The Philosophy of "Taking the Long Way"

By the time Furukawa woke up, the sun was already sinking toward the west.

He bolted upright, clutching the little bag against his chest as he scanned his surroundings in terror, like a startled bird.

"Mr. Furukawa, have some water and take a moment."

Rin handed him a cup, her voice gentle.

Furukawa gulped down half the water, his voice still hoarse. "Th-those masked people... have they gone?"

"They've withdrawn for now."

Minato crouched down, his gaze serious. "Is there something you haven't told us about the scroll and the attackers?"

Furukawa's eyes darted away, his plump face flushing red. After struggling for a long while, he finally admitted, "It-it's a factional struggle in the Land of Crafts... This scroll concerns the distribution rights for a new chakra alloy. The conservatives don't want me reaching the trading town alive."

"A new alloy? Is it really powerful?" Obito leaned closer in curiosity.

"It improves how efficiently ninja tools conduct chakra!"

Furukawa's eyes lit up briefly, then immediately drooped again. "But there's no point talking about that now! They know our route. There are ambushes everywhere ahead!"

"Then we'll take the long way."

Minato pointed at the map. "We'll go through the unnamed woodland to the northwest and follow the old riverbed around to the back of the trading town. It'll add most of a day to the journey, but it's safe."

"The woodland? The old riverbed?"

Furukawa's face turned green. "There are wild beasts and landslides there! I can't get my cargo through either!"

"We can hide the cargo."

Everyone turned toward the voice. Shuo was still leaning against a tree trunk, yawning, his eyelids not even fully open. "They're after you and the scroll, not this junk ore and these parts~"

"But these are samples!" Furukawa cried anxiously.

"What good are samples if you're dead?"

Shuo slowly stood up, walked over to the map, and gestured at a spot. "Find a cave, hide the cargo, and mark it. Then we travel light through the canopy. It'll be quick."

The canopy? Everyone paused.

"Travel through the treetops?" Obito's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, as long as the trees are dense enough."

Shuo scratched his head. "The ground route is a hassle. It's quiet up in the trees, and we can avoid traps."

Minato made the decision at once. "That's what we'll do! Hide the cargo, then take the canopy tomorrow morning!"

Furukawa grimaced in anguish, but all he could do was nod-staying alive came first.

That night, they found a secluded cave and hid most of the cargo, keeping only necessities and a few small samples.

Furukawa held his little bag as reverently as if it were his ancestor.

They camouflaged the pack animals and cart and left them in the woods some distance away.

The watch schedule was arranged, with Shuo and Kakashi taking the first half of the night.

Shuo leaned against a rock and closed his eyes, spreading his Light Perception over the surroundings like an invisible net.

He could clearly distinguish the insects chirping in the woods, the rustling of leaves in the wind, and even the movements of nocturnal animals in the distance.

"Do you think they'll follow us into the woods?"

Kakashi suddenly spoke.

"Who knows~"

Shuo yawned. "If they come, we'll just deal with them. It's a hassle, sure, but it beats being used for target practice."

Kakashi said nothing more.

When the watch changed in the second half of the night, Shuo crawled into the little tent, rolled over, and fell asleep.

He was still mulling things over in his head: I'd better not fall while moving through the canopy. It'd hurt, and it'd be embarrassing.

Those masked people didn't look like ordinary hired muscle. The struggles in the Land of Crafts really are a pain.

At the first light of dawn, the team entered the unnamed woodland.

The ground was covered in shrubs and vines, blocking them every few steps.

"Into the trees," Minato ordered.

Minato and Kakashi leaped lightly onto the branches, with Obito and Rin following steadily behind.

Like a sloth, Shuo slowly climbed up using both hands and feet, yet every hold he chose was on the sturdiest branches, and he was surprisingly quick.

Furukawa had it worst. Minato tied chakra threads around his waist and half dragged, half hauled him into a tree.

The fat man went deathly pale with fright and clung to the trunk, not even daring to open his eyes.

The team began moving through the canopy.

Minato led the way and chose their route, Kakashi brought up the rear, and Obito and Rin guarded Furukawa.

Shuo kept to the flank, sometimes moving ahead to scout and sometimes dropping back to keep watch.

His Light Perception was truly in its element in the woods. He could "see" the load-bearing capacity of the branches ahead, the tangles of vines, and even the density of the leaves, always choosing the route that took the least effort.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves in dappled patches, and the wind carried the damp scent of vegetation.

The team was silent, apart from the creaking of branches beneath their feet and Furukawa's stifled panting.

After more than an hour, Minato suddenly stopped and raised a fist to signal the others.

Shuo crept over and peered ahead from behind some parasitic vines-a hundred meters away, in a clearing, lay a recently extinguished campfire, with footprints and food wrappers scattered around it. It looked like hunters had left it.

He withdrew, shook his head at Minato, and whispered, "Not ninja. Probably three or four hunters, no more than half a day ago."

"Go around."

Minato signaled for the team to change direction, and they circled around through denser woods.

After they had traveled a little farther, Shuo suddenly stopped and looked at the ground below. Among the ferns, a faint metallic glint showed, half buried in rotting leaves.

He slid down the tree and brushed aside the leaves with a kunai-it was a rusty hunter's jaw trap, still untriggered.

Shuo casually put the trap back as it had been, then slowly climbed back into the tree.

"There are old traps. Everyone, be careful," he reported.

Furukawa hugged the trunk even tighter, muttering, "If I'd known, I wouldn't have taken the long way..."

Looking at the endless sea of trees ahead, Shuo grumbled inwardly, Taking the long way got us out of the line of fire, but there's no shortage of trouble in these woods either~

[Ding! Proposed a slacker-style detour plan of "hide the cargo + travel through the canopy," perfectly matching Kizaru's core philosophy of "save effort wherever possible"! Imitation points +30!]

[Light Perception performed precise reconnaissance in a complex environment. The optimal solution for "terminal laziness" achieved!]

[Current imitation points: 795/1000.]

He let out a soft breath and followed the team. Sunlight flickered across his shoulders. Traveling through the canopy took a little effort, but at least they didn't have to face those masked people head-on. That counted as another kind of "saving effort," he supposed.