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"Rumble—"
In the distance, the sky rumbled with the dull sound of thunder, and a low-pressure system hung heavy.
A Hyuga Ninja, clad in a special rain poncho, stood on a treetop with his Byakugan activated, silently gazing to one side.
Several kilometers within his range of vision were entirely visible.
Occasionally, at the edge of his sight, he could spot several fleeting Chakra silhouettes.
Those were the traces of Kumogakure's patrol units.
They were not his target.
This wide-ranging observation continued intermittently for about half an hour, yet he still hadn't found the group they needed to rendezvous with. Only when nearly half of his Chakra was depleted did he finally stop his reconnaissance.
First, he exchanged codewords with the hidden lookout, then braved the downpour and walked into the bear cave that served as their resting place.
The cave was quite deep, with winding passages. After walking a dozen meters inside, a faint flicker of firelight became visible in the depths.
Perhaps it was the sight of the light, but Hyuga Seiichi felt a sense of relief. He took off his soaking wet poncho, hung it on a natural stone hook at a bend in the passage, and greeted the person by the fire.
"Sakumo-sama."
Hatake Sakumo, sitting by the fire, looked up at him.
Hyuga Seiichi closed his eyes and shook his head:
"This vicinity has been thoroughly searched."
"If they haven't all been wiped out, then they've relocated."
"Have you found any traces of a large-scale battle?" Hatake Sakumo asked further.
"None."
"That's good news," Hatake Sakumo said calmly. "For a Ninja of Tsunade's caliber, even if she died, there would still be some traces left."
"Seiichi, you should rest now."
"Let Shin take your shift in four hours."
"Yes."
Only after Hyuga Seiichi turned and walked to another campfire to sit down did Hatake Sakumo's previously stern and serious face suddenly "whoosh"—crumple.
"Ha,"
"Where in the world did Tsunade run off to?"
Seeing this, Sawara Kiri and Namikaze Minato couldn't help but exchange a smile.
Having known this unreliable 'Sakumo-sama' for so long, suddenly seeing him act serious made them feel a bit unaccustomed.
However, the current situation was indeed urgent.
It had been three days since they crossed the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning and infiltrated the Land of Lightning.
As early as yesterday evening, they had found the Tsunade Squad's planned ambush location.
But there wasn't even a ghost of a shadow around.
Eventually, relying on the Hyuga Squad's search capabilities, they found extensive traces of escape and pursuit in the pouring rain, but the traces were at least two days old.
Combining the traces with the existing intelligence, it was highly probable that the Tsunade Squad had also detected the intelligence leak during their mission and had begun to relocate early. However, they had not given up on the mission, instead concealing their strength while continuing to maneuver in the vicinity, awaiting the assassination opportunity.
For the arrogant Third Raikage, this idea was actually quite feasible.
A man who possessed both the strongest spear and the strongest shield would not alter his path of action for a few small bugs blocking his way.
However, for the Sakumo Squad, who were coming to rendezvous with the Tsunade Squad, this was a significant problem.
They currently had no way of determining whether the Tsunade Squad had given up on the mission and escaped during their maneuvers, or if they were pushing deeper into the Land of Lightning over a wider area.
Furthermore, due to their full-speed travel over the past few days, the members of the Sakumo Squad were already utterly exhausted.
This was the first time they had lit a campfire in the three days since they entered the Land of Lightning's territory.
Just by looking at Sawara Kiri's expression as he held that bowl of warm, pre-made canned food, one could tell how much they yearned for the taste of civilization.
"Kiri."
Seeing his rather blissful expression, Uchiha Megumi, sitting beside him, lowered her voice and held her own small can: "Do you want some more? I'm already full."
"No need."
Sawara Kiri reached out and gently touched the girl's slightly pale, frozen cheek with his warm fingers: "Move closer, you're losing heat a bit too quickly."
As he spoke, he spread open the blanket wrapped around himself and added another layer over Megumi's blanket.
Miss Megumi's cheeks flushed slightly. She felt this gesture seemed a bit too intimate in front of everyone, so she quietly glanced around. Seeing that no one was looking their way, she carefully snuggled closer to him, pressing gently. The girl's peripheral vision darted towards the face of the person beside her, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Sawara Kiri, however, leaned nonchalantly against the wall, continuing to hold the warm can.
"Oh, oh, oh~"
Hatake Sakumo noticed this scene and, like a child, playfully teased and jeered: "How nice, I also want to snuggle warmly with a girl in a cave."
