Mount Hakkoda

After Keisuke had been gone for a while, Shiri called Qiancao and Wuming over, and the three sat facing one another.

Taking two scrolls out of her backpack, Shiri said to the two of them, "These scrolls were given to me by Lord Uchiha Naoto before he left. They contain a sealing technique capable of suppressing the seals on your bodies."

As she spoke, Shiri opened the two scrolls. Qiancao looked at them, seeing incredibly complex patterns drawn in black ink; with his current level of ninjutsu, he could not understand them at all.

Shiri continued, "Once these scrolls are used, they can temporarily suppress the chakra seals on your bodies, but remember, this seal will only last for three days."

"However, three days is enough for us to complete our mission." After saying this, Shiri had the two of them bite their fingers and drip their blood onto the corresponding scrolls.

After Qiancao and Wuming followed her instructions, the black patterns in the scrolls rose into the air like small, writhing snakes, turned in mid-air, and burrowed into the seals on the two youths' stomachs.

A circle of black lines appeared out of thin air around the seals on their stomachs, reminding Qiancao of the Evil Sealing Method that Kakashi had once applied to Sasuke's Heaven Curse Seal.

Seeing that the scrolls had taken effect, Shiri nodded in satisfaction, though she still cautioned the two:

"The difficulty of this mission is not high; Keisuke and I are enough to handle it."

"Having you two follow along was Lord Uchiha Naoto's idea. He wants you both to get a taste of what a ninja's daily work is like."

Qiancao remained silent, while Wuming wore an expression of disdain.

Shiri did not expect the two to have any fondness for Uchiha Naoto; even she was deeply afraid of that man.

Thus, she continued, "Unless it is an absolute last resort, do not make a move. Just stay on the sidelines and keep yourselves safe."

Qiancao nodded in agreement, while Wuming thought to herself, I just need to keep Qiancao safe.

Next, Shiri asked Qiancao to try controlling his current chakra. Sure enough, the moment he gathered chakra in his feet, he cracked the floorboards.

The tenfold increase in chakra volume made Qiancao very uncomfortable, but thanks to this month of grueling training and Shiri's guidance, he soon felt no further discomfort.

Unlike Wuming, who was a genius taught by instinct, Shiri's teaching style was clearly better suited for ordinary people, making it very easy for Qiancao to understand.

Following that, Shiri taught Qiancao how to use chakra to eliminate the sound of his footsteps, how to utilize chakra for rapid movement, as well as the use of the Body Flicker Technique and several survival-oriented ninjutsu.

It was not until the night was deep that the three lay down side by side to sleep.

Leaving the narrow, damp wooden bed in the dungeon for the first time and lying on the spacious floor of the temple, Qiancao felt somewhat unaccustomed to it, staring blankly at the ceiling above.

Although his body was exceptionally exhausted, his mind was too agitated for sleep, until a fast-asleep Wuming rolled over next to him and squeezed into his arms.

Watching Wuming's tightly furrowed brows slowly relax in his embrace, Qiancao's mind gradually eased as well. Drowsiness welled up, and he slowly drifted into a dream.

Sitting in meditation nearby, Shiri watched the shadows of the two before her overlapping in the lamplight, her thoughts churning as she pondered how she might eventually liberate them.

When dawn broke the next day, the four packed their belongings and left Quanshan Temple. The gloomy and terrifying temple from the previous night actually possessed a certain air of solemnity under the sunlight.

Arriving at the rice shop in the west of the city, they found many ragged refugees staring intently at the customers coming and going, waiting for some kind soul to hand them a bit of grain.

As the four entered the shop, the clerk initially approached with a smile, but upon seeing that they were all dressed plainly, he lost his enthusiasm and asked lazily, "Are you here to see the boss?"

Keisuke nodded and bowed with a fawning smile, saying, "We are from Tsukuba City by the sea, and we are looking to join relatives in Mount Hakkoda."

The clerk frowned and asked, "You're going to Mount Hakkoda, what does that have to do with our rice shop?"

Keisuke said, "We only know that our relative lives in the mountains, but we don't know the exact location. We heard he came here to buy grain, so we wanted to ask around."

Although the clerk's attitude was poor, he did not refuse to help. After Keisuke described the appearance of the rogue ninja, the clerk thought for a moment and clapped his hands.

"There was indeed such a person who came here to buy rice, and the quantity was quite large, too!"

Having said that, he sized up the few people in front of him and asked hesitantly, "But are you sure you want to find him? Would he have relatives as..."

Although he did not finish, the way he looked them up and down clearly implied: How could a rich guy who bought so much grain have such shabby relatives?

Keisuke smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Just knowing the general location is enough for us!"

The clerk thought for a while, briefly described the route taken for the grain delivery that day, and then sent them on their way.

Once they were far from the grain shop, the group found a quiet corner. Shiri took the lead, saying, "If we enter the mountains during the day, our target will be too obvious. How about we rest and sharpen our weapons, and wait until night falls to enter?"

Keisuke did not object, so the four went to the entrance at the foot of the mountain and found a secluded forest to rest for the time being.

Keisuke climbed up a tree to keep watch for the group, while Qiancao seized the time to practice moving through the trees.

The four waited patiently until nightfall, when Shiri took four black robes out of her backpack, decorated with patterns of dark green leaves.

Putting on the clothes, the coat reminded Qiancao of a ghillie suit, and also of the Akatsuki robes; it looked quite cool.

After some thought, Shiri had Wuming carry Qiancao on her back to move.

Qiancao had no ninja pride to speak of and honestly jumped onto Wuming's back. Fortunately, Wuming was a bit older and slightly taller than him.

Although Wuming didn't say anything, her ears turned a little red. Feeling the warmth of Qiancao's body on her back, she wished this journey would never end.

Unfortunately, the group moved very quickly, and before long, they arrived at the delivery location described by the grain shop clerk.

Shiri signaled for the other three to wait where they were, while she carefully climbed to the top of a tree and used her Sharingan to observe the surroundings.

After a while, the group reunited under the tree. Shiri whispered, "I saw firelight in three directions; I don't know which one is their camp."

Qiancao observed the surroundings and saw that only one direction had deep wheel tracks and footprints, clearly indicating that heavy objects had been transported there. He pointed in that direction and asked, "Is there light in this direction?"

Shiri nodded in agreement, and Keisuke spoke up in praise, "To be able to guess the enemy's direction from the tracks of the wheels—it seems you have some talent for being a ninja."

Qiancao felt a bit ashamed; he had simply watched a few more television dramas.

The four climbed back into the trees to continue their journey. This time, their movements were even more cautious, like three silent ghosts quietly approaching their unsuspecting prey.