Time flew by amidst the traveling and teaching, and soon the sun had already tilted toward the western mountaintops.
Naruto led Boruto across the territory of the Land of Fire, arriving at the border area between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Springs.
Boruto jumped down from the tree to the ground, resting his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath.
This was the first time he had run across the entire Land of Fire from end to end without relying on any means of transportation.
Naruto glanced at Boruto's near-collapsing state and atopped to let him catch his breath. He closed his eyes, using Mind's Eye of the Kagura. In an instant, all Chakra signals within a radius of dozens of kilometers entered his perception range.
A moment later, Naruto withdrew his perception and said to Boruto, who was still propped up on his knees, "We've arrived. It's just ahead."
Boruto breathed a sigh of relief and followed Naruto through the last sparse patch of woods.
When they arrived at a hilltop with a wide view, three ninjas wearing Anbu masks emerged and bowed in unison to Naruto.
"Jonin Naruto."
Naruto glanced at the three and nodded.
"Thanks for your hard work. Where is the Fourth Raikage now?"
The Anbu standing at the very front replied, "According to the latest intelligence sent back by the forward outpost, the Fourth Raikage's escort squad has entered the Land of Hot Springs and is currently crossing its central region. Based on their current speed, they are expected to arrive at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Springs tonight."
"The escort consists of about ten people, all elite Jonin from Kumogakure. There have been no signs of large-scale troop movements."
Naruto nodded. "Everyone, continue to execute the original deployment. The other border patrol missions remain unchanged. From here on, I will take over."
The three Anbu exchanged glances. They didn't know the extent of Naruto's strength, but the Fifth Hokage had personally instructed that this mission would be led by Naruto, and all Anbu members were to unconditionally comply with his arrangements.
The three bowed slightly to Naruto, their figures quickly dissolving into the shadows of the forest.
After the Anbu left, Naruto found a hill with a wide field of view. He found a flat rock on the hill to sit on and patted the spot next to him, signaling Boruto to sit down as well.
Looking north from this angle, the rolling hills and winding rivers of the Land of Hot Springs came into full view, and the setting sun was slowly sinking behind the distant mountains.
"Let's just wait here."
"Okay, Dad."
Boruto flopped down next to Naruto, his legs dangling over the edge of the rock, swinging back and forth.
"Don't just sit there. The scroll I gave you—take advantage of the time and read it now."
Just then, Naruto's voice pulled Boruto out of his wandering thoughts.
"My requirements for you aren't high. Even if you can't learn it for the time being, you must memorize all the technique diagrams and theories. Memorize it first, you'll have plenty of time to practice slowly later."
"Damn it, you're underestimating me again."
Boruto took the scroll out of his ninja tool pouch and spread it out on his knees. Inside the scroll, the complete diagrams for the Flying Thunder God Technique were drawn in extremely neat handwriting, densely annotated with Minato's own notes on training essentials and introductory methods for spatial perception.
Looking at the complex runes and coordinate calculation formulas on the technique diagrams, Boruto's breathing subconsciously hitched.
Naruto watched Boruto's focused profile, the corners of his lips curving slightly.
As he formed hand seals, a Sensory Suppression Barrier rose from around the hill, shrouding the two of them inside.
...
While Naruto was waiting, inside the Land of Hot Springs, a dozen figures were leaping at high speeds across the trees, the bursts of Chakra leaving behind fleeting glimmers in the night.
Leading them was a burly man with bronze-colored skin. This person was none other than the Fourth Raikage, A.
He turned his head and asked the person following behind him to his right, "C, at this speed, how much longer until we reach the border of the Land of Fire?"
The man called C, with a head of yellow hair and a calm expression, adjusted his breathing during a jump and said, "Raikage-sama, maintaining current speed, we are estimated to arrive at the border of the Land of Fire in three hours."
C was Kumogakure's top-tier sensory-type Ninja. Even while moving at high speeds, he consistently maintained a sensory field that covered a perimeter of several hundred meters around the squad.
"Boring." Darui, on the left, lazily chimed in.
"C, don't keep your sensory field active before we even reach the Land of Fire. The Chakra consumption is too high. The critical part is when we reach the border, it won't be too late to use it then."
A asked with concern, "Are you alright, C?"
C shook his head. "It's fine, Raikage-sama. I can handle this much consumption."
"But Raikage-sama, is it really worth going to such great lengths for a brat?"
"Coming all the way from Kumogakure to the Land of Fire border—even if the target is the son of the Fourth Hokage, he's just a brat who was recently promoted to Jonin, after all. Wouldn't it be enough to let the border Anbu handle it?"
A fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
His pace did not falter, but images from over a decade ago uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
At that time, he was wrapped in Lightning Chakra with his speed pushed to the maximum, but he couldn't even touch the hem of Minato's clothes.
"C, you don't know the terror of that man. Although he has already fallen, if another Yellow Flash were to emerge in Konoha..."
He paused there.
"I don't want to see that happen. Allowing his son to grow up, even if he only manages to grasp a fraction of it, would be enough to influence the landscape of the Ninja World for decades to come."
"Besides, according to intelligence, that brat's performance during the Konoha Crush was remarkable and he recently became a Jonin directly under the Fifth Hokage. That would be impossible if he didn't have a certain level of strength."
"Boss, the Tsuchikage has also been keeping an eye on these movements. We traveled all this way to the Land of Fire border, will that old fox take the opportunity to stab us in the back?"
Just then, Darui put his hand to his forehead and glanced in the direction of the Land of Earth.
"If that old geezer Ōnoki dares to play dirty, I'll tear through his Land of Earth." A slammed his right fist into his left palm.
"I've already had Bee keep an eye on the Land of Earth. If that old fox dares to make a move, Bee will let him know what the taste of a Tailed Beast Ball is like. Besides, if he knows we are here to suppress Konoha, he'll be overjoyed."
"Forget it, just following the boss is fine. Anyway, no matter where we go, it ends in a fight." Darui continued on his way lazily.
"Pick up the pace, I can't wait to see that man's child with my own eyes."
A shot forward, accelerating toward the border of the Land of Fire.
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
The eleven figures behind him responded in unison as they followed closely behind.
...
Three hours later, it was completely dark.
This forest at the border between the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Fire appeared exceptionally dark in the night.
"Boss, that ahead is the border of the Land of Fire." Darui stopped on a tree and pointed his hand toward an open area illuminated by moonlight ahead.
Beyond that clearing was the territory of the Land of Fire.
A swept his gaze across the forest ahead. It was pitch black beneath the dense canopy, and it was impossible to see the situation inside the woods with the naked eye.
"C, scout the situation ahead."
"Understood, Raikage-sama."
C closed his eyes and formed hand seals, spreading his sensory field outward in a fan-shaped area in front of them.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and said, "There are three ninjas ahead. Their Chakra signatures match the Konoha Anbu, they should be the sentries responsible for border patrol. The three of them have stable Chakra fluctuations, they haven't discovered us."
"Just three Anbu, not worth mentioning. Go around them, don't alert them. The target this time is Naruto, there is no need to waste time on border sentries." A commanded.
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
The group of twelve adjusted their direction simultaneously, preparing to bypass the border outpost from the side.
Just then, a ball of light suddenly lit up above a hilltop ahead.
"What is that?" Darui raised his hand to shield his eyes, frowning.
A narrowed his eyes, his pupils contracting sharply under the stimulation of the intense light.
"So blinding, damn it! C, can you sense what that is?"