Dig It Out—Does It Smell Good?

The mission was boring, and the process was dull.

That was what Tenten's expression said. They were just following the convoy, with nothing for them to do.

The only thing they needed to do was stay alert, but with Neji, a human radar, around, the two of them only needed to be ready.

This mission would last three days. It was now the second day, and they were nearing the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields.

"Neji, have you noticed anything?"

Tenten walked over from the side and asked Neji. He shook his head slightly and reassured her.

"Don't keep hoping something happens. What you're looking forward to might not turn out to be what you want."

He sighed inwardly. Compared to the teachings of other ninja villages, Konoha was already quite gentle.

But things could not be compared that way. Sending children barely in their teens onto the battlefield was something he could never have imagined at first.

Unfortunately, war was merciless. Even in the history of his first life, children had gone to war.

Tenten raised her head slightly, her voice somewhat subdued. "I understand what you mean, but I think... we'll have to go through this sooner or later. So I hope I can accept it sooner."

Neji fell silent. The people of this world really did mature early. He had overlooked that.

Konoha's peaceful years had only been bought with stability, bought with his father Hizashi.

Otherwise, the Land of Lightning would probably have had an excuse to start another war.

He reached out and touched Tenten's cheek, a habit he had developed during that year of being blind.

He tugged at her little face, drawing a protesting whimper from her. She really was cute.

"I know. So don't let your guard down. Whatever you encounter, give it your all, and make sure to finish them off."

"Mm!"

Neji smiled slightly at her response and released Tenten's smooth little cheek.

She shot him a glare and rubbed her face gently to soothe it. Hmph! I was clearly telling the truth, and he still had to pull my face. What a jerk.

That was exactly what she thought. If she wanted to grow, there were flaws she would never discover without going through battle.

That was why she looked forward to it: discovering her shortcomings early, then working hard to improve herself.

Rock Lee, meanwhile, carefully observed the surroundings. The thick-browed, big-eyed guy was just that honest.

Might Guy looked relaxed instead. He occasionally exchanged a few words with Mr. Nakata and tossed out a cold joke now and then, though he clearly did not think they were cold jokes.

That did not last long. The sun set beyond the western hills, and twilight arrived.

The valley ahead was dyed crimson by the setting sun, possessing a certain scenic beauty.

But Neji issued a warning. Might Guy's expression changed, and after explaining the situation to Mr. Nakata, the convoy immediately stopped before the valley.

Mr. Nakata frowned slightly. "The convoy has to pass through this valley before we can make camp. Otherwise, there are many wild beasts here at night. It'll be dangerous."

The forests on both sides were dark and secluded, carrying a quiet chill that Neji had sensed as well.

"There are people in the valley ahead, and quite a few of them. They're lying in wait on both sides. They've kept their movements and breathing low, but I can sense their presence."

"And it seems they've set up quite a few things in advance."

Neji's last sentence was directed at Mr. Nakata. The latter's expression changed slightly, clearly indicating that he knew something, and he cursed under his breath.

"They're only some bandits. Konoha's ninja should be able to deal with them, right?"

"Of course, if anything unexpected happens, I can increase the reward and put the circumstances in writing!"

Mr. Nakata gritted his teeth and made the promise.

Tenten and Rock Lee exchanged a look. It seemed this guy really did know he would be ambushed.

"Neji?"

Tenten asked softly, but he shook his head.

"There are no ninja, but there are several with vigorous blood and vitality. They should be wandering samurai or something similar. Don't underestimate them."

"Right!"

Might Guy looked at them with a smile. It seemed they had already made their own decision.

Neji swiftly laid out the positions, roughly drawing the distribution on the ground. Then he divided them into three groups, assigning one area to each person.

After explaining in detail, he asked once more.

"Is everything clear?"

"Clear!"

Two subdued replies sounded. Still, Tenten muttered inwardly. Neji just now seemed to have some kind of strange presence.

It felt as though he had commanded countless people before, making others obey him without realizing it.

"Then move out!"

"Yes!"

The two figures vanished in an instant, heading toward the targets Neji had assigned them.

Neji then looked at Might Guy. "Teacher Might Guy, I'll leave this place to you!"

"No problem!"

Might Guy patted his chest, though he somehow felt as if he had been assigned a task. It felt strange.

He was briefly distracted. When he looked again, Neji had vanished at some point.

He sighed inwardly. It seemed Neji had grown much stronger again. If Might Guy was not careful, he could not even detect him.

Quite a few people were lying prone on both sides of the valley. Their leader wore somewhat damaged armor and was muttering to himself inwardly.

What's going on? From the sounds of it, they stopped outside the valley. Are they planning to camp there?

The thought was immediately dismissed. There was a forest over there, filled with plenty of wild beasts.

Only after passing through this valley could they rest safely. That was a bloody lesson learned by many merchant caravans.

"Third, your head's small. Stick it out and take a look. What's Nakata doing? Why hasn't he entered the valley yet?"

Your head is the small one!

Third, the small-headed man, dug around down below, then brought his hand to his nose and sniffed it, muttering inwardly.

"You're sniffing it again? Aren't you disgusted? Hurry up and get moving!"

The leader turned to see Third's actions and cursed in disgust, feeling a little itchy down below himself.

He had probably been lying there too long. He scratched himself as well, then subconsciously sniffed his hand before hurriedly lowering it.

Third shot him a disdainful look. Hmph! After digging around down there, one hundred percent of men will take a sniff. And he still has the nerve to talk about me.

Pursing his lips, he obediently wriggled forward a few times and stealthily poked his head out to look toward the valley entrance.

He found that the other side had stopped. They had no intention of entering the valley, nor did they seem to be preparing to make camp. It was rather strange.

"Boss, they..."

As he turned back, ready to speak, a figure appeared behind the boss and the others, making his pupils contract.

"There—"

Before he could finish, a kunai pierced his forehead, startling the bandits lying on the ground.

A... ninja!

The shape of the kunai immediately made them think of ninja. Damn it! Nakata had actually hired ninja.

The leader cursed inwardly and tried to rise.

Whoosh!

One sharp whistling sound after another rang out, piercing their throats and leaving them no chance to make a sound.

" Ninja!"

A loud shout echoed through the valley before being quickly cut off. It was clearly from Rock Lee's side.

Neji lowered the kunai in his hand and looked at the enemies who had been cleared out, extending his Observation Haki toward that side.