If it had just been Xin and Mikoto, they could have made it to the Daimyo's residence in a day, but with an ordinary person in tow, the journey would take much longer.
"You should get some rest. I'll take the first watch," Xin offered when they stopped to camp for the night.
Mikoto looked concerned. "How about I take the first half of the night? It'll be tough for you to stay up all night, especially since we have to keep moving tomorrow."
"I'm fine," Xin said, seizing the moment to pinch Mikoto's cheek playfully, pulling her face into a wide, exaggerated expression.
Smack!
Ouch!
She really hits hard!
It turned out you couldn't mess with a girl's face-even if she was still young.
Xin rubbed the back of his hand, which was now red from the slap.
Mikoto, despite being teased, didn't resist anymore. She obediently leaped up into a nearby tree, settling down against the trunk to rest.
"You two look great together, kid. I didn't have such a pretty girlfriend when I was your age," the merchant joked, warming himself by the campfire while reminiscing about his younger days.
"She's not my girlfriend," Xin replied with a smile, tossing a few more sticks into the fire.
"Better get some sleep, old man. We've got an early start tomorrow, and you want to reach the Daimyo's residence by noon, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, you're right," the merchant muttered, realizing Xin wasn't in the mood for chatting. With a sigh, he leaned against a nearby rock and closed his eyes.
Xin added a bit more wood to the fire before climbing into a tree some distance from the camp.
Then, he summoned Ophis.
"Ophis, can you help me to watch around? If anyone approaches, let me know, no matter their intentions. And if they mean harm, take them out," Xin asked.
"Hm"
There was no way he was going to stay up all night.
Ophis didn't get out much, so this was the perfect chance for her to stretch her body.
After looking around, Ophis gaze at the bright moon above in trance while thinking something while Xin is getting ready to take a rest.
To be honest, sleeping outdoors was never comfortable. He tossed and turned against the rough tree bark for a while before finally drifting off.
Late night, Xin feel something soft and warm drill inside of his blanket, he subconsciously hug the object and continue to sleep
The night passed without incident.
Nothing happened, which wasn't too surprising since this was peacetime. The Land of Fire was generally peaceful, especially near Konoha.
At dawn, the team had a quick meal and continued their journey.
"Looks like we're in for some trouble," Xin noted, surprised that the calm night had given way to issues not long after they resumed their journey.
....
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