Harada Yuichi stood under a tree with his arms folded, seemingly keeping watch, but his eyes kept drifting toward the woods. He was clearly a little worried.
The shop assistants were busy loading the last few crates of "local specialties."
Mostly mushrooms and spices unique to the Land of Rivers-onto the wagon, their faces relaxed now that the mission was complete.
When Uchiha Makoto and the other three emerged from the woods, Kakashi's half-lidded, dead-fish eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
Something was off.
Although Uchiha Makoto walked at the front, looking as lazy and unserious as ever, Kakashi's instincts told him that the chakra fluctuations coming from him were noticeably weaker than when they had parted. And...
There was a distinctive sense of tightly focused power mixed with fatigue, the kind that came after an intense battle.
It wasn't the usual drain from training. It felt more like he had fought a real, life-or-death battle.
Then he looked at the three younger ones behind him.
Nako kept her head lowered, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. Her face was a little pale, not from exhaustion, but more as though she hadn't fully recovered from a fright.
Shun pressed his lips together, his gaze sharper than usual. On closer inspection, though, a trace of shock still lingered deep in his eyes.
Entetsu's left leg also seemed a little awkward as he walked.
All four of them were dusty, and their clothes bore several obvious marks that looked like damage from wind blades or scorching flames. They weren't severe, but they certainly weren't something "getting lost" could cause.
"You're two hours late."
Kakashi spoke as casually as if he were commenting on the nice weather, but his eyes swept over Uchiha Makoto like searchlights. "Run into trouble?"
"Trouble? Not really."