"Seimei, have you really learned it?"
Furukawa didn't show any reaction to Seimei's response, but Ryosuke, who was nearby, couldn't keep calm.
Although he had long known that there was a certain gap in learning abilities between himself and Seimei, the competitive nature of youth made him unwilling to fall behind.
Previously, when Furukawa was teaching Seimei the Body Flicker Jutsu, he hadn't avoided him.
As a result, Ryosuke learned it as well.
In the past few days, he had practiced hard and finally grasped some of the technique. While he might not be able to use it effectively in intense battles, he could still perform it completely during normal times without any problem.
Although this couldn't be considered as having fully mastered the technique, it was enough for Ryosuke to feel proud.
He originally thought Seimei's progress would be about the same as his own; even if Seimei was ahead, it would only be by a little bit. However, the reality was quite different.
Having been companions for several months, he had a certain understanding of Seimei's way of speaking and acting—while Seimei might intentionally downplay his abilities, he would never exaggerate.
This meant that when Seimei said he had learned it, his actual level was surely much higher than that.
Thus, Ryosuke felt an unusually complex mix of emotions; he had once again failed to catch up.
For a moment, he was surrounded by a negative aura.
Seimei keenly sensed the change in his mood and, after a moment's thought, could roughly guess the reason.
However, he didn't offer any words of comfort, as that was simply the truth.
Not wanting to linger on this topic, Seimei then asked, "What about Shizuko? Hasn't she come yet?"
It was worth noting that in the past, Mizutani Shizuko was always the first to arrive at gatherings.
And now.
Seimei glanced at the time; it was almost the final gathering time, yet the others still hadn't arrived.
This left Seimei somewhat surprised.
"Could something have happened?" Seimei wondered to himself.
"I don't know," Ryosuke replied weakly from the side.
As he spoke, he looked toward the village entrance and happened to see Mizutani Shizuko hurrying over.
So, he waved and shouted, "Shizuko, over here!"
Hearing his call, Mizutani Shizuko quickly turned her head. Once she recognized them, she managed a forced smile and walked over briskly.
"Shizuko, why are you so late today? Did something happen?"
Without waiting for Mizutani Shizuko to get close, Ryosuke asked.
Upon hearing this, Mizutani Shizuko shook her head and forced out another smile, saying, "It's nothing, I just got up late."
"Is that so?"
Ryosuke stroked his chin and said seriously, "Then you should set an alarm clock so you won't oversleep, just like I do."
Watching the chatty Ryosuke, Seimei couldn't tell if he was genuinely carefree or intentionally trying to ease Mizutani Shizuko's pressure.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Mizutani Shizuko arriving at this moment was not simply a case of oversleeping.
The swollen corners of her eyes indicated that she had just been crying not long ago.
Considering the fact that they were about to head into battle, it was easy to guess that this was related to saying goodbye to her family.
This also made Seimei deeply realize that this was a real world.
In this world, war was war; it wouldn't become justifiable because of a few slogans.
Ninjas were also human; they had their own emotions, families, friends, and lives. Once they died, the impact would be felt by a large number of people.
Therefore, many people feared war, but they were bound by a series of rules and ideas, forced to accept it.
'Sigh! This is indeed a twisted world!'
With a silent sigh, Seimei stopped overthinking and began to wait patiently for the team to set off.
Time passed by second by second.
After the team was fully assembled, the Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen—appeared before everyone.
What followed was a passionate and stirring speech.
I have to say, his words were very motivating; after his speech, the young Genin were fired up and eager to rush into battle.
Even the usually downcast Mizutani Shizuko showed a hint of a smile after hearing him speak.
Only the Jonin maintained serious expressions throughout, seemingly unaffected by his words.
However, it made sense; every Jonin had fought their way out of a sea of corpses and blood, and their resolve could not be swayed by just a few words.
To motivate them, one would have to either tie them to actual benefits or inspire them with a sense of righteousness; otherwise, why would they listen to empty talk?
Just because you're the Hokage?
Isn't the Hokage someone chosen by everyone?
Uh.
Maybe, probably!
Seimei shook his head and stopped overthinking; these matters were still quite distant from him, and he didn't want to get involved.
The ninja world was ultimately a place where strength was paramount. As long as you had enough power, you could talk with your fists, even if you didn't understand anything.
If you disliked someone, you could just take them down with a single punch—why overthink it?
Therefore, increasing strength was the key.
A few minutes later.
After the speech, the team began to set off.
Seimei roughly counted; there were about thirty Jonin, along with sixty to seventy Special Jonin accompanying them.
As for the Chunin and Genin, combined, they numbered over three hundred, nearly four hundred people.
With such a large group, it was naturally impossible to move too quickly.
Moreover, there were also dozens of supply carts.
As a result, it took them a full two weeks to leave the Land of Fire and enter the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
Upon entering the Land of Rain, they were greeted by an incessant drizzle, often going three to four days without seeing the sun.
As a result, the speed of the team's advance slowed even further.
Almost a week later.
They arrived at a canyon; passing through this canyon and walking a few more miles would lead them to Konoha's base in the Land of Rain.
Their destination was there, and the dozens of supply carts were also headed for that location.
Seimei looked at the deep canyon ahead, his brow twitching.
Even a battlefield novice like him knew that such terrain was very suitable for ambushes, and Seimei didn't believe the Jonin wouldn't realize this.
'So why are we going this way?'
Other than being forced, Seimei couldn't think of any other reason.
This meant that Konoha's situation on the battlefield in the Land of Rain was far from the optimistic outlook he had imagined; otherwise, they wouldn't have reserved such a supply route.
Fortunately, the Konoha Jonin were no pushovers; before entering the canyon, they had the team slow down.
They also dispatched several small teams to search for any enemy ambushes on the cliffs ahead and on both sides.
Time passed second by second as the team advanced slowly.
Suddenly, a huge explosion echoed from the distant cliffs, and a mass of crimson flames could be seen rising into the air.
"It's a detonating tag; there's an ambush!"
Someone in the team shouted, and the crowd suddenly became chaotic.
Fortunately, the Jonin spoke up in time, which helped to quell the confusion.
***
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