Team 4, Team Tsunade, arrived at the village entrance under Tsunade's lead.
A small caravan was already waiting there.
There were not many people, only five in total, along with two horse-drawn carriages.
The carriages were loaded with a great many supplies, bags and bundles that appeared to contain local specialties from Konoha.
This was generally how caravans operated in the ninja world.
They transported local specialties from one country to another for sale and distribution, earning a profit from the price difference.
Since caravans required ninja escorts, both large and small ninja villages welcomed them.
Everyone benefited.
It was mutually advantageous.
Tsunade approached the person in charge of the Land of Grass caravan, an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with an air of wealth, and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Takeuchi."
"We haven't been waiting long."
Manager Takeuchi bowed respectfully to Tsunade. "I'm very grateful that you accepted this escort mission, Lady Tsunade."
"With you taking action personally, this mission is sure to go very smoothly!"
He was naturally delighted.
The one who had accepted their mission was actually Princess Tsunade, one of Konoha's famous Legendary Sannin.
They were far too lucky.
As expected, paying a little more for the reward had been the right choice.
With Princess Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin escorting them, their safety on the return trip to the capital of the Land of Grass was guaranteed!
Seiryū: "…"
Again?
Could they stop raising death flags?
Tsunade was rather cold toward strangers and only gave a brief reply. "You're welcome. This is part of our work as Konoha ninja."
She glanced at the five members of the caravan and continued, "In that case, shall we set off? Is there anything else you need to prepare?"
Manager Takeuchi shook his head. "We've been ready for quite some time. We'll be in your care this time, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade waved her hand and said nothing more.
The five members of the caravan, along with the four members of Team 4, made nine people in total, and they began their journey.
They headed toward the Land of Grass.
The speed of a carriage naturally could not compare to a ninja's pace, especially when the carriages were loaded with supplies.
It would take several days to travel from Konoha to the Land of Grass.
The longer the journey and the more valuable the supplies being carried, the greater the chance of encountering danger.
The caravan would have to be even more cautious.
That was why this mission was ranked B-rank.
Well.
It mainly depended on how much money the client offered.
As long as enough money was paid, even a C-rank mission could be raised to an A-rank mission.
Of course.
Generally speaking, mission ranks were determined by the mission office based on the information provided verbally by the client.
Cases where clients paid extra to raise the mission rank were relatively rare.
This was enough to prove that the caravan placed great importance on this batch of goods.
Since she had accepted the mission, Tsunade would naturally carry it out seriously.
After declining Takeuchi's suggestion that they ride in the other carriage, all four members of the team continued on foot.
They deliberately slowed their pace to match the speed of the carriages.
As they walked at a leisurely pace, Seiryū asked Tsunade, "Lady Tsunade, what have you been busy with lately? You even quit gambling and heavy drinking?"
"Why are you asking so many questions?"
Tsunade glanced sideways at Seiryū and said indifferently, "Since when did you care so much about me?"
As for the way Seiryū addressed her...
She could not be bothered to argue with this brat.
Once this mission was over, he would know she had been right.
He actually did not believe her?
She had done her research.
The ninja teams that had taken this same mission in the past had never encountered any trouble. Could something really go wrong just because it was her turn?
Her luck could not possibly be that bad!
Seiryū shrugged. "How can you say I don't care about you? If something happens to you, won't the favor you owe me go unpaid?"
"I knew nothing good would ever come out of your mouth."
Tsunade spat those words with a dark expression.
She reached out and ruffled Seiryū's short red hair into a mess.
Then she answered his earlier question. "I've been practicing Sage Arts lately, but Sage Arts... well, they're a little harder than I imagined..."
She had indeed been busy practicing Sage Arts recently.
First, it was to increase her strength.
She did not want Seiryū to surpass her so quickly. This kid held grudges. If he surpassed her, handling him in the future would not be easy.
Second, it was so she could guide Seiryū's training after she learned Sage Arts herself.
Hearing Tsunade admit it, Seiryū immediately said indignantly, "Damn it, you were secretly practicing Sage Arts and didn't even bring me along?"
Practicing in secret and then shocking everyone, huh?
And she had not even brought him along for the grind.
Tsunade said, "Haven't you also been practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Techniques lately? Where would you find the time to practice Sage Arts with me?"
