Aokumo and Ryūfū naturally agreed to Torifū's request with great delight. After all, being able to go out and play with Torifū made them happiest, it was just a shame Torifū was usually so busy.
"Alright, then we'll leave early tomorrow."
"Yes, yes, and bring some delicious food too!"
Seeing Aokumo and Ryūfū's ecstatic expressions, Torifū also smiled. However, speaking of bringing delicious food, Torifū truly had no stock left in his spatial ring. The shops on the street should still be open now. He could only seize this chance to quickly go shopping, otherwise, he'd be stuck gnawing on jerky tomorrow. The thought was somewhat depressing.
Without further ado, Torifū instructed Aokumo and Ryūfū to wait at home, then went out to buy supplies. Although the street vendors had already begun to leave, the shops were still open; they probably wouldn't close until the streets were completely empty. However, there wasn't much merchandise left at this time. Torifū quickly bought a large pile of fruits, smoked meats, bread, and the like, stuffing them all into his ring. For Aokumo and Ryūfū's appetites, this was just a drop in the bucket. Torifū had to lament once again how scarce the food variety in Konoha Village truly was. Thinking back to his life on Earth, it was truly incomparably comfortable. However, after so many years here, he had grown accustomed to it; he was merely feeling a bit nostalgic now.
After paying, Torifū returned home. He arrived just as night fell. After a simple wash, Torifū lay in bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, Torifū was woken by the system's notification sound. He looked at the weather outside; the sun was bright, perfect for traveling. After stretching, he got up, dressed, and washed himself in one fluid motion. He tied his long hair behind his head and fastened a forehead protector embroidered with crane patterns, then pushed open his door and walked into the yard. He thought he had risen early, but to his surprise, Aokumo and Ryūfū were already waiting for him in the yard.
"Torifū, you're so slow! We told you to get up early."
Torifū scratched his head awkwardly: "Sorry... sorry, my fault." His attitude of admitting fault was very sincere, so Aokumo and Ryūfū accepted the apology, then carried Torifū as they flew out of the village. Feeling the fresh air at high altitude and watching the sun rise in the sky, it was truly invigorating. This was a sight that ninety-nine percent of ninja would never experience in their lives.
"How long until we arrive?"
Aokumo thought for a moment: "About two hours? I'm not too sure, but it should be around that." Good heavens, they had almost forgotten the way; they were truly a bit unreliable. Aokumo and Ryūfū sped up, and after about fifty minutes, they reached their destination. It was quite chilly at high altitudes; if Torifū hadn't continuously manipulated the surrounding mist, he would have been frozen stiff by now.
Aokumo and Ryūfū circled in mid-air with Torifū, looking for a good landing spot. Torifū took this opportunity to carefully examine the terrain nearby. Indeed, as Aokumo and Ryūfū had said, it was a very beautiful large lake. He was mainly surprised because he had been on missions in the Land of Fire for several years and had never discovered this place. The edge of the large lake was a very clean, white sandy beach, and beyond that was an endless forest. It was no wonder Torifū had never been here. No one would live in such a primitive jungle, so there would naturally be no missions to be done. However, it would be a very comfortable place for a vacation.
After finding a suitable spot, Aokumo and Ryūfū glided gracefully from mid-air to land. Torifū dismounted from Aokumo's back and stepped onto the soft sand. He took a deep breath and noticed that the feeling here was indeed different.
"This is the place Ryūfū and I mentioned, where the energy is abundant. We can feel energy continuously flowing into this place."
"Flowing in?"
Torifū noticed what Aokumo said. If this place was truly filled with natural energy, it couldn't possibly be "flowing in"; it should be radiating out. Could something be attracting natural energy? However, Torifū had only just barely begun to sense natural energy, so he couldn't yet perceive the movement of energy. He naturally couldn't explore its mysteries either. He decided to seize the opportunity of abundant natural energy to train quickly, and then investigate the peculiarities of this place once his Sage Mode training had progressed further.
Without hesitation, Torifū immediately sat cross-legged and began to train according to the methods in the system scroll. His body slowly absorbed the natural energy in the air. Aokumo and Ryūfū also closed their eyes and began to train.
The entire morning passed like this, and Torifū's progress was quite good. He could clearly feel that this place indeed had many times more natural energy than his home. If he were to train at the Three Great Holy Sites, he might progress even faster. After all, the creatures in the Three Great Holy Sites could spit Sage Jutsu effortlessly; it was truly a natural advantage.
As Torifū's training progressed, he gradually began to feel the sensation that Aokumo and Ryūfū had described. The natural energy in the air didn't seem to be gathered here from the beginning; instead, it was being attracted by something unknown. This was why the natural energy in this entire area was much higher.
"Can either of you sense the exact direction?"
Torifū thought that since these two cranes were progressing faster than him, they would surely be able to sense it, but Aokumo and Ryūfū both shook their heads simultaneously.
"Although the energy is gathered, it's only gathered within this large area; there's no specific location."
Torifū felt quite a headache about this. The area Aokumo described was the large lake plus a vast primeval forest. If there really was some treasure, searching for it here would be like finding a needle in a haystack. One might even get lost in the forest and never be able to leave.
Since there was nothing to be done, he decided not to think about it for now. It was already noon, so Torifū took out his picnic blanket and spread it on the beach. He then took out the large pile of food he bought yesterday, along with his jerky reserves from his spatial ring. Immediately, the lone person and two cranes began to devour their lunch like a whirlwind.
The most voracious was Aokumo; one bite was equivalent to Torifū's entire meal. Someone who didn't know might think it was a furry dinosaur, given how much it could eat. Torifū picked out some of his favorite foods and kept a distance from the two cranes. Otherwise, he worried that Aokumo and Ryūfū, once they started eating wildly, might even eat him.
He could just enjoy the beautiful lake scenery while eating lunch. Although the texture and taste weren't exceptional, it was still quite pleasant. Next time, if there was an opportunity, he could suggest an overnight trip here. He could bring Hiruzen and the others; after all, it had been a long time since they last met, and he had missed them very much these past few days.