CHAPTER 44

This mission was different from the last one. Previously, they had to suppress bandits, and aside from the final battle, the journey itself had not been particularly troublesome. This time, however, the mission required escorting an entire caravan, meaning their pace had to match that of the merchants, significantly increasing travel time.

After registering at the village gates, the caravan departed, heading west toward the Land of Earth.

"Nawaki, do you think the Land of Earth will be much different from the Land of Fire? Last time we only went about a hundred miles from Konoha and never even left Fire Country's borders. I wonder if this time we'll see anything unusual."

"And what's this Giant Tree City we're heading to? I've never heard of it before."

"You're asking me? How would I know?" Uchiha Kiyo rolled his eyes. "I've read about it in books, but I haven't been there myself."

Nawaki Senju's excitement was evident—his chatter didn't stop. But Kiyo decided to remind him of something important.

"Even though escort missions are considered relatively safe, we can't let our guard down. Anything can happen on a mission, and being vigilant is key."

Nawaki was about to retort when Sarutobi Shuo interjected.

"Exactly. Stay alert. That's a basic quality of a ninja. You keep saying you want to be Hokage—don't tell me you can't even do something as simple as staying focused?"

That hit a nerve. Nawaki grumbled, but he did stop talking and began scanning the surroundings with newfound seriousness.

Orochimaru, watching from a distance, was pleased. Nawaki had finally started to show some growth. While ninjas needed to endure solitude, they also couldn't remain inattentive during a mission. Originally, Orochimaru had planned to have Tsunade talk some sense into him later, but it seemed his teammates had taken care of it.

"This brat is lucky," Orochimaru muttered to himself.

As Nawaki sharpened his focus, an eerie feeling ran down his spine. He suddenly felt a vague sense of danger, but the sensation faded as quickly as it came. Looking around, he found nothing unusual, though he remained cautious.

"Was something about to happen just now? But then they saw me standing guard and decided to back off?" Nawaki thought to himself, nodding with self-satisfaction. "See? Staying vigilant works!"

"Nawaki, what's up? You look nervous," Sarutobi Shuo asked.

"Huh? No, nothing! Just keeping an eye out!"

---

The Journey Continues

The ninja world wasn't particularly large. A skilled shinobi could travel from Konoha to Sunagakure in just three days. The journey from Konoha to Iwagakure was about four days, and since Giant Tree City was closer, the trip would take approximately three days at full shinobi speed.

However, since they were traveling with merchants, their pace was much slower. A caravan moved at an average of 10 kilometers per hour, traveling 10 hours per day. That meant the 900-kilometer journey to Giant Tree City would take around nine days. Accounting for detours and terrain, the total trip would take closer to 11 or 12 days. Including their return and the time needed for trade, the mission would last about a month.

Even so, the mission was considered profitable. The risk was low, and the rewards were decent. Escorting the merchants there and back counted as two separate missions, making the effort worthwhile.

Nine days later…

"We're about to enter the Land of Grass. Everyone, stay sharp," Kiyo warned.

Unlike the five great nations, minor countries like the Land of Grass had weaker ninja villages, making them frequent targets for bandits and rogue ninjas. Small villages lacked the manpower to maintain order, allowing criminals to operate freely.

"That's why we need to be on guard here," Kiyo continued. "But don't worry—since we're Konoha shinobi, most people won't dare provoke us. As long as we don't start trouble, we should be fine."

Orochimaru remained in the shadows, monitoring the situation. Meanwhile, Ishimura Yukio, the merchant leader, stayed close to Uchiha Kiyo. Hearing Kiyo's explanation, the merchant chuckled.

"This young man is right. The Land of Grass can be dangerous, but with Konoha ninja guarding us, we have little to fear."

Unfortunately, fate was not so kind.

Even though most people would avoid trouble with Konoha, there were always exceptions.

---

An Ambush in the Making

Nobuto Yagi was a man of luck—he had once stumbled upon a stolen scroll containing instructions for chakra control and basic ninjutsu. Since the age of ten, he had trained himself in secret for over twenty years. However, due to his lack of talent and proper instruction, he had barely reached the level of a low-tier Chunin.

With no connections and no formal education, Nobuto Yagi survived by robbing travelers and taking on illicit jobs from the black market. He eventually gathered three other rogue ninja and formed a gang specializing in caravan raids.

Ordinarily, they avoided large groups, especially those guarded by professional shinobi. However, this time, they saw something tempting—

"Boss, look at their forehead protectors," one of Yagi's men whispered. "They're from Konoha. We can't afford to mess with them."

Yagi's eyes flickered with hesitation. A part of him knew it was risky, but greed quickly took over.

"They're just three brats," Yagi muttered. "If we take them out quickly, we can score big. With this much loot, we won't have to worry about money for half a year."

His subordinates exchanged uneasy glances, but ultimately nodded. The risk was high, but so was the reward.

Meanwhile, at the front of the caravan, Uchiha Kiyo