The mountain road was hard to travel, but the scenery around them eased their weariness.
Nature had been their companion all along the way, and breathing the fresh air made everything feel wonderfully pleasant. But all the flowers and plants whose names he didn't know left Rikusei feeling ashamed. He grumbled to himself that once they got back to the village, he'd have Tobirama put together a natural history magazine about the Shinobi World.
Every now and then, the winding, rugged path brought them a pleasant surprise: all sorts of lost little animals ended up in Madara's belly.
Basking in the brilliant sunset, Rikusei leaped onto a branch and shooed away the birds waiting nearby for their next meal. Then he stuffed all the red fruits, dyed by the evening sun, into the backpack over his shoulder.
After jumping down from the branch, Rikusei made Shadow Clones perform a safety test by sampling the fruit under Madara's watchful gaze.
As they waited for the poison to take effect, the Shadow Clone kept cursing and arguing with him until it had vented its frustration. Then it disappeared right in front of them. After arguing with himself, Rikusei nodded at Madara.
They're safe to eat!
As they followed the mountain road downhill, the view opened up more and more. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from a distant town, gathering into gray-white clouds that rippled in the autumn breeze.
They had left the Chinoike Clan several days ago. Rikusei had told Madara about Kuan, and after hearing the news, Madara hadn't blamed Rikusei for taking matters into his own hands. Instead, he'd fallen into thought and said nothing.
Rikusei could tell from his gaze that Madara tacitly approved. Times were changing, and some things from the past had to change with them.
If