Chapter 237 Difficulty Traveling

A long convoy was traveling on the western road of the Fire Nation. As it was winter, the road was relatively hard and the convoy was moving at a fairly fast speed.

Konishi Kakuei, an elite jonin of the Konohagakure, looked up at the sky and said to the messenger beside him, "Tell the brothers to work harder and try to reach Futian Town by lunchtime."

"Yes!"

The messenger quickly issued an order, and a small cheer broke out in the convoy. Then the speed was increased again and it drove towards the nearby Futian Town.

Futian Town is large in size and has a large population. It has always been the border between the Fire Kingdom and the Rain Kingdom. Long-term commercial exchanges have made it fully functional, but the corresponding public security management is quite difficult.

At noon, the convoy slowly drove into the entrance of Futian Town, attracting many onlookers. Konishi Kakuei looked at the crowd with a gleam in his eyes, and made a few gestures with his right hand without any expression. Several Konoha ninjas immediately stepped forward to disperse the crowd.

"Sir, should we send someone to inform the mayor to come out to receive us?" a ninja asked in a low voice.

Konishi Kakuei shook his head and walked away, saying, "Let's leave after we finish eating. We shouldn't have too much contact with the local people."

"Then do you think you can let the people have some hot meals? It's very tiring to travel all the way in this cold weather. Besides, we will reach the rainy country ahead, and the muddy roads will make it even more difficult."

Konishi Kakuei pondered for a moment and said, "Pass on my order: No one is allowed to leave the convoy without permission. Eat on the spot and don't drink a drop of water outside!"

"This..." The ninja looked bitter and hesitant.

"Idiot! This is Futian Town, not Konoha Village! Hokage-sama has entrusted us with a huge mission. If something goes wrong, who will be held responsible?"

"I know everyone is working hard, but in order to eliminate all unsafe factors, my orders must be strictly followed! Besides, the convoy has a wide variety of food reserves, which is enough for everyone to replenish their strength." Konishi Kakuei's face sank and he said without question.

So, the convoy stopped on the street in the center of the town. The Konoha ninjas munched on tasteless dry food and looked at the restaurants on the street with longing.

Konishi Kakuei led a few people to patrol back and forth to prevent anyone from violating orders and secretly buying food in the town. The supplies on the convoy were related to the future of the New Rain Country. He felt that the mission was arduous and did not dare to be careless at all.

"Inform the perception team to set off in advance and ensure the safety of the convoy within a five-kilometer radius. Also, ask a few members of the Hyuga clan to set off together and tell them that it was my order."

An hour later, all members of the convoy were ready and set off again under the gazes of many onlookers. Many guys in hidden buildings excitedly conveyed the information that the fat sheep had arrived.

Of course, this is simply courting death. Unless the other four major nations take action to stop them, a few ignorant wandering ninjas are just looking for trouble. Do they really think that the hundreds of elite ninjas in Konoha are made of clay?

The information of killing and fighting continued to be transmitted to Konishi Kakuei's ears, making his slightly weathered face much gloomier.

He knew about the chaos on the border, but he didn't expect that there were so many guys who were not afraid of death. Just a few dozen miles outside the town, the ninjas in charge of guarding had killed dozens of short-lived ghosts.

In the face of hunger and poverty, the darkest side of humanity is revealed. Even though they know they will die, some people still cling to hope for the best.

"It seems that it is necessary to report the chaos in Futian Town. I hope that Lord Hokage will take good care of it." Konishi Kakuei thought with a serious face.

In the evening, the convoy suddenly stopped, which made Konishi Kakuei feel depressed. He immediately came to the front and asked, "Why did you stop?"

"Sir, please look ahead!"

Konishi Kakuei looked up and was shocked.

Less than 500 meters ahead, it was raining strangely, while the sky where the convoy was was still clear.

Konishi Kakuei jumped to the top of the tree, stood straight, put his hand on his forehead and looked out, he couldn't help but sigh: "This is the Land of Rain, a hopeless place of death."

On one side, the sky is filled with sunset glow, and on the other side, there are continuous dark clouds. The two completely different types of clouds are pressed together, which can be said to be clearly distinguished.

It is worth mentioning that the dark clouds in the Rain Country were abnormally low, reaching the point where they could be seen when one looked up, making it hard to breathe.

No one understands how such extreme weather is formed. It is obvious that the Wind Kingdom next to the Rain Kingdom is a vast desert, and those who are suffering from drought die from drought, and those who are suffering from floods die from floods.

