Aoba smiled. "Oh, and take a different route back. Don't retrace your steps. That way, you can avoid those unidentified ninja.
"Take this, too. It's my Chakra mark. If you need to contact me, use it. I'll sense it."
Aoba extended a hand and gathered a thread of Chakra at his fingertip. He touched Kazekagemaru's wrist, leaving a faint blue mark that flashed once before vanishing.
"Is this... a Chakra mark?"
Kazekagemaru looked at his wrist, surprise crossing his face. "Thank you, Aoba. With this, we can contact you whenever we need to.
"Don't worry. Once we're back at the village, we'll arrange reinforcements immediately. It won't take long."
"Good."
Aoba nodded. "Now get going. It's getting late. The sandstorm will only get worse, and the longer you wait, the more danger you'll face."
"Right! We'll go first, then. Be careful, Aoba!"
Kazekagemaru clasped his hands toward Aoba, then turned and ran back to his team.
As soon as Kazekagemaru reached the other three, Suna Taro hurried up to him. "Captain, what happened? Who was that? Is he an enemy?"
"He's not an enemy. He's a wandering ninja named Kawaki Aoba. He's strong, and he's willing to help us investigate the unidentified ninja's base."
Kazekagemaru sounded relieved. "We're heading back now to tell the village what's happening and request reinforcements.
"Aoba has already gone to investigate the base. We need to get help here as soon as possible. We can't leave him to face that danger alone."
"Really? He's willing to help us?"
Suna Miko looked astonished. "But Captain, we don't even know him. Why would he help us? He's a wandering ninja, too. Can we trust him?"
"I trust him."
Kazekagemaru spoke firmly. "He's a true ninja. I saw the sincerity in his eyes, and he has no reason