At this time, Haku came up beside Rengoku, "Lord Rengoku, should I hunt some animals back for us?"
Rengoku glanced toward Karin's side, she had already opened her treasure bag and spread a pile on the ground.
He chuckled lightly, "Forget it, just help Karin finish her snacks first, don't waste food."
Haku followed his gaze over and couldn't help but smile too.
Karin was handing out roasted rice cakes while chewing, "Gaara, Kimimaro, come eat one. Even though they've gone cold, I found out cold rice cakes with a crust are even tastier."
Gaara and Kimimaro looked with some surprise at the rice cakes shoved into their hands.
'What on earth has Karin packed.'
And she was still handing things out, dorayaki, taiyaki, three-colored dango, candied hawthorns, takoyaki, beef jerky, chips, soda.
The two of them turned pleading eyes toward Rengoku.
Rengoku said helplessly, "Just eat."
Since Rengoku had spoken, everyone sat down on the cloth Karin had spread out.
It turned into something close to their first outdoor picnic.
With everyone eating together, half of Karin's food supply was gone in no time.
"Come on everyone, eat more, there's still plenty left… Ow!"
Rengoku reached out and flicked her on the head, "You bought so much you couldn't carry it, and now you're making everyone help you finish it."
Karin rubbed her head with a pitiful face, "I just got a bit greedy and bought too much. Besides, I didn't cause any trouble, right?"
It must've been because her life back in Grass Village was too bitter. Now that she had some money, it all went straight into her mouth.
But Karin was of Uzumaki constitution, no matter how much she ate, she never seemed to get fat.
Compared to Kurama Yakumo's frailness, Karin's whole body was overflowing with vitality. Just looking at her made you feel a strong, vigorous life force.
Rengoku, in his heart, spoiled Karin a bit more, so he wasn't really angry now.
"Next time if you bring this much again, we won't help you eat it."
"Pack everything up. Rest for a bit and then we'll set out."
He lightly scolded Karin, then had everyone tidy up.
They were all about seventy to eighty percent full. Eating too much would only slow digestion and make travel harder.
Karin giggled sheepishly, then lowered her head to pack quickly.
Looking at all the snacks she had brought, she thought about which ones she wouldn't bring next time.
'If I cut it in half, it should be easier to carry. Yes, yes.'
Karin silently made her plans.
———
While Rengoku's real body led the group onward, Orochimaru was hurrying with Rengoku's shadow clone toward the Land of Rivers.
He was moving incredibly fast, darting constantly through the forest.
Judging by his pace, Orochimaru was clearly in a rush, picking up speed again and again.
"According to the plan, once we get the Water of Life, Nagato's body should be fine, right?", Rengoku's clone, hidden inside Orochimaru's shadow using Shadow Escape, could easily keep up.
He spoke unhurriedly as he went.
Orochimaru, face unflushed and breath steady despite the speed, replied, "Don't talk about just some loss of life force."
"Even if Nagato were chopped into pieces, with it used in time, he could still be saved."
"This time, with the most important thing in hand, which project will you start with first?", Rengoku asked. Without the massive life energy from the Water of Life, many of Orochimaru's experiments had heavy consumption, some even impossible to perform.
With it, Orochimaru's pace of research would skyrocket.
"Heh, of course the power of the Six Paths, and the legendary Rinnegan."
"I want to see whether your theory can really support me in creating the Rinnegan."
Rengoku smiled, "Don't worry. I never attempt anything I'm not sure of."
"But once we have the stuff, inform Nagato and the others. It's time to put that pair of Rinnegan to use."
Orochimaru replied blandly, "Even with enough life force, his pupil power will definitely diminish. You'd better decide in advance who you want to resurrect."
"Don't worry, I already have it planned."
———
Time soon reached evening.
Rengoku led his elite class students to start building a camp outside.
He stood aside, watching as Kimimaro and Haku guided them in choosing a spot.
Shion pulled out a small box from her pack. The same one Rengoku had gotten at the end.
It was a space artifact powered by spiritual force, just like a storage scroll.
Shion drew from the space a tent and other matching camping gear.
Kimimaro, too, had a tent strapped to his back.
By the time Shion's group was halfway done, Kimimaro, Gaara, and Haku had already finished theirs.
In truth, though Kimimaro was older, he wouldn't have been that fast.
It was Gaara's sand that made all the difference.
The sand quickly propped up the tent, formed its shape, and even nailed down the stakes in no time at all.
Once Gaara finished, he went to help the girls' group set up theirs.
The Land of Fire was rich in resources, with beasts in a "plus" version. Out in the wild, they might even encounter creatures qualified to become summons.
Once the tents were up, the next concern was alarms and night watch.
"Karin, Yakumo, Shion, it's your turn to work."
"Leave it to us, Master! Watch us!"
When it came to their specialties, Karin's confidence shot right up.
She discussed with Yakumo and Shion, then each took out what they needed.
Karin produced several formation flags, Shion brought out bells strung on threads, while Yakumo opened her sketchbook.
Karin and Shion formed seals, planting the flags and artifacts around the camp.
Immediately two colored light circles rose in the camp, then sank into the ground.
Their formations combined alarm and defensive counterattack in one.
Rengoku noticed that when Shion used her spiritual force, the bells on her body suppressed most of her power.
But even just the little bit that leaked out was enough to form a full defensive barrier.
It meant Shion's potential was terrifyingly high.
No wonder Miroku had deliberately used artifacts to restrain her powers.
Meanwhile, Yakumo swiftly sketched their camp into her sketchbook.
With only a few strokes, the entire site was drawn. Though with no people, just the tents and the campfire.
Then Yakumo drew a semi-transparent dome covering the camp.
Rengoku sensed a foreign power constantly seeping into the sky above as she painted.
Yakumo's illusions couldn't directly alter reality yet.
But they could serve as an alarm zone, with her they'd able to act swiftly within it.
If enemies appeared, they could alert at once.
"All done, Master! Now we don't need a night watch."
Karin finished and ran over happily to claim credit.
Three layers of alarms, indeed, no night watch was needed.
Rengoku inspected the setup, then nodded, "You three did well."
Karin, Shion, and Yakumo all beamed with joy at the praise.
Though Karin liked to fool around, she was still an Uzumaki. Learning sealing techniques already came naturally to her.
Shion, trained daily by her mother, was outstanding as well. Yakumo's talent was simply overwhelming.
These three girls had very close ties to Rengoku.
As long as they grew stronger and unlocked deeper bonds, Rengoku would be able to reap even more benefits.
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