Happy Times Are Always Short

The distance between the Land of Snow and the Land of Arc stretched for about three hundred kilometers, like a pristine white ribbon draped across the world.

During this long journey, Uchiha Hayato, Sakumo, and their party were curled up comfortably inside a train carriage as warm as spring, enjoying a rare moment of ease and tranquility.

"It is truly astonishing, this unprecedented mode of transport." Sakumo's face was brimming with childlike surprise and curiosity.

This was his first time experiencing such a marvelous way to travel, and his first time riding such a rare contraption.

In contrast, Hayato appeared quite composed; memories from his past life had long since made him accustomed to modern transport like airplanes and trains.

He even mused to himself: given the current momentum of technological development in the Land of Snow, airplanes soaring through the skies might truly become a reality in the near future.

A world where technology and ninjutsu intertwined—the mere thought of it was enough to make his blood boil with excitement.

The Land of Snow was incredibly thoughtful, having arranged comfortable sleeper carriages for the two of them.

They had barely finished speaking before they were faced with a contradiction.

Having just woken from their slumber, they were now faced with a new challenge of "lying down."

Sakumo gently pressed into the soft mattress, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"This bed is actually quite soft and very comfortable."

With that, he lay down without hesitation, closing his eyes to rest and enjoy this rare moment of leisure.

Hayato, however, was full of energy and felt not a hint of sleepiness.

He felt that rather than wasting time lying here, he might as well go for a walk.

Thus, he whispered a farewell to Sakumo: "Sakumo-sensei, I'm going out for a stroll."

Upon hearing this, Sakumo simply gave a brief instruction: "Stay safe."

Pushing open the carriage door, he strolled down the train aisle and soon arrived at the third carriage.

This was where a group of young talents, soon to be traded, were gathered.

However, among this crowd, Hayato keenly spotted a figure who stood out from the rest.

A young man was squatting in the corner, wearing black-rimmed glasses and holding a cylindrical object, speaking into it with intense focus.

Hayato's curiosity was thoroughly piqued. He slowly approached the group, carefully observing the young man's actions.

He saw that the bottom of the cylinder was connected to a thin wire, which extended all the way into a nearby carriage.

Hayato's eyes lit up, and he marveled to himself: This guy might just be a genius!

Isn't this a speaking tube? Could it be that he is attempting to invent the telephone?

"What are you doing?" Hayato asked softly.

The young man, focused on his experiment, was interrupted by Hayato's voice. He looked up at Hayato, a trace of surprise on his face.

Suddenly, a clear voice came through the cylinder in his hand: "I can hear you, I can hear you over here! Yuki, we were right!" The voice was filled with irrepressible joy and excitement.

Yuki gripped the cylinder tightly, a brilliant smile blooming on his face: "That's great!"

Seeing that Hayato was just a child, Yuki couldn't help but feel the urge to share his knowledge.

He said: "We are conducting an experiment, an experiment on whether sound can be transmitted over long distances to a specific point through other means."

He paused slightly, considering that Hayato was a child, and tried to explain it in simpler, more accessible language.

"It's just..."

However, before he could finish, Hayato took over: "It's exploring the medium of sound transmission, right?"

A flash of surprise and appreciation crossed Yuki's eyes: "Exactly, that's it."

"Congratulations!" Hayato offered his sincere congratulations.

"Thank you," Yuki replied with a smile. "Actually, I didn't expect anyone else to be interested in these things."

"I think this is quite meaningful," Hayato said softly.

"Let's get to know each other; my name is Uchiha Hayato," Hayato introduced himself proactively.

"Hello, my name is Kazama Yuki," Yuki replied politely.

Although Hayato looked young, Yuki did not look down on him.

After all, the forehead protector on his head was the mark of a ninja.

Just then, the carriage door not far away was pushed open, and a young man with blue-gray hair walked over quickly.

He saw Hayato standing to the side, and after hearing Yuki's introduction, he greeted him warmly: "Hayato, are you also interested in what we are researching?"

Through Yuki's introduction, Hayato learned that this young man's name was Kazama Takuya.

As it turned out, they were brothers.

Subsequently, Hayato began chatting with the two of them about his ideas for mobile phones.

The three of them talked happily, and for the first time, Yuki and Takuya felt understanding and support from the outside world.

Hayato mused to himself that perhaps he could lure these two brothers to Konoha.

"If this incident can be resolved perfectly, would you be willing to change your living environment if the opportunity arises?" Hayato asked tentatively.

Addressing this question, the two brothers exchanged a glance. Takuya asked, "Are you referring to Konoha?"

Hayato nodded.

If possible, he could ask the Grand Elder to provide some financial support for the two of them.

He understood the immense significance of communication in this world.

"We need to think about it." Takuya did not agree immediately, nor did he refuse.

Hayato nodded in understanding.

Afterward, Hayato bid the two farewell and returned to the compartment he shared with Sakumo.

Time slipped away quietly, and soon they felt the vibration and deceleration of the train—they had arrived at the station.

"We're here already?" Sakumo opened his eyes in surprise.

He had only been resting his eyes, never expecting to reach their destination so quickly.

Hayato stood up as well and stretched his body.

"Happy times are always short-lived; we must walk the rest of the path ourselves."

The envoy from the Land of Snow was busily arranging the assembly of his entourage.

When he caught sight of Hayato and Sakumo, his pace quickened involuntarily as he hurried to meet them.

With a sincere expression, the envoy said softly, "I must trouble you both to take care of things for the remainder of the journey."

Sakumo waved his hand gently, his smile carrying a touch of detachment and responsibility: "It is our duty."

"Then we shall rest for a moment before setting off immediately," the envoy from the Land of Snow said, his voice steady and powerful, flowing slowly through the air.

Hearing this, Hayato and Sakumo nodded in tacit agreement.

A short while later, the group set out on their journey once more.

Crossing the blurred zone that marked the boundary between the two nations, they soon stepped into the territory of the Land of Arc.

Just as its name suggested, the terrain of the Land of Arc resembled a crescent moon, gently embracing the land.

During the winding journey, Hayato and Sakumo stood side by side at the very front of the group.

Fortunately, there were no enemy ambushes along the way.

Nor were there any blind mountain bandits to harass them.

"The journey has been peaceful so far; that's quite good," Hayato couldn't help but feel a sense of relief as he spoke softly.

When they were only half a day's travel from the agreed-upon trading location, Hayato made a request to Sakumo.

"Master Sakumo, I would like to go ahead and scout the trading location."

Upon hearing this, Sakumo frowned slightly, his tone tinged with concern: "No, the risk is too great. Let's stick together."

Hayato, however, appeared confident: "Master Sakumo, please rest assured, I have a way to ensure my own safety."

At this, he changed the subject: "Besides, I have already mastered that technique of the Second Hokage."

Sakumo's face instantly filled with disbelief.

He knew Hayato had been studying the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he had never expected him to master such a supreme skill so quickly.

"You always manage to bring surprises. With this, the success rate of this mission has undoubtedly increased."

Seeing this, Hayato struck while the iron was hot: "So, Master Sakumo, do you agree?"

Sakumo nodded slightly, his expression a mix of gratification and caution: "I agree, but remember, safety first."

Hayato nodded solemnly, and after agreeing on a final rendezvous point with Sakumo, he resolutely left the group.

After some maneuvering, he finally arrived at the crucial trading location for this mission.

Hiding behind a giant tree, Hayato carefully scouted the enemy's defensive layout.

The results were largely consistent with the information obtained through interrogation; the enemy had deployed about ten ninjas there.

However, he had no way of knowing the specific strength distribution of these ninjas.

Even more puzzling was that he found no trace of the two kidnapped sons of the daimyo.

Although he had portraits of the two, he had turned the entire trading site upside down without finding any possible place of confinement.

It seems they don't intend to exchange the people for the goods here, Hayato thought to himself, realizing that this mission was far from as simple as he had imagined.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Hayato decisively used the Flying Thunder God Technique and instantly vanished from the perilous location.

The scenery flashed before his eyes, and Hayato arrived at the rendezvous point he had previously discussed with Sakumo.

Before long, Sakumo and his group arrived as promised.

Sakumo approached Hayato and asked urgently, "How is the situation over there?"

Hayato did not hesitate to relay all the intelligence he had gathered to Sakumo.

After listening, Sakumo rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before turning his gaze toward the envoy from the Land of Snow.

"Envoy, the hostages are not at the agreed location. There may be a fierce battle ahead; we must remain vigilant at all times," Sakumo said with a serious tone.

The envoy from the Land of Snow turned grave upon hearing this. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke slowly, "I will make the arrangements immediately."

Having said that, he turned to instruct the accompanying ninjas from the Hidden Snow Village.

In his heart, although he longed to complete this transaction peacefully and avoid unnecessary conflict, reality often fell short of expectations.

Once everything was prepared, he returned to Sakumo's side and looked at Hayato with a steady gaze, "Are you ready?"

Hayato smiled slightly, his face radiating determination and confidence, "We are ready at all times."