Shuo felt as though he had barely closed his eyes before Kakashi gently kicked him awake.
He opened his eyes groggily. The tent was pitch-black, with only a little faint light from the campfire seeping through gaps in the fabric.
Kakashi was already fully dressed and looking down at him. The dead-fish eye visible above his mask looked listless even in the dim light-or rather, it always looked listless.
"Shift change."
Kakashi's voice was low.
Shuo gave a silent yawn, rubbed his eyes, and slowly crawled out of his sleeping bag.
The predawn chill made him shiver, and he hurriedly pulled on his coat.
As he ducked out of the tent, cold air hit his face, instantly waking him up considerably.
The campfire had nearly died out, leaving only a few dark-red embers.
The camp was quiet, with only faint snores coming from Furukawa's tent and the ceaseless chirping of insects in the distant mountain woods.
Kakashi nodded to him, then turned and ducked into his own tent.
Shuo stretched his slightly stiff neck and shoulders, walked over to the campfire, stirred the embers with a stick, and added a few thin pieces of firewood.
The flames stirred back to life a little, bringing a touch of warmth.
He sat down with his back against the piled luggage and swept his gaze over the silent camp.
The good thing about taking the last watch was getting to see the sunrise. The bad thing was being cold and sleepy, and the hours before dawn were often when people let their guard down most easily-and were most vulnerable to surprise attacks.
He closed his eyes, and Light Perception spread out silently like spilled mercury.
Its range was more concentrated than during the day, covering roughly a hundred meters around the camp.
The ambient light at night was extremely faint. Starlight, moonlight, the lingering glow of the dying campfire... In his perception, the distribution and intensity of these light sources, along with the minute changes caused by objects blocking or reflecting them, formed a unique, three-dimensional "light spectrum."
Inside the camp, the "light and heat" outlines representing life and chakra rose and fell steadily within the tents. Obito seemed to be a restless sleeper, turning over occasionally. Rin's outline was the calmest.
Over by Minato... Hmm? Minato's outline seemed a little "fainter" than usual, his chakra fluctuations almost nonexistent, as though he were deep in meditation or only pretending to sleep.
Outside the camp, the outlines of trees presented different textures in his perception as they absorbed or scattered light.
As the night breeze passed, the ripples of light and shadow caused by the swaying treetops were clearly discernible.
The faint heat sources of small animals-probably nocturnal rodents or birds-occasionally moved through the woods.
Everything seemed normal.
But Shuo did not let his guard down. That vague sense of something being "off" that he had felt during the day was still there.
He adjusted his breathing and refined his perception, seeking subtler anomalies-for instance, whether the refractive index of the light in a particular area showed any tiny, unnatural changes that might indicate a transparency or camouflage ninjutsu.
Were there signs of chakra disturbing the particles of light in the air?
Were there any stationary points of "light and heat" in the distance that did not belong in the natural surroundings?
Time trickled by.
An extremely faint trace of pale white began to appear along the eastern horizon, but true daylight was still some time away.
In the camp, Furukawa stopped snoring, apparently having turned over.
Just as Shuo thought he might get through this night watch peacefully-
He "saw" it.
To the southeast of the camp, about eighty meters away, behind a clump of bushes, the light distribution in a small area displayed an extremely subtle but persistent sense of "stagnation."
It was like a tiny drop of oil on still water that refused to spread.
The starlight and faint ambient light there seemed to be slightly, evenly absorbed or deflected by something, forming an exceedingly faint, almost imperceptible "dark spot."
It was not an animal.
An animal's heat and movement would produce more dynamic changes in light and shadow.
Nor was it a natural object.
The light and shadow of natural objects had a more "lively" texture in the night breeze and dim light.
That "dark spot" had remained motionless for at least ten minutes.
Someone lying in ambush.
Shuo's eyelids lifted slightly, but his posture did not change at all. He remained slouched lazily against the luggage, as though dozing.
