An "Uninvited Guest" Along the Way

Once they went around the pile of tampered rocks, the riverbed became much easier to navigate.

Furukawa stepped over the pebbles, his footsteps considerably lighter, his eyes fixed on the gray silhouette of Trade Town on the distant horizon as though he had spotted his salvation.

Shuo followed just behind Minato to one side, still looking as lethargic as ever, his eyes half closed as though he were about to fall asleep.

But his Light Perception quietly spread nearly a hundred meters outward like a loose, sagging net-the closer they got to Trade Town, the more things felt wrong.

It was not the chakra. It was the light.

In some places, light and shadow reflected far too regularly, clearly arranged by human hands; in some corners, the shadows were unusually dense, obviously concealing something.

"Tch. This never ends, does it?"

Shuo muttered under his breath, his lips twisting into a long pout.

He could not be bothered to warn them himself. With Minato's keen perception, that guy must have noticed already.

Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Minato suddenly raised a hand to signal a halt, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "Five hundred meters ahead, behind the slope on the left. Four chakra signatures. Two at chunin level, two close to special jōnin."

"An ambush?"

Kakashi pressed a hand to the hilt of his short sword, his expression darkening slightly.

"Doesn't look like it. They aren't hiding their chakra. It's more like they're waiting for us."

Minato shook his head and turned to Furukawa, whose face had gone white. "Mr. Furukawa, is there anything else you haven't told us?"

Furukawa's legs went weak, and he nearly sank to the ground. "I-I really haven't hidden anything! All I know is that I'm supposed to meet someone at the Old Oak Tavern. We changed the route at the last minute. They couldn't possibly..."

"Unless someone placed a Tracking Formula on you."

Kakashi coldly drove the point home.

Shuo yawned beside them, grumbling inwardly. What a tired plot. Can't we get something new? What a pain.

"Should we go around?"

Rin asked quietly.

"That would take another two hours, and it might not even be safe."

Minato looked at Shuo. "Shuo, can you make out their equipment? Any forehead protectors?"

"What a pain. They're so far away."

Despite his complaints, Shuo closed his eyes, his Light Perception shooting straight in that direction like a fine needle.

His view instantly zoomed in-four people behind the earthen slope, some sitting and some standing, really making no attempt to hide.

Two wore traveling clothes, their waists bulging with what were clearly ninja tools; another wore a Konoha ANBU mask and had the steadiest chakra, close to special jōnin level; the last wore the uniform of a noble's private soldier, with a flame crest on his cuff.

"One Konoha ANBU, one noble's private soldier, and two hired ninja."

Shuo opened his eyes and rubbed them, his tone utterly casual. "The ANBU is the strongest. The other three are still chatting. Doesn't look like they're about to fight."

Minato and Kakashi exchanged a puzzled glance.

It was such a strange combination.

"Who exactly owns the thing you're delivering?"

Minato pressed Furukawa.

"I'm just a middleman! My employer only gave me a code phrase. They didn't tell me anything else!"

Furukawa was on the verge of tears.

Minato considered it for a few seconds, then decided. "Let's go take a look. We should at least be able to talk to the ANBU. Kakashi, come up front with me. Obito, Rin, protect Furukawa. Shuo, act as you see fit."

"Act as I see fit, huh..."

Shuo shrugged, understanding perfectly. Basically, if a fight breaks out, I can do whatever I want.

They covered the five hundred meters in no time.

As they rounded the earthen slope, all four people immediately stood.

The ANBU stepped forward, his voice low behind his mask. "Jōnin Minato Namikaze?"

"That's me. And you are?"

"ANBU codename Crow."

He got straight to the point. "On the Hokage's orders, we're here to meet Furukawa and escort the item back to Konoha."

"B-back to Konoha?" Furukawa was dumbfounded.

"Your employer is the Daimyo's Heir's steward. He is suspected of illegal dealings. The item is to be seized."

