He was following the orders of his own Jonin leader.
Aside from Kei, Mei Terumi, Kisame, and others who knew the situation, only Shingetsu was unsurprised. The other Genin appeared outwardly calm, but inwardly they were filled with confusion and bewilderment.
It was just a normal return trip, so why the rush? The deaths of three companions wouldn't surprise or confuse these Genin. The Chunin Ninja Exams were a competition and battle between ninja villages from different countries; losing people was perfectly normal.
Therefore, these Genin wouldn't even suspect what happened during the Chunin Ninja Exams!
When they felt that everything was normal, they were naturally puzzled by the somewhat bizarre orders from their Jonin leader. However, they kept their doubts to themselves and did not voice them. In terms of fulfilling their duties and obeying orders, these Genin were quite good at doing their job.
"Qing, why don't we take a break? This distance should be relatively safe. The little ones are probably getting a bit tired too!"
Although their speed had slowed down, they were still moving forward. Kei, Mei Terumi, Kisame, and Shingetsu were doing well, but the other Genin were struggling. Even though they were all veteran Genin who were several years older than Kei and the others, their strength was far inferior to theirs, and they couldn't compare to them.
When Otokaze, who was walking alongside Qing, saw that most of the Genin in his team were covered in sweat and their breathing had become a little rapid, he frowned and turned to look at Qing beside him.
It's certainly better to leave the Land of Fire as soon as possible.
However, the actual situation must also be taken into account.
The Genin in the team can't keep moving at this pace indefinitely; they need to rest regularly.
After glancing at the expressions of the Genin hurrying behind them, Ao nodded slightly and said, "Let's rest here for an hour, replenish our supplies, and then continue our journey!"
They set off from Konohagakure at 8:00 AM. After nearly three hours of full-speed advance, they continued at a steady pace for over an hour. The Jonin could certainly keep up, and Kei, Mei Terumi, Kisame, and Shingetsu were also managing. However, the Genin were starting to feel the strain. Moreover, it was already past noon, and ninjas were still just humans who possessed extraordinary powers; they needed to eat!
Moreover, considering the distance and time, nothing unexpected had happened for so long, Qing felt that he was probably overthinking things. At that moment, he stopped and turned to look at Qi and the others behind him.
It was at the moment he heard the words of his own Jonin leader.
The dozen Genin in the back all let out a sigh of relief.
"Yes!"
They each responded with a relaxed expression.
Then.
They dispersed slightly in twos and threes, took out food and water from their backpacks, and took care of lunch, replenished their energy, and restored their strength during their rest.
Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame each found a place to sit and rest. Compared to the dozen Genin other genin, they seemed much more at ease. When they first graduated, the three of them had been led Jonin their instructor, a jonin, at full speed for several hours. This time, the intensity was not as great as before, not to mention that several months had passed, and the three of them were now completely different from before.
The journey of only three or four hours at most consumed some physical strength and Chakra, but it wasn't particularly tiring.
However, unlike the other Genin who were leisurely resting, Kei sat upright on a flat Taiseki, eating his dry rations while scrutinizing his surroundings with a slightly tense expression, just like Ao, Otokaze, and Goro.
"Hehe, there's no need to be so nervous, is there? Kei, nothing's happened in the past ten days or so, right? I don't think the Third Hokage would lie to us about something like this, would he? I can tell that the Lord Hokage still cares about the peace treaty. The previous disputes were probably just internal conflicts, right? I believe the Third Hokage will handle them clearly. Besides, we're already so far away from Konoha; we shouldn't need to worry about anything anymore!"
Mei Terumi, who was sitting nearby, noticed Kei's expression and smiled slightly as she spoke.
Upon hearing Mei Terumi's words...
Kei appeared outwardly calm, but inwardly he couldn't help but smile bitterly. After all, Kei was currently the only transmigrator who knew that Danzo, such a troublemaker, Danzo in Konohagakure. The others, not to mention the still-naive Mei Terumi, even Jonin like Ao, Goro, and Otokaze, only had a subconscious sense of caution and vigilance; they didn't truly understand anything or have any profound inner workings.
To put it bluntly, from the perspective of Ao, Mei Terumi, and others, they would think that the incident that happened during the Chunin Ninja Exams was just like the internal power struggle within Kirigakure, caused by some people opposing peace and wanting war. They would believe that with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, personally taking action to suppress and handle it, it would at least be a smooth transition and a solution, if not an easy one!
This was all too common in the history of their Kirigakure.
Therefore, they all subconsciously viewed the unexpected events that occurred during the Chunin Ninja Exams held by Konohagakure with this attitude and perspective. The only difference was that Mei Terumi and the others were still too young and inexperienced, and genuinely believed that everything was resolved, while Ao, Goro, Otokaze, and others still retained a degree of vigilance.
After all, it's rare in history for subordinates to disobey the Kage's orders and do things that defy common sense. But it's not unheard of. Leaving aside Kirigakure, the most classic representative figures are the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers from Kumogakure!
That was a truly ruthless person, directly causing the deaths of two Second Kage from Konohagakure and Kumogakure!
Therefore, necessary precautions are still essential.
But when you think about it, the only person who truly harbors fear and vigilance is Qi, and yet he cannot openly state his reasons.
how?
How could a kid like you, who only graduated from the Ninja Academy a few months ago, possibly know high-level classified information about Konohagakure?
Do you even know that Danzo dared to oppose the Hokage and even attempted to start a war?
Regardless of what happens next, Qi himself is definitely not going to have a good time. It would be strange if he weren't tortured and dissected by Genjutsu magic!