The campfire crackled in the clearing. After settling Kakashi and the others down, Shin Uchiha and Uzuki Yugao sat nearby to rest. They had spent several hours running with Kakashi and the others on their backs, after all. Even with their excellent physical conditioning, they were a little tired.
After the two had rested for a while, Kakashi, who lay nearby, finally regained consciousness.
Shin Uchiha had laid Kakashi beside the campfire with a blanket beneath him.
When Kakashi woke, he groaned and clutched his neck, struggling painfully up from the ground.
As Kakashi slowly got up, he finally remembered what had happened before he lost consciousness. He immediately dropped the hand covering his neck and sprang to his feet, pulling a kunai straight from his ninja tool pouch as he surveyed his surroundings warily.
His surroundings surprised him. He had thought that, even if he was not in a Kusagakure prison, Shin Uchiha would have tied him up securely somewhere remote. After all, Shin Uchiha had knocked him out. Kakashi suspected that he might betray Konoha and become a rogue ninja. His own fate would be no better. As a member of the Hokage Faction, he was valuable wherever he went, whether for the intelligence and ninjutsu in his head or his position in Konoha.
Once Kakashi got a clear look around, he froze. There were no enemies, and he was neither imprisoned nor restrained. There was only the deserted wilderness around them, with Shin Uchiha and Uzuki Yugao watching him from the other side of the campfire. A short distance away, Kōrei Uzumaki and her mother were resting quietly.
Still, Kakashi did not lower his guard. Holding his kunai, he watched Shin Uchiha warily from across the fire. He still remembered that the man before him had knocked