First Encounter with Omba

"Sensei, do we really need to control our weight?"

The more straightforward Raiton was the first to blurt it out, nearly making Kamise Yushi spit out his food.

"Don't listen to that guy's nonsense. Even if anyone needs to watch their weight, it's adults. You kids should eat more."

"Oh~"

Having cleared everything up, Namiashi Raidō brightened considerably. He held his bowl and swiftly piled it with food, smiling as he ate and glanced at the group beside them.

The pleasant picnic outside the village ended, and everyone immediately began setting up their tents.

As the sun slowly set, the sight of them bustling about looked just like their old survival exercises.

However, they had only put up two tents, with just eight people in total.

After discussing it, they arranged the night watch and went to sleep.

The night passed without incident. Everyone got up early, and after breakfast, they gathered together.

"By the way, Noma, you arrived earlier than us. Have you already found Omba's location?"

Yushi shamelessly ignored Noma's furious stare and spoke leisurely.

"You bastard, even if cooperating helps the mission, you should at least have some shame!"

Noma's face turned fierce. Against Yushi's entire team, such a tactic posed no threat at all. Instead, it only put him at a disadvantage.

After all, shamelessness seemed to have long become the team's highest code of conduct. Whenever there was an advantage to be gained, they were more than willing to throw away their worthless pride.

Kurenai was an exception, of course. But whenever it came time to sell one's dignity, it was never her turn anyway. Genma and Raiton were shameless too.

"Ahem. Well, this is just part of the process. If you don't ask, then naturally I'll ask first. Besides, if we hurry, maybe we can finish the mission sooner."

Though still displeased, Noma knew the other party had a point. He could only say helplessly, "We've actually made some progress tracking Omba. We found footprints the day before yesterday. But they disappeared at the riverbank, so we stopped to rest."

"So you've lost the trail?"

Yushi looked at Noma expressionlessly, his eyes seemingly carrying a trace of helplessness.

It was as if Noma really was that unreliable, that disappointing.

Noma flared up and said with a stern face, "Hey, what do you mean, lost the trail? We found Omba's traces once, so naturally we can find them again!"

"Mm, that's true. Then share your experience with us. We still need to cooperate."

Unlike his earlier rigidity, Yushi now seemed relaxed and easygoing, like the friendly older brother next door.

Yet that very expression made Noma grit his teeth even harder. Most importantly, he had no reason to refuse...

Remembering how his lack of courtesy yesterday had cost him two meals, Noma suddenly had an idea. With ill intent, he said, "It's an easy matter, but we can't put in so much effort for nothing. How about your team handles the cooking from now on?"

"Cooking..." Yushi repeated, rubbing his chin as he glanced at Genma and the others beside him. Seeing no change in their expressions, he continued, "Sure. But gathering ingredients doesn't count. Our team will only cook."

Damn it, he hadn't considered the issue of ingredients for cooking!

Noma grew even angrier. Once a perfectly honest man, his mind was now constantly occupied with thoughts of how to take advantage of others. After thinking for a while, he was just about to speak.

"No problem, but we'll only be responsible for our own ingredients. In other words, each side prepares their own."

Though he did not understand what had gotten into his old companion, Yushi still curled his lips into a smile. "Fine. Then can you show our group the tricks of tracking Omba sooner?"

"This... of course. Ebisu, take them to where we previously found Omba's traces. Make sure you explain it clearly."

Noma had calmed down by now and looked seriously at Ebisu, who had been acting carefree the entire time.

This task was indeed important. Since the two groups were working together, the greater their efficiency, the greater their gains.

Although Ebisu was always lazy-looking, he had the highest intelligence in the team and was fairly articulate as well.

"Yes!"

Seeing Noma take the matter so seriously, Ebisu straightened up and answered firmly.

Yushi's squad followed Ebisu to examine the traces Omba had left behind.

It had to be said that Ebisu was truly knowledgeable. Not only could he determine when Omba had left based on the softness or hardness of the soil, he could even tell what it had eaten by the smell of its droppings.

Genma could only distinguish food after it had been cooked, whereas Ebisu could identify food after it had been digested. One could only imagine just how profound his knowledge was.

Still, everyone had their own specialty. After listening to Ebisu's explanation, the four of them gained some understanding of Omba.

Omba had left the area three days ago. It liked eating fish from the river, and crossing a river seemed to pose no great difficulty for it.

They therefore needed to cross the river and continue tracking it. But the river ran in two directions, and with only one team, they would inevitably risk missing their chance to find Omba.

