The morning mist clung to the trees as we moved, dampening the air and making each breath feel a bit heavier. The rich, earthy scent of wet leaves and fertile soil filled my nose as we passed beneath the thick canopy, our footfalls muffled by the thick layer of wet leaves and moss covering the forest floor.
The trip through the Land of Fire had been uneventful; we didn't encounter any people, either enemies or allies, and certainly no civilians, not while moving by ninja routes. What we did see were the signs of people.
While we didn't encounter them, we could see the clear traces of patrols. Markings on the trees, the faint scars of kunai strikes, and the occasional broken branch that hadn't healed over yet. Codes left behind to guide those who came after, like a silent, hidden language passed from one shinobi to another.
As we moved through the thick, damp forest, Koji suddenly stopped, his head tilting slightly as he raised a hand for silence. Kuro froze beside him, his dark fur bristling slightly, his ears twitching as he sniffed the cool morning air.
I immediately activated my Byakugan, my eyes sweeping through the trees and underbrush, tracing the faint, flickering chakra signatures of small animals, but finding no human presence.
"Someone was here," Koji muttered, his voice low and serious. "Less than half an hour ago."
We all froze, our breaths shallow, our senses stretching out into the mist around us. I watched as Koji crouched down beside a twisted root, his sharp eyes scanning the soft, damp ground, his nose twitching as he caught the faint, lingering scent of human sweat and leather.
He murmured something to Kuro, his hands moving in a series of quick, subtle gestures that the ninken seemed to understand perfectly. The large, black-furred wolf gave a low, rumbling growl, his dark eyes flicking towards a dense cluster of ferns a few paces to our left.
"Four people," Koji said slowly, his voice still a low, focused whisper. "All male, moving east. Minimal smell, so they passed through quickly, didn't stop."
"Likely a patrol," I whispered, my pale eyes still sweeping the trees around us, my chakra pulsing steadily as I scanned for any sign of lingering threats. "Any clues to friend or foe?"
Koji's nose twitched again, his sharp eyes narrowing as he glanced back at me. "Hard to say. No overly familiar scents, but that could just mean they've been out here too long, lost the scent of home."
I frowned, my gaze shifting to the faint, trampled path disappearing into the mist. Patrols this close to the border were to be expected, but the uncertainty of their allegiance made my skin prickle with unease.
"Alright," I whispered, tightening my grip on the strap of my pack. "Let's keep moving. Stay sharp."
With that, we slipped back into formation, Koji and Kuro moving ahead once more, their steps light and cautious, their senses stretched to the limit. Haruto followed a few paces behind, his large frame surprisingly quiet in the thick underbrush.
Arata brought up the rear, his fingers never straying far from the hilt of his kunai.
And I remained in the center, my Byakugan active, my chakra flowing steadily as I scanned the dense forest around us for any sign of enemy chakra. So far, nothing. Just the faint, flickering signatures of small animals and the occasional larger shape that I quickly identified as harmless deer or boars.
We moved slowly, our breaths coming in short, controlled bursts, our eyes sharp and our senses on high alert. This was near enemy territory now. Every step could bring us closer to a hidden trap, every shadow could hide a blade.
The fog grew thicker despite the sun climbing higher, the soft, ghostly tendrils curling around the thick trunks of the ancient trees, swallowing the sunlight and muffling the sounds of the forest.
While the great forests in the heart of the land of Fire weren't anything to scoff at, these forests here were just darker. The extra moist air drifting in from the Land of Rivers made all kinds of vines and ferns grow wildly.
The leaves on the trees were bigger and darker. A clear sign that we were slowly but surely getting close to the border, and that meant all the more dangers. Because the Land of Rivers was the current battlefield between Konoha and Suna.
I knew that it wouldn't stay like that, at some point within the next few years, the fighting would grow far more intense, and the lines would move, ending up with Konoha winning and pressing Suna back into the land of Wind.
Eventually, we came upon a small clearing, the fog thinning slightly as the trees pulled back, revealing a cluster of smooth, moss-covered stones scattered around a trickling stream. It was as good a place as any to take a short break, and I gave a short nod to Koji, signaling for him to halt.
We moved into the clearing cautiously, our senses still stretched out for any sign of danger, our hands never straying far from our weapons.
Koji dropped into a crouch beside one of the larger stones, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding trees as Kuro settled down beside him, his thick, black fur blending seamlessly with the damp, shadowed ground.
Haruto leaned against a thick tree trunk, his broad shoulders rising and falling with each deep, controlled breath as he worked to recover from the long, silent march. Arata remained standing.
