The road leading out of Konoha was quiet.
The noble's carriage rolled forward at a steady pace, its wheels creaking softly against packed dirt. Two attendants rode inside, while another guarded the rear with visible nervousness.
Kakashi moved ahead of the caravan without instruction, vanishing into the treeline and reappearing moments later farther down the road.
Minato watched him briefly before turning toward Ken.
"This is a good opportunity," he said quietly.
Ken straightened. "For what, sensei?"
"For learning how real missions work."
They walked alongside the carriage as Minato spoke in a low voice.
"The academy teaches combat," he said. "But survival depends on everything outside of it."
He knelt and brushed two fingers lightly across the dirt.
"Tracks."
Ken squinted. "I don't see anything."
"That's the problem."
Minato smiled faintly.
"Shinobi don't search for footprints. They search for disturbances."
He pointed.
A blade of grass bent opposite the wind's direction.
A pebble pressed deeper into the soil than the ones around it.
"Wind doesn't leave patterns," Minato explained. "People do."
As they continued, Minato demonstrated how to blur tracks without erasing them, how excessive cleanliness drew suspicion, and how controlled disorder was often safer than perfection.
Then he stopped near the roadside.
"Traps."
He showed Ken simple setups—chakra-thread alarms tied to buried kunai, weighted branches primed to fall, and trip lines hidden beneath leaves.
"Most traps aren't meant to kill," Minato said. "They're meant to inform."
Ken nodded slowly.
Minato continued teaching him small but vital details—where ambushers preferred to hide, how terrain shaped attack routes, and what signs shinobi often overlooked.
It was knowledge Ken had completely lacked while working alone.
From ahead, Kakashi appeared briefly and gave a silent signal.
All clear.
"Kakashi learned these lessons early," Minato said. "His instincts are sharp."
Then he looked at Ken.
"Yours will be too—once experience fills the gaps."
They made camp shortly after sunset.
The carriage was positioned in a small clearing. The fire burned low, barely visible from a distance.
Guard rotations were established.
Kakashi took first watch.
Ken sat nearby, sharpening a kunai while replaying Minato's instructions in his mind.
Wind rustled through the trees.
Insects chirped softly.
Then—
Kakashi stiffened.
A presence brushed the edge of his awareness.
Too faint.
Too late.
A shadow erupted behind him, blade already descending toward his neck.
Before Kakashi could react—
A yellow flash tore through the darkness.
Minato appeared between them, gripping the attacker's wrist mid-strike.
The blade missed Kakashi's throat by inches.
The assailant reacted instantly.
Smoke burst outward.
By the time it cleared, the presence was gone.
Silence returned.
Minato closed his eyes briefly as chakra spread outward in a wide sensory sweep.
"…They're gone."
Kakashi's shoulders remained tense.
"They didn't pursue," he said.
"No," Minato replied. "Because that was never the goal."
He turned toward both of them.
"They're using hit-and-run tactics. Sudden strikes, immediate withdrawal."
"To isolate us," he continued calmly, "or exhaust us until someone makes a mistake."
Kakashi clenched his jaw.
Ken, however, remained calm.
With Minato here, there was no real danger.
Minato smiled faintly.
"I'll guard the client," he said. "The rest is up to you two."
With that, he vanished.
Ken exhaled.
"I'm not experienced with escort missions," he said evenly, "but with Minato-sensei protecting the client, we don't need to overextend."
Kakashi glanced at him. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing," Ken replied. "Just focus on defending yourself."
Kakashi frowned. "Are you suggesting we abandon pursuit?"
Ken blinked—then chuckled.
"Our mission is to escort the client safely," he said. "Not hunt his enemies."
Kakashi paused.
Then nodded.
They took position—backs covered, senses open.
Time passed.
Then—
The sound of tearing wind split the air.
Something rushed straight toward Ken.
Kakashi's eyes snapped open.
He moved—
Then stopped.
Ken calmly raised his arm.
Clang.
Metal rang sharply.
The attacker's blade struck hardened earth.
Ken's forearm was coated in compact stone.
The assailant didn't hesitate.
His free hand snapped down, drawing a kunai that lunged straight toward Ken's throat.
Fast.
Precise.
Trained.
Ken opened his mouth.
A pebble-sized bullet shot forward.
It pierced cleanly through the man's neck.
Blood erupted as the attacker staggered, clawed weakly at the wound, then collapsed with a dull thud.
Silence returned.
Ken lowered his arm slowly.
His Earth Sense had detected the presence long before the strike.
Though he hadn't mastered Earth Skin yet, coating a single limb was simple.
{From now on I am going to use Earth Skin instead of earth spear. Its too confusing}
Over the past few days, his other earth techniques had reached instant activation.
He had even attempted to make other jutsu instantaneous.
But only Earth Release responded smoothly.
Probably because it was his only affinity.
His connection to it ran deeper than anything else.
Ken exhaled softly.
The night was still young