Izumi, You Must Be Strong

"Heh heh, delicious!"

Uchiha Nanpu wore a simple and honest smile, holding the roasted wild boar meat Ingetsu had shoved into his hands, and gnawed on it with relish, his mouth slick with grease.

He suddenly felt that the wild boar meat cut by that divine weapon was indeed different, as if its flavor had been elevated by several notches.

Originally, Nanfeng had intended to stand up and say something, but Ingetsu mistook his intention for hunger and, with a blank expression, shoved another piece of roasted wild boar meat into his mouth.

Seeing Ingetsu's kindness, Nanfeng was moved and began eating the roasted wild boar meat, completely forgetting what he had intended to do earlier.

The other Uchiha, including Mikoto, Nonō, and Kurenai Yuhi, also received roasted meat.

This time, Tamao didn't have to settle for just roasted rabbit heads and hindquarters like last time.

However, Tamao, holding a roasted wild boar hoof, kept circling around Ingetsu, looking here and there.

Ingetsu did not reject Tamao's childlike behavior. He finished his roasted meat simply and wiped his hands clean with a paper towel.

The bonfire burned fiercely.

The Uchiha, having witnessed Ingetsu's god-like Wind Style sword techniques and enjoyed a hearty meal, gradually felt their fatigue dissipate.

The sorrow in their hearts also began to fade.

It was just that they couldn't understand.

Captain Ingetsu had finished his sword practice with an unchanged expression, seemingly without expending much energy, while their own bodies felt as if they had been hollowed out, leaving them somewhat weak.

Everyone's appetite had greatly increased.

Eating the wild boar was no longer a problem.

Uchiha Nanfeng saw Tamao circling for a while and said irritably, "Can you stop for a moment and rest?"

Tamao said dejectedly:

"Don't you guys want to know where Big Brother usually hides his treasures?"

The scene of Ingetsu flipping his wrist, causing space to tremble, and recalling the Black Blade Dark Moon had left a deep impression on Tamao.

Everyone was naturally curious.

So they looked at Ingetsu.

Ingetsu's expression remained blank; he had no intention of explaining about the Black Blade or "Space Ninjutsu."

Since he didn't say anything, the Uchiha naturally didn't dare to ask further.

Whoosh--

Ingetsu took the border map he had purchased in Kikyo City from Nanfeng and spread it out on the grass by the bonfire, confirming their current location.

The map was very detailed.

Forests, streams, lakes, and mountains were all marked with distances, directions, and even place names.

The Uchiha defector squad was currently located at the foot of Mount Katsuragi near Mount Kikyo. Within this mountain was a small ninja village called "Earth Spider Village."

It was an ally of Konoha.

Further to the northwest.

Beyond Mount Katsuragi lay Mount Xufu, with its steep terrain, primeval forests, and abundant rare treasures and medicinal herbs.

Beyond that.

Lay the Valley of Sanction, perpetually shrouded in mist, with extremely low visibility. It was said that even Jonin would get lost within its complex and treacherous terrain, where entering meant a near-certain death.

The Uchiha, along with Kurenai Yuhi and Nonō, gathered around Ingetsu and the map.

Izumi squatted opposite Ingetsu, her small body surrounded by her clansmen, feeling a sense of security.

She blinked her large eyes, following Ingetsu's gaze to the map, and asked curiously:

"Captain, is our final destination the small country region near the Land of Earth?"

Beyond the Valley of Sanction lay the most chaotic small country region in the Ninja World.

"Yes, we'll try to head that way."

Ingetsu said calmly.

Nonō breathed a sigh of relief at this and adjusted her glasses. The person she was tasked to assassinate would be coming from the Land of Earth.

This way, she could continue to follow the group.

With that said.

Ingetsu put away the map and handed it to Nanfeng. Knowing their destination, the group felt a sense of peace.

At least they knew where they were going, which reduced their sense of aimlessness.

Ingetsu looked up in the direction of Mount Katsuragi.

Everyone looked up together.

