"Tch, you two brats sure are lucky. We've come all this way without running into a single band of sand bandits. But there's no way you'll get a good price for that basket of medicinal herbs in this first town. How about you come with us a little farther?" It was the same wandering ninja who had tested Asuma's strength earlier.
Although the man didn't look trustworthy, what he said was true. With so many goods arriving all at once, even rare items like medicinal herbs wouldn't fetch much here. But if they followed the caravan through a few more towns, the goods would become scarcer, and the basket of herbs on Asuma's back would be worth more and more.
However, Asuma hadn't come to the Land of Wind to sell medicinal herbs.
"No. This is far enough. Don't think I don't know the road ahead gets more and more dangerous. I have a little brother to look after. I can't die in this damned desert." Asuma licked his dry lips and turned down the wandering ninja's invitation.
"Tch, lucky brat. You really don't know what's good for you." The wandering ninja muttered irritably, then turned and left with his caravan without another word.
While Sarutobi Asuma and Kawaki Aoba made a clean getaway, much the same scene was playing out with Yuhi Shinku.
"Linmu, it seems I'll have to break my promise. I can't accompany you any farther." Yuhi Shinku looked apologetically at the samurai beside him. In his arms, however, he held Yuhi Kurenai tightly. Her face was flushed, and she had passed out.
"Don't be like that, Kozuki. Your daughter's health is more important. Don't worry; no one here will blame you." The samurai was very understanding. He even pulled some loose bills from his clothes and tried to press them into Yuhi Shinku's hands.
But Yuhi Shinku stood by his principles. He wouldn't accept a single coin without completing the agreed-upon job.
After the two men went back and forth for a while, Yuhi Shinku finally left the group with his gravely ill daughter in his arms.
"Even after all this time, you haven't changed a bit, Kozuki. You're a true samurai. Even in the Land of Iron, not many people hold fast to the samurai's code the way you do." Watching Yuhi Shinku's retreating figure, the samurai—who considered himself the man's old friend—sighed with feeling.
What he didn't know was that, just after parting ways with the caravan, Yuhi Shinku had turned a corner and entered a room at an inn, where he met up with the other two members of his squad. Yuhi Kurenai, who had been unconscious in his arms and looked as though she'd suffered heatstroke, was now back to normal. She didn't look sick at all.
"The plan went very smoothly. From here, we just need to wait patiently. If the spy makes it out of Sunagakure and comes here, we'll help him escape safely.
"We should also be prepared to stay here for a long time. While keeping up our cover, don't neglect your training.
"You're all at the perfect age to improve your strength."
Yuhi Shinku carefully briefed the three youngsters. Of them, he was most serious when he looked at Kawaki Aoba.
Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai wanted to improve their strength so they could move beyond the rank of Genin and become capable, independent ninja as soon as possible.
But if Kawaki Aoba didn't work hard to grow stronger, he might actually die.
"I understand, Teacher Shinku. I'll make improving my strength my top priority during this time," Kawaki Aoba replied solemnly.
However, Kawaki Aoba knew full well that he wasn't as talented as the people around him thought. At best, he was only slightly above average.
Most of his strength came from the Sacrificial Altar rather than his own training. So if he wanted to get stronger, he needed to focus his efforts on the altar.
Everyone knew that working hard was nothing compared to getting something for free when it came to making you happy.
Over the next two days, life for the four-person squad became uneventful. After their initial meeting, they split into two groups to carry out their separate tasks.
Although they all stayed in the same place, they acted as if they didn't know one another, each playing their role convincingly.
During those two days, the two of them ate and lived under the same roof, and Kawaki Aoba got to see just how hard Sarutobi Asuma worked.
Asuma's talent for Taijutsu and genjutsu wasn't merely ordinary—it was downright mediocre. Still, as a member of the Sarutobi Clan, he had a clear path to growth. If he thoroughly studied Fire Release Chakra, he could keep getting stronger. At least until he became a Jonin, he wouldn't need to worry about hitting a wall.
That was the advantage and deep foundation of a great clan, something far beyond what commoners could manage when all they had access to were the Three Body Techniques and a few ordinary ninjutsu.
Sarutobi Asuma shut himself in his room for two days to study Chakra, while Kawaki Aoba let loose completely.
Away from Konoha and in a small place like this, he didn't need to worry about being detected by Sensory Ninjutsu. Teacher Shinku had his own matters to attend to, and because Kawaki Aoba had deliberately told him what he was up to, Shinku never worried about his student.
And so, with no one keeping an eye on him, Kawaki Aoba became a total wild child. Anything he could get his hands on through Observation Haki—useful or not—was destined to take a trip to the Sacrificial Altar.
The odds of getting anything good by sacrificing ordinary objects were very low, but there was no shortage of things to try.
Kawaki Aoba firmly believed that if he offered enough, sooner or later he'd hit the jackpot.
And even if, to look at it another way, he didn't get anything good, it didn't matter. All he was giving up was junk. Trading bits of rubbish lying around for things that might be useful could only work in his favor.
He tossed a Neodymium Magnet into the Altar Space and picked up another handful of sand to offer.
Under the night sky, a figure raced through the desolate desert, running like a ninja on the move.
The desert nights were bitterly cold. Even ninja didn't like staying out here unless they had to. But the situation was clearly different this time. From the ninja's hurried pace, it was obvious he had something urgent enough to force him to travel through the night.
But his long sprint had clearly dulled his vigilance. He hadn't noticed the squad of pursuers following close behind him.
Before you continue