The noble's private soldier spoke in a condescending tone, putting on every bit of authority he could.

Minato frowned. "Does Lord Hokage know about this?"

"He has been informed."

Crow took out a scroll and tossed it over. "These are the written orders. Please verify them."

Just as Minato unrolled the scroll, everything changed!

The two hired ninja suddenly moved-not toward Minato or Furukawa, but straight at Crow and the noble's private soldier!

Short swords scraped shrilly from their sheaths. One stabbed at Crow's throat, the other at the private soldier's chest, both outrageously fast!

"Watch out!"

Minato had only just shouted, and Kakashi had only drawn his sword halfway.

But Shuo was faster than either of them-so fast he barely seemed to move.

He merely lifted his left index finger, a speck of golden light flashing at its tip like a firefly.

The next second, a palm-sized mirror of light suddenly appeared before the hired ninja attacking Crow, angled precisely to block the path of his swinging blade. It also reflected the sinking sun, unleashing a burst of dazzling golden light!

"Aaah!"

The hired ninja screamed, his eyes blinded by the glare, his movement going completely awry.

Crow reacted extremely quickly, turning sideways to strike with his elbow before twisting his hand back to restrain him.

What happened on the other side was even stranger-the hired ninja attacking the private soldier had nearly reached his chest with the blade when its tip suddenly "veered."

The blade had not bent. The light had refracted.

Shuo had quietly placed three tiny mirrors of light before the blade's tip, their successive refractions forcibly twisting its course. The hired ninja lunged too hard and struck empty air.

Though panicked, the noble's private soldier was quick-witted enough to kick the back of his knee and club him on the nape, dropping the hired ninja straight to the ground.

The entire thing took less than three seconds.

Before Obito and Rin could even react, the fight was over.

Minato still held his hand seal, while Kakashi's sword had barely cleared its sheath by half an inch.

Only Shuo slowly lowered his hand and clicked his tongue. "That was close. Nearly got splashed with blood. Filthy stuff."

Holding the hired ninja down, Crow turned to Shuo, his eyes behind the mask full of shock-this light technique was nothing like any known Light Release. It was far too strange.

"Th-thank you!"

Still shaken, the noble's private soldier hurriedly thanked him.

Shuo waved a hand, secretly delighted. Triple Refraction actually takes so little effort. Looks like I've gotten a little better with the Yata Mirror.

Minato put away the scroll and looked at the hired ninja. "They aren't your people?"

"They're guards assigned by the Daimyo's Household. Looks like they were sent to silence us."

Crow pulled down the hired ninja's collar, exposing the Snake-Shaped Tattoo on his neck. "Root."

"Root?"

Minato's expression darkened.

With Danzo's people involved, things had become even more complicated.

"The situation has changed. We must take Furukawa and the item back to Konoha immediately."

Crow looked at Minato. "Could I ask you to assist with the escort? Trade Town is no longer safe."

"Yes."

Minato nodded, then turned to the others. "Change of mission. We're heading back to Konoha first."

Obito and Rin hurriedly nodded, and Kakashi sheathed his sword.

Only Shuo scratched his head, looking utterly fed up with life. "More traveling... Tch. I thought I'd get a hot meal at the tavern and a soft bed to sleep in."

He glanced at the distant Trade Town, inwardly cursing whoever had changed the plans at the last minute eight hundred times. Next time I take a mission, I have to ask first whether I can slack off and whether they'll suddenly change the route!

Before leaving, he looked back at the subdued Root members. Both were glaring viciously at him.

Shuo raised his eyebrows and mouthed, "Ooh, so scary~"

The setting sun stretched his shadow long. Still as unhurried as ever, he followed at the rear of the group, his steps languid but every one of them steady.

Like a careless ray of light, he seemed to drift aimlessly, yet whenever trouble came knocking, he could always scatter everything into disarray with the slightest movement, then slowly make his way toward where he needed to go.