Shuo woke to the smell of meat broth-or, more precisely, the aroma of concentrated meat broth Rin was heating with Medical Ninjutsu, which drifted a long way.
He opened his eyes. Someone had draped a coat over him, and he was still leaning against the tree.
The sky had darkened. A campfire burned in the forest clearing, its warmth finally dispelling the evening chill and the gloom left by the monster's corpse.
"You're awake?"
Minato handed him a bowl of hot soup with a few pieces of dried meat and wild vegetables floating in it. "Have some and take it easy. You used up too much energy yesterday."
Shuo took the soup, blew on it, and sipped. The taste was nothing special, but the hot broth eased much of the aching throughout his body-especially in his eyes and wrists, which felt sore and numb, as though he had spent all night hauling bricks.
[System notification: moderate overexertion. Light energy recovered to 60%. Slacking off and resting recommended~]
"Shuo, that move you pulled yesterday was so cool!"
Obito came over, his eyes startlingly bright. "Digging a hole and using light to blind the monster-how did you think of that?"
"Well... I just happened to dig a hole, and the sun happened to shine into it."
Shuo slowly swallowed his soup and rubbed his sore eyes. "The sunlight was a bit harsh. My eyes still ache."
Rin also asked with concern, "Would you like me to ease that with Medical Ninjutsu?"
"No need. A little rest will do."
Shuo waved a hand, looking as though he found it a bother.
Minato waited until he finished his soup before speaking. "We've investigated the cabin. It was a forbidden summoning beast modification facility. That attack of yours didn't just kill the monster; it also destroyed the Bloodcry Stone. You've eliminated a potential threat."
He looked toward the pitch-black forest. "We'll spend the night here. Wild animals won't dare approach. We'll take the Old Riverbed first thing tomorrow and reach Trade Town by evening."
Furukawa's face went pale, but he dared not object-it was better than wandering through the dark forest.
The watch schedule had changed. Shuo got the easiest first shift, since he had used up the most energy.
Late into the night, the campfire crackled, and the others drifted off to sleep one after another.
Shuo leaned against the tree, keeping Light Perception to just fifty meters around the camp, too lazy to expend more mental energy.
Insects called back and forth through the woods, and leaves rustled in the wind.
With his eyes closed, Shuo mulled over the newly unlocked "Yata Mirror Construction." He no longer had to fumble blindly; he could actively design light paths now. Next time, he might not need to dig a hole. Finding something reflective might be enough.
As his mind wandered, his ears suddenly caught a faint sound-not the wind or insects, but someone carefully stepping on rotting leaves, coming from the direction of the Old Riverbed.
Without opening his eyes, Shuo quietly extended his perception. Seventy or eighty meters away were two small outlines of "light and heat," stopping and starting. They did not seem like adults, but more like lost children.
Wake everyone? What a hassle if they were just harmless people who'd lost their way.
Go over myself? My strength hasn't recovered yet.
He settled on a compromise, took out two shuriken and two half-cooled pieces of charcoal, and walked to the edge of camp.
He planted the shuriken in the mud with their points facing up, placed the charcoal beside them, and fed two faint strands of light from his fingertips into the charcoal-not to light a fire, but to make a simple warning system only he could detect.
After a dozen or so minutes, the two small outlines hesitated for a long while, then retreated without coming closer.
Shuo sighed in relief and removed the light energy markers.
The night passed peacefully.
Early the next morning, before the group set out, Minato used Earth Release to bury the bodies and the monster's remains. Once they returned to the canopy, Obito and Rin were much more practiced at moving through it. Furukawa had grown numb to being dragged around and no longer screamed.
At noon, they finally reached the Old Riverbed. It had been dry for years, leaving only a pebble-covered gully with steep earthen slopes on either bank, far easier to traverse than the canopy. Furukawa nearly cried when his feet touched solid ground.
"Another three or four hours, and we'll be able to see Trade Town!"
Minato encouraged them as he studied the map.
But half an hour later, at a bend in the riverbed, several huge boulders blocked most of the way, leaving only a narrow gap.
The fractured rock surfaces were fresh, and the placement was clearly deliberate.
"Careful. There's an ambush."
Minato signaled for everyone to stop and went forward with Kakashi to investigate.
Shuo swept his perception over the slopes on both banks. In the grass on the left, there was a slight sense of a "break" in the light. The same was true on the right. It did not seem like people, but mechanisms.
"There's something on both slopes," Shuo said quietly.
"Obito, Rin, protect Mr. Furukawa and fall back!"
Minato formed hand seals. "Kakashi, left! Shuo, right!"
They had only just started retreating when dozens of kunai tied with explosive tags suddenly shot out of the grass on both sides, along with several large nets!
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Minato blew most of the kunai and nets off course. Kakashi swung his blade and knocked down the rest with crisp, efficient movements.
Shuo ignored the kunai, his gaze fixed on the launch point in the grass on the right.
He flicked a few strands of faint light from his fingertips into the mechanism-"Yata Mirror Construction" could not only guide light, but also interfere with chakra-powered machinery!
Crack, creak-!
The sound of jamming parts came from the grass. The second wave of kunai and nets on the right caught in the launch openings, then tumbled out crookedly, posing no threat at all.
On the left, Kakashi also destroyed the mechanism with Lightning Release.
The ambush fizzled out before it could even get underway.
Obito and Rin stared, dumbfounded, while Furukawa's legs went weak again. "H-how did they know we changed our route?"
"Either we left traces, or they have another way to track us."
Minato's expression cooled slightly. "Clear the road. We're moving through quickly!"
Everyone worked together to move the boulders, and the group hurried past the bend.
Shuo walked to the foot of the right-hand slope and parted the grass. Several crude wooden mechanisms lay there, their gears misaligned and springs dislodged, already ruined.
"Modified hunting traps, powered by chakra metal plates."
Kakashi spoke after inspecting the left side.
Shuo shook out his wrists. What he had just done looked easy, but it had actually taken quite a bit of mental effort.
Still... dismantling mechanisms with light energy seemed much easier than fighting head-on?
He drew his gaze back and looked into the distance. The outline of Trade Town was already faintly visible.
But this last stretch of road...
Shuo scratched his head and grumbled inwardly, Trouble without end. Seriously~
He quickened his steps to catch up with the group, planning to himself, Once we reach Trade Town, I've got to rest for a few days and catch up on sleep.
(End of chapter)
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