The next day, the sky was overcast, as if it were about to rain. At six in the morning, two ninja wearing Konoha Chunin tactical vests silently emerged from the shadows at Konoha's gates.
The two clearly knew each other already. They nodded at one another, said nothing, and silently waited for something.
Soon, a figure entered their field of vision. The newcomer was handsome, though somewhat youthful-looking, with tousled pale blond hair and light green eyes. About 1.6 meters tall, he wore a short purple top and carried a large yellow backpack. If not for the ninja tool pouch at his lower back and the Konoha Headband tied around his neck, he would have looked no different from a traveler setting out early on a long journey. It was Yamanaka Xingran, arriving at the meeting point right on time.
At the gathering point, there were only two ninja dressed as Konoha Chunin. Xingran easily concluded that this was probably the team he had been assigned to.
But when Xingran drew closer and noticed their faces, he was slightly surprised. He knew both of these ordinary-looking Chunin. One was the Anbu in the Cat mask who had escorted him last time, while the other was the Anbu in the Dog mask. What a coincidence...
No, Anbu could not possibly be forming a new mission squad with him. Every Anbu team was fixed. Either this mission team was only temporary, or the Hokage had arranged for these two to act with him for another purpose. Or perhaps it was both.
Xingran remembered that in the original story, Might Guy had once accepted a mission that appeared to involve exchanging intelligence with the Land of Forests. In secret, however, the Anbu had another mission: after discovering it was a trap, they wiped out the enemy. The ones who carried it out had been Might Guy's acquaintances, Itachi and Kakashi, who had just joined the Anbu.
"You're Yamanaka Xingran, right? Lord Hokage has already told us about you. We'll set off now. We can discuss the specifics of the mission as we travel." The thick-lipped ninja who had worn the Cat mask touched his cheek and spoke first, sounding as though he was asking Xingran a question while also informing him.
"Hello, I'm Yamanaka Xingran. May I ask who you are..." Since you're pretending we've never met, I won't spoil everyone's fun. Who can't put on an act?
"This is the captain of our temporary team, Yamaki Atsushi. I'm Oda Junpei. Just call me Junpei." Junpei, the ordinary-faced Anbu who had worn the Dog mask, answered Xingran. As he spoke, he unconsciously twisted his arm. It was the arm Xingran had wrenched after throwing him over his shoulder. It no longer hurt, but upon seeing Xingran, he still instinctively moved it.
"Alright, now that everyone knows each other, let's go. For this mission, we must reach Iwagakure in the Land of Earth as soon as possible." After speaking, Yamaki Atsushi turned and headed out of the village first.
Xingran followed close behind. Junpei, bringing up the rear, shook his head helplessly and quickly submitted their village departure forms to the guards before accelerating after them.
As the strongest ninja village, Konoha worked with the daimyo of the Land of Fire to jointly govern the most fertile land in the world. It received abundant rainfall, its forests flourished, and it was the most resource-rich region.
Compared to the desert-filled Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, with its towering mountains and countless rocks, the gap in both economy and population was as vast as heaven and earth. Perhaps only the Land of Lightning could rival the Land of Fire in its vast territory and abundant resources. It bordered the sea and was rich in mountains, making it an exceptionally resource-rich region as well. As for the Land of Water, it remained closed off year-round. Though it could have made a fortune from the sea, its policies had left it less prosperous than even the Land of Fire.
This was not Xingran's first time leaving the village, so he had no interest in the seemingly endless forest. Their speed had now reached roughly 130 kilometers per hour, equivalent to the speed of an ordinary train.
Judging by Yamaki Atsushi and Junpei, they still had plenty of energy to spare. Clearly, they had deliberately slowed down because they were afraid Xingran, a Genin, would not be able to keep up.
There were many different situations when ninja traveled. One was receiving urgent intelligence and rushing at full speed. This was relatively dangerous, because if the enemy set an ambush, the large amount of Chakra consumed while traveling at full speed would become the main reason they could be eliminated.
Another was traveling while escorting someone. In that case, a ninja's pace depended entirely on the speed of the person being escorted. Usually, they traveled at a normal walking pace to ensure they had sufficient Chakra in reserve against enemies that could appear at any moment, allowing them to fight in peak condition or protect the target's retreat. Naruto's first mission outside the village, the Land of Waves mission, had been like this.
Xingran's current situation was the third type of travel: keeping Chakra consumption within a relatively low range. While this did not allow them to remain in peak condition, it left a certain reserve of Chakra to deal with unexpected situations.
This method was slower than the first, but it was still not slow, while also ensuring they were prepared for an encounter at any time.
This travel mode was also the one ninja used most of the time.
"Rumble—" Nearly eight hours had passed since they left Konoha. It was already past noon when a clap of thunder suddenly exploded across the sky, startling a hawk overhead into shrill cries.
The moment Xingran leaped over a treetop, his super vision activated. Torrential rain had already fallen in the distance, and even raindrops were drifting in the direction they were traveling. Before long, this entire area would become a flooded wasteland.
"Pick up the pace. Let's try to spend the night in a city in the Land of Grass." Yamaki Atsushi's voice carried back to them from the front of the team.
They were about to be drenched to the bone, so there was no point thinking about lunch. They swallowed a Ration Pill and focused on reaching the Land of Grass as soon as possible to rest.
In truth, when ninja traveled abroad on business, their first stop to rest was usually at the national border. There were their own outposts there, making it safe and well supplied, with provisions available at any time.
However, because of Team 16's annihilation, this area was still an enemy infiltration zone. This time, they were secretly carrying out a diplomatic mission between two nations. The more places they stopped, the greater the chance that intelligence would leak. They were all ninja, and enduring a little hardship was routine. To complete the mission smoothly, it was best to avoid unnecessary complications. Once they reached Iwagakure, the return journey would be much easier.
Xingran and Junpei said nothing after hearing their captain's words, silently agreeing.
After this stretch of long-distance travel, both Yamaki Atsushi and Junpei were somewhat fatigued, but Xingran was not. Though he appeared to be barely keeping up with the two, he was actually growing more energized the longer he ran.
It was like someone who exercised regularly: if their muscles did not get a certain amount of activity, they would feel extremely uncomfortable. Xingran felt as though he was getting faster and faster. Superman's Steel Body gave him immense stamina and speed, and as he fully unleashed that ability, Xingran gradually realized that the Chakra he needed to use for assistance while running long distances was decreasing. His underdeveloped Superman speed had already exceeded seventy kilometers per hour. By now, it had likely gradually broken through to ninety kilometers per hour—pure physical speed.
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