Chapter 29
Mifune was very impressed by these kids. They were far more mature than anyone else their age should be. They knew how to keep their secrets, but also not hide something that could implicate the whole group.
They spoke little to each other, but they could communicate with just a look. He could tell that they were very close to each other; well, even a blind man could see that. They trusted each other and relied on each other. They shared a deep bond with each other.
But he was most impressed by Yahiko. While the other two kids showed immense potential that made him envious of them, Yahiko had something else. And the other two kids also must have noticed it, as it seemed natural for them that Yahiko was the leader of the group.
Something within his eyes had drawn Mifune to him. It wasn't just maturity, but something deeper. Some kind of conviction that was more powerful than any jutsu or weapon Mifune had witnessed. Hopefully, it wasn't him overdosing on the medicine that made him see things.
"Hmm, this is too dangerous," Mifune had to agree with Yahiko's observations. "Is there really no better path to take? This lake is too vast, and we will certainly be noticed if we try to cross it."
"To go around it will take too long, sadly," Mifune replied. "But once we cross it, it won't be long until we reach the capital. Even Hanzo himself wouldn't dare to go any closer to the capital than this lake. It is our last obstacle."
"The enemy knows this, too." Nagato was also very observant. "They probably have hidden themselves within the snow and are waiting for us. If we try to cross it, they will spring out to attack us."
"We should wait until nightfall and make preparations." Hmm, as Mifune thought, even this girl isn't simple-minded. "I should be able to make clones with my paper until then, and we can use them as a distraction for the enemy."
Talented, smart, and young. Their potential was immeasurable. In ten years, they might surpass the strongest shinobi in the world, no, maybe they would need only five more years. Too bad it didn't seem that they would like to join the Land of Iron.
Even if they did consider, sadly, there were limited resources to nurture shinobi in these lands. And even though he would never admit that his samurai were any weaker or worse than any shinobi, it is just that their techniques did not overlap much.
At best, they could only learn swordsmanship within these lands. Although it would be the best swordsmanship in the whole world. There weren't many who could defeat his swormanship with only technique, and his master had never been defeated before.
Still, even if they learn it, once they do learn, there wouldn't be any reason for them to stay here any longer. And he knew that holding someone of such talent, and worse, forcing them to stay, would only bring disaster to them all.
The best he could do was establish a friendship with them. Though it might be a silly notion for anyone else. But having more friends never hurt anyone. And from what he witnessed, they were reliable kind of friends that it would be a big mistake for the Land of Iron to miss out.
"You don't have to worry about me too much." Once they found a place to hide until nightfall, Mifune didn't let them change his bandages or administer medicine; he did it himself. "Save your energy; what will come next is far more taxing than anything else was before."
From the days they traveled together, Mifune had a great opportunity to observe them. He wondered if they were just that talented and intelligent, or if it was something their teacher had taught them. If so, they must have had an amazing teacher.
It was their first mission, but they left no room for any critique. They moved like seasoned shinobi. But he kept it to himself. He had no authority to speak of how a shinobi should act. Even though he had his own experience with shinobi, it was mostly while fighting against them.
"The perimeter is clean," Nagato returned from his scouting mission and reported to Yahiko.
"Konan, do your thing."
"Please stay still and don't be afraid." As Konan said with her gentle smile, she moved her paper.
The paper wrapped around them all, covering their whole bodies. And then it separated from them, making perfect clones of themselves. It was uncanny how real the paper clones looked. They could fool even the most observant shinobi.
"Konan and I will move with the clones first," Yahiko seemed to have made a plan. "We will try to attract the attention of those who might be hidden and waiting for us. Then, when I give a signal, and we are engaged with them, Nagato and the rest of you will cross the lake. When you're sure of your safety, Nagato will give us the signal, and we will join you."
"How are your injuries? Will you all manage to keep the pace?" Konan asked.
"We might look quite pathetic to you, miss," Inui, Mifune's most reliable retainer, smiled at Konan's question. "But we aren't just any foot soldiers. We have recovered enough to at least run away, and if not, then it just means that we were destined to die today."
As always, Mifune's men liked to take it to the utmost extremes, but he couldn't disagree with them. For his homeland, he was always ready to put his life on the line. But he would rather live another day to fight another battle.
As a general, many men relied on him. This time, it was one of the times when he made a mistake and got ambushed by that damn Hanzo. If not for the poison in his body, Mifune wouldn't have had that much trouble dealing with that man's subordinates.
Well, he could curse all he wanted, but the reality was still that he was caught and defeated. And only by living through this could he redeem himself and pay back the humiliation he received.
Though he couldn't care less about his name, which was tarnished by this loss. All he wanted was revenge for all the men he had lost. Good men who fought to the bitter end for their homeland and died in the most agonizing way to protect it.
"When you cross the lake, don't look back and keep going," Yahiko said. "If we don't catch up to you, we will meet at the capital."
