Is This What It Feels Like to Have Partners?

The morning breeze blew gently.

The ship sailed slowly onward. On the deck, Kyohiko sat at the bow, feeling the pulse of chakra.

After a while, he formed a hand seal with one hand.

Splash!

Water sprayed everywhere.

Right after, a series of sharp crackles rang out across the deck.

A fish came shooting up.

"An extra dish!"

"Yeah!"

The sailors nearby cheered at once. One hurried over, picked up the fish, and slammed it onto the deck.

"That's the third fish you've brought up already!"

Kurenai Yuhi was thrilled.

After all, she was only eight or nine, an age when everything fascinated her. Naturally, she couldn't help joining in when she saw such an unusual use of Water Style.

"How did you do that?"

"It's a sensory technique similar to the Hidden Mist Technique. It could come in handy if we run into Mist Village ninja."

Kyohiko explained.

Chakra sensing was a basic technique he'd found in Senju Tobirama's notes. The notes broke down the core techniques of the Hidden Mist Technique.

He'd read plenty about it, but this was his first time actually practicing it.

Fortunately—

Thanks to the bonuses that came with rewards like the Strength Enhancement Technique, his chakra control and fine manipulation were strong enough that this basic technique wasn't difficult to master. After practicing for a while, he got it.

As for the technique that had sent the fish flying up, it was an unconventional use of the Water Shockwave.

The two were chatting when—

A loud bang sounded from above.

Kurenai turned, a hint of delight on her face.

"Kakashi did it!"

She sensed a powerful surge of chakra coming from the room where Kakashi was.

"Let's go check."

Kyohiko immediately gathered his things.

When compressing chakra, poor control could easily injure the palm in an explosion.

Kakashi had probably barely rested since yesterday.

Jiraiya was responsible, sure, but he could be pretty scatterbrained too. They couldn't trust him completely—

He'd already disappeared.

He was probably chatting with Ichiro Matsuyama, or watching the music and dancing aboard the ship.

Knock, knock, knock!

They knocked on the door.

But—

There was no response from inside for a long time.

Kyohiko and Kurenai exchanged a glance, then—

Bang!

They kicked the door open.

Kakashi, still wearing his mask, lay sprawled on the floor. He could only move his eyes, and now he stared blankly at the doorway.

Through his blurred vision, he saw two short figures rush in, breaking down the door in a panic.

Then Kakashi's gaze shifted to the ceiling, and something stirred in his exhausted heart.

Is this what it feels like to have partners?

His vision blurred, and his consciousness began to fade. He faintly heard—

"He's used up too much chakra."

"Hold him steady. I'll use chakra to control the water and help him swallow a Military Ration Pill."

"Okay!"

By the time they returned outside, the Matsuyama Clan had already repaired the door.

Kyohiko and Kurenai stood in the corridor, gazing toward the distant stretch of coastline on the horizon.

That was the Land of Waves!

They looked out at the view.

Leaning against the window, Kurenai suddenly sighed. "Honestly, Kakashi was always a genius at school. I kept thinking he was more talented than us, so of course he'd be stronger. But now..."

Behind a genius's talent lay a heavy price.

Kyohiko nodded, deeply moved.

"Geniuses aren't scary. What's scary is that they work hard, too."

"..."

Kurenai tilted her head, her small eyes filled with confusion—

How could he say something like that with a straight face?

Kyohiko cleared his throat. "I work hard too, but I'm just an utterly ordinary person."

Kurenai couldn't listen to any more of it. She waved a hand at once.

"I'm going to see if Kakashi's awake."

Utterly ordinary?

What a joke!

What ordinary person was anything like him?

Kurenai decisively ended the conversation. Any longer, and she'd start feeling jealous—

If that counted as ordinary, she wanted to be like him too!

Kurenai went back to her room to read, and Kyohiko didn't disturb her.

He was happy to rest in the corridor.

They should reach the Land of Waves soon.

In Kakashi's condition, even if he woke up later, he probably wouldn't be much use in a fight for a while. If he could avoid slowing them down, that would be good enough.

Kyohiko needed to stay in good shape and avoid any mishaps.

About half an hour later,

a shout rang out—

They had arrived at the Land of Waves!

There was a knock at the door. Jiraiya came back with the faint smell of alcohol on him and immediately began praising them.

"Hahaha, not bad! You handled the unexpected situation quickly, even with Kakashi. Looks like you can carry out missions without me after all."

"Teacher, it was so loud, and you didn't even come to check!"

Kurenai rolled her eyes.

Clearly, Kakashi had overdone it, and Jiraiya had done nothing but drink below deck. She had a lot of grievances about that.

"What do you mean I didn't come? I was watching the whole time."

Jiraiya grinned.

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers.

The seagull that had been lingering outside Kakashi's window immediately turned into bubbles and vanished.

It had been a Shadow Clone.

Kurenai's eyes widened, then her face flushed. She hurriedly apologized.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"It's fine. I just wanted to see how you'd handle an unexpected situation. As for stopping Kakashi, there wouldn't have been much point. That's just how he is."

As Jiraiya spoke, he bit his finger.

A moment later, a sturdy toad appeared, its arms protected by iron guards.

"Summoning Technique!"

As the daughter of a Jonin, Kurenai wasn't surprised.

She studied the toad curiously.

"Teacher."

Kyohiko hurried over from the corridor.

He'd sensed the chakra surge and come running at once.

"Mm. You and Kurenai did well. Let's get off the ship and escort Mr. Matsuyama to see Gato. I'll have the Iron-Arm Toad carry Kakashi."

"Okay."

Kyohiko nodded.

Then he handed his weighted arm guards and leg weights to Jiraiya. His body felt lighter than ever.

The three of them and the toad left the cabin.

To ordinary people, ninja were mysterious and powerful. So although they were startled to see a giant toad, they weren't overly frightened or alarmed.

Outside, Ichiro Matsuyama had already prepared a carriage.

"Jiraiya, you can all ride in the carriage."

"No need. We can protect you best from outside."

Jiraiya refused.

Ichiro Matsuyama was pleased to hear that. After a few polite exchanges, he got into the carriage himself.

The Land of Waves wasn't very large.

It consisted of one big island and several smaller ones. They could see many bridges and buildings in the distance, but the bridges connected only some of the small islands to the main island. To reach many others, they had to travel by boat.

At a glance, they could also see plenty of boats coming and going.

Kurenai immediately grew alert.

The terrain here was perfect for Mist Village ninja to set up an ambush!

Jiraiya led the way. The Iron-Arm Toad carried Kakashi in the middle, while Kyohiko and Kurenai brought up the rear, forming a triangular formation.

The Land of Waves wasn't large.

Even so, it took nearly half an hour to travel from the pier to where Gato was.

There was no danger along the way.

But Kurenai seemed uneasy. As they ran, she edged closer to Kyohiko.

"Kyohiko, I think I sensed a very faint chakra signature. Did you feel it?"

"No, but you may be right."

Kyohiko's expression turned serious—

Kurenai's sensory abilities were better than his!

So it was entirely possible that she'd sensed some kind of danger that he hadn't detected.

"We should—"

"No rush. If there are enemies, Teacher will spot them for sure. Trust him. We'll wait for instructions."

"Okay."

Kurenai nodded.

The chakra signature had disappeared, but she didn't let her guard down.

The carriage rolled past a puddle. The trees on either side grew thicker, and boats could be seen moving back and forth across the water.

In the morning, a faint mist hung in the air.

They couldn't see clearly very far ahead.

Kyohiko gathered chakra and quietly extended his senses, widening his range of perception.

He sensed something.

The puddle up ahead!