Miss Megumi gave him a sidelong glance. After spending these past few days together, her previous idealized perception of the 'Konoha White Fang' had long since shattered completely. She nonchalantly drew out her words:
"I truly apologize for letting you witness such an unseemly sight~"
Saying that, she snuggled even closer.
Sawara Kiri, however, simply smiled indifferently.
Life in the wilderness was far more arduous than imagined; occasionally, some adjustments were needed.
Namikaze Minato sat across the campfire, observing Sawara Kiri, whose entire presence was so thoroughly concealed that, if one didn't look up, he seemed to 'not exist' at all. The inexplicable curiosity he had felt earlier grew even stronger.
Ability development, Ninjutsu without hand signs, extraordinary observational skills—
In every aspect, he should have been an exceptionally brilliant individual.
However, he, who had grown up with him, seemed to have never noticed his presence before.
This phenomenon, even he himself found somewhat incredible.
"Kiri-kun."
He thought for a moment, then, as if a bit embarrassed, scratched his cheek and asked: "Although this might sound a bit brazen, but may I ask, could I consult you on some questions regarding the development of Ninjutsu without hand signs?"
"I've been working on developing Wind Release Ninjutsu without hand signs for over a year, but my direction isn't quite right…"
Due to his extraordinary talent since childhood, aside from consulting elders like Jiraiya for answers, this was the first time Namikaze Minato had made such a request to a peer.
Furthermore, being at the sensitive age of fifteen, a young man's pride was thinner than paper.
However, driven by the urgent desire to 'become stronger,' Minato still braved the pressure and spoke with difficulty.
"You can."
But, before he could explain anything,
He heard Sawara Kiri agree as if it were nothing.
"Eh?"
Namikaze Minato couldn't help but be stunned.
Sawara Kiri continued: "Limitless requires extremely high computational power to coordinate; ordinary people would probably find it very difficult to learn. What I can teach you is actually only Rasengan."
"Wait, wait."
Namikaze Minato waved his hands repeatedly, his face flushed with nervousness: "I'm not trying to secretly learn your Jutsu, it's just about development…"
In the world of Ninja, secretly learning Ninjutsu was a very serious matter.
However, Sawara Kiri merely smiled: "The simplest way to develop a Ninjutsu without hand signs is to first learn one, isn't it?"
"Besides, our fighting styles are very similar."
"I think Rasengan might be quite suitable for you."
Namikaze Minato couldn't help but widen his eyes, looking at Sawara Kiri in astonishment.
Surprised, and also a little touched.
Teaching Ninjutsu without any familial ties or obligations was an extraordinary kindness.
Miss Megumi also paused at his words, turning to look at him, then quickly reacted and suddenly interjected:
"It can't be free! At the very least, you have to exchange it for a Ninjutsu you developed yourself."
"Megumi?"
Sawara Kiri subconsciously turned his head.
He didn't think Minato would be unable to create Rasengan again because of him. Using it as a favor now would clearly be more valuable.
Then, he saw Uchiha Megumi give a meaningful look towards the other two campfires.
Sawara Kiri glanced over with his peripheral vision and saw many people quietly looking their way, evidently having noticed their recent conversation. Only then did he understand her meaning.
"Of course."
Namikaze Minato immediately agreed, his eyes shining as he looked at Sawara Kiri.
"What about me? What about me?"
Hatake Sakumo also chimed into the young people's conversation, pointing to himself: "Can I learn too?"
Miss Megumi was still holding a grudge, and she snorted like a miser: "That would require exchanging it for the White Fang Sword Style, and the complete version at that!"
"Hey, hey!" Hatake Sakumo's face immediately fell. "Have you already become a nagging wife before even getting married? Women who are too controlling are not liked, you know!"
Megumi's face first flushed at the first half of the sentence, then immediately darkened. She retorted irritably: "It's old men like Sakumo-sama, who are so improper, who will never find a wife in their entire lives!"
"Hehehe!"
However, Hatake Sakumo was beaming, a look of disgusting happiness on his face: "This senior here, my son is already three years old, you know!"
"Eh—?!"
Everyone couldn't help but draw out their voices, looking at him in astonishment.
It was precisely during this brief pause that an Anbu Ninja, who had been on alert outside, suddenly rushed into the cave and exclaimed urgently:
"Sakumo-sama!"
"North, red signal flare!"
In an instant, everyone's previously relaxed expressions simultaneously turned solemn.
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