As one of the Five Great Nations of the Ninja World, the Land of Fire was rich in resources and possessed an incredibly vast territory.
The group had been traveling non-stop for an entire day, yet they had only covered half the distance. To reach the Land of Fire's border, they would need at least another day's journey.
The day's travel had left everyone somewhat fatigued, and the only food they had to stave off hunger was the notoriously unappetizing soldier pills.
"According to the map, there's a small village ahead. We can stop there to rest," Hiruzen said. They had set off in the morning, and a full day had passed; it was time for a break. The objective of this mission wasn't mobile, so there was no need to rush.
"That's great, no need to sleep in the wilderness!" Koharu exclaimed, a happy smile gracing her face. Although ninjas had to adapt to surviving in various environments, for a girl, sleeping an entire night outdoors would leave her skin dry and rough. Having a village to stay in was naturally the best-case scenario; perhaps they could even take a hot bath.
It wasn't just Koharu; the others also wanted to rest in the village.
"Then let's reach the village before sunset," Hiruzen suggested. Everyone quickened their pace; if they didn't reach the village before dark, they would have no choice but to camp in the open.
At this point, Naori was already struggling, occasionally needing to rest on Kagami's back to recover her stamina before continuing. However, Torifū seemed completely unfazed, appearing relaxed whether running or walking, which made Naori increasingly envious. She even had the urge to dissect Torifū, and she even doubted if Torifū was human at all – how could he be so relaxed after an entire day?
"Torifū, aren't you tired?" Naori murmured from Kagami's back.
"I'm alright. I am a bit tired, but it's bearable," Kumotsuru Torifū replied.
Kagami glanced at Torifū, noting that even at such a young age, his physical prowess was already comparable to Hiruzen's.
Naori didn't ask any more questions and dozed off on Kagami's back, completely exhausted.
Fortunately, Hiruzen's group reached the village before nightfall.
After finding a suitable inn to rest, everyone could finally get a good night's sleep. And to their surprise, the inn even had a hot spring! Soaking in a relaxing hot spring before bed was simply the most enjoyable thing.
However, what was strange was that everyone in the village looked listless and completely devoid of energy. They didn't pay much attention to Hiruzen's group's arrival, and some were even preparing to leave with their wives and children overnight.
Only the innkeeper seemed normal, warmly welcoming Hiruzen's group. The owner was a kind-faced old man who looked like he had weathered many storms. He didn't seem particularly afraid of Torifū and the other ninjas.
"Ninja-sama, have you come to exterminate the bandits?" the old man asked uncertainly, but Hiruzen saw a hint of pleading in his eyes.
"That's right, old man. Have they been troubling this village too?" Hiruzen asked, somewhat puzzled. The distance between the two was a full day's journey; the bandits shouldn't come this far.
"Ah, it's not because of that," the innkeeper said with a sigh upon seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression. "Our village isn't big; we mainly rely on running small shops for a living."
"But because of those bandits, merchants and travelers passing between villages all avoid this route."
"With no one coming to the village, everyone's livelihood has become a problem. If no one deals with those bandits, we're afraid everyone here will starve."
Hiruzen finally understood the reason. Although this village was small, it was located at the intersection of several small villages, serving as a kind of transit station where people traveling long distances could rest. Seeing that the people's survival was at stake, they couldn't delay any longer. Hiruzen immediately promised the innkeeper that he would definitely resolve the bandit issue.
As soon as this news spread, the villagers cheered with joy, finally seeing a glimmer of hope.
To complete the mission and eliminate the bandits more quickly, allowing the small village to return to normal operation, Hiruzen and the others formulated a more detailed battle plan, ensuring that no bandits would escape to other mountain strongholds to continue harming the people.
After a night of rest, the group was full of energy and set off. Naori was no longer as haggard as she had been the day before and had returned to her energetic self.
They departed just as dawn was breaking, maintaining a high speed throughout the journey. This allowed them to reach the Land of Fire's border in the afternoon.
The government had long neglected this region, which allowed all sorts of scum to gather. Even rogue shinobi from Sunagakure dared to swagger into the Land of Fire and do as they pleased!
The border area was mostly dense forest, making it very easy for enemies to hide. However, Kagami quickly noticed traces of the bandits with his Sharingan. Following Kagami, the group tracked them down to their lair.
It was a very secluded valley, with an entrance that could only accommodate two people walking side by side. By this time, the sky was gradually darkening, and visibility in the forest was even lower. Only Kagami and Naori could see in the dark due to their Sharingan.
The guards at the entrance were not heavily armed, with only a few people present. They were silently killed in no time.
The group quickly infiltrated the valley, with Hiruzen directing everyone to act according to the plan.
"Eliminate everyone before it gets completely dark!"
"Take out the small fries first, and then deal with the ninjas."
Hiruzen calmly and decisively issued the orders. During this process, Torifū was constantly learning from Hiruzen's grasp of the situation and judgment. After all, Torifū would also be carrying out missions in the future.
Just as everyone was about to begin their mission, Torifū took out seven miniature crystal balls from his ninja pouch. But rather than crystal balls, they looked more like crystal seeds.
Torifū handed out one crystal seed to each person: " This is a jutsu I developed. It can block a single physical attack.."
Everyone nodded and accepted them without hesitation or awkwardness. Against elite-level warriors, this kind of protection could mean the difference between life and death.
No one could guarantee walking away from battle unscathed.
"Move out!"
With an order, the group transformed into afterimages, scattering in all directions.
Only Torifū remained in place. He now had to complete his own task, which was to seal off the entire valley.
"Crystal Release - Crystal Creation."
Fifty crystal seeds slowly formed in his palm, and he scattered them at the valley entrance.
As Torifū's chakra surged, crystal vines broke out of the ground, intertwining and interlacing to form a crystal vine net. The branching tendrils embedded themselves deeply into the mountain walls of the valley entrance, firmly blocking it off.