Unbeknownst to him however, the Shiki's previously undetectable Enlightened Mind's Eye actually caught someone's attention.
Beni was a very special young girl of a similar age to Shiki, having straight and glossy black hair reaching to her upper back and wearing an open black robe over a pinkish red kimono with what looked like moon patterns and dark red hakama pants.
Ema stood by her at all times while the older and more experienced Tomoe handled whatever their business was.
But despite seeming like a sheltered young lady, there was something off about her.
'That boy is watching me?' The girl, sequestered inside her group's carriage and hidden from sight, wondered as she felt the boy's Enlightened Mind's Eye.
'Should I tell Ema?' Beni asked herself if Shiki's probing should be brought to her attendant's attention, she was driving the carriage so it would be easy to do it without alerting the boy, she merely had to wait for his focus to move on from her.
But the girl immediately dismissed this option.
She did not want to create needless conflict and since it was the first time she felt a power of the same kind as hers so Beni was curious.
'Maybe I should say hello?' The girl wondered with a cute tilt of her head.
'But that's not even the real him . . .' She thought.
She seemed to be under the misunderstanding that Shiki could detect her senses spreading out and finding him.
So, thinking he noticed her but refrained from approaching, Beni too felt hesitant about reaching out herself.
The result was the pair remaining in a Limbo out one's side's ignorance and the other's misunderstanding.
The boy kept up his observations, trying to figure out more about the three mysterious people from the Land of Iron while simultaneously trying to steal and copy the hidden jutsu of the Yamakaze.
As of now, the caravan had yet to stop in any village that would require their services so the most the clan's people did was sensing weather patterns to make the journey easier and ensuring decent weather when they rested in the nights.
Both were very minor techniques since no weather altering was done but provided valuable insights nonetheless.
The routine days of calm however, were about to come to an end as an unknown group was setting an ambush in the caravan's path, in the Land of Rivers . . .
*
'A valley huh . . . Brings up bad memories.' Shiki thought as he detected the ambushers.
The terrain reminded him of the battle that ended with a giant hole in his chest.
At first, he thought the ambushers to be just bandits and was about to cancel his Enlightened Mind's Eye in order to warn the rest of the group, he was basically paralyzed and unable to do anything while using it after all.
But just before he did, Shiki noticed something strange.
'They're too well equipped . . .'
The ambushers were wearing shinobi flak jackets with a pattern Shiki did not recognize and all of them carried high quality swords.
The boy's first instinct to dismiss them came from the lack of chakra which he easily noticed with his Enlightened Mind's Eye.
However, with equipment of that quality, it made no sense for the ambushers to be that weak and, with a closer, more careful inspection, Shiki discovered something truly interesting.
'Chakra suppression. The exact same type as the three mysterious ladies . . . Or at least similar enough that I cannot tell the difference right away.'
Observing them for a bit longer, the boy noted down their numbers and gear while also making rough estimates of their strength based on their inert chakra network.
'I should plan ahead with the others.' He thought.
With a pop, the Shiki sitting on top of the central carriage disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.
A little exploit the boy had figured out to take better advantage of Enlightened Mind's Eye without getting screwed over by the minutes he needed to exit the state.
Create a shadow clone and have it use the jutsu at all times then, when the clone detects something of importance, it forcefully dispels itself rather than try and exit the Enlightened Mind's Eye's meditative state.
The info about whatever the clone detected is then passed onto the original, making the whole process quicker and completely safe for Shiki.
If there was a flaw, it was the fact that the boy had to spend a few minutes of time to get the surveillance back up and running after the clone was dispelled.
After all, even if he immediately made a new shadow clone, it would still require a minute or two to get back into the meditative state required for the Enlightened Mind's Eye.
'Still better than directly using it' Shiki thought, appearing from within a storage carriage he had melded with using the Hiding in Surface jutsu.
The boy quickly made another shadow clone to assume his previous position on top of the carriage.
The popping of his shadow clone was already discussed with his teammates to be read as a sign to gather up.
"Is there a problem?" Tenki saw the team gathering and joined in to ask.
Tomoe also quietly followed while Tenma made sure everyone else was not alarmed by the sudden moves.
"Shiki?" Inori prompted the boy.
"Ambush ahead. Not regular bandits either." He spoke.
"Rogue shinobi?" Mei asked.
Shiki shook his head.
"I'm not sure. They seem like civilians based on chakra signatures but they are too well equipped and their chakra network shows development." The boy responded, not forgetting to direct a pointed look at Tomoe.
Deep in thought, Tenki seemed to have missed but the rest of Team 6 certainly did not.
"Better to be safe and assume the worst." Inori started.
"Can you go and warn Tenma-dono, Tenki-san?" She slyly requested.
"Yes! It's best if the boss hears about this as soon as possible." The man replied and quickly dashed away.
The Violet Rose then turned and asked with a tone that landed in between teasing and accusatory.
"Anything you'd like to share, Tomoe-dono?"
The older woman however kept her silence.
{What's the problem?} Shinka took advantage of her sign language to ask without letting Tomoe know what she was saying.
{This Tomoe-dono as well as the young woman and little girl in their group are suppressing their chakra using some undetectable method. Their chakra network however, is extensively developed.} The boy signed in response.
{Like the ambushers?} Mei joined in.
{Seems like it to me.} Shiki replied.
But then, the bespectacled girl realized something.
{Since when can you see through chakra networks!?} Mei rushedly signed.
{At such a distance too!} She added.
{Weren't we purposely avoiding those topics?} Shinka signed.
Mei showed an expression of utter shock.
While staying out of it and keeping her eyes on Tomoe, Inori still paid attention to the conversation in sign language that was taking place.
{Even sensei has refrained from trying to learn about the extent of Shiki's abilities since . . . You know.} The Aburame girl cautiously signed.
"Oh." Mei unconsciously replied out loud, realizing the implications.
The sound seemed to snap Tomoe out of her silence.
"I think it is best if Tenma-san hears this next bit." It seemed the woman was opting for honesty.
At least on the surface.
+++++
Hey, Author here!
To promote the novel I will be releasing BONUS CHAPTERS on SUNDAYS based on the previous week's power stone count.
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
500 Power Stones = 2 Bonus Chapters
1000 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
Every earned BONUS CHAPTER on Webnovel will also be posted on Scribble.
Just a reminder that you can read up to a FULL MONTH ahead of this site on pa-treon.
I'm trying to become a full time Author now and I'm not going to be starting any new novels just so I can make sure this one is properly completed.
Find those sweet advanced chapters on pa-treon.com/lusoba without the -