The Flying Thunder God Technique and the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Techniques.
If anyone else wanted to complete that training, it would be impossible to master them without spending at least a year or so.
Yet this kid had completely mastered them in less than three months.
And "less than three months" was only what Seiryū claimed.
No one knew exactly how long he had actually taken.
"I mastered them perfectly over twenty days ago. Since you wouldn't let me learn the Reaper Death Seal, I could only continue researching new techniques. If I'd known you were practicing Sage Arts, I definitely would have gone with you."
Seiryū curled his lip slightly.
Originally, he had also wanted to learn the Reaper Death Seal, a Forbidden Technique of the Uzumaki Clan, to see whether it could trigger a mission.
In the end...
He had been strictly warned by Tsunade.
He was not allowed to learn a Forbidden Technique like the Reaper Death Seal.
For the past ten days or so, he had mostly been researching the Adamantine Sealing Chains, which had undergone some changes.
All things considered, he had discovered some useful things.
However, if he had known Tsunade was practicing Sage Arts, he definitely would have wanted to practice Sage Arts first.
Seiryū was also a little curious now that nearly three months had passed.
What level had Tsunade's Sage Arts training reached?
Would it be a perfect Sage Mode?
If not...
Would parts of her body turn into a slug?
Tsk.
He really wanted to see it!
"New techniques..."
Tsunade rubbed her temples. Developing new techniques again. What a freak. Then she asked curiously, "Any results? What type is it?"
Kurenai knew a little and answered for Seiryū. "Seiryū seems to have been improving the Adamantine Sealing Chains lately, making their effect even stronger!"
Tsunade was impressed. "You can even do that?"
Seiryū smiled proudly. "Didn't I develop the Binding Sand Coffin before? It's similar to the Adamantine Sealing Chains."
"After learning the Adamantine Sealing Chains, I found that I could improve them. The results are pretty good..."
Seiryū continued, "Don't change the subject. I want to learn Sage Arts. After this mission, I'm going to Shikkotsu Forest with you."
"With my talent, I might even finish training before you. Maybe I'll be able to guide you instead."
"No."
Tsunade shook her head, her tone firm. "I'll teach you after I've completely mastered Sage Arts. During this time, you cannot go to Shikkotsu Forest, and you absolutely cannot practice Sage Arts with me..."
Why did she not want Seiryū to go to Shikkotsu Forest and practice Sage Arts with her?
There was only one reason!
When she could not fully master the Sage techniques, her body would partially "slugify," and her figure would become swollen and bloated.
Even parts of her skin would ooze the mucus unique to Katsuyu.
For a beautiful woman, appearing in such a state was absolutely intolerable!
How could she show that to anyone?
Seiryū: "…"
As though he had thought of something, Seiryū suddenly gave a playful smile. "I heard Teacher Jiraiya say that his Sage Mode isn't as good as Senior Minato's and isn't perfect, so parts of his body turn into a toad. Could it be that you..."
Judging from Tsunade's words, well, she should have achieved some progress.
It was just that it might not be a perfect Sage Mode.
Her body would show some abnormalities because of the Sage Chakra.
That was why she did not want him to see her like that, right?
"Shut up!"
A rebuke burst from Tsunade's mouth.
She glared at Seiryū through gritted teeth, her face darkening. "Say one more word and I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Seiryū was not afraid and said happily, "So it really is like that. Don't worry, even if I saw it, I wouldn't despise you. At most, I'd only tease you..."
Halfway through, Seiryū sensed a dangerous aura and changed his tune. His voice became extremely serious and sincere. "You are so beautiful and lovely, the most perfect woman in my heart! In terms of appearance, I, Sage Seiryū, would call you the strongest!"
Shizune: "…"
Kurenai: "…"
That was a fast surrender!
As expected of you, Seiryū!
...
The group chatted as they continued forward.
Dusk gradually approached.
Traveling at night was relatively inconvenient, so they stopped and found a flat place to rest.
They would continue the journey tomorrow.
Takeuchi walked over and said very politely, "Lady Tsunade, we've prepared dinner. Thank you for working so hard to escort us!"
Tsunade waved her hand. "There's no need to be so polite."
Takeuchi said sincerely, "It's only right."
"..."
