Chapter 20 Arrival
Go home.

Qingming sat for a while, then began to pack up his equipment.

Although we are setting off tomorrow, we can prepare the equipment early so we won’t be in a rush when the time comes and we can also check for omissions and fill in the gaps later.

Taking the ninja tool bag, Qingming began to put things into it.

Six kunai, fifteen shurikens, a roll of steel wire, five detonating talismans, a can of ointment for treating external injuries, two rolls of bandages, three commonly used detoxification pills, and a pack of military ration pills.

As for other things like maps, Furukawa would bring them, so he didn't need to worry about them.

After finishing all this, Qingming began to seize the time to practice.

Fortunately, he doesn't have to go on a mission today, so he can complete his training early and reserve chakra for tomorrow's mission.

Although it was just a simple bandit suppression mission, they had to leave the village after all, so Qingming would not be careless.

It's war time now, and there's no telling how many enemy ninjas have infiltrated the Land of Fire.

Although their main mission is to undermine the stability of the Fire Nation, attack logistical transportation lines, assassinate important figures, and collect intelligence, who knows if they will be killed easily after encountering them.

No matter how strong Furukawa is, he is only a jonin. If they are besieged, they will not be able to save their lives.

Of course, the greater possibility is that the two sides will not meet.

This way, they can complete their tasks with peace of mind.

But what if?
Qingming never puts his hopes on luck, so he must make necessary preparations.

It is unrealistic to learn new ninjutsu at the last minute, and it is impossible to upgrade the ninjutsu that has already been learned in such a short time.

The biggest trump card - the Sharingan, cannot be awakened just by saying so.

Therefore, in addition to equipment, the most important thing is to ensure that there is sufficient chakra in the body before setting off.

This requires him to complete today's training as quickly as possible so that he can reserve chakra for tomorrow's actions.

With this thought in mind, Qing Ming closed his eyes and began to refine chakra.

Time passes minute by minute.

The room gradually became quiet, with only the faint sound of Qingming's breathing remaining.

······
The next day.

morning.

A quarter before ten, Qingming arrived at the gate of Konoha.

From a distance, he saw Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko.

The two men were also fully armed today, but their spirits were not as good as yesterday.

Seeing Qingming coming over, Liangjie forced a smile, covered his mouth and yawned, then said: "Why are you here so early today?"

Qing Ming did not answer this question, but asked: "Looking at the two of you, did you not sleep well last night?"

Hearing Qingming's question, Mizutani Shizuko, who had panda eyes, lowered her head in embarrassment, and Ryosuke also said awkwardly: "No, nothing."

Obviously, they didn't want Qingming to know their predicament.

After all, Qingming looked no different from usual, even more energetic.

This makes them feel a little inferior.

Just when the three people had different thoughts, Furukawa's figure appeared in front of them.

"Teacher!"×3
Qingming and the other two greeted.

"Ah."

Furukawa nodded, his eyes swept over the three people, taking in their conditions, but he didn't say much, just asked: "Is the equipment ready?"

"All right."

The three of them replied in unison.

"Okay, let's set off now."

After saying this, he took the lead and ran out of the village.

Seeing this, Qing Ming and others immediately followed.

No one spoke on the way. Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko, who were originally a little nervous, gradually calmed down during this boring journey.

······
A few hours later, it was getting dark.

A few hundred meters away from Xiaohei Mountain, Qingming and others stopped.

They traveled such a long distance without any rest. Although the overall speed was not fast, everyone was exhausted.

Well.
To be more precise, Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko were exhausted, especially Mizutani Shizuko, who was almost exhausted.

Among the four, she has the weakest constitution.

If it weren't for the belief that kept me going, I would have collapsed long ago.

Needless to say, for a jonin, this level of exercise was nothing.

After Qingming's physique improved a little, it also surpassed that of ordinary people. Coupled with the abundant chakra, he has been running until now without any major problems except for his slightly heavy breathing.

As for Ryosuke
His situation was slightly better than Mizutani Shizuko's, as he still had some strength left, but it would be too difficult for him to fight.

Fortunately, Guchuan did not go so far as to ask them to suppress the bandits immediately, otherwise Qingming would have to act alone.

After stopping, Gu Chuan glanced at the three people and said, "Take this time to rest. We will start the mission in two hours."

Hearing this, Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko sat down on the ground.

The two men opened their ninja tool bags, each took out a soldier's ration pill and stuffed it into their mouths, then they chewed it up and swallowed it, and then began to take a rest.

Qing Ming also swallowed a ration pill, but did not rest. Instead, he climbed to the top of the tree and took out a monocular telescope before the night fell completely to observe the direction of Xiaohei Mountain.

He bought this telescope specially this morning. Since he doesn't have any detection ninjutsu, he can only use this for now.

As for Furukawa standing by, why did he have to be so careful?
The reason is very simple. Furukawa had already said on the way that after arriving here, he would no longer provide any opinions or suggestions, nor would he take any action during the mission. Everything would depend on themselves.

That's why Qingming is so careful.

Fortunately, the bandits did not get the news of his arrival and did not launch an attack. During the time he was observing, they stayed safely on the mountain.

what?
How could the bandits get this information?

That's not certain.

What if Furukawa wanted to increase the difficulty of the mission and deliberately leaked the information? The other party would know about it.

It wasn't difficult for a jonin to do this without telling them.

Fortunately, Furukawa is not so crazy as to do this.

In fact, Qingming had misunderstood the other party.

Furukawa values ​​students' practical combat abilities more and wants to train them into talents as soon as possible so that they have a better chance of survival in future battlefields.

But the students' ability to bear the burden will also be taken into consideration.

It was obvious that, except for Qingming, Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko had already been pushed to their limits both mentally and physically under the heavy pressure, so there was no need to do anything unnecessary.

Therefore, after seeing Qingming's actions, even Guchuan, who usually appears serious, couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Obviously, he had guessed Qingming's thoughts.

"By the way, am I that crazy?"

Furukawa recalled what he had done and thought to himself, "It seems not."

However, he began to appreciate Qing Ming even more.

It is fine to practice diligently, but the key is to not be arrogant or impatient, and to do things seriously and cautiously.

No matter when or where, caution is a must for a ninja.

If he had to choose the one among the three who is most likely to survive the battlefield, Gu Chuan would definitely choose Qing Ming.

Because his personality gives him the greatest chance of survival.

As for strength?

Sorry, in that battlefield that is like a meat grinder, even a Jonin may not be able to save his life, let alone a Genin?

"Hey, I hope everyone can survive!"

With a light sigh, Guchuan withdrew his gaze from Qingming, flashed to another big tree, and looked into the distance.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the mountains and forests and see the ninjas from various villages fighting on the front line.

(End of this chapter)