You're going to need a lot of rations in Assassin's Creed Shadows, at least for the first several hours where you're playing as Naoe—the shinobi who's not nearly as well-suited to close-quarters combat as Yasuke. At first you'll only have three of these healing items in your pouch and they're not all that effective, so you'll need to get more rations and upgrade them to improve your odds.
Just like knowledge ranks, the rations system is oddly complicated in Shadows, largely down to the lack of tutorials explaining how they tie into your progression. It doesn't help that the activity required to stuff your pockets with more rations isn't marked on the map in the same way that shrines, temples, and other important events are. Don't worry though, once you've got the hang of it, it's pretty simple.
