Whoosh, whoosh!Four figures darted swiftly through the forest.
It was none other than Team Three, on their way to a mission site over a thousand kilometers away from Konoha.With their speed, they could cover the distance in at most two days.
Yes — a journey of over a thousand kilometers would only take two days.That's the reality of ninja!
For a merchant caravan, it wouldn't be surprising if the same journey took a month.With such terrifying mobility, only other ninja could possibly intercept them; ordinary military forces in the Five Great Nations had no place in the shinobi world wars.
Their pace was deliberately kept at about seventy kilometers per hour to accommodate Akira and the others, traveling roughly ten hours a day. Chakra consumption for pure travel wasn't huge, but they'd certainly end up exhausted.
If it were just Minato Namikaze on his own, he could probably make the entire trip in under a day.That's a ninja for you — never to be measured by normal human standards.
Crossing mountains and rivers was just a basic part of the job.
Two days later…"We're finally here!"
Looking at the small town ahead, Akira Sato let out a quiet sigh.These past two days had been more exhausting than hauling bricks on a construction site.
Compared to Konoha, this small town looked downright shabby — with only a few thousand residents, it felt tiny.But really, this was a normal population size.
A place like Konoha, which was still called a "village" despite housing hundreds of thousands of people, was frankly a deceptive label.
"We'll split up to gather intel and meet back here in two hours!" Akira instructed.
Minato remained silent throughout.This B-rank mission was assigned to Team Three, not to him.
If Minato, an elite jōnin, were on an official mission, it would be at least A-rank or even S-rank — B-rank was far below his level.So, the moment they left Konoha, he handed over all command responsibilities to the younger ninja, merely observing from the sidelines.
Akira had been appointed temporary team leader.After all, there was no way they'd make Kakashi — the "emotionless machine" — the leader, right?And Koji Yamakawa was even more taciturn.
So, who else but Akira?
Honestly, as someone who had been a programmer and a gamer in his past life, Akira felt no pressure giving commands.This was just three people — he'd commanded entire guilds and fleets in games; what was this by comparison?
For a ninja operation, gathering intel beforehand was essential, which is why Akira prioritized scoping out the bandits before any action.
"Transformation Jutsu!"Akira weaved hand signs and transformed into a ragged, sallow-skinned farmer.
The three D-rank jutsu taught at the ninja academy — Transformation, Clone, and Substitution — were surprisingly useful in everyday missions.With Transformation Jutsu, no one would see through his disguise.
Of course, the academy had also taught them acting and disguise skills.So now, both his appearance and mannerisms perfectly matched those of a local villager.
The team split up and entered the town.
As he moved through the streets, Akira kept his face impassive, though inside, he was troubled.Even though he knew the shinobi world was harsh, seeing it firsthand still shocked him.
After all, hearing about suffering and witnessing it were two very different things.The townspeople were all gaunt and malnourished, as if a strong wind might blow them over. Their clothes were ragged and patched.
From these details, one could imagine how bleak things were elsewhere.
The Land of Fire was supposed to be wealthy, yet even people living here were like this.What about the rest of the world?
In that moment, Akira felt a bit grateful.After crossing over into this world, he hadn't immediately fled Konoha.
Even if he could escape — which was doubtful — surviving out here would be even worse, a life truly worse than death.
Using his transformation and careful questioning, it wasn't hard to gather information.Soon, he learned some key details.
Apparently, some "fierce-looking men" regularly came to the town to buy supplies.Most importantly, they'd been showing up for several years now.
Two hours later!The three regrouped outside the town to exchange what they'd learned.
It had to be said — Kakashi was indeed a mission machine, having gathered quite a lot of intel.
From the information they pieced together, their target numbered about a hundred people, with their main base located in a mountain valley southeast of the town.
"Let's move out!" Akira ordered.
At this point, Minato had fully hidden himself, leaving the team to make their own decisions.
It only took them an hour to locate the target.For ordinary people, it wouldn't just be an hour — it might take them over ten days, if they ever found the hideout at all.
After all, crossing rugged mountain terrain over dozens of kilometers wasn't easy, let alone finding a hidden camp deep in the forest.The gap between normal people and ninja really was massive.
Now, the three of them crouched on a dense treetop near the valley, observing the entrance in the distance.
A crude wooden wall a few meters high blocked the entrance, with two bandits patrolling on top.
"So disciplined?"Akira frowned, deep in thought.
From the intel, this was supposed to be the bandits' main base, their stronghold.But something about it just didn't feel right to him.
"Shall we go in now?"Koji Yamakawa was itching for action.
Rather than feeling anxious about the coming bloodshed, he actually seemed eager.In the ninja worldview, killing was as routine as eating or drinking.
Even someone like Minato — known as the "Little Sun" — had countless lives on his hands, and that was just counting missions, not even personal encounters.
This was why Akira felt the moral compass of this world was so twisted.
"No, we'll wait until midnight and scout again. For now, let's rest in shifts!" Akira decided firmly.
He dared to take risks in research because he was confident.But in combat, he wasn't about to play recklessly — he only had one life.
This wasn't cowardice — it was prudence.
Late at night.
Under the cover of moonlight, the three began their infiltration.
With their powerful mobility, they easily cleared the wooden wall and slipped into the valley.
Inside, they saw numerous crude wooden structures and tents.
"Over there!"Akira quickly spotted a large cave at the center, clearly the most protected location.It had to be the warehouse.
Whoosh, whoosh!The three sped toward the cave, finding large stockpiles of supplies inside.
Soon, they noticed something suspicious — a pile of crates stacked separately in a corner, covered by oilcloth.
Snap!Koji Yamakawa carefully pried one open with a kunai.
"No way!"His eyes widened in shock.
Inside were kunai.
Now, kunai themselves weren't unusual — they weren't particularly hard to make.But these were specifically crafted for ninja, with far higher quality standards than ordinary weapons.
In the entire Land of Fire, only a few locations could mass-produce them.And these bandits definitely weren't among them.
That's why finding a whole crate of kunai here was so shocking to Koji, normally a poker-faced man.
Though Akira didn't have top-tier ninja talent, his brain worked just fine — he immediately realized what this meant.
Weapons smuggling!
Kunai were regulated items, essentially military supplies.Even if sold legally, it would only be through the village or under the Fire Country's supervision.
There was no way these bandits' stash was connected to Konoha or the Fire Country.
They quickly pried open other crates — they were filled with senbon, shuriken, and other ninja tools.
Seeing this, Akira quietly asked the others,"Should we retreat?"
He definitely didn't want to get dragged into a mess like this — his small shoulders couldn't bear that kind of burden.
Naturally, both Kakashi and Koji understood what the discovery of this many ninja tools implied, and they nodded in agreement.
Unfortunately, it was already a bit too late to back out now.
(To be continued…)