The Land of Grass is a small country located to the northwest of the Land of Fire.
Unlike the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Rivers that Mokgetsu visited before, the Land of Grass has its own Ninja Village, the Grass Village, and is also considered one of the stronger countries among the small nations in the Ninja World.
However, the awkward location of the Land of Grass renders its strength virtually useless.
The Land of Grass borders four countries in total, consisting of two small countries and two large countries.
The two small countries it borders are the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Rain. The Land of Waterfall is to the northeast of the Land of Grass, and due to its unique geography, the Land of Grass can't expand in that direction. The Land of Rain, however, is an easier target to approach, with half of the Land of Grass's territory bordering it, but the Land of Rain is the strongest Ninja Village after the Five Great Ninja Villages, making it too formidable to tackle.
The two large countries it borders are the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. There's no question of provoking them; the Land of Grass can only play the role of a subordinate.
During the Second Great Ninja War, the Rain Village had already proven the strength of the Five Great Ninja Villages to the world. Even though its top power may contend, on other fronts, a small village would just be crushed by the Five Great Ninja Villages, ultimately leading to defeat.
As a small country, the Land of Grass's survival strategy is to help whoever wins, which is why the consistently victorious Konoha has become its solid ally.
Of course, the Land of Grass cannot completely side with Konoha. While playing the role of Konoha's junior ally, it also shows goodwill toward Hidden Rock, to avoid being easily dealt with during a war.
Though the Land of Grass has been trying hard to maneuver politically, it still cannot avoid becoming the battleground for clashes between large countries because its geographical position is too advantageous.
Currently, the best battlefield for the engagements between Hidden Rock and Konoha is the Land of Grass; there's no other.
In actuality, the Land of Rain's position is better, but because it is better, it is also more troublesome. If Hidden Rock attacks the Land of Fire through the Land of Rain, it not only has to face the formidable Rain Village but also provoke the vigilance of the Land of Wind, since the Land of Rain borders the Land of Wind as well.
Hidden Rock has no intention toward the Land of Wind, so despite the better position of the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass is the best route for invading Konoha for them.
Possibly due to favorable frontline conditions, this escort mission has been exceptionally smooth, not encountering a single attack along the way, not even encountering bandits.
Mokgetsu thought it makes sense; regular bandits seeing a caravan this large would probably figure there's definitely ninjas hired to guard it.
Of course, it could also be that during wartime, bandits don't dare to wander around carelessly to avoid getting caught in a ninja battle.
"Wow, no enemies have appeared for so long, could it be that Kakashi was right this time?" Obito said, disappointed, as he sat on top of the carriage looking around and seeing no trace of enemies.
"I've said before, the previous times were just bad luck; it's impossible for accidents to happen four times in a row." Kakashi said calmly.
He found this very normal; only then does it resemble a C-Class mission. The previous times were truly freak accidents, so much so that the first and third times could easily be considered S-level missions with no problem.
One time, two Jonin appeared; another time, a Raikage Candidate showed up, so exaggerated that Kakashi wondered if he really brought bad luck.
"How about a youthful and passionate race?" Might Guy enthusiastically invited.
"I must decline." Kakashi immediately refused. During a mission, he did not want to waste energy on such meaningless physical exertion.
"Let's just forget it." Obito also refused Might Guy's proposal, feeling he wouldn't be able to win anyway.
Obito didn't want to join in on such a meaningless and guaranteed loss kind of contest.
If it were Kakashi challenging him, Obito would be glad to accept.
"What a pity." Might Guy said regrettably, then jumped down from the carriage and ran alongside it, keeping pace.
Mokgetsu didn't stop Might Guy; for Might Guy, this level of exercise was nothing, more like a warm-up.
Additionally, ever since leaving Konoha, Mokgetsu would occasionally use Perception Ninjutsu to make sure there were no enemies nearby.
If the Byakugan could be kept activated continuously, it wouldn't be so troublesome, but doing so would consume too much chakra, making it a low-cost-efficiency option.
With no enemies around, a bored Obito went around talking to the people in the grain transport convoy, chatting about everything from work to life to family.
"How much do you earn for completing one commission?" Obito asked out of curiosity.
"Commission?" The worker was initially puzzled, but then realized Obito might be asking about his salary.
"When there's a lot of work, it could be around seven thousand ryo a month; usually, it's about five thousand ryo." The worker thought for a moment and replied.
"Do you work very little each month? How come it's only five thousand ryo a month?" Obito scratched his head, puzzled.
The minimum commission for a D-Class mission is five thousand ryo, and such minimal D-Class mission commission is tax-free. Mokgetsu even splits the commission, and Obito could earn five thousand ryo just by doing four D-Class missions, typically taking just one afternoon.