As Mifune thought, Yahiko was special. Unlike anyone else, he already considered his defeat. Nobody could know how a battle would come to an end. And they needed to prepare for any outcome. This boy would one day be a great leader, and Mifune wished to see it.
…
It concerned Yahiko that even when nightfall came, the light from the moon reflected on the snow, making the night far too bright. He would rather have Nagato and the rest move in complete darkness, but there was nothing that could be done about it.
"Konan, don't do anything stupid as I do," Yahiko said as he and Konan prepared for what was to come. "Kill anyone who poses a danger to you."
No matter how he felt about it, he couldn't let Konan or anyone else follow his beliefs. He had already acknowledged that it was probably a stupid thing to do. Just because she believed in him didn't mean she had to believe in the things he did.
"Did you see that?" Suddenly, both her and his gazes were drawn to the snow covering the lake. "Could it have been an animal?"
"Unlikely." The snow moved ever so slightly, and with that, they noticed some irregularities within it. "We haven't seen any animals in the past two days. There is no way they would be here. The ones who revealed themselves must be on the weaker side. Let's subdue them first, so we gather the most attention."
Though he considered them weak, he was still quite impressed by them. How long had they been hidden in the snow? At least a full day, probably a couple of days already. Since they couldn't find them in the forest, they were all waiting for them here.
He knew very well how cold it was. And to stay still for this long, enduring the freezing weather while still awaiting them, was admirable. It was beyond what discipline could create. How much they must have trained their bodies and minds to endure it was beyond Yahiko's imagination.
"Let's go." It wasn't the time to think about those things.
There was no need to control their chakra perfectly to leave no footsteps in the snow anymore. No, they deliberately showed themselves by letting the snow rise as their feet lifted from the ground.
The moment they came close to halfway through the lake, Yahiko and Konan were suddenly surrounded as shinobi in white cloaks burst from the snow. There was no dialogue to be exchanged between them as weapons flew toward them.
Yahiko blocked a chained scythe and then jumped over a sword, aiming to cut him in half. But it was neither he nor Konan who was their target. The clones did their job as shinobi rushed at them, only to be met with an explosion created by Konan's explosive tags hidden within the paper clones.
Instantly, half of them were too injured to continue fighting. And the rest must have realized that it was a trap, but before they could regroup, Yahiko put his hands together. A blinding light and deafening sound burst out above his head.
It was the signal, and while the shinobi tried to recover their senses, Nagato and the rest moved out. If it had been a fight to the death, Yahiko wasn't that confident in winning. As strong as he and Konan were, these shinobi weren't to be taken lightly either.
But it wasn't that kind of fight. He just needed to distract them for a couple of minutes for the rest to cross to safety; then he could also retreat with Konan. But it didn't seem like it was going to be easy to get out of this right now.
"For a few kids, this is quite impressive." Yahiko couldn't even see their faces, and their voices were distorted; he couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman who had just spoken. "I will take care of them; the rest, go after the target."
But the moment the shinobi finished speaking, Yahiko was already on top of him, lightning running through his hands, and with one touch, he was out. Falling to the ground, passed out, he wouldn't be able to wake up for a while. Then Yahiko turned to the rest.
None of them would leave his sight. And they knew that if they tried, they were done for. They might not be weak, but Yahiko had shown them that he wasn't someone to be taken lightly either. One mistake meant defeat for them.
Too bad, even though they knew it, they still made the mistake of taking their eyes off Konan. And she wasn't shy about using her time to prepare. This was their complete victory. The moment Konan's paper clones took out half of their forces, the outcome was decided.
"They are gone," Yahiko addressed the shinobi before him. "Take your injured and return home. There is nothing for you to accomplish anymore. You will only suffer unnecessary casualties, and it will be for nothing."
"We can't return empty-handed."
That was their reply. And just as their words fell, Yahiko saw a bright light rising into the sky. Nagato seemed to have crossed the lake faster than expected. So, there was no need to stay here any longer. And since they weren't leaving, Yahiko and Konan would take their leave instead.
The paper rose with the snow, and before anyone could react to it, it quickly attached to their feet. It would take a good moment for them to free themselves. Just enough time to get a head start. And so they did, running away as fast as possible.
…
"Phew." After regrouping with Nagato and the others, Yahiko let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that went far better than I had expected."
Still not taking any risks, they continued to retreat further into the territory of the capital city. But it didn't seem like the enemy dared to go after them any longer. It seemed like they were now completely safe.
"Haha, you underestimated yourself, young man," Mifune seemed to be amused by Yahiko. "Your plan was something they didn't expect. Combined with your strength and quick thinking, they stood no chance."
That only meant that they just hadn't expected Yahiko to be this strong. But once they returned home, they would report Yahiko's information. And from then on, other shinobi would start learning of his strength and wouldn't ever be caught off guard by him.
The Land of Water probably already made a profile of them. And with this, his information would reach most shinobi in the world. Well, it didn't concern him much right now, as he didn't intend to get into any fights for a while.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.