Mysterious Tail

This was Xuanhui's first time traveling across the ninja world. Though Grass Village bordered the Land of Fire, it was still quite far away.

The two set out at noon. Since they had not brought much with them—their luggage was all stored in the library, and they only carried a few weapons—they moved exceptionally fast.

By the time they were nearing the border of the Land of Fire, it was already deep into the night.

"Let's rest for today first, Orochimaru-sensei!"

Xuanhui hugged his knees, his heavy breathing especially loud in the silent forest.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the forest, which was almost at its end.

"Let's go to the little river ahead and wash up for now."

Orochimaru did not look back. He continued leaping across the branches, maintaining his high speed.

"Wait for me!"

Xuanhui had no choice but to hurry after him.

By the time Xuanhui reached the riverbank, Orochimaru was already crouching there, splashing water onto his face.

"Sensei, why are you running so fast? The caravan isn't going to run away on its own."

Orochimaru glanced back at Xuanhui. In his cold, hoarse voice, he spoke unhurriedly.

"Tasks must be completed efficiently. Once we accept a mission, we must immediately commit to it.

"We accepted an escort mission, so we must get there as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of anything happening to them."

Naturally, Xuanhui understood that too. But for a child, this pace of travel was still too intense. He was about to collapse from exhaustion... so he could not help but complain.

"Rest first. We'll get up early tomorrow morning."

Orochimaru formed hand seals, and a wooden door appeared out of thin air. He pushed it open and walked inside.

Xuanhui had finished washing up as well, so he followed him through the wooden door.

With a bang, the wooden door vanished into a cloud of smoke.

However, in the darkness, a pair of dark green eyes suddenly widened.

Rustling came from the bushes as a masked figure in black robes poked his head out.

The scratch across his forehead protector was clearly visible beneath the moonlight, and his low voice was chilling.

"Konoha ninja... Orochimaru... and a little brat..."

He stood where he was, staring fixedly at the spot where the wooden door had disappeared.

"Not simple... forget it... this bounty won't be easy to collect. I'd better look elsewhere."

He stared at the clearing for a while before retreating into the forest. His entire body disappeared into the shadows, and the faint rustling gradually faded away...

Inside the library, Orochimaru stared at Xuanhui without saying a word.

When Xuanhui met Orochimaru's gaze, he immediately understood.

"Someone was following us?"

"Looks like you're not completely stupid."

"When? I didn't notice anything at all..."

Orochimaru took off his outer robe and opened the luggage.

"About five minutes ago."

Xuanhui began making his bed as well.

"How long should we rest, then?"

"Three or four hours should be enough. Just enough to recover our energy."

The other party's intentions and strength were both unknown. Since they had not attacked first, they were still wary of something.

Hiding for a few hours to recover their physical and mental strength was the best course of action.

Master and disciple said no more. The moment their heads touched their pillows and their eyelids grew heavy, they fell asleep.

Who knew how much time had passed? Xuanhui's nose kept itching in his sleep. Unable to bear it any longer, he slowly opened his eyes.

What entered his sight was not the ceiling or chandelier, but a sharp glint of cold steel.

A jolt ran through his entire body, and he even forgot to breathe. His eyes instantly widened like marbles.

"Orochimaru-sensei! What are you doing?"

Orochimaru slowly raised his wrist, and the kunai's point gradually moved away from Xuanhui's field of vision.

At last, it was at a safe distance.

"If you encounter something like this in the future, make sure to counter it immediately. A ninja's living environment is very dangerous."

Orochimaru tucked the kunai into his pocket, reached for his clothes, and began packing up.

Xuanhui lay on the bed. His heavy breathing was not loud, yet it sounded deafening, while cold sweat continued to pour down his back.

Still shaken, he sat up and stared blankly at the patterns on the floor, trying hard to calm himself.

"Awake now, aren't you? Pack up. We should get going."

When Xuanhui turned his head, Orochimaru had already finished packing and was sitting there waiting for him.

"Orochimaru-sensei... you're too cruel..."

The corner of Orochimaru's mouth curled up. It looked like a cold smile, yet also like the smile of someone whose scheme had succeeded.

"Sensei, you should smile less in the future. It's really terrifying."

"Hurry up and pack. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

Seeing Xuanhui still dawdling, Orochimaru walked over and kicked him.

Xuanhui no longer dared to drag his feet. He got up, dressed, and packed away his bedding, finishing everything in a minute.

"It really is convenient having you around. We don't even need to carry bags when we go out, and we don't have to spend money on inns."

"Was that a compliment?"

"Take it as one."

By the time the two crawled out through the door, the sky was already faintly bright. There was about half an hour left until sunrise.

Orochimaru stood still and surveyed the surroundings. Only after quite some time did he pat Xuanhui on the shoulder, and the two continued on their way.

"Don't you have Yamanaka Clan blood? When you have time, train your sensing range.

"Knowing the enemy's information in advance is very important."

"Once I become a chunin, it might be easier to ask the clan for secret techniques."

Orochimaru offered Xuanhui a small suggestion, and it also gave Xuanhui something to think about.

Clan secret techniques were indeed a good choice for improving combat strength in the later stages, but that would have to wait until he became a chunin.

The Uzumaki Clan had given him powerful vitality. Sealing techniques were not the most urgent, so he could learn them last.

The Nara Clan had given him intelligence. As for the Shadow Secret Technique... it was not particularly important. He could ask for it when he had time.

The Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique was the same, though expanding his sensing range was still quite important.

The Uchiha Clan... he would have to go find them with the Sharingan activated...

After a brief period of thought, Xuanhui made his choice.

He would first practice the Uchiha Clan's Fire Release ninjutsu. After becoming a chunin, he would train his sensing range and Yin Release and Yang Release chakra. He could put off the secret techniques for now. These fundamentals and universal abilities had to be strengthened first!

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Xuanhui moved through the forest alongside Orochimaru.

After the sun climbed over the hills, Orochimaru stopped on a tree branch.

He opened the map, looked at the ravine before them, then gazed at the mountain peaks ahead.

"We're almost there."

As he spoke, he pointed in a direction.

Xuanhui looked over and saw a flat road faintly visible behind the trees.

"Then let's hurry!"

With that, Xuanhui moved to dash forward.

A force suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

"Orochimaru-sensei?"

"No rush. We'll go there first!"

Orochimaru led Xuanhui toward the road.

After passing through the dense branches and leaves, Xuanhui discovered that there was a signpost beside the road.

Orochimaru looked over the road sign twice, then pointed toward one end of the road.

"Come on. Let's check out the town first."