This statement left the worker speechless, unsure how to respond for a moment.
Is the work time short? Of course not; they work almost every day, and sometimes when the pay is higher, it's because they're busy day and night.
"We ordinary people surely can't compare to you ninjas." The worker finally said.
This is the disparity of the world. The expenses a ninja spends on ninja tools each month might be more than what an ordinary family could afford in a year.
Obito was a bit puzzled about the difference, wondering why there was such a big gap, and couldn't figure it out.
As the convoy reached the border of the Land of Fire and was about to enter the Land of Grass, Mokgetsu instructed his students to return to the carriage as a precaution.
"We're about to enter the Land of Grass next. It's very dangerous right now, and you need to stay alert at all times," Mokgetsu sternly reminded them.
"Thousands of ninjas are currently battling in this country, and anything could happen."
Mokgetsu then spent half an hour lecturing his students on the brutality of war.
Mokgetsu had the capability to protect himself and his three students in the war, but he didn't want Obito and the others to underestimate it.
Every war is cruel, requiring many sacrifices and destroying numerous beautiful things.
Even the usually carefree Obito showed a cautious expression at this moment, without voicing any doubts.
After entering the Land of Grass, the air seemed to carry a more lethal atmosphere, and the environment along the way began to change.
Mokgetsu started to gradually encounter ninjas, but they were either Konoha ninjas or those from the Land of Grass, considered allies.
Based on the observed mood of the ninjas, Mokgetsu speculated the situation was still alright; otherwise, those ninjas would have displayed more seriousness.
"Is it finally time for a normal C-Class mission?" Mokgetsu thought to himself.
Despite having three C-Class missions on their record, not one had been completed as such, making their team quite unique.
As they approached the mission's destination, Mokgetsu sensed an increasing number of ninjas using Perception Ninjutsu.
Thus, Mokgetsu switched to using Byakugan because Perception Ninjutsu could only sense Chakra, while Byakugan could directly see who was approaching.
Every hour, Mokgetsu activated his Byakugan to observe the surroundings within a one-and-a-half-kilometer radius, leaving no ninja hidden from his sight.
Ultimately, the supply convoy led by Mokgetsu reached Konoha's camp on the battlefield in the Land of Grass without a single attack.
"Mokgetsu, why are you here on the battlefield?" Minato asked in surprise upon seeing the familiar figure.
In Minato's understanding, Mokgetsu was not supposed to be here, being a teacher, especially during the school term at the Ninja Academy.
Unless Konoha faced a moment of life and death, they wouldn't send excellent teachers like Mokgetsu from the Ninja School to the battlefield.
"I'm an intern teacher, similar to a guiding Jonin. This time, I'm leading students on a C-Class war mission," Mokgetsu explained with a smile.
"I see—logistics task," Minato deduced, glancing at the nearby supply convoy and guessing the kind of mission Mokgetsu had taken on.
"Mokgetsu, make sure your students stay in the camp and don't wander around. Hidden Rock has been silent for two weeks now—they might be planning a large-scale attack," Minato advised, noting this camp was relatively safe, being at the front's rear.
He knew Mokgetsu's team included two students from the Ninja Academy, which made him a bit concerned.
"We won't stray," Obito felt underestimated.
"That's for the best. Following your teacher's orders is the path to becoming an excellent ninja," Minato replied with a kind smile, unaffected by Obito's words.
"That guy's smile really looks like Teacher Mokgetsu's," Obito couldn't help but remark inwardly, imagining Mokgetsu and Minato as long-lost brothers once more.
"Looks like there won't be any surprises in this mission," Kakashi sighed in relief internally.
This marked the completion of the task; now they just had to unload the supplies and take a short rest before returning to Konoha.
Crack!
Suddenly, a burst sounded, and fireworks erupted in the distance.
Boom!!
Following that was a fierce explosion, the firelight intensely visible even from afar.
"Damn, Hidden Rock launched a massive assault!" Minato's expression turned serious.
The signal just fired was Konoha's highest-level alert on the battlefield, requiring all Konoha ninjas to prepare for battle.
Kakashi gazed at the signal in bewilderment; even Ninja Academy students knew its meaning.
"Do I really bring bad luck?" Kakashi felt unsure about himself since the signal was triggered right as they arrived on the battlefield.
Mokgetsu was also taken aback; he understood the signal's significance.
"Who could the enemy be, Third Tsuchikage? It shouldn't be. Could it be..." Mokgetsu pondered, his eyes flickering, speculating about Hidden Rock's main attacking force.