It had been over an hour since we left Konoha, and the weight of the intense pace set by our dear sensei was starting to sink in. Dekai-sensei was no joke. I knew he was an incredible ninja, but the idea that he could be a dictator in the form of a teacher had never crossed my mind... until now.
"Hey, sensei," Jimei's voice cut through the sound of leaves crunching underfoot. "How much longer until we get to this Artisan Village?"
I was curious too; after all, we'd been hopping from tree to tree at an absurd pace for over an hour, and still, there wasn't a single person in sight—let alone a village.
"At the pace we're going, about a day and a half. If we stop to eat and rest," Dekai-sensei replied without even glancing back.
Jimei's eyes went wide, clearly alarmed. I was also surprised—I didn't expect it to be this far... Were we really going to keep this pace up until we got there?
"But... we are stopping to eat and sleep, right?"
Dekai-sensei kept jumping along in silence. Was this guy serious?
"W-we're stopping, right?" Jimei insisted, his voice reaching a higher pitch.
Honestly, I was starting to get a little worried. We weren't running at full speed, but keeping up this pace for a day and a half without stopping to eat or sleep? Even I, who considered myself fairly resilient, knew that would be a recipe for disaster. Tired and hungry, any mistake could be fatal.
"Sensei... this Artisan Village... are they like one of the hidden villages? Do they have shinobi?" Natsu asked.
"The Artisan Village isn't a traditional shinobi village. They're specialists in creating weapons and ninja tools." Dekai-sensei sounded like he was quoting from a textbook. "Their artisans use chakra to forge incredible weapons and armor. During the Third Great Ninja War, their weapons were used in the Sand Village's puppets."
I tried to remember if I'd heard of that village before... It sounded familiar, but nothing too clear. Probably some obscure filler.
Hmm... Never thought I'd be living through a filler.
I smiled at the corners of my lips. The only fillers I remembered perfectly were the plot of a few movies, the one about that kid Sora, and the one about Kakashi's mask.
"So what we're carrying is some weapon, sensei?" Jimei asked.
"No." Dekai-sensei replied. "We're transporting a rare type of ore that's only found in the Land of Fire. This ore helps chakra metal channel fire elemental chakra more easily."
Fire, huh...? I found myself wondering. What's my chakra element? I couldn't buy that special little paper before becoming a ninja, and last month I even tried... but 10,000 ryō for a piece of paper?! Was it made from the First Hokage's cells? Even chakra paper in Konoha was ridiculously expensive.
After a few more hours of hopping from tree to tree like monkeys, Dekai-sensei finally stopped. The sky was getting darker, and thank the gods, he finally showed some mercy! Our bodies would be more useful rested than knocked out cold.
"Listen up." Dekai-sensei said in that serious, grave tone. "Delivery missions can be dangerous. We never know if someone might be interested in stealing the cargo. So, no campfires. We want to leave as little trace as possible."
I couldn't disagree, but the idea of a night without a warm fire was... depressing. Well, at least I brought my sleeping bag.
"We'll sleep in shifts. I'll take the first, Kenshin the second, Jimei the third, and Natsu the last." He said, and we all nodded in agreement.
Without a word, I sat down and took out a tuna sandwich from my backpack. I knew this moment was coming, so I prepared properly. A simple, yet satisfying dinner.
"Hey, Kenshin..." Oh no, Jimei had that pleading tone. "What are you eating?"
He sat down beside me, giving me that abandoned puppy look that would've been cute if he were a younger kid, but on him, it was just irritating.
"Tuna sandwich." I replied, taking a bite of my sandwich.
"Aww... I only brought... this." Jimei showed me... a protein bar.
I raised an eyebrow at the packaging, the name read "Chakracrunch," and it claimed to provide instant energy for any ninja on the package.
"A protein bar? That's it?" I asked, curious.
"I thought it'd be practical, and it was cheap…" He replied, somewhat awkwardly.
Right, Jimei was also an orphan, and unlike me, he was a terrible cook. Back when we were at the academy, I always brought food for him. Probably, the Rank D missions weren't going so smoothly for him either.
I looked at the protein bar in Jimei's hand and thought for a moment. It probably wasn't tasty, but I wanted to know what it tasted like.
"Can I try it?"
He handed me the bar immediately. I took a bite... and nearly spat it out. Oh my god... Is this... wet cardboard? It was dry, crumbly, and had a vague taste of... despair. I knew it would probably taste bad, but I wasn't expecting this.
"Urgh!" I grimaced and took a sip of water to try and wash away the taste of death in my mouth. "Jimei... you're eating this?"
"These bars are nutritious and contain all the nutrients a shinobi needs. They're practical, lightweight, and efficient." Dekai-sensei commented, like he was the spokesperson for them.
"Yeah, sensei, but... it tastes like sadness and regret."
"The taste doesn't matter." the jounin said, and at that moment, I realized he was eating three protein bars from the same brand as this one.
I sighed, looking at Jimei, whose eyes were sparkling with hope, clearly waiting for me to do something.
"Here." I handed him a second sandwich I had brought. "Enjoy. I wouldn't wish that cardboard in a bar form on my worst enemy..."
"Seriously?! Thanks, Kenshin, you're the best!" Jimei practically snatched the sandwich out of my hand.
After I finished eating my sandwich, I started reflecting. This was my first day on a mission outside the village. The scenery? Trees... more trees... and of course, more trees. If this were a game, the map would be 99% covered in forest.
I hope we at least see some cool place... Because it's not like anything dangerous could happen on a Rank C mission... right?