NARUTO: Ninja World Scientific Revolution

"Go to Baosha Town to gather intelligence on the enemy? If we encounter enemies and can't gather any information, don't reveal our whereabouts…" 

Upon receiving the mission, Hyuga Mirai's face showed a brief look of surprise. They had barely rested for half a day—while it might have been enough to regain some energy, it hardly seemed urgent to send them out so soon. 

Mirai didn't believe that their superiors were intentionally making things difficult for them, and it wasn't just their squad that had received this reconnaissance mission. 

"Ugh, we haven't rested long at all, and now we have to go on another mission?" 

Kurenai Yuhi complained while checking her ninja tool pouch. After confirming everything was in order, she waited for Mirai's instructions. 

'Take the initiative'—seems like Orochimaru is thinking along those lines. 

Mirai mused to herself. While there were quite a few elite ninjas in the first wave from Konoha, their numbers were still limited. If they waited for the sand ninjas to arrive at their doorstep, even if they managed to repel the enemies, they would likely suffer considerable losses. 

However, if they used these elite ninjas to take the initiative, they could catch the sand ninjas off guard. After all, no one would expect Konoha—once a village advocating for peace—to launch a surprise attack on a neighboring country without any reason. 

This move would practically be a case of prioritizing results over reputation. Even if the surprise attack on the sand ninjas ended in a decisive victory, Mirai was 80% sure that Orochimaru would be called to account by the Third Hokage. 

"Let's go, Kiyo, Kurenai." 

Once Mirai had finished preparing, she smiled at Kurenai. "Kurenai, whether or not we complete this mission might depend on your genjutsu skills." 

...… 

Baosha Town was located on the border of the Land of Wind's desert. Just a few dozen miles further would bring them into the Land of Rivers, a country nestled between two major ninja villages. The land of Rivers had been influenced by both nations, with half of it covered by desert mountains and the other half by forests. 

After leaving their camp, it wasn't long before Kurenai asked, "Captain, where should we gather intelligence?" 

Mirai thought for a moment, then took out a map to examine it before answering, "The sand ninjas in the Land of Rivers are probably skilled intelligence operatives, and there might even be sand ninjas from their ANBU. Gathering intelligence from them would be difficult…" 

"I think we can take a detour," Mirai continued. "We should head from the Land of Rivers towards the Rain Country, then cross into the Land of Wind. There, we can find a small, isolated logistics team from the sand ninjas and extract intelligence from them." 

Kurenai and Kiyo stared at their captain in surprise, their faces showing slight astonishment. This was the same captain who usually couldn't be bothered to leave the village—yet today, he had boldly chosen the most laborious and dangerous method… 

But risk and reward went hand in hand. According to Mirai's plan, if successful, they could obtain plenty of valuable intelligence. 

Kiyo furrowed her brow slightly and asked, "Isn't this too dangerous?" 

A small squad daring to infiltrate the enemy's rear was no small feat. They weren't the legendary White Fang of Konoha, and even the White Fang had failed on their last mission. 

"There are risks, but with the two of us, we can avoid most of them." 

Mirai pointed at herself and Kiyo's Byakugan, then explained slowly, "With the two of us using our Byakugan to scout ahead, we can avoid most enemies. As for erasing our tracks and masking our scent, I'm confident in my abilities." 

"We'll bypass most of the sand ninjas' defenses and reach a blind spot in their lines within two days. Don't worry about chakra consumption—I've brought plenty of special food pills." 

Kurenai and Kiyo nodded in agreement. They recognized that Mirai had accounted for every detail of the mission. Perhaps it was really possible. 

In past missions, Mirai had always been cautious, so if she was volunteering for this one, it must mean she had great confidence in its success. 

Kurenai gave a nod and said, "I agree with this plan." 

After Kurenai agreed, both he and Kurenai looked at Kiyo, who stood up decisively and said, "Since we're all in agreement, let's go." 

Mirai then distributed the food pills she had prepared. Although they didn't taste great, they were made from the finest ingredients in Konoha Hospital, with one pill restoring over half the chakra of a Chunin within an hour. 

Before they set off, Mirai's expression became serious. "Since we've agreed to this mission, I need to make something clear: during the mission, you are not to question my orders. Once I give an order, you must carry it out immediately!" 

Both Kurenai and Kiyo had never heard Mirai speak in such a heavy tone before. Kiyo, in particular, understood that this warning was aimed at her. She felt a slight irritation, but still nodded in agreement. 

Following the captain's orders during a mission was a given, and though Kiyo had a strong personality, she knew how to maintain the proper conduct of a ninja when the time came. 

With everything in order, the three set off, carefully avoiding the main battlefields in the Land of Rivers where both the sand and Konoha ninjas were stationed. They hardly rested during the journey and only took brief pauses to replenish their chakra when needed by consuming the food pills. 

Kiyo, in particular, was constantly using her Byakugan to scout for enemies, causing her chakra to deplete much faster than Kurenai's. Every hour or so, she would have to take another pill. 

Mirai, though, pretended to take the food pills as well, but instead consumed chocolate beans shaped like the pills. After integrating the DNA sequence of Hashirama Cells, Mirai's chakra levels had been steadily increasing, and had it not been for his use of sealing techniques to absorb and store Yang Release chakra, his chakra reserves would have raised suspicions from others by now. 

"Stop for a moment. We're close to the border of the Land of Wind. Let's rest for three hours before we continue." 

Mirai raised her hand to signal to the others. After over a day of intense travel, even with food pills to restore their chakra, the mental exhaustion couldn't be eased. 

The three found a concealed, suitable spot to rest, and after a hearty meal, Mirai instructed Kurenai and Kiyo to rest while she took on the responsibility of guarding. 

Despite the long journey, Mirai didn't feel fatigued in the least. She could feel every cell in her body remaining exceptionally energized. Even her Byakugan felt an unusual sense of comfort under the infusion of chakra. 

However, the occasional blurry sensation still lingered. 

'Looks like I'll need a full body check-up when we return. Could it be that the Caged Bird seal is causing some issues?' 

Without medical equipment at hand, Mirai couldn't pinpoint the cause. 

Two hours later, after a satisfying meal and a good rest, both Kiyo and Kurenai were fully recovered. After a final check to ensure there were no problems, the three of them headed toward the Land of Wind! 

(End of Chapter)