Deep in the forests of the Land of Hot Water, humid heat clung to the skin, and the cicadas shrieked themselves hoarse, disturbing peaceful dreams.
Shinichi followed the almost imperceptible trace of chakra, making his way through the woods at an unhurried pace.
He still looked half-asleep, his natural silver curls drooping as he yawned now and then. Rather than tracking dangerous visitors from outer space, he looked as though he were strolling through his own backyard to digest a meal.
Seriously, couldn't these guys just come out and die? Why do they have to sneak around and waste my precious catch-up sleep?
Shinichi grumbled inwardly, but his steps never faltered. Every footfall precisely avoided the dead twigs and fallen leaves that might make a sound.
His seemingly unfocused gaze had, in fact, already taken in everything around him.
The rustle of grass, the low hum of insects, even the faint movement of chakra in the air-nothing escaped the perception behind those lazy, dead-fish eyes.
Sage Mode.
There were no elaborate hand seals, no astonishing eruption of power.
Shinichi merely recited the words in his mind, and the surrounding natural energy streamed into his body like young swallows returning to the woods.
Faint orange markings quietly appeared around his eyelids, then swiftly faded, as though they had been an illusion.
Yet in that instant, the entire world looked different to him.
The intricate web of natural energy appeared clearly in his perception, like countless densely woven threads.
At the intersections of those threads, two out-of-place chakra sources radiating a cold, ominous aura stood out like fireflies in the night.
"Oh? Two of them? They really do think highly of me."
Shinichi raised an eyebrow, an unsurprised smile curling his lips. "It's about time this game of hide-and-seek ended."
His figure