Takuya glanced at Minato and Nawaki and casually asked.
The two, lacking the energy to dig out tree holes, were resting under a rock.
Hearing Takuya's question, Minato opened his eyes and frustratedly ran his hand through his increasingly long hair.
"It's tough... As expected of a forbidden jutsu developed by the Second Hokage. I haven't made much progress yet; I need to learn sealing techniques first."
"Flying Thunder God Technique isn't something just anyone can learn," Nawaki said, proudly lifting his chin.
Minato was speechless. "Have you learned it?"
"Uh..." Nawaki was immediately flustered.
Why did you have to ask that?
Weren't we talking about the Flying Thunder God Technique? How did this turn into whether I've learned it or not?
After a few seconds, Nawaki's face slowly turned red.
He seemed to recall his own painful experience attempting to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, and he grabbed Minato by the collar, shaking him violently.
"You idiot, we were talking about your Flying Thunder God Technique! Why are you bringing me into this?"
Hahaha...
Takuya nearly laughed himself silly.
"Nawaki did try to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, and his family even has the Second Hokage's notes. Unfortunately, he couldn't manage it; he couldn't even get past the sealing techniques part."
This wasn't Takuya slandering him—Tsunade had said it herself.
When she talked about it, she couldn't hide her disappointment in her brother, Nawaki.
She had told him repeatedly that he wasn't cut out for it, but he didn't believe her.
He insisted on trying, and now he was thoroughly discouraged.
"Sigh... Are we really okay with this mission?"
Kouta Sasaro sighed as he listened to Takuya, Minato, and Nawaki chatting and laughing. He felt like he'd boarded a pirate ship.
This captain isn't reliable, and neither are his team members. Can we really deliver these supplies safely to the front lines?
Akizuki Yama shook his head slightly, smiling bitterly. "I don't know, but since Danzo-sama trusts the captain, we should trust him too. Let's get some rest; we've had a long day."
I'm so frustrated, I just want to run back and complain!!
Shimura Suimoku, who hadn't joined the other two, looked even more agitated.
He felt like Takuya and his team had no common sense at all. Following such a captain, who knows what terrible things might happen next?
It's so hard to be stuck with a leader like this.
Regardless of what the others thought, Takuya and his team acted like they always did.
They chatted when they wanted to, rested when they wanted to, and Takuya couldn't even be bothered to go out in the rain and set traps.
The night passed without incident, and they made it through the first night safely.
Takuya's team was well-rested, but the other three squads were not.
After a night of worry, especially the three Chūnin captains, they had dark circles under their eyes and looked utterly exhausted the next day.
Seeing Takuya's team, bright-eyed and cheerful, they regretted their choices.
Why did we worry for nothing? Wouldn't it have been better to just get some proper rest?
Now, while the others were energized, they were struggling to stay awake and constantly fighting the urge to sleep.
And the worst part? They still had to push the carts!
"Snowy, notify me immediately if you notice anything unusual," Takuya reminded the little fox as they entered enemy territory.
As they progressed further, they needed to be on high alert, whether encountering enemies or allies. Sometimes, even allies could turn into enemies in an instant.
"Understood, Master," Snowy said, peeking out from under Takuya's raincoat, its snow-white head curiously observing the surroundings.
"Captain, we've entered a zone where enemies frequently appear. The forces of Rain and Sand often ambush our transport teams in this area, so we need to be extra cautious," Shimura Suimoku said, unable to contain his anxiety as he noticed Takuya wasn't showing any signs of conducting patrols or reconnaissance.
He was worried about potential ambushes along the way.
If the team stumbled into an enemy trap, things could get ugly fast.
Even with Takuya's strength, there was no guarantee the team could escape unscathed.
And even if they did manage to escape, what about the supplies?
If the supplies were destroyed or stolen, the mission would be considered a failure.
The ninjas on the front lines, fighting the enemy, were counting on these supplies.
Though he was from the Shimura clan, Suimoku wasn't as ruthless as Danzo.
Takuya looked at him in mild surprise, then smiled and said, "Thanks for the reminder, Suimoku-senpai. I've already made the necessary preparations, so you don't need to worry. Go back and continue pushing the carts. We'll try to get out of this area as soon as possible. If anything unexpected happens, I'll have us move through the night."
If there's an enemy that even Snowy can't detect, what good would it do for me to patrol or scout?
Do I think I have better sensory skills than my own personal tailed beast?
Not even Kushina could compare to Snowy in this regard.
"..."
Suimoku felt disheartened by Takuya's response.
Nodding sadly, he returned to the convoy, bottling up his frustration as he resumed pushing the carts.
"What if we don't patrol or scout and end up surrounded or ambushed by the enemy?" Akizuki Yama and Kouta Sasaro deliberately brought up the topic, hoping to get some insight from Minato and Nawaki on how Takuya's team handled reconnaissance.
Minato smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, senpai. If any enemies approach, the captain will detect them immediately."
"Really?" Yama asked in surprise. "Does the captain have the advanced sensory abilities of a sensor-type ninja?"
Nawaki, however, responded more arrogantly, "We've always been the ones ambushing others; no one's managed to ambush our team. The three of you can rest easy—Takuya will handle everything."
Unlike Minato, Nawaki didn't bother with subtlety and seemed quite pleased with himself.
You two knuckleheads... They're fishing for information, and you didn't even notice?
It's one thing for Nawaki to be clueless, but Minato, you should know better!
Could it be that all the time you've spent learning sealing techniques has muddled your brain?
Thinking back to how Minato had been tirelessly working on learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, Takuya couldn't help but shake his head.
The barriers to learning the Flying Thunder God Technique were just too high.
Thankfully, he had enough self-awareness not to attempt it himself.
Otherwise, he might have ended up like Minato, constantly obsessing over how to master sealing techniques, nearly driving himself crazy.
Listening to you guys makes me even more anxious.
Yama and Sasaro exchanged glances, both seeing the resignation in the other's eyes.
Unfortunately, they weren't the ones in charge, so all they could do was follow orders.
How things would proceed was entirely up to Takuya.
"Master, someone's watching from the left front," Snowy reported.
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Traveling through enemy territory, being watched was almost inevitable.
"Keep an eye on them," Takuya instructed calmly.
The convoy continued to move steadily forward, and they passed the entire day without incident, aside from encountering scouts.
"Looks like this mission might go smoothly after all," Nawaki said, drying his clothes by the fire and inching closer for warmth.
Pushing carts in the rain was no easy task. Even with raincoats, not a single part of him was dry.
"I'm not so sure about that," Minato replied, roasting some meat patties from the camp supplies, casting a glance at the silent Takuya.
His instincts told him that tonight wouldn't be peaceful.
Normally, if everything were fine, Takuya would have had them go hunting for some fresh meat to warm up.
But today, Takuya seemed unusually quiet.
It looked like there was a fight coming.
Sighing, Nawaki quickly put his clothes back on, ignoring the steam still rising from them, and went to inform the other squads.
"Senpai Sasaro, Senpai Yama, Senpai Suimoku, it looks like we might be in for a fight tonight. Be prepared."
"Are enemies approaching?" Sasaro, Yama, and Suimoku exclaimed in surprise.
***********
Note: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 190+ at patreon.com/Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters!