of trash; just thinking about it gave Uchiha Jin a massive headache.

The next morning, early.

After the group got up and had a simple breakfast, Kudo Shin spoke directly.

"Our mission this time is to proceed to the left side of the Land of Whirlpools, to Outpost Number Twenty-Seven."

"On this journey, we must closely monitor the situation over the sea; the moment Mist Village forces are spotted, we must immediately fire a signal."

"Then, we must find a way to delay the enemy to buy time for the main base."

"Let's move!"

After briefly explaining the mission, Kudo Shin headed out toward the front-line camp first.

Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazuma exchanged a glance, then, without a single word of nonsense, followed behind Kudo Shin.

Only Ishikawa Ki.

He could naturally feel that he did not fit in with this squad.

But proud as he was, he refused to look for reasons within himself; instead, he immediately began blaming his teammates.

He believed it was these guys holding him back; otherwise, during the last encounter with the Mist, he would have already earned considerable merit, and perhaps he could have exchanged for a ninjutsu at the front-line camp a few days ago.

And now?

Not only had he gained nothing, but he had even been investigated by the Anbu.

All of this was these guys' fault!

He shot a venomous glare at the three of them, snorted coldly, and then followed behind.

The group of four moved at incredible speed.

Since they were all ninja, they naturally did not walk; instead, they moved swiftly by leaping between the large trees in the forest.

About half a day later.

The group finally arrived at the mission location: a simple wooden hut built on the thick branch of a massive tree.

Staying inside this hut allowed them to see the situation over the sea through layers of leaves without exposing their position.

"Alright, stand guard."

"We will split into day and night shifts; I will pair with Uchiha Jin, and Nara Kazuma with Ishikawa Ki."

"Right now, Uchiha Jin and I will rest, while Itachi two keep watch."

"When night falls, we will switch shifts."

Naturally, no one objected to Kudo Shin's arrangement.

Even Ishikawa Ki merely nodded coldly.

Clearly.

Having suffered a setback once, he at least dared not openly refuse.

Seeing this, Uchiha Jin naturally said nothing more.

He simply gave Nara Kazuma a look; only after seeing him nod slightly did he feel relieved and return to the hut to rest.

Yes.

Regarding Ishikawa Ki, he truly did not trust him.

That cold, venomous look Ishikawa Ki had cast at everyone last night still flashed in his mind.

For such a bastard, one naturally had to be extra vigilant.

Nara Kazuma was naturally no fool.

Even without Uchiha Jin speaking, he instantly understood everything.

Days passed; in the blink of an eye, six days had gone by.

However.

Everything remained calm and peaceful.

They still had not detected any sign of the Mist Village, which left them somewhat puzzled.

If they hadn't encountered the Hidden Mist's sneak attack before, they would have thought the village's intelligence was wrong.

Is the Hidden Mist not coming?

Especially, Uchiha Jin.

He felt a vague sense of foreboding!

Unlike the others, he knew the actual situation.

Uchiha Shisui had specifically told him that the Hidden Mist had declared war on the Hidden Leaf.

And his memories from his past life also told him that the Hidden Mist indeed participated in the Third War; Might Dai's Eight Gates Released Formation became famous at that time.

So.

The more calm and peaceful it seemed, the more uneasy he felt.

During the handover.

It was time for the handover again; he specifically sought out Nara Kazuma.

"Be careful."

"I feel something is wrong; there will definitely be a hard battle ahead."

"Be cautious; don't die!"

Nara Kazuma paused for a moment.

But he quickly reacted, nodding solemnly to show he understood.

Obviously.

He was not stupid.

Since Uchiha Jin said so, he must have sensed something.

The two had known each other for quite some time, so naturally, he was willing to trust Uchiha Jin's judgment.

That day, late at night.

Just as Uchiha Jin was fast asleep, Nara Kazuma woke him and Kudo Shin.

"Something is happening."

"Fog has risen among the trees; I suspect it is a Hidden Mist technique."

After Kudo Shin and Uchiha Jin got up, they immediately looked out of the wooden hut.

Indeed.

Just as Nara Kazuma said, the entire forest was completely shrouded in thick fog; seeing this, Uchiha Jin frowned slightly.

They did not see any unusual activity on the sea.