At half past ten that night, the four of them stopped to rest by a river somewhere in the western part of the Land of Fire.
Sakuya quickly rigged up a rope between the trees by the river.
It was for sleeping on that night.
They had set out in a hurry, and the only things in their storage scrolls were sleeping bags. Sleeping on the ground outdoors was no big deal for a ninja, but as someone from another world, Sakuya still found it a little awkward.
Before he crossed over, he'd been a big-city boy from Dongda, not some American yokel who'd been hacked to death. Wasn't it embarrassing to sleep out in the wild like this?
He'd rather cosplay as Xiaolongnu.
Still, it was only a few nights' trouble. In a few days, they'd reach the Land of Fang, where they'd have somewhere to stay.
Sitting on the rope, Sakuya kept watch even as he focused on his training.
Although this was only a simulation, he was still in the body of an elite jonin. If he trained in this body, he could carry a lot of what he learned back into his real body once the simulation ended.
It was like grinding through a game. You couldn't bring the gear you got from grinding back into reality, but you could bring back strategies for dealing with the enemies along the way and the final boss, as well as the combat experience you accumulated.
And that was without mentioning the vast number of Fire Release techniques this body knew. He had to make good use of the simulation to learn them.
"Scritch, scritch..."
Footsteps came from the woods nearby. Sakuya heard them and opened his eyes.
The bushes parted, and Nawaki walked out.
"You? What's up?"
Sakuya jumped down from the rope.
"Why'd you come over here all of a sudden?"
They'd chosen to rest in this area, but Tsunade didn't want to be around him after what had happened at the jonin meeting. Orochimaru had noticed, so he suggested they rest in separate directions—northeast and south—while keeping an eye on one another.
Sakuya was to the north, Orochimaru to the east, and Tsunade and her younger brother, Nawaki, were resting to the south.
Seeing Nawaki come over, Sakuya was surprised.
"Um... well..."
Looking at Uchiha Sakuya, Nawaki scratched his head and said quietly, "Uchiha... sir."
"Just call me Sakuya. I'm not that much older than you. Calling me 'sir' makes me sound old."
Sakuya said.
"Okay, Sakuya... I just wanted to thank you."
Nawaki nodded and looked at Uchiha Sakuya.
"Thank me?"
"Yeah. For convincing Master Orochimaru and my sister to let me come along."
Nawaki's words were hesitant, but his resolve was clear.
He knew perfectly well that, even with the Third Hokage's support, he never would have been allowed to join the mission if Tsunade hadn't agreed.
After all, Tsunade was now the undisputed head of the Senju Clan. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't make her compromise when it came to disciplining her own younger brother.
"It was nothing."
Sakuya shook his head. "Even if I hadn't agreed, you would've followed us in secret, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah."
Nawaki nodded firmly. "Uncle Shota is my family. He's the most important person to me after Grandma and my sister. I couldn't feel at ease if we didn't find him."
"I see."
Sakuya glanced at Nawaki and nodded inwardly.
The original story had only shown this kid for a few seconds, but even those brief shots made it clear that he'd be extremely impatient during this mission.
Now it made sense. A family member named Shota was in trouble.
That explained it. That explained it.
"Um, big brother Sakuya..."
Seeing Uchiha Sakuya's expression shift, Nawaki worked up the nerve to ask, "Does my sister have a problem with you?"
"What do you mean?"
Sakuya raised an eyebrow.
"It's just... a feeling."
Nawaki gave an awkward smile.
Actually, Tsunade had stopped him before he left and told him that the Uchiha guy wasn't too bright, and that he should keep his distance from him and all that.
But from what he'd seen so far, wasn't Sakuya a pretty nice guy?
"She probably badmouthed me to you, didn't she?"
Sakuya didn't care. "Judging by your expression, I'm guessing she did."
"Uh... my sister, she..."
Sakuya's words left Nawaki flustered. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
"But she's a blockhead anyway. Doesn't have a brain in her head."
Sakuya chuckled, unconcerned. "Let her badmouth me all she wants. I don't mind."
"A... blockhead?"
Nawaki tilted his head.
"Of course she is. But she's still my comrade."
Sakuya said, "We're all from the same village. I don't mind if she's a little slow."
"My sister isn't slow. She's really smart."
Nawaki tried to defend his sister's reputation.
"If she were really so smart, wouldn't she have noticed what you're like?"
Sakuya raised his eyebrows and looked at Nawaki's rough fingers. "Judging by the calluses on your hands, you've spent... the past six months practicing the Medical Ninjutsu she's been developing from scratch, haven't you?"
"...Yeah. I've learned the basics of all the Medical Ninjutsu my sister developed, including the hardest one, the Mystical Palm Technique..."
"That's not what I'm asking."
Sakuya said, "How long has it been since you trained in regular ninjutsu and Taijutsu?"
"Uh... not that long, I guess."
Nawaki scratched his head.
"This mission is only about dealing with a band of rogue ninja, but it's not exactly a simple task."
Sakuya advised him, "You still have time, so pick up the skills you've let slide. Once we reach the Land of Fang, you won't have a chance to get back in shape."
"So you mean... this mission to the Land of Fang won't be easy?"
Nawaki blinked.
"Heh, hard to say."
Sakuya smiled faintly. "But I hope you'll take my advice. If a ninja goes a long time without practicing ninjutsu and Taijutsu, things that should come as naturally as instinct—your reaction to danger, your physical fitness, your chakra control, and so on—will gradually grow dull from neglect. That's especially dangerous when you're out on a mission."
"I understand."
Nawaki nodded solemnly. "Thanks for the warning, Sakuya."
As he lowered his head, a green pendant hanging on his chest slipped out from beneath his clothes. Sakuya caught sight of it, and his heart skipped a beat.
Noticing Sakuya's gaze, Nawaki smiled and held up the pendant on his chest, showing it off. "Sakuya, it was my birthday yesterday. My sister gave me this before we set out. It's a treasure my grandfather left behind."
I know. It's that special-grade cursed object, right?
They say anyone who wears it meets a gruesome end. In the end, only the protagonist Naruto escaped thanks to his protagonist's luck.
It also proved just how terrifying Tsunade was.
Pretty much every man connected to her met a bad end.
But Sakuya played Azur Lane. No matter how terrifying she was, he still had to get her!
She was just so flat-chested, after all. (Not that he meant it.)
He wondered.
He just didn't know if he could handle her.
Before you continue