After eating and drinking their fill, Toru and the others slept soundly in the cave.
The next morning, they reheated the leftover meat soup from the night before. Being able to drink delicious meat soup as soon as they woke up was truly a luxury.
Toru joked, "Good thing we brought Kosuke along for this mission."
Hayama Shirakumo and Might Duy strongly agreed. Whenever they had left the village for missions in the past, they had basically relied on military ration pills to stave off hunger in the wilderness.
Maruboshi Kosuke smiled knowingly at their praise.
After packing everything up, Kosuke slung the pot over his back and continued west with Toru.
Following the route indicated by the bandits they had encountered the night before, they reached the mountain where the bandit stronghold was located in just a few hours.
"The stronghold is on the gentle slope halfway up the mountain." Toru spotted the bandit stronghold from afar with the Six Eyes.
Hayama Shirakumo asked, "Won't they see us as enemies if we go over there directly?"
Toru waved a hand. "Let's just pretend we don't know there are Sunagakure ninja inside."
Hayama Shirakumo still seemed worried, but he nodded with a frown.
Maruboshi Kosuke patted Hayama Shirakumo on the shoulder. "Even if something unexpected happens, we'll protect you."
Hayama Shirakumo immediately felt comforted, then remembered that he was the vice-captain. Gripping the Longwind Sword at his waist, he said, "If anyone's doing the protecting, it should be me."
Might Duy said solemnly from the side, "I will uphold my youth and protect you all."
Toru turned to them with a faint smile. "Compared to you guys, the ones who should be worried right now are those Sunagakure ninja."
The group relaxed and smiled, dissolving the previously tense atmosphere.
Toru