His right hand, however, slipped silently toward the ninja tool pouch behind his waist. His fingertips touched several specially modified shuriken-improved versions he had previously "marinated" in faint light energy, allowing them to trigger more controllable bursts of light on impact.
He did not raise the alarm immediately.
Was there only one of them? Or was this merely a decoy or lookout?
He kept his breathing even. Like the most patient hunter, his Light Perception scanned outward from that "dark spot" in extremely slow, widening circles.
Thirty seconds later, he discovered a second, similar but more skillfully concealed "dark spot" in the dense crown of a large tree northwest of the camp, about a hundred and twenty meters away.
This "dark spot" was higher up, with a better view that overlooked almost the entire camp.
Two. Lying in wait at an angle to each other.
What was their target?
The goods? Or Furukawa himself?
Shuo's mind raced.
Shout "Enemy attack" outright? That might alert them, prompting an immediate attack or retreat.
Quietly notify Minato?
Minato's tent was some distance away. Any unnecessary movement might be noticed.
He needed a more... "effortless" and inconspicuous way to give a warning.
His gaze fell on the campfire before him, not quite extinguished.
An idea flashed through his mind.
Maintaining his reclining posture, he let his left hand hang seemingly casually at his side. His fingers moved ever so slightly, and a thread of light energy so faint it was almost nonexistent silently "drifted" like the finest spider silk toward a piece of charcoal among the embers, half burned through and already brittle inside.
Light energy had no heat and could not ignite anything. But it could... slightly alter the way the remaining chemical energy inside that piece of charcoal was released.
A few seconds later.
Crack!
A faint, crisp sound, like a twig snapping, came from the embers.
The internal structure of the charcoal that had received the light energy's "attention" collapsed slightly under the lingering heat, scattering a few tiny sparks. One landed squarely on a half-dry piece of kindling nearby.
The spark ignited the kindling, sending up a thin wisp of bluish smoke that was quite conspicuous in the predawn darkness.
The column of smoke rose straight up, standing out clearly in the windless early-morning air.
The disturbance was small, barely louder than the insects, and common enough in a wilderness camp. But to ever-vigilant ninja, any tiny anomaly warranted attention.
Almost the instant the bluish smoke rose-
The flap of Minato's tent stirred ever so slightly.
Inside Kakashi's tent, the previously even rhythm of his breathing faltered almost imperceptibly.
And the "dark spot" hidden in the treetop seemed to adjust its position slightly, its attention drawn for an instant to the sudden wisp of smoke.
Now!
Shuo's right hand moved!
He did not get up or even turn his wrist much.
With his body leaning against the luggage for cover, he simply flicked his fingers with the smallest possible movement!
An improved Light Shuriken shot out silently at an extremely low angle, skimming the ground!
Its target was neither of the hidden figures, but an exposed rock southeast of the camp, roughly five meters in front of the hiding place behind the bushes!
The shuriken's flight path hugged the ground, like a venomous snake slithering through the deepest darkness before dawn.
Thup!
An impact so faint it was almost inaudible.
The instant the shuriken struck the rock-
Hum!
A fist-sized ball of golden light suddenly lit up on the rock's surface, its brightness deliberately suppressed but its radiance extremely concentrated and steady!
There was no explosion, no sound. It simply shone like a little lamp that had suddenly been switched on, continuously giving off a soft but distinct golden glow!
In the pitch-black predawn darkness, that glow stood out like a beacon!
Startled by the sudden light source in such an odd location, the figure hidden in the treetop instinctively shifted his gaze!
The figure behind the bushes went completely rigid-the light source was almost directly in front of him!
Had he been exposed?!
The instant the unexpected light source caught both men's attention-
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures shot out of Minato's and Kakashi's tents like phantoms!
The golden streak that was Minato hurtled straight toward the treetop!
Kakashi's white figure swept toward the bushes like lightning!
No shouts, no hand seals-only speed and precision taken to their utmost limits!
A short, muffled grunt came from the treetop, accompanied by the violent rustling of branches and leaves!