Given the other party's warm invitation, and considering that wasting food would be a shame, Tsunade and the others did not refuse. They all shared a rather sumptuous dinner together.
Night fell.
The members of the caravan were ordinary people, so the fatigue of travel quickly caught up with them.
They had already gone to sleep in the two tents that had been set up.
Tsunade also let Kurenai and Shizune rest first, leaving the night watch to her and Seiryū.
As two ninja who had mastered the Strength of a Hundred Seal, their energy far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Staying up all night had little effect on them.
Beside the campfire.
The firelight reflected on Tsunade's beautiful face. Her skin was fair and delicate, making her look especially captivating.
She looked at Seiryū, who was sitting not far beside her, and smiled. "Do you want to go rest too?"
Seiryū was not sleepy at all and said while playing with the fire, "No need. As a man, how could I let a woman keep watch alone?"
Tsunade could not help but smile. "Oh, you're quite considerate."
"Haven't I always been like this?"
Seiryū shrugged. "I'm a good man, and that good man is me!"
Tsunade shook her head and laughed. "Precocious brat. You're still a little kid, and you already call yourself a man? Your hair hasn't even grown in yet..."
"What did you say?"
Seiryū's face went dark.
For this wicked woman, "your hair hasn't even grown in" was not just a figure of speech. She was literally using those words to tease him.
Tsunade clicked her tongue twice. "I'm just telling the truth!"
Seiryū felt exhausted. "Then you'd better stop talking."
He could not be bothered to continue this topic.
It was not the first time she had teased him with those words.
Just as he was about to say something, Seiryū looked in one direction and said in surprise, "Rats are approaching. Quite a few of them, at least a dozen."
Tsunade frowned. "Ninja or ordinary people?"
Seiryū continued playing with the fire and said indifferently, "There are chakra fluctuations, so they're ninja. But their strength is average. They're probably rogue ninja or bandits."
After hearing this, Tsunade merely gave a flat response. "Oh."
"Wait, what do you mean, 'oh'?"
The corner of Seiryū's mouth twitched. "Enemies are approaching. Aren't you, the team leader, going to give any instructions?"
Tsunade nodded, pointed at Seiryū, and ordered, "You. Go. Find out why they're here. If they're bandits or outlaws, kill them."
"Are you commanding a dog or something?"
"Why haven't you gone yet? They're just a dozen little rats. Do you really expect me to take action? As my disciple, you should share your teacher's burdens!"
"I can do it, but I want more of the reward money."
"You're already so rich, and you're still thinking about these scraps?"
"Whose money just falls from the sky? I'm still saving up enough to lease the Forest of Death. That's another dream of mine."
"You really have a lot of dreams..."
Tsunade was speechless and pointed at Seiryū again. "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. By the way, let me see what's different about your improved Adamantine Sealing Chains."
"Even if you wanted to learn it, you couldn't. Like the techniques I developed before, only I can use it."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
With those words, Seiryū formed a seal with one hand.
Golden chains shot up from his body, turning into agile golden spirit snakes that charged out in one direction.
At that moment, inside the dark, dense forest, a dozen people were quietly creeping toward the caravan's location.
Every face showed a sinister and cruel expression, like hunters who had spotted their prey.
They were a group of bandits, ninja from a small ninja village in a destroyed country.
After their country fell and their homes were lost, they had lived a wandering life.
In order to survive, they had been forced to become bandits, making a living by plundering passing caravans and travelers.
This time, they had targeted this caravan. Judging from the large bags and bundles on the carriages, they could tell one thing.
There was profit to be made from this caravan!
One successful job would be enough for them to live comfortably for a long time.
Moreover, the guards were only a woman and three children.
Even though they were Konoha ninja, if the dozen of them swarmed together, they had a high chance of killing them!
As long as they erased all traces, Konoha would never discover them.
The ninja world was so vast.
Even Konoha, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, would definitely be unable to track them down!
This was a sure thing!
And then...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The golden chains moved like spirit snakes, charging forward at incredible speed.
Before the bandits could react, the chains easily pierced through their bodies.
As ink-colored formulas spread across their entire bodies, the movements and chakra of the entire group were sealed.
Afterward, under their terrified gazes, the golden chains wrapped around their bodies, hung them all up, and carried them toward the source of the firelight.
To be continued.