The two teams swiftly packed everything up, agreed on how to contact each other, and immediately began their search.

To improve efficiency, Genma distributed his Telescope, giving one to Fifth Squad.

After more than half a day of strenuous searching, they finally found Omba's trail. After confirming it several times, the two teams regrouped.

The two teams moved together and soon began taking turns accelerating as they traveled.

This method was unsuitable for ordinary people, but it was perfect for ninja.

When a ninja went all out, their speed could become so fast that even their swinging arms could not keep up. They also had to hold both arms straight behind them to maintain their balance while running at high speed.

This was the so-called ninja run, a movement that had once been mocked in his previous life as something only idiots would do.

But now that he was using it, it was genuinely amazing. It even gave him the feeling of an otherworldly master brushing his sleeves and departing.

Taking turns accelerating was similar to interval running, except the key method of changing speeds was quite different.

First, one group traveled at a relatively fast pace while the group behind followed at a slower pace. When it was time to switch, the latter group sprinted at full speed to catch up, while the former began slowing down. Once the two groups met, the former continued at a slower speed while the group that had caught up moved ahead at a faster pace. At the next switch, they traded roles again.

Though the method looked ordinary, the explosive speed ninja could achieve gave it remarkable results.

Although the two groups differed in strength, this coordinated approach was much faster than normal travel. More importantly, it was well suited for prolonged high-speed pursuit.

The two teams had never worked together before, but after trying this alternating charge a few times, they grasped the trick and quickly adapted.

After taking a break midway, they finally found an adult Omba in the evening.

Omba was not a particularly perceptive animal, and it looked broad and burly. When they found it, it was charging wildly through the forest.

Although Jiraiya had praised it as invincible, it was soon locked in a stalemate with a wild boar.

However, this was no ordinary wild boar. Its tusks were thick and huge, and its body was terrifyingly large as well.

Wild boars had been among the most dangerous beasts in forests in his previous life, and that seemed to hold true in this world too. Upon seeing the boar, Omba did not charge straight at it. Instead, it stood up and roared.

"Omba~"

Omba's cry sounded just like its name. It felt strange, but hearing it in person was like listening to the whispers of an ancient beast.

"Huff~"

The wild boar let out a rough breath and began pawing at the dirt before it with its front hooves. Its hind legs tensed as it glared at Omba, as though it would charge at any moment.

The eight of them had no interest in getting involved in the fight between Omba and the wild boar. Not only would it waste time, but there was no point in picking up scraps behind the boar either.

Both Yushi and Noma understood this, so they instructed Genma and the others to scout the surrounding area.

The adult Omba was already here. Could the young ones be far away?

After searching around, they quickly found a nest on a large tree.

Calling it a bird's nest would be less accurate than calling it the nest of some large bird. But large birds preferred living on cliffs and other high-altitude places with fewer creatures, so why would one appear in the forest?

Thus, everyone treated the nest as the place where Omba kept its young. They quietly circled around the adult Omba before them and cautiously approached.

Omba was a mammal, so no one believed its nest would be without danger. Even adult Omba that were unrelated to the young could not be taken lightly.

However, Omba was not especially strong, so the two team leaders merely followed from a distance and had no intention of acting.

Besides, Genma and Ebisu were both intelligent. There was even less need for them to get involved.

The two squads advanced slowly. One person in each squad used a Telescope to observe the distant situation, while the other two kept watch over their surroundings.

Before long, the two squads neared the large tree with the nest. But before they had taken more than a few steps, a pair of scarlet eyes suddenly peered out from among the leaves.

"Omba~"

An Omba smaller than the one they had seen earlier leaped down from the tree, crouched low to the ground, and charged toward the squads.

It was so fast they could barely see it. At that critical moment, Genma and Ebisu reacted at once.

"Scatter!"

Though surprised that they had reached the exact same judgment, Genma and Ebisu understood each other's intentions and led their respective squads apart.

A direct clash with Omba was unwise. After darting into the forest, Genma created three Shadow Clones and transformed them into the appearances of several people from their side.

"Omba!"

Unexpectedly, Omba did not charge through. This animal, which looked easily provoked, seemed to possess considerable intelligence. It slowly retreated toward the nest.

At that moment, Ebisu quietly led his team over to Genma, and the two squads regrouped.

"Genma, can you try using Shadow Clones to lure it away?"

Ebisu was surprised that Genma could use Shadow Clone, but there was even more delight in his eyes.

However, Genma shook his head. "I can't be sure, but we can try. Still, it would be best if we had a way to make Omba angry."