Behind the bushes came a stifled cry of pain, followed immediately by the scraping sounds of a body hitting the ground and being swiftly subdued.
The fight-if it could even be called one-began and ended within a mere two or three seconds.
The camp remained quiet.
Startled rustling came from Obito's and Rin's tents, while a hushed cry rang out from Furukawa's.
Only then did Shuo leisurely stand up, brush the dust off his backside, and walk over to the still-glowing rock. He bent down and picked up the shuriken, which had exhausted its light energy and returned to its ordinary appearance.
Minato jumped down from the tree carrying an unconscious, tall, thin man dressed in dark-gray night clothes.
Kakashi also emerged from behind the bushes, escorting a tightly bound, short, stout man dressed the same way.
Both men's faces were covered, leaving only their terrified eyes exposed.
Minato looked at Shuo, approval and inquiry in his eyes.
Shuo shrugged, pointed to the rock whose glow was gradually fading, then pointed southeast and northwest.
"Two of them. They'd been crouching there for a while."
He yawned. "It was a bit cold just now, so I wanted to get the fire going and warm up. Accidentally... made a little light."
Minato smiled. A flicker of understanding also passed through Kakashi's dead-fish eye.
Obito and Rin rushed out of their tents and stared at the two subdued men in astonishment.
Furukawa also poked his head out, trembling, his face pale. "Wh-what happened?"
"A little trouble. It's already been dealt with."
Minato reassured him gently, "Mr. Furukawa, please go back inside and rest. It'll be light soon, and we'll set out shortly."
Furukawa looked at the two captives, then at Shuo, who looked utterly unconcerned, as though he had merely gotten up early to watch the sunrise. He opened his mouth but said nothing, then withdrew into his tent.
Minato and Kakashi began interrogating the prisoners.
Shuo went back to the campfire, added more wood, and built up the flames.
The firelight drove away the early-morning chill and illuminated his largely expressionless face.
Rin came over and asked with some concern, "Shuo, are you all right? Just now..."
"I'm fine."
Shuo shook his head and held his hands out to the fire. "Just didn't get enough sleep... feels like a bit of a loss."
Obito sidled over, looking at the two captives with curiosity and excitement. "Shuo, how did you spot them? I didn't sense a thing!"
Shuo glanced at him, then at the gradually brightening dawn on the horizon.
"Probably because..." He considered it, then said slowly,
"The positions they chose..."
"They were so focused on keeping themselves out of the light..."
"That they forgot shadows sometimes... stand out more than people."
Obito: "???" Another one of those things he couldn't understand that somehow sounded sensible!
A dull thud came from Kakashi's direction. Apparently, one of the prisoners had tried to resist or kill himself, and Kakashi had knocked him out with swift efficiency.
Minato walked over, looking somewhat grave. "We got answers. They're ninja hired by a rival trading company in the Land of Crafts. Their target was Mr. Furukawa himself, or at least a certain 'trade contract' he carries. They've been following us the whole way."
As expected. Shuo understood. Furukawa's nervousness was not just about the cargo.
"It looks like this C-rank mission needs a temporary upgrade."
Minato smiled helplessly and looked at Shuo. "Shuo, we owe you one."
Shuo waved a hand to indicate it was nothing worth mentioning.
He raised his head and looked east.
At the horizon, the first true ray of morning light finally pierced the clouds and spilled down.
Golden sunlight shone over the camp, over the fire, and into Shuo's slightly narrowed eyes.
A new day had begun.
Even if it had started with a little "trouble."
At least his night watch was over.
Could he... catch up on some sleep?
He looked at Minato and Kakashi, who had already started preparing breakfast and packing their gear, then at Obito, still excitedly asking for details, and the busy Rin.
Forget it. Probably not happening.
He sighed, rose to his feet in resignation, and went to help pack up the tents.
The shadows gradually shortened in the morning light.
The night's tiny ripples seemed to have subsided.
But the road ahead might not be as bright as the sunlight at that moment.
Before you continue