Sneaking Off?
Climbing mountains and crossing rivers, traversing mountains and valleys.
Ignoring the treacherous terrain, the ninjas advanced swiftly in a straight line. They set off at a little after 10 a. m., but it was only a little after 3 p. m. when they entered the desert of the Land of Wind.
They even stopped for lunch on the way.
It's no wonder that transportation in this world has never developed. Even though we've entered the electrical age, and household appliances like electric lights and refrigerators have long been common in Konoha, transportation has never progressed. It's simply because the ninjas are too mobile; ordinary transportation is meaningless to them.
The technology tree in this world is quite skewed, and Katsuki has lost count of how many times she's complained about it, but she can't suppress the urge to criticize it.
Yellow sand rolls in, and the wind howls fiercely.
The name "Land of Wind" is truly fitting.
From the moment I stepped into the desert, the wind never stopped. The dry, dusty wind blew through my hair, the bright sun in the sky radiated astonishing heat, and the soft, shifting sand beneath my feet was scorching hot.
"It's so hot!"
Nawaki tugged at his clothes, unable to stop himself from sticking out his tongue and panting.
The wind here is hot; the dry air passes through his nostrils and into his lungs, the heat reaching deep into his heart. It's so hot that he wants to take his clothes off. This place is the complete opposite of the Land of Rain.
Mikoto and Otome were both wearing large trench coats that covered their skin tightly. Compared to the scorching temperature, the girls were clearly more concerned about the threat to their skin from the sun. Perhaps they didn't know what ultraviolet rays were, but they knew that sun exposure was extremely damaging to the skin, so enduring a little heat was nothing to them.
However, this level of endurance earned the respect of men like Katsuki and Nawaki.
"Katsuki, how much longer until we reach our destination?" Nawaki asked.
"Almost there, we should be around here now, about twenty kilometers from the base camp! Hmm..." Katsuki looked at the simple map in her hand, suddenly raised an eyebrow, and exclaimed in surprise.
"What's wrong?"
Beneath the straw hat, the Otome stared at him with bright eyes.
"We have guests." Katsuki smiled, rolled up the map, and put it away.
"Are they Sand Ninja? But shouldn't this be our territory? How come there are Sand Ninja?" Uchiha Mikoto asked, then noticed the strange looks in everyone's eyes.
Although Mikoto is quite strong and has carried out many missions, she has never truly participated in a large-scale battle and clearly does not understand the difference between ordinary ninja battles and the Shinobi World War.
Seeing the strange looks from everyone, Mikoto realized that she had probably asked a very stupid question. The girl raised an eyebrow and her gentle gaze fell on Katsuki, making Katsuki tremble in fright.
"Ahem, it should be the Sand Ninja's mobile force that attacked our supply lines. They probably saw that we were few in number and just a bunch of kids who were easy to bully," Katsuki casually explained. Before entering the desert, they had changed into very thin clothes, taking off all their vests and even their Forehead Protector.
So much so that they now look like a group of straggling recruits.
"Special forces dedicated to sabotaging supply lines? War is truly complex."
Mikoto was very clever; from Katsuki's brief explanation, she quickly understood the whole story.
"Lord Katsuki, should we put on a show to scare away the Sand Ninja?" Hoshio asked in a deep voice.
"No need, how can we scare them away? We didn't come to the Land of Wind for a leisurely outing. We'll kill them." Katsuki licked her chapped lips; this damned weather was unbearable. "They're coming soon, don't rush. Let's wait until they appear before we make our move. They're just a bunch of small fry, they won't escape... Should you handle it, or should I take care of it?"
Katsuki asked a final question.
"Let us try." Kamiya was eager to try, his beautiful face, as pretty as a girl's, radiating fighting spirit.
"Please make sure you hand it over to us." Hoshio's reaction was no slower than Kamiya's.
These two brothers went to the battlefield for no other reason than to hone their skills and become stronger. If Katsuki had taken them all, they would have truly come for a picnic.
"Leave it to us, Katsuki, you can hold the line." Otome said, drawing her Wakizashi, as the Sand Ninja had already appeared on the horizon.
······
The battle ended quickly!
Although the eight Sand Ninja had the advantage in numbers, they were completely outmatched in strength. Facing two Uchiha, one Senju, and elite ordinary ninjas like Kamiya and Hoshio, the Sand Ninja fell one after another in just three minutes.
Katsuki didn't interfere at all from beginning to end, and quite boredly used Earth Release to build a pavilion to shield herself from the scorching sunlight.
"Phew! It's so hot! It's even hotter underground than above ground. It's like a sauna down there." Nawaki dragged the dead Sand Ninja corpse out of the ground, wiped the glistening sweat from his forehead, and complained, "The land here is so dry. I'm covered in dust."
"There's nothing we can do. This is the Land of Wind, a desert. The soil here is completely different from the Land of Rain," Katsuki said, shrugging.
Earth Release stealth is very particular about the soil quality. The underground environment is quite complex. Tree roots, minerals, water veins, and other factors will affect the stealth technique. Moreover, the softness or hardness of the soil will also affect the consumption of Chakra. For example, the land with abundant water in the Land of Rain and the dry land here are extreme situations. Not only is it difficult to perform the stealth technique, but it is also easy to get your clothes dirty.
In the Land of Rain, because it rains all the time, it doesn't matter if clothes get dirty; they can be washed clean by soaking them in the rain for a few minutes. Although this method is a bit crude, it is still a method. In contrast, in the desert of the Land of Wind, drinking water is a problem, let alone something as mundane as washing clothes.
It was truly boring. Worrying about what to do with dirty clothes was such a pointless thought. Katsuki scratched his head, Teuchi, knocking down the pavilion. The ants blocking the way were dealt with; now they had to continue their journey.
"I'll go scout ahead."
Katsuki stamped his foot, and thunder roared, sending silvery-white lightning soaring into the sky.
"······"
Everyone was stunned for a moment as they watched the silver light flash across the sky.
"Amazing!"
Kamiya and Hoshio exchanged a glance, seeing the awe in each other's eyes—awe of immense power.
"This kid... is so strong." Mikoto's eyes widened as she watched the light disappear into the horizon. The girl had already awakened her eyes, and both of her eyes had Futatsudomoe, but she couldn't see the scene when Katsuki left.
It was faster than she could see!
"No wonder Father said that Katsuki is a monster!" Mikoto muttered to herself.
"My father also said that Katsuki is now stronger than him," Otome chimed in.
"Wait, um... Captain, did you sneak away?" Kamiya muttered to himself.
Upon hearing this, the air pressure instantly dropped significantly, and Kamiya and Hoshio couldn't help but shiver.