"Whoosh~"
"..."
In a dense forest, a dozen or so swift figures moved through the canopy and undergrowth, leaping between branches as they advanced quickly and silently like phantoms.
A solemn atmosphere hung over the group, as though these dozen or so people were heading out on an important mission. Judging by their light green or dark green shinobi flak jackets and the leaf-shaped symbols on their forehead protectors, these ninja all came from Konoha.
At the very front, one person moved ahead of the rest, occasionally turning back to give instructions.
Clearly, this cold, expressionless man with his efficient movements was the commander of the dozen or so Konoha Ninja in the group.
Most conspicuous were the three Genin bringing up the rear. As they traveled, they seemed young and inexperienced compared with the seasoned group ahead, who moved without leaving the slightest unnecessary sound or trace.
Watching everything around him, Shin'un learned from the ninja ahead as they traveled, studying their practiced coordination on the move.
He absorbed the details and things he observed quickly and efficiently.
By Shin'un's own estimate, he had already grown tremendously compared with when they had left the Konoha camp three days ago.
At the very least, he had learned how to conceal himself better while moving stealthily, how to recover his energy quickly through brief periods of sleep, how to clear away traces of his passage, and more...
Of course, what Shin'un considered most important was learning what an actual mission was like and the state he needed to maintain while carrying one out.
At that thought, Shin'un turned to look at the teammates on either side of him.
Keeping his attention focused throughout a mission and constantly staying alert to his surroundings demanded a great deal of mental stamina.
He was rather worried that his two teammates would not hold up.
The ninja ahead, who had spent years carrying out missions, all had extensive mission experience. They were old hands long accustomed to missions, each with little tricks for quickly relieving stress and recovering their energy while on duty.
But Shin'un's squad was different.
On their very first mission, as a newbie squad with no mission experience whatsoever, their teacher had brought them along on an important wartime assignment.
And it was an attack on an important stronghold belonging to Iwagakure, another of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, which demanded even greater mental resilience from newcomers.
Of course, Shin'un's worries were mainly directed at his two teammates. He himself had adapted quite well to the pressure and grueling forced march of the past three days.
And the facts proved that Shin'un's worries were not unfounded.
He had originally thought that, of the three members of their squad, the seemingly delicate Shiina Kō would be the most likely to struggle.
Yet, to his surprise, Shiina Kō became efficient and decisive when it came to carrying out a mission, showing no sign of being affected by its pressure.
She joked when it was time to joke, traveled when it was time to get serious and keep moving, and slept even more soundly than Shin'un when it was time to rest.
At the very least, Shin'un could not sleep that soundly while other people stood watch at night...
After three whole days of grueling travel through the wilderness, no matter how well Shin'un adapted or maintained his condition, he could not help feeling somewhat tired.
Shiina Kō was different. All she needed was a nap, and after waking up and stretching with a groan, she could immediately "launch" herself from her sleeping spot, brimming with energy, without a trace of the previous day's fatigue.
That was something Shin'un envied...
But Yūichi's condition worried Shin'un a little. It was not because Yūichi feared the mission or dreaded combat or anything like that. There was only one reason Shin'un was worried about him.
Yūichi was too excited.
He was excited that his very first mission would pit him against the Stone Ninja, who also belonged to one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. The skills he had learned since childhood at the clan school and the Ninja Academy finally had a use. At last, he could uphold the glory of the Uchiha and add to the prestige of the Uchiha name.
Too excited to rest properly at all, he constantly thought about his upcoming clash with the Stone Ninja.
Looking at Yūichi now, he seemed to be in good spirits on the surface, with a positive attitude toward the mission.
But a closer look revealed that his eyes were already bloodshot, and as he followed the group through the forest, his body would occasionally pause unnaturally.
From Shin'un's observations, this was because three consecutive days of keeping his attention stretched taut without proper rest had left him momentarily dazed from time to time. He clearly could not fight the Stone Ninja in such a state.
And more importantly, there was another issue.
Over the past few days, Shin'un had often heard Yūichi muttering words about the Stone Ninja, the mission, and extermination as he walked along with the group.
Even during their brief rest periods at night, Yūichi would still be thinking about the mission while half asleep.
Every so often, he would cause a commotion.
One moment, he would shout, "Hi-yah!" The next, he would suddenly draw a kunai and wave it around wildly, or abruptly wake up and glare at Shin'un, asking why he had not woken him when the Stone Ninja attacked...
If this went on, Shin'un was genuinely afraid the kid would develop mental problems before even carrying out the mission or witnessing the splendors of adulthood...
That afternoon.
Orochimaru suddenly stopped at the head of the group, glanced up at the sky, then summoned a Hyuga Clan ninja from behind him.
After asking a few questions, Orochimaru turned to face all the ninja, his expression calm.
"Rest here. We're only a few hours away from our objective. Everyone, recover your energy and make sure you're ready to fight."
"We leave first thing tomorrow morning."
Once Orochimaru finished speaking, the ninja from the five Jonin squads arranged their own watch rotation, then each found a spot, simply spread out a groundsheet, and lay down to rest.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, walked over to Shin'un's squad.
"How are things?"
Orochimaru sat down beside Shin'un and asked.
Shin'un knew that Orochimaru was not just asking about Shin'un himself, but also asking him, as squad leader, about the other members of his squad.
Frowning in concentration, Shin'un looked at Orochimaru.
"Shiina Kō is doing well, and I can adapt too, but..." As he spoke, Shin'un turned his gaze toward Yūichi.
While all the other ninja lay motionless on the ground, making every second count as they eased their fatigue and prepared for tomorrow's battle, Yūichi stood out glaringly. Not only was he not resting, he was grinning foolishly at the kunai in his hand and giving it an occasional swing.
"As you can see, he's a little too excited. He hasn't rested at all these past few days."
Following Shin'un's gaze, Orochimaru also looked at Yūichi, who was "having an episode."
Orochimaru nodded and told Shin'un, "I noticed long ago. Leave it to me."
With that, Orochimaru walked over to Yūichi. He made no visible move; the two merely exchanged a few brief words.
By the time Orochimaru returned, Yūichi had yawned and found himself a place to lie down. Within seconds, soft snores were already coming from him.
Shin'un stared in surprise at Orochimaru as he returned to sit beside him, unable to resist asking out of curiosity.
"How did you do that?"
Glancing at Shin'un beside him, Orochimaru seemed to have a faint smile at the corners of his mouth. He took a small black bottle from the ninja tool pouch behind him and tossed it into Shin'un's lap.
"A sedative. Not very potent. Helps with sleep. Any major disturbance will wake him."
Shin'un picked up the bottle of sedative, the corners of his mouth twitching.
No wonder Yūichi was sleeping so soundly. He'd been drugged...