As one of the Five Great Nations of the Shinobi World, the Land of Fire was rich in resources, and its territory was naturally vast.
After a full day of nonstop travel, they had only just covered half the distance. They still had at least another day to go before reaching the border of the Land of Fire.
The day's journey had left everyone feeling tired, and the only food they had to stave off hunger was the Military Ration Pill, which tasted awful.
"According to the map, there's a small village up ahead. We can stop there and rest."
Hiruzen spoke up. They had set out that morning, and now a full day had passed. It was time for them to rest.
Their target for this mission wasn't going anywhere, so there was no need to rush.
"Thank goodness! We won't have to sleep outdoors." Koharu beamed with happiness.
Though shinobi had to be able to survive in all kinds of conditions, a girl's skin would get terribly dry after a whole night outdoors.
Finding a village to stay in was the best possible outcome. Maybe they could even take a hot bath.
Koharu wasn't the only one who felt that way; the others wanted to rest in the village, too.
"Then let's reach the village before sunset."
They immediately picked up the pace. If they didn't make it before dark, they'd have to camp outdoors.
Chirori was already struggling to keep up. Every so often, she had to ride on Kagami's back to recover her strength before continuing.
Torifu, however, seemed perfectly fine. Whether walking or running, he remained completely at ease, making Chirori increasingly envious.
She was starting to feel like dissecting Torifu. She even wondered whether he was really human—how could he still be so relaxed after a whole day?
"Torifu, aren't you tired?" Chirori asked softly from Kagami's back.
"I'm all right. I'm a little tired, but I can handle it."
At that, Kagami glanced at Torifu, too. The boy's physical fitness was already on par with Hiruzen's.
Chirori didn't ask anything else. She curled up on Kagami's back and promptly fell asleep; she had reached her limit.
Fortunately, Hiruzen and the others arrived at the village before dark.
They found an inn to stay at, and at last everyone could get a proper night's rest.
To their surprise, the inn even had a hot spring! Soaking in it before bed was the most luxurious way to unwind.
What puzzled them was that everyone in the village seemed listless and utterly lacking in energy.
The villagers barely paid any attention to Hiruzen and his group. Some were even preparing to leave in the middle of the night with their wives and children.
Only the innkeeper seemed normal, warmly welcoming Hiruzen and the others.
The innkeeper was a kindly-looking old man who seemed to have weathered many storms.
He didn't seem particularly afraid of Torifu and the other shinobi.
"Honorable shinobi, have you come to exterminate the bandits?"
The innkeeper asked uncertainly, but Hiruzen could see the plea in his eyes.
"That's right, sir. Have those bandits been affecting your village?"
Hiruzen was puzzled. The village was a full day's journey away from the bandits. Surely they wouldn't come this far.
"Ah, it's not that." Seeing Hiruzen's expression, the innkeeper explained their predicament.
"Our village is small. We make a living mainly by running little shops."
"But because of those bandits, merchants and travelers going between the villages have started avoiding this road."
"With no one coming to the village, everyone's livelihood is at risk. If nobody deals with those bandits soon, we may not be able to survive."
Only then did Hiruzen understand. Though the village was small, it sat at the crossroads of several other villages.
It was like a stopover, where people traveling long distances could rest.
Now that the villagers' livelihoods were at stake, they couldn't afford to delay. Hiruzen immediately assured the innkeeper that they would deal with the bandits.
Once the news spread, the villagers cheered. At last, they had a glimmer of hope.
To complete the mission as quickly as possible, drive out the bandits, and restore the village's livelihood, Hiruzen led the others in drawing up a more detailed battle plan.
They made sure no bandits could escape to another mountain and continue harming the people.
After a night of rest, the group set out feeling refreshed. Chirori was no longer as worn out as she had been the day before; she was back to her energetic self.
They left just as dawn was breaking and kept up a fast pace all along the way.
By afternoon, they had reached the border of the Land of Fire.
The authorities paid little attention to border areas, leaving them in disorder. Even rogue shinobi from Sunagakure could come to the Land of Fire and throw their weight around!
The border was mostly covered in dense forest, making it easy for enemies to hide.
But Kagami Uchiha soon spotted traces of the bandits with his Sharingan. Following his lead, the group tracked them all the way to their hideout.
It was an extremely secluded valley, its entrance barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
By then, dusk was settling in, and visibility in the forest had grown even worse. Only Kagami and Chirori could see in the dark, thanks to their Sharingan.
The entrance wasn't heavily guarded; there were only a handful of guards. They were killed silently in moments.
The group quickly slipped into the valley, and Hiruzen directed everyone to follow the plan.
"Kill everyone before it gets completely dark!"
"Take out the lackeys first, then deal with the shinobi."
Hiruzen issued his orders calmly and decisively. As they carried them out, Torifu kept observing how Hiruzen assessed the situation and maintained control.
After all, Torifu would have to carry out missions in the future, too.
Just as everyone was about to begin, Torifu took seven miniature crystal balls out of his ninja pouch.
Though they were more like crystal seeds than crystal balls.
Torifu handed one to each of them. "This is a jutsu I developed. It can block one physical attack for you."
Everyone accepted them without hesitation or fuss. Against a samurai of Ichiryu's caliber, the value of the Crystal Seeds was obvious.
No one could be completely certain they'd avoid injury in a fight against a samurai.
"Move out!"
At his command, the group shot off in all directions, their figures blurring into streaks.
Only Torifu remained behind. His task was to seal off the entire valley.
"Crystal Release: Crystal Creation."
Fifty Crystal Seeds slowly formed in his palm. He scattered them at the entrance to the valley.
As Torifu channeled his Chakra into them, crystal vines burst from the earth, their twisting tendrils weaving together into a Crystal Vine Net.
The branches spread out and embedded themselves deep into the mountain walls on either side of the entrance.
The entrance was sealed shut.
Before you continue