The ninjas wrapped the prepared tarpaulins in three layers on the car. Konishi Kakuei checked them one by one and tightened them from time to time. Seeds hate water the most. Once they come into contact with water, they will germinate and be ruined.

The first vehicle to enter the Rain Country was immediately stuck in the mud. The soil had been soaked in rain for years and had become extremely soft. The wheels of the transport vehicle, which was carrying a load of up to 500 kilograms, sank nearly ten centimeters. The three horses with excellent physical strength neighed to the sky, but it was of no avail.

"Captain, there was an accident up front and you need to go take a look." A Konoha ninja in his thirties reported with a strong voice.

Upon hearing this, Kakuei Konishi put on the hood of a white Konoha standard raincoat and walked to the front accompanied by several people. His brows instantly wrinkled into a "川" shape.

"All of you go push the cart and see if it works."

Five or six Konoha ninjas stood behind the vehicle and pushed it hard. The horses screamed miserably under the whip, but the vehicle remained motionless.

Things were getting complicated. Konishi Kakuei knew that this mission would be difficult, but he didn't expect it to get stuck at the first step. If the seeds and supplies couldn't be transported in, how could they be distributed to help the people with spring farming?

"Captain," a Konoha ninja wiped the rain off his face and said loudly amid the rumbling thunder, "This won't work. The horses will be useless before we can go far. Let's think of other ways."

Needless to say, Konishi Kakuei was naturally aware of the seriousness of the matter. You have to know that this place is two hundred kilometers away from the center of the New Rain Country. Even if they are patient and move forward slowly, the survival of the horses is a big problem.

Without horses, they could only carry supplies on foot, which would greatly affect both transportation speed and morale.

In fact, the reason why the Rain Country was able to stand firm among several major countries was that the continuous rain played a very important role. During each Ninja World War, the major countries stayed in the Rain Country for no more than a year, and all supplies were looted, so it was simply nonsense to want to transport them in from their own country.

This also led to the complete destruction of the Rain Country after each war, with its population and national strength dropping to a minimum point. If it weren't for the close relationship between the Daimyo of the Rain Country and the Daimyo of the Fire Country, they would have collapsed long ago.

Someone once calculated that if one hundred kilograms of food is transported to the Grass Kingdom, the consumption along the way is only about thirty kilograms. But if one hundred kilograms of food is transported to the Rain Kingdom, the consumption will reach a terrifying eighty kilograms!

The reason is simple. The transporters need to eat and rest. They naturally cannot bring their own food and can only eat the food transported. Years of rain and muddy roads make the transportation costs add up to be terrifying.

During the Second Ninja World War, Kakuei Konishi briefly fought in the Rain Country, a paradise for crime. A palm-sized compressed biscuit could be exchanged for an 18- or 19-year-old girl! For a bite of food and drink, the people of the Rain Country dared to attack the ninja garrison camp at the risk of their lives!

The hopeless transition is what the Rain Country is all about, where fists are the only thing that matters and all ethics, morals, laws and regulations are nonsense!

"Earth Release·Earth Release!"

As the earth trembled, the liquid soil was overturned, revealing the slightly harder soil at the bottom. Konishi Kakuei stepped hard and found that his shoes were stuck in the soil and he couldn't get them out...

"Nima..."

Konishi Kakuei couldn't help but swear and wanted to throw a few detonating tags to vent his anger, but as the commander of the convoy, he needed to remain calm at all times, otherwise the people under him would inevitably become negative.

"The convoy pauses, the second and third squads disperse to stand guard, the others stay beside the vehicles to rest, and all ninjas with positions above squad leader come to my place for a meeting." Konishi Kakuei curled his lips and ordered.

"Yes!"

A cup of tea later, four sad-looking ninjas appeared next to the vehicle stuck in the mud, each holding a cigarette in their hands and remaining silent.

"Speak up, are you all mute? I called you here to brainstorm, not to let you squat here and smoke!" Konishi Kakuei said impatiently.

The four ninjas, who were obviously elite jonin, looked at each other. They had no choice. Who made Konishi Kakuei the general manager? A higher rank can crush a person.

"Sir, I once came to the Land of Rain with Lord Jiraiya during World War II. At that time, we relied entirely on robbing for supplies, and there was no such thing as transportation! For a convoy of this size to want to enter the Land of Rain now, it would be as poisonous as a scorpion's poop." A middle-aged ninja said with a bitter face.