I took a seat on one of the larger stones, I could hardly believe how quite he was, given the file, I assumed he would speak more, but so far, he was very to the point. Though maybe that was just all older shinobi were like.
After a moment, Koji reached into his pouch, pulling out a small strip of dried meat and tossing it to Kuro, who caught it neatly in his jaws and quickly settled down to chew on his prize.
"You know," Koji muttered, leaning back against the stone as he tore a piece of dried meat from his own pouch, "I'm starting to miss the forests back home. At least there you can see what's coming for you before it's in stabbing range."
Haruto gave a low, rumbling grunt of agreement, his alert eyes still scanning the trees. "Too many places to hide out here. Too many shadows."
Arata snorted, leaning against a tree as he absently turned his kunai over in his hands. "Shadows are fine. It's what's hiding in them you have to worry about."
I pulled out a strip of jerky of my own, slowly ripping a small bite off. It was dry and salty, not at all like the meals I usually enjoyed, but after a ton of missions, I had slowly grown used to it. And I would get far more used to it, not much food to make out here.
Koji let out a soft chuckle, tossing another strip of meat to Kuro. "Who is scared of shadows here? we got Yuki and her special eyes for them."
I allowed myself a small, amused huff. "Focus, Koji. We'll rest here a bit longer, then move on."
Koji smirked, leaning back against the stone. "Sure, but you know, if we spot a rabbit, I'm letting Kuro go for it. Gotta keep the morale up."
"Sounds like Kuro will be eating the best among all of us." Haruto said with a light chuckle.
Arata sighed, slipping his kunai back into its sheath. "I'll settle for something I don't have to catch myself."
"Well, you won't have to worry there, the ration bars and soldier pills won't be running away, but after a few weeks, we might not want to run and escape them." Haruto joked, earning a laugh from Koji.
Haruto snorted softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Could be worse. I once had a long-term mission out near the border of the Land of Lightning. Had nothing but ration bars and soldier pills for almost several weeks straight."
Koji raised an eyebrow, visibly cringing. "Weeks of that? How did you survive?"
Haruto gave a slow shrug, his lips quirking into a rare smirk. "You don't really. You just… endure. The bars were dry enough to suck all the moisture out of your mouth, and the pills tasted like dirt. One guy in the squad swore they were made from ground-up tree bark. By the end, we started betting on who could keep a bar in their mouth the longest without gagging."
Arata gave him a dubious look. "And you didn't just go hunting or forage?"
Haruto sighed, his shoulders relaxing a bit as he leaned back against the tree. "Terrain was too rough. Lightning Country's borderlands are rocky as hell, and the local wildlife was… let's say, less than friendly. Tried hunting once, but one of the local birds nearly took Kenta's arm off."
Koji let out a snort of laughter. "A bird?"
"Big, angry, and territorial. Feathers sharp enough to cut skin. We decided to stick to the bars after that." Haruto paused, the hint of a smile playing at his lips. "And after a while, you kind of get used to the taste. Sort of like chewing on leather mixed with sawdust."
Arata gave a low chuckle. "Sounds like a dream mission."
Haruto grunted. "Tell that to Kenta. He tried to toast one over the fire to see if it would get better. It didn't. Turned into something like burnt gravel. Then we just dared him to eat it."
I wasn't liking what he was saying, it really sounded like a horrible time all around. Though I didn't think it would get this bad.
After all, it really did sound like they only had low-grade ration bars. Those are indeed horrible, I had tried one only once, back when I was running missions under Kazou-Sensei. We all shared just the one bar, and not a single one of us wanted another bite.
But they weren't what we normally ate; they were the worst option, the cheapest option, and the one only taken by the truly desperate.
Or in times of great need, should supplies be very low across the board, Genin and maybe some Chuunin might be given such things.
As a member of great clans, neither Koji nor I would ever be in a situation where we would have to rely on those.
Even now, I have an entire storage scroll of the highest grade custom ration bars. They weren't good, but they weren't bad either, they were dry for sure, but a bit of water and they went down easily enough.
And most importantly, they were healthy, and to an absurd extent. I mean, back on Earth, people would kill for these. They could stay good for years, and likely gave more energy than you would want in a week.
For space missions or military use, they would completely break the game, but in this low-tech world, they were common despite being, no doubt, marvels of nutrition.
"We should reach the nearest camp before stopping today, and we will rest there, proper rest. After that, we will enter the Land of Rivers," I said slowly, interrupting the story time before Koji got scarred for life, or worse, I did.
The others gave small nods of agreement, their eyes never straying far from the shadows at the edge of the clearing.
(End of chapter)