The Land of Whirlpools

Hearing Yemo's praise, Kosuke chuckled slightly. Minato also used Kunai cut off a pig's leg, but Minato didn't eat like Yemo, tearing food apart haphazardly.

After taking a bite, Minato gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed, "This grilled meat is really delicious! It's not oily or greasy, and it's crispy on the outside. It's much better than what I've had in some restaurants. I didn't expect you to be such a good cook!"

Kosuke laughed and said, "You flatter me. I can only offer barbecue; I can't do anything else."

"Uncle Kosuke, your grilling skills are so amazing, did you learn them specifically?" Yemo asked, looking up. He also wanted to learn how to grill meat.

Waving his hand, Kosuke replied, "Not at all. It's just that when I'm on a mission, I often don't want to eat Military Rations Pill, so I catch some wild game to roast. The more missions I do, the better my roasting skills become."

As he spoke, Kosuke picked up the small knife in his hand, gently cut a palm-sized piece of meat from the roasted pig, and put it in his mouth to chew.

Seeing that Yemo and the other two were enjoying their meal, Kakashi, who had been silent all along, also made a move. He took out Kunai from his ninja tool pouch, cut off a pig's leg, and quietly began to eat it.

The four of them devoured a wild boar completely. Although they were still within the Land of Fire, they took turns keeping watch at night. Yemo and Kakashi were assigned to the first half of the night, Minato and Kosuke were assigned to the second half.

Kakashi remained silent, and Yemo was unsure what to say or why to Kakashi. The two were completely silent, with only the occasional gust of wind rustling through the leaves or the crackling of wood in the burning campfire.

Looking up at the moon, a crescent moon hangs in the sky, its bright light spilling across the earth, adding a touch of silvery white. A chilling wind blows, and a sense of desolation inevitably rises in the quiet heart.

This situation continued for a long time, and Yemo, sitting to the side, became increasingly irritable. He disliked the overly quiet atmosphere, which made him very uncomfortable.

Looking at Kakashi, who was sitting cross-legged beside him, Yemo broke the silence, "Kakashi, did you volunteer for this mission, or was it assigned by the Third?"

Upon hearing Yemo's words, Kakashi, who had been feigning sleep, opened his eyes, glanced at Yemo lightly, and then said calmly, "Designated by the Third."

Kakashi was a man of few words; he uttered only five simple words and then fell silent, closing his eyes again as if to doze off.

Seeing this, Yemo felt even more bored. He couldn't force Kakashi to speak if he didn't want to. Suddenly, Yemo's eyes darted around, as if he had thought of something. He smiled and said, "Kakashi, I heard that Rin seems to like you. Is that really true?"

Upon hearing Yemo mention this, Kakashi's expression finally changed. He was no longer expressionless; his eyes opened, and his tone finally changed. "What liking or disliking? How would we know what love is at our age? Her feelings for me are probably admiration, not love."

Before he could finish listening, Yemo couldn't help but retort, "Kakashi, don't pretend to be so mature. You're just a seven-year-old kid. What do you know about love? Love is sometimes impulsive. Have you ever heard of childhood sweethearts? You're not Rin, so how would you know if Rin's feelings for you are admiration or love?"

"Then do you understand?" Kakashi retorted, turning his head.

This retort left Yemo speechless. Only then did Yemo realize that he was also a little kid now, and it didn't seem right to say that little kids didn't understand love in front of Kakashi, who was also a little kid.

Waving his hand, Yemo changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about that. We're all just kids, so let's not talk about love or anything like that. But, the relationship between you, Obito, and Rin is really complicated, a real love triangle."

Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Kakashi's tone revealed a maturity beyond his years. "We're just kids, what do we know? Whether we love or not isn't something we can explain. Life is unpredictable, who can say for sure what the future holds? Time changes, people change, many things don't turn out as expected, no one can be sure what they'll become in the future. Often, things aren't as simple as we think, what's the use of thinking so much now?"

Staring intently at Kakashi now seemed less like a child and more like someone who had weathered countless years of hardship, Yemo sighed inwardly. The death of White Fang had made Kakashi grow and changed Kakashi in so many ways.

Having said that, Yemo did not continue speaking, and for a moment, silence fell again, with only the howling wind rustling the leaves.

The night passed peacefully. Yemo and Kakashi stayed up for the first half of the night before falling asleep. At dawn, Minato woke them up, and after a delicious breakfast, the four of them set off again.

Having crossed the border of the Land of Fire, the four entered the border of the Land of Whirlpools, speeding along the way, and were slowly approaching Uzushiogakure.

Along the way, Yemo looked at the scenery on both sides and was deeply moved. It had been almost half a year since he left the Land of Whirlpools, and the scenery on both sides had not changed. It was just that he had left back then, and now he was returning.

Minato turned around and asked Yemo, "Yemo, you're from the Uzumaki Clan. How much longer until we reach the Uzushiogakure?"

Minato's question startled Yemo. Yemo paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "It's not far. Next, we just need to cross a large river to reach Uzushiogakure. But we can see Uzushiogakure in the distance from the river."

As Yemo said, it took the four of them about five minutes to see a large river. The river was very wide, nearly a thousand meters long, and the waves were rolling.

"Look, that's Uzushiogakure in the distance," Yemo said, pointing ahead.

Following the direction Yemo pointed, everyone saw a mountain peak, over a thousand meters high, standing like a sharp sword on the plain on the other side of the riverbank.

The mountain slopes on all sides, and halfway up the mountain there is a huge open space, as if someone had forcibly cut a piece off with something. A town was built on the open space, and that is the Uzushiogakure.

Looking at the Uzushiogakure perched atop a peak thousands of meters high in the distance, Kosuke exclaimed, "I'd heard before that Uzushiogakure was built in the air, and seeing it today, it's truly amazing!"

Apart from Yemo, the other three were all somewhat amazed by this scene, as it was the first time they had ever seen a village built on a high mountain.

Minato looked around, but he couldn't see any villages, let alone a ferry crossing. There wasn't even a single boat on the wide river. Everything felt very strange. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be not even a fishing boat here.

After thinking for a moment, Minato and asked, "Yemo, are there any villages nearby that can help us cross the river?"

Yemo looked around to confirm his location, then nodded and said, "Yes, and it's not far from us. We'll be there soon."

"Before we begin, let me say a few words," Minato said, his gaze slowly sweeping across the three faces. "Now that we've entered the territory of Uzushiogakure, it means we're very likely to encounter ninjas from other forces besides Uzushiogakure. Therefore, we must be extremely careful from now on and never let our guard down."

Yemo and his two companions wore solemn expressions, clearly understanding that they were likely to face a fierce battle.