June 27th, Year 42 of Konoha.
After resting for nearly a week, Sarutobi Asuma was back on a mission.
This time, it was a escort mission.
They were to escort a merchant caravan to the Land of Bears.
This meant Sarutobi Asuma and the others would have to travel through the Land of Rain and the Land of Birds.
Without a doubt, this mission would take a considerable amount of time.
At the speed of a merchant caravan, it would take at least ten days to half a month to travel from Konohagakure to the Land of Bears.
Furthermore, they also had to escort the caravan back from the Land of Bears to the Land of Fire.
This round trip would likely take about a month.
However, the commission for this mission was substantial.
Sarutobi Asuma would receive 100,000 Ryo.
The meeting point was the usual village entrance.
This time, Sarutobi Asuma carried a large scroll on his back, but upon arriving at the village entrance, he noticed the caravan was quite large.
And besides their small team, there were also samurai guards.
This wasn't entirely surprising, as ninjas were expensive and couldn't be hired as guards all the time.
For ordinary merchants and high-ranking officials, maintaining samurai was a necessity.
After all.
Samurai weren't necessarily unable to wield Chakra.
Soon, Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune also arrived.
The team gathered, and then they met the caravan's owner, a middle-aged man named Matsutomo Ren.
He was portly and always wore a gentle smile when facing Sarutobi Asuma and the others.
But as soon as Sarutobi Asuma and the other three left, his gentle smile vanished, replaced by a stern expression.
It took a full three and a half days to travel from Konohagakure to the border of the Land of Fire.
The journey was incredibly leisurely.
Sarutobi Asuma took the opportunity to lie on a cargo cart and research Sensory Ninjutsu.
The scroll on his back was a sealing scroll containing copied Ninjutsu data.
This included Medical Ninjutsu, Fūinjutsu, and Sensory Ninjutsu.
For Sarutobi Asuma, Sensory Ninjutsu was what he urgently needed, so he temporarily set aside the study of Fūinjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu to focus on researching Sensory Ninjutsu.
Both Hatake Sakumo and Kurenai, who had already mastered Sensory Ninjutsu, were people he could consult.
Over the three days, Sarutobi Asuma gained a lot.
At the very least, he discovered that six of the twelve samurai in the escort detail possessed Chakra.
Concurrently, Sarutobi Asuma had also gained a direction regarding the type of Sensory Ninjutsu he needed.
"Ideally, it would be to master Magnet Release and perceive through electromagnetic waves, essentially a humanoid radar."
Sarutobi Asuma sighed inwardly.
If he could master Magnet Release, with his understanding of radar principles, he believed it wouldn't be too difficult to develop Sensory Ninjutsu using it.
But this path was clearly not suitable at the moment.
"I'll think about it after I've mastered Lightning Style and Earth Style... For now, I'll focus on creating a Wind Style Sensory Ninjutsu."
Sarutobi Asuma's current chosen direction was to perceive through wind.
Or, essentially, to perceive through the air.
Similar to Pain's Rain Tiger Jutsu!
However, achieving perception through the air would undoubtedly be much more difficult than perceiving through rainwater like the Rain Tiger Jutsu.
But at the same time.
If he succeeded.
Then, this Sensory Ninjutsu would possess greater adaptability than the Rain Tiger Jutsu.
After all, even the sea contained air.
Of course.
The idea was an idea, and the target was a target.
Sarutobi Asuma wasn't sure if he could achieve it.
So, he would take it one step at a time.
Starting with the wind.
And the wind in nature is flowing air.
For Sarutobi Asuma, infusing his chakra into the wind was not difficult.
His Wind Style chakra nature transformation was level 8, and his Chakra Control was level 10.
However, natural wind is affected by temperature.
Which meant.
On a large scale, the direction and speed of the wind were not subject to human control.
This also limited the application of this sensory ninjutsu.
"The prospects are vast, but for now, it's still not as good as the Second Hokage's sensory ninjutsu..."
At the resting camp, Sarutobi Asuma shook his head.
At this moment, his Shadow Clone dispelled, and memories flowed back. Hatake Sakumo had something to discuss with him.
He immediately collected his thoughts, left another Shadow Clone behind, and his main body vanished like a gust of wind.
Outside the camp, in the forest, by the time Sarutobi Asuma arrived, Kurenai and Shizune were already there. They were currently looking at the gloomy Land of Rain in the distance with Hatake Sakumo.
Passing through this mountain forest would lead to the Land of Rain.
"Teacher Sakumo!"
Sarutobi Asuma greeted him.
Hatake Sakumo nodded, then said gravely, "I am now officially informing you of the second hidden mission for this trip."
Sarutobi Asuma and the other two felt a jolt in their hearts upon hearing this.
A hidden mission?
So escorting the merchant caravan was just a cover?
Sarutobi Asuma mused, "Teacher Sakumo, is the mission to investigate the situation of Sunagakure and Iwagakure?"
Earlier, the Sand Shinobi had attacked Konoha's border defenses, only to retreat later.
But this was already a sign of a looming war.
Several years had passed since the Second Great Ninja War, and the major ninja villages were gradually recovering their strength and stirring restlessly again.
The Land of Rain was a battlefield for the Fourth Great Ninja War, and the Land of Birds was sandwiched between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.
The situation here was chaotic, and by starting here, they could gather a lot of intelligence.
"The Anbu, and even Root, are likely already active in these two countries."
Sarutobi Asuma guessed inwardly, and couldn't help but think of the current Akatsuki.
A ninja organization that loved peace and was full of naivete.
Once Danzō, that saintly b*tch, discovered Nagato's Rinnegan, he would surely make a move against Akatsuki.
As Sarutobi Asuma thought this, Hatake Sakumo nodded, "Indeed."
"However, our main mission is not to investigate in the Land of Rain and the Land of Birds, but to secretly infiltrate the borders of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth to observe their border deployments."
Kurenai immediately said upon hearing this, "If both countries start mobilizing personnel to the border, or storing supplies, it's highly likely they are preparing to start a war."
"Exactly!"
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Therefore, Kurenai and Shizune, your mission from now on is to stay with the merchant caravan and provide cover for my Shadow Clone and Asuma's."
Kurenai and Shizune exchanged glances and nodded in unison, "Yes, Teacher Sakumo!"
They knew that executing infiltration missions with their current strength would be very dangerous.
Especially since they also needed to leave Shadow Clones to provide cover.
Their Shadow Clones wouldn't last long.
Half an hour later, the convoy resumed its journey.
Sarutobi Asuma no longer leisurely studied but, like the others, put on a raincoat in advance.
After passing through the mountain forest and entering the gloomy Land of Rain, the team's vigilance heightened.
Sarutobi Asuma, Kurenai, and Shizune spread out, keeping a distance from the convoy to scout and maintain vigilance.
"Southeast wind, perfect for utilizing!"
Sensing the humid wind, Sarutobi Asuma began to silently infuse his chakra into the flowing air.
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