Acquaintances, New Teammates

The next day, the sky was a bit gloomy, as if it were about to rain. At 6 AM, by the Konoha gates, two ninja clad in Konoha Chunin tactical vests silently emerged from the shadows.

The two clearly knew each other. They nodded at each other and then, without a word, waited for something.

Soon, a figure appeared within their line of sight. The newcomer had a handsome, slightly youthful face, with light yellow, messy hair and light green eyes. He was about 1.6 meters tall and wore a purple short shirt, carrying a large yellow backpack. If not for the ninja tool pouch on his lower back and the Konoha forehead protector tied around his neck, he would have looked much like any other traveler preparing for a long journey. It was Yamanaka Xingran, arriving just in time for the meeting.

At the moment, only the two ninja dressed as Konoha Chunin were at the meeting point. Xing Ran easily concluded that this must be the squad he had been assigned to.

However, as Xing Ran approached and noticed their faces, he was slightly surprised. He recognized both of these ordinary-looking Chunin. One was the Cat mask Anbu who had escorted him last time, and the other was a Dog mask Anbu. What a coincidence...

Wait, how could Anbu be assigned to a new task force with him? Anbu squads were fixed. Either this mission squad was temporary, or the Hokage had arranged for these two to act with him for other purposes, or both.

Xing Ran remembered that in the original story, there was a time when Guy took on a mission. Ostensibly, it was to exchange information with the Land of Herbs, but secretly, the Anbu had another task: to eliminate the enemy once they discovered it was a trap. The executors were 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 depart now. We'll discuss the specific mission details on the way," the ninja with the Cat mask and thick lips said first, touching his cheek. It sounded like a question to Xing Ran, but also like a notification.

"Hello, I'm Yamanaka Xingran. May I ask who you..." Since you're pretending this is our first meeting, I won't ruin the mood. Who's better at acting?

"This is the captain of our temporary squad, Yamaki Atsushi. I'm Oda Junpei. You can call me Junpei," the Dog mask Anbu, Junpei, with his common face, replied to Xing Ran. As he spoke, he unconsciously twisted his arm. This was the arm that had been twisted back after Xing Ran had thrown him over his shoulder. Although it didn't hurt anymore, he instinctively moved it upon seeing Xing Ran.

"Alright, now that we've all met, let's depart. We must reach Iwagakure in the Land of Earth as quickly as possible for this mission," Yamaki Atsushi said, turning and heading out of the village first.

Xing Ran followed closely behind. Junpei, bringing up the rear, shook his head helplessly, quickly submitted the exit form to the gatekeepers, and then accelerated to catch up.

Konoha, as the strongest ninja village, cooperated with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to jointly manage the most prosperous land in the world. It had abundant rainfall and lush trees, making it the place with the richest produce.

Compared to the Land of Wind, which was full of deserts, and the Land of Earth, with its numerous mountains and rocks, the economic and population disparities were like night and day. The only place that could rival the Land of Fire in terms of vast territory and abundant resources was perhaps the Land of Lightning. It was a coastal and mountainous region with very rich produce. As for the Land of Water, it had been isolationist for years. Despite being able to profit immensely from the sea, its prosperity was not as good as the Land of Fire due to its policies.

This wasn't Xing Ran's first time leaving the village, so he had no interest in the seemingly endless forest. Their current speed was about 130 kilometers per hour, equivalent to the speed of an ordinary train.

Judging by Yamaki Atsushi and Junpei's demeanor, they were still at ease, clearly having deliberately slowed down for Xing Ran, a Genin, to keep up.

There were many ways ninja traveled. One was to rush at full speed upon receiving urgent intelligence. This situation was quite dangerous, as if they were ambushed by the enemy, the large amount of chakra consumed during the rapid travel would be the primary reason for their annihilation.

Then there was escort travel. In this case, the ninja's travel speed was entirely dependent on the speed of the escorted target. They usually traveled at a normal walking pace, which ensured sufficient chakra reserves to guard against any sudden enemies and to engage or protect the target's retreat in the best possible condition. Naruto's first mission out of the village to the Land of Waves was like this.

Xing Ran was currently in the third type of travel situation: minimizing chakra consumption to a low level. Although he couldn't maintain peak condition, he had a certain amount of chakra reserves to deal with unexpected situations.

In this state, his travel speed was not as fast as the first type, but it wasn't slow either, and it ensured he could be prepared for an encounter at any time.

This mode of travel was also the most common way for ninja to travel.

"Rumble--" It had been nearly 8 hours since they departed from Konoha Village. It was past noon when thunder suddenly boomed in the sky, startling a hawk flying overhead into chirping in fear.

As Xing Ran leaped over a treetop, his Super Sight activated. Heavy rain had already fallen in the distance, and even the direction he was traveling had raindrops falling. This area would soon be submerged.

"Let's pick up the pace. We'll try to spend the night in a city in the Land of Grass tonight," Captain Yamaki Atsushi's voice reached them from the front of the team.

They were all about to be drenched. Forget about lunch; they each swallowed a Ration Pill and strove to reach the Land of Grass as soon as possible to rest.

In reality, when ninja went abroad for official business, their first stop for rest was usually at the border of the country, where they had their own checkpoints. These locations were safe and well-supplied, allowing for replenishment at any time.

However, due to the annihilation of Team 16, this area was still under enemy infiltration. This time, they were undertaking a secret diplomatic mission between two countries. Having more resting points increased the possibility of intelligence leaks. They were all ninja, and enduring some hardship was commonplace. To successfully complete the mission, it was better to avoid unnecessary complications. Once they reached Iwagakure, the return journey would be much easier.

Xing Ran and Junpei remained silent upon hearing the captain's words, implicitly agreeing.

After this period of long-distance travel, Yamaki Atsushi and Junpei were somewhat fatigued, but Xing Ran was not. Although his speed appeared to be just barely keeping up with the two, he was actually getting more energetic as they ran.

It was like someone who exercised regularly would feel uncomfortable without a certain amount of muscle activity. Xing Ran felt he was running faster and faster. His Superman's Steel Body gave him incredible stamina and speed. As he fully utilized this ability, Xing Ran gradually discovered that the chakra consumption required to assist his long-distance running was decreasing. His previously underdeveloped superhuman speed had already exceeded 70 kilometers per hour, and it should now be gradually breaking through to 90 kilometers per hour (pure physical speed).

To be continued, please vote with recommendation tickets. Those who have been fattening up the book, please vote as well. The development of this new book urgently needs recommendations. If it can climb the charts, more people will see this book. Thank you for your support!!