"That's right. It rains all year round here. I don't understand what Hokage-sama was thinking. He sent us here to suffer. I would rather assassinate the enemy than be exposed to the rain all day long."

Konishi Kakuei glared and shouted in a low voice: "Shut up! How can we question the policies set by the Hokage? If you have this spare time, you might as well think about solving practical problems."

Someone immediately retorted, "If you ask me, it's all the fault of those idiots in the Hokage's office. They sit in the office drinking tea and reading newspapers all day long. How could they know the hardships of the Rain Country? It seems so easy to open and close your mouth, but we have to suffer in the rain. I'm going to sue them when I get back!"

"That's right. It's not our fault at all. It's their fault for not thinking it through beforehand."

"..."

Konishi Kakuei slammed the wheel with a sullen face, his tone mixed with anger: "Do you really think that the Hokage is a cheerful and good-tempered person? Don't think I don't know what you are thinking!"

"It's nothing more than that the task is too difficult, and the interests are damaged, so they are unwilling to really work hard! But I want to remind you: Lord Hokage values ​​us civilian ninjas and entrusts us with difficult tasks. It's for our own good!"

"Otherwise, this revolution would never have been initiated by us. You know, the Uchiha clan and the Hyuga clan have been eager to get a piece of the pie!"

The four were speechless. They knew very well that they were in an embarrassing situation in the village, but they just didn't want to admit it openly.

"Since the death of Hatake Sakumo-sama, civilian ninjas have been like rats in the sewers, hiding from the light. It was the Fourth Hokage who took the pressure and promoted us! If the Third Hokage was in power, every one of you would have to join the Anbu and fight with masks on. How could you have the glory you have today!?"

Konishi Kakuei became more and more angry as he spoke, so he simply sat down in the mud, snatched the cigarette that the ninja next to him had just lit, and started smoking in big puffs without even noticing the other's saliva.

"No matter how difficult the task is, people are afraid of doing it seriously. No matter how tortuous the road is, people are afraid of measuring their footsteps! You are all over 40 years old. If you don't fight for your own reputation, think about your children at home! Do you want them to work hard like you to earn some fame and status? Helping the New Rain Country is a national policy set by the Hokage and the two Deputy Hokages. It must be implemented no matter how hard it is. You just gave up at the beginning. What will the Hokage think?"

"Think about it carefully. If you can't come up with a solution, don't eat!"

"..."

After a while, someone said cautiously, "Brother Jiao Rong, calm down. We are just complaining a few words, and we have absolutely no intention of regretting it. The road is muddy and difficult to travel, why don't we capture some civilians and force them to transport seeds and supplies?"

Upon hearing this, Konishi Kakuei nearly choked to death on the tobacco. He threw a big dart at the other party and yelled, "We are here to help the farmers, not to continue to enslave the people of the New Rain Country! Next time you talk, keep your mouth shut. If the Uchiha Law Enforcement Team hears you, I can't protect you!"

"We can break up the supplies and have the ninjas carry them on their shoulders. Although it may be a little slow, we can still complete the task." Someone else suggested.

"It's a bit of a clumsy method, but it's okay. You guys think of a better way." Konishi Kakuei said with a relaxed expression.

At this time, the ninja who had been silent said: "Why don't we ask the local people of the Rain Country how to transport supplies? No matter how poor they are, they still need to transport heavy supplies from time to time, otherwise what will the nobles eat and drink?"

Konishi Kakuei's eyes lit up and he praised, "Sakata, you are right. In the past, Lord Hatake Sakumo praised you for your intelligence many times. Now it seems that you are more reliable."

"You three should learn more. Don't just fight and kill all day long like a brainless reckless man!"

The other three looked bitter, and they were timid and didn't dare to talk back. The five of them were friends and comrades for many years, and they were also staunch supporters of Hatake Sakumo in the past, and they had a very good relationship. And Konishi Kakuei had always been their leader, and he was not hurt at all by a few words, and he was thick-skinned.

Konishi Kakuei patted his butt and stood up, throwing away the cigarette butt in his hand, and said, "The three of you stay where you are to guard the convoy, Sakata will call a few people to follow me, there is a village 20 kilometers ahead, let's go and get some scriptures."

"Hokage-sama is right. Ninjas cannot always work in isolation and think they can do anything. They need to watch and learn more."