On the road,
Nakada Shun's caravan was hurrying toward its destination.
Shisui and Naraku sat cross-legged atop the cargo crates, warily scanning their surroundings and staying alert for anything unexpected.
Naraku was especially vigilant. This was his first mission, after all, and he didn't dare let his guard down for even a moment.
Thanks to his Uzumaki and Uchiha bloodlines, his strength had grown quickly. But Naraku knew that they had only raised his starting point. Reaching his full potential would still depend mostly on his own efforts.
Take the Uzumaki Clan, for example. Though its members had extraordinary physiques, the clan had still been easily wiped out, leaving only a handful of survivors in the Shinobi World.
The Uchiha Clan was no different. There were at least eight hundred Uchiha alive, perhaps even a thousand, and several hundred of them had awakened the Sharingan. But how many had actually reached the level of a jonin?
So, although bloodline was important, it couldn't be the sole measure of a person's strength.
Gaining experience through missions, as he was doing now, was another way to grow stronger.
Naraku was giving the task his full attention. He wouldn't pass up any opportunity to grow.
Even now, though he appeared to be casually gazing in one direction or another, his senses actually covered the entire caravan.
Every so often, he released some of his chakra to sense his surroundings. This cost him a little chakra, but Naraku didn't mind.
Chakra was the one thing he had in abundance.
Of course, he wasn't using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Naraku wouldn't activate it of his own accord. He didn't want to become dependent on it.
Besides, releasing chakra to sense his surroundings also helped him practice controlling it.
Chakra reserves were one thing, but chakra control was another. Whether it was performing ninjutsu, Sealing Jutsu, forbidden techniques, or Medical Ninjutsu, all of them required precise chakra control.
Beside him, Shisui noticed what Naraku was doing and gave a quiet nod of approval.
At the front of the caravan, Nakada Shun seemed to sense something and glanced toward Naraku. "As you'd expect from Konoha, the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. It's always producing one genius after another."
Although he hadn't trained in Sensory Ninjutsu, he had reached the level of a jonin and could still detect fluctuations in the chakra around him.
The caravan continued onward. Before long, the day had passed, and fortunately, they hadn't encountered any trouble.
Everyone except Nakada Shun let out a quiet sigh of relief. Unlike him, they weren't jonin; most were merely ordinary people with some fighting ability. If anything went wrong, they'd be no better than lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
"All right, everyone, take a break here. We'll set off again at daybreak," Nakada Shun called.
The group began to rest.
Naraku set up a sensory barrier around them, then he and Shisui took turns resting.
The night passed without incident. Soon, the eastern sky began to pale, and the sun slowly rose.
After a brief stop to get organized, the caravan set off again.
Another day passed, and they reached the border of the Land of Fire.
"Everyone, stay alert. Once we cross the forest ahead, we'll be very close to the Land of Wind."
Nakada Shun's words brought the group to attention.
"Shinobi-sama, our cargo was robbed in that forest the last few times. The Stone Ninja Village may have already set an ambush there," Nakada Shun said in a low voice as he approached Shisui and Naraku.
Shisui frowned and began to think.
Like Naraku, he had noticed that something was unusual about this mission. In particular, there was no telling how much of what Nakada Shun had said was true.
But they had already accepted the mission, so backing out now wasn't an option. Besides, Shisui's main reason for coming was to give Naraku some field experience. If they turned back now, it would defeat the purpose.
And after spending the past few days with Nakada Shun, Shisui had formed a fairly good impression of him. Although he was a shinobi, he treated the ordinary members of the caravan kindly. Their attitude toward him made that clear.
After a brief pause, Shisui replied, "Mr. Nakada, please don't worry. If the Stone Ninja Village really does show up here, we won't stand by and do nothing."
"However..." As he spoke, Shisui's gaze sharpened, and his piercing eyes fixed on Nakada Shun once again.
"If I find out you have ulterior motives, we may abandon the mission at any time."
Shisui's tone was stern as he warned him.
"Please rest assured, Shinobi-sama. We really are just merchants transporting cargo," Nakada Shun replied respectfully, lowering his head.
"Good. In that case, let's keep moving."
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Nakada Shun turned and walked to the front of the caravan. A trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a fierce look.
The caravan set off again.
On the cargo rack, Shisui quietly removed the Forehead Protector from his brow.
As for Naraku, who couldn't be bothered with the hassle, he had put his Konoha Forehead Protector in a scroll long ago.
Naraku understood Shisui's choice. The Third Shinobi World War had ended only recently, and with the death of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Tsunade and Jiraiya having left the village, Konoha was weaker than ever.
So Konoha wanted peace more than anything. The Stone Ninja Village might be a small shinobi village, but it was close to the Land of Wind. To avoid unnecessary trouble, hiding their identities was undoubtedly the right choice.
"There may be trouble ahead. Focus on protecting yourself," Shisui murmured to Naraku.
Naraku nodded, then stopped releasing chakra.
Using chakra to sense the outside world also made it easy to reveal his position and alert the enemy.
Naraku sat cross-legged and composed himself, both physically and mentally. To be honest, he was still a little nervous. This was his first mission, after all.
But more than nervous, he felt excited. It was just like watching scenes from an anime in his previous life; he couldn't help feeling fired up.
The caravan slowly entered the forest, where tall trees rose all around them.
The ground inside the forest was uneven. Even though the caravan had slowed down, the cargo on the racks still jolted about. But it didn't bother Shisui or Naraku.
Suddenly, the forest fell silent.