Because time was short and the mission was urgent, after leaving Konoha, the group barely rested at all and sprinted straight ahead.
In this way, they finally arrived at their destination before nightfall—the place where Uchiha Itachi and the others had last sent a message before disappearing: the Land of Rivers, which bordered the Land of Fire.
This was only possible because even the weakest among them were at the level of Special Jonin. Otherwise, there was no way they could have reached this place in such a short time.
But it had not come without a price.
Putting aside everything else, just looking at those few Special Jonin, even from some distance away, Qian could clearly hear their breathing, loud as beating drums.
Clearly, the forced march just now had consumed a great deal of their stamina.
In this state, if they encountered the enemy, forget bringing out their full combat power—managing fifty or sixty percent would already be good.
When the time came, they might even have to spare people to protect them.
So if they continued traveling like this, the losses would likely outweigh the gains.
Fortunately, as the team leader, Yamato had quite extensive mission experience. Just as they were about to enter the borders of the Land of Rivers, he suddenly ordered everyone to rest for half an hour.
Clearly, this was to give everyone time to recover.
And hearing this order, no one wasted words. They immediately began to rest and reorganize.
Qian and the other Jonin who were still in decent condition took the initiative to move to the perimeter of the team, resting while keeping watch.
As for the few Special Jonin in poorer condition, they retreated to the center of the team and focused fully on recovering their strength.
Time passed,