Under the moonlight, three diverging paths leading up the mountain could be vaguely seen. The forest at night was tranquil and deep.

"A multiple-choice question..." Ingetsu's thoughts flashed, and he immediately looked at Izumi, who was playing with a torch behind him, asking, "Which direction should we go next?"

→

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, unable to understand why the captain would ask such a decisive question of Izumi, such a delicate young girl.

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Izumi put down the torch in her hand. Thinking of something, her cheeks glowed red in the firelight, like apples.

Izumi stammered, "I... I think all three paths are passable!"

She chuckled inwardly.

This time, I'm being smart.

I'll choose all three paths.

Then I'll throw the question back. That way, there shouldn't be any problems, right?

Ingetsu thought for a moment and said to the people behind him:

"All three paths might be dangerous. We'll take the middle mountain path and rest. We'll set off in the latter half of the night, and everyone should be ready for battle!"

The Uchiha members looked thoughtful, their gazes shifting to Izumi, whose cheeks were flushed red. She fidgeted helplessly.

Although they knew Izumi was a bit strange, they didn't expect her to be a standard for military decisions!

Mikoto also looked at Izumi curiously. She was unaware of some of the rumors surrounding this girl.

Izumi's eyebrows drooped, and she pouted, looking pitifully, and protested in a small voice:

"Cap... Captain Ingetsu... If we had taken the water route last time, we probably wouldn't have been ambushed."

She was still bothered that Ingetsu hadn't adopted her suggestion, believing it was the fundamental reason they had fallen into a bitter battle.

Hearing this, everyone looked at Ingetsu in unison. Everyone knew about this incident.

Ingetsu's lips curved slightly.

He hadn't intended to touch upon Izumi's sore spot, but since she chose to bring it up herself...

Ingetsu looked up at Kurenai Yuhi.

The Uchiha and Izumi didn't understand what he meant.

Kurenai Yuhi thought for a moment, composed herself, organized her thoughts, and slowly explained:

"That night, the Konoha Jonin who were pursuing you laid explosive tag traps in the waters outside Kikyo City, enough to kill you all three or four times over.

If you had rashly entered the blast zone.

Half of the people present today.

Would have been gone.

Later, I separated from them and returned alone to that water area to dismantle all the explosive tag traps and ninja tool traps.

This is also one of the reasons why I arrived late at the refugee camp and couldn't stop them from committing atrocities in time."

"Ah, I chose... wrong again!" Izumi was struck as if by lightning upon hearing this, frozen in place, overwhelmed with shame.

So that night.

Her suggestion had been so deadly!

The Uchiha members gasped, looking at Izumi in disbelief, their gazes becoming increasingly complex.

They certainly didn't dislike Izumi.

They just felt.

This matter was too bizarre.

Mikoto, however, was unfazed. Choosing the wrong path was normal for ninja marches.

Nonō was also indifferent.

Ingetsu had heard about this from her while they were rushing ahead, leaving Kurenai behind.

Ingetsu knew.

Izumi's suggestion wasn't actually flawed. Her judgment was based on the premise that the pursuing squad hadn't caught up to the fleeing Uchiha squad.

However, the most commonly used tactic by ninjas wasn't to directly engage the target after catching up.

Ninjas were better at and preferred to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, gather intelligence, and launch a prepared ambush.

"Hmph..."

Izumi pouted and huffed, looking like she'd died of embarrassment. She silently turned her back to everyone and squatted alone by the campfire, poking the flames with a piece of wood.

The Uchiha members now all saw Izumi as their youngest sister and couldn't bear to see her so upset.

Nanfeng took the initiative to approach the little girl, gently patting her shoulder to comfort her.

"Izumi, you were just a little unlucky!"

Then, the Uchiha members successively came over to pat her shoulder and offer comfort.

"Right, right, right, Izumi, this isn't your fault."

"Izumi, you have to be strong!"

Suddenly--

A voice exclaimed in surprise:

"This is a good thing!!"

PS: Progress Update.

There's one small plot point left until the end of the escape route, then a climax, and then we can move on to the next stage.

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