Continue on the Road

Inside the inn room.

"Achoo! Do I have a cold?" Rubbing his nose, Yang Xing couldn't help but mutter, "Or is some beauty thinking of me? I don't know who it is, but don't worry, beauty, I'm thinking of you too. Hahaha!"

"Yang Xing, although I don't want to be the one to remind you, it's getting late. Can we head out first and save the laughing for later?"

Yang Xing: "..."

Damn it, that wasn't just a laugh; at the very least, it needed a modifier—a lecherous laugh!

Glaring at Kakashi, Yang Xing only then noticed that Obito was missing from the room: "By the way, where did Obito go?"

"Hm, he left first."

Why does Kakashi's expression feel so off?

Did something happen to Obito?

Or could it be that those two have some sort of illicit affair?

"Hmm, I really didn't see that coming," Yang Xing mused, rubbing his chin in deep thought.

Kakashi couldn't stand this guy's pace any longer: "What are you muttering about? The other teams are already waiting for us."

"Oh, oh, coming right away." Shouldering his large backpack, Yang Xing finally walked out.

The two left the room and soon arrived at the village square to assemble.

It was morning now, and the small village was quite bustling, with pedestrians coming and going, as well as traveling merchants selling all sorts of strange and curious items.

In this inconspicuous area, Anko and the rest of the group were keeping a very low profile.

Now that everyone had gathered, what caught Yang Xing's attention was Obito's expression; no matter how he looked at it, the guy seemed to have a grudge against him, even glaring at him a few times.

Choosing not to dwell on it, Yang Xing simply asked the Jonin teacher who was checking the map: "So, what's next?"

"Next is the following village. We must be even more careful now, especially since Orochimaru has arrived. From this moment on, every step we take must be cautious." The female Jonin looked at the map and addressed the group: "Leave the reconnaissance to Kakashi, and the rest of you, stay alert."

"Understood." Kakashi acknowledged, and the group set off.

The journey was somewhat long, and after stocking up on dry rations in the small village, they resumed their trek.

For once, Yang Xing didn't bring along any seasonings for a wild barbecue.

To make the journey easier, the group didn't follow the main road, but instead wove through small paths in the forest.

According to the female Jonin teacher, this was a route known only to the Anbu.

By afternoon, the weather had turned chilly, and the dark, heavy sky felt like it could rain at any moment.

To Yang Xing's surprise, besides the land route, they also had to travel by water.

This stretch of the journey was truly exceptionally long.

Just as Yang Xing was sitting listlessly on the boat, scanning his surroundings, a remark from the female Jonin teacher drew his attention.

"The village near the water is just ahead. That area is indeed very remote and sparsely populated, so intelligence has always been scarce." The female Jonin teacher extended a hand, pointing into the distance.

Clearly, within that patch of mist, a small village stood out quite prominently.

Yet, even though it was late afternoon, there wasn't a hint of life in the village, which made the group grow vigilant.

"This is a bit strange, how come we don't see a single soul?" Anko, who had been straining to look ahead, complained after confirming there wasn't a person in sight.

The female Jonin furrowed her brows and glanced at Kakashi.

"Understood, leave it to me." Kakashi nodded clearly, his hands forming seals, and he released a very standard jutsu: "Water Style: Water Clone Technique."

A phantom of Kakashi appeared on the water's surface, the clone sprinting forward with great speed, disappearing into the mist in no time.

"Before Kakashi's clone returns, we'll stay on these boats. Don't let your guard down."

The two small boats weren't exactly tiny, so they were more than enough to accommodate the group.

However, the sight of the bottomless water still made everyone feel uneasy.

This eerie atmosphere made it impossible for anyone to settle down.

Just as Yang Xing was considering secretly using his Sharingan to inspect the lake, someone tugged on his sleeve.

Turning his head, he saw it was Anko, and he gave her a grumpy look: "What is it?"

"Why don't you use a clone to check it out too? Compared to that guy's clone, your Water Clone Technique is clearly much more powerful, right?" Anko leaned in, whispering the words into Yang Xing's ear.

With the girl leaning in, the faint, unique scent she carried, combined with her intentionally pressing against him, left Yang Xing feeling conflicted. He glared at Anko and retorted irritably: "Kakashi's strength is decent enough; it's better to leave these things to those with more experience."

"Oh?" Anko looked puzzled. Instead of reacting to Yang Xing's expression, she asked in confusion: "You're a strange one. Everyone else tries their best to gain fame, so why are you hiding your abilities?"

"What would a little girl like you know?" Yang Xing glared at her again and said calmly: "As the saying goes, the tree that stands above the forest will be broken by the wind."

Anko paused, wanting to say more, but was interrupted.

"Um, you two, Kakashi's clone is back." Rin Nohara's timely remark brought their discussion to an end.

At this moment, Kakashi's shadow clone had indeed returned, nodding with an indifferent expression before vanishing into thin air.

"Alright, the path ahead should be free of danger. Let's head to the shore."

"Yes!"

A few strokes of the oars propelled them forward.

The two small boats, like a pair of leaves upon the lake, drifted lightly into the shroud of mist.

"That's strange. Haven't you noticed the fog getting thicker?" one of the members of Anko's team warned.

Those words immediately put the female jonin in front on high alert, and even Yang Xing and Kakashi grew tense.

"What's wrong? Was the fog this thick before?" Anko looked puzzled, leaning over Yang Xing's body to peer into the distance. "I can't even see what's ahead anymore."

Yang Xing: "..."

Although he was quite annoyed by this girl pressing down on his head, he decided to forgive her just this once, considering the size of her assets—just this once, mind you.

By now, the surrounding air had grown stagnant; not only was the path ahead obscured, but the path behind them had also vanished from sight.

Having discovered this anomaly, the female jonin from Konoha finally lost her composure.

"This can't be. It's impossible." Her face turned deathly pale, drained of all color. Gritting her teeth, she scanned the people on the two boats and said, "Everyone, stay calm and listen to me. We've fallen into a genjutsu, and the one capable of casting this technique may be no less powerful than I am."

"Nani?"

Hearing their jonin instructor's words, the two teams exchanged bewildered glances.

Even Yang Xing's brows were tightly locked. Without activating his Sharingan, it was indeed difficult to detect this genjutsu, and since it had been cast by a jonin-level opponent, it was no wonder they hadn't noticed it from the start.

They had fallen completely into their enemies' trap.