Days of Waiting for Spies

"Tsk, you two brats are quite lucky. You haven't run into a single group of sand bandits on this entire journey. Still, you won't get a high price for that basket of medicinal herbs in this first town. How about you keep traveling with us?" It was the same rogue ninja who had tested Asuma's strength earlier.

Although the guy seemed ill-intentioned, what he said was a fact. With so many supplies arriving at once, even rare items like medicinal herbs wouldn't fetch a high price here. But if they followed the caravan to a few more towns, the scarcity of goods would make the basket of herbs on Asuma's back increasingly valuable.

However, Asuma hadn't come to the Land of Wind to sell herbs.

"No thanks, this is far enough. Don't think I don't know that the road ahead is getting more and more dangerous. I still have a younger brother to look after; I can't afford to die in this godforsaken desert." Asuma licked his parched lips and declined the rogue ninja's invitation.

"Pah, lucky brat. You really don't know what's good for you." Muttering in annoyance, the rogue ninja didn't say anything else, turned around, and followed his caravan away.

Sarutobi Asuma successfully slipped away with Kawaki Aoba, and a similar scene was playing out with Yuhi Shinku.

"Kozuki-kun, it seems I must break my word. I cannot continue on this road with you any further." Yuhi Shinku looked at the samurai beside him with an apologetic expression, though he held Yuhi Kurenai, who was flushed and unconscious, tightly in his arms.

"Think nothing of it, Kozuki-kun. Your daughter's condition is more important. Rest assured, no one here will blame you." The samurai appeared quite magnanimous, even pulling some loose change from his robes to press into Yuhi Shinku's hand.

However, Yuhi Shinku held firm to his principles; he would not accept any commission for a task left uncompleted.

After some further polite refusal, Yuhi Shinku finally carried the gravely ill Yuhi Kurenai away from the group.

"Even after all this time, you haven't changed a bit, Kozuki-kun. You are a true samurai. Even in the Land of Iron, there aren't many left who never forget to uphold the samurai code like you do." Watching Yuhi Shinku's retreating back, the samurai, who considered himself an old friend, looked on with deep emotion.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that after parting ways with their caravan, Yuhi Shinku turned a corner and entered a room at an inn to rendezvous with the other two members of his team. Yuhi Kurenai, who had been unconscious in his arms looking like she had heatstroke, was back to acting like nothing was wrong—not a trace of illness remained.

"The plan is proceeding very smoothly. Now, we just need to wait here according to schedule. If that spy successfully escapes Sunagakure and arrives here, we just need to provide cover for their safe departure."

"Beyond that, be prepared for a long stay. While playing your respective roles well, do not neglect your training."

"At your current age, this is the best time to improve your strength."

Yuhi Shinku gave careful instructions to the three youngsters, his gaze lingering most intently on Kawaki Aoba.

For Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai, improving their strength was merely about graduating from the rank of genin as quickly as possible and becoming independent ninjas.

But for Kawaki Aoba, if he didn't strive to improve, he really might die.

"I understand, Shinku-sensei. In the coming days, I will make the improvement of my own strength my top priority." Kawaki Aoba responded solemnly.

However, Kawaki Aoba knew deep down that his talent wasn't as great as those around him imagined; at best, it barely exceeded the average.

Aside from his own diligent training, most of his strength came from the help of the Sacrificial Altar. Therefore, if he wanted to become stronger, he had to keep his focus on the altar.

As everyone knows, there is nothing more satisfying than getting something for nothing—except, perhaps, the effort of striving for it.

Over the next two days, the lives of the four-man team became mundane. After their initial meeting, they split into two groups to act.

Although they stayed in the same place, on the surface, they acted as if they didn't know each other, playing their roles perfectly.

During these two days, living under the same roof, Kawaki Aoba witnessed Sarutobi Asuma's efforts firsthand.

Asuma's talent in taijutsu and genjutsu couldn't be called ordinary; it was mediocre at best. However, as a member of the Sarutobi clan, his growth path was quite clear: as long as he thoroughly mastered his fire-style chakra, he would continue to grow stronger. At the very least, before becoming a jonin, Asuma didn't need to worry about encountering obstacles in his progression.

This was the advantage and foundation of a great clan, far beyond what civilians who only had access to the Three Basic Jutsu and some common techniques could compare to.

While Sarutobi Asuma locked himself in his room for two days to study his chakra, Kawaki Aoba completely let himself loose.

Having left Konoha and arrived in such a remote place, there was no need to worry about being detected by various sensory ninjutsu. Shinku-sensei had his own matters to attend to, and with Kawaki Aoba's careful explanations, he never worried about his disciple.

Just like that, with no one watching, Kawaki Aoba turned into a complete scavenger. Anything he could get his hands on within his Observation Haki range—useful or not—was destined to be offered up to the Sacrificial Altar.

Although the probability of getting something good from sacrificing ordinary items was extremely low, the sheer volume made up for it.

Kawaki Aoba firmly believed that as long as the quantity was high enough, he would eventually hit the jackpot.

Besides, even if he took a step back and didn't get anything good, it didn't matter. He was only sacrificing trash anyway. Trading easily found garbage for potentially useful items meant he was never at a loss.

Flipping a neodymium magnet into the altar space, Kawaki Aoba picked up another handful of sand to sacrifice.

Under the cover of night, a figure sprinted rapidly across the desolate desert in the manner of a ninja on the move.

The desert night was exceptionally cold. Even ninjas, unless necessary, were unwilling to linger here. But the current situation was clearly different. Looking at the ninja's urgent demeanor, it was obvious that something of extreme importance was forcing him to travel through the night.

However, the frantic pace of his journey had clearly caused his vigilance to drop, and he failed to notice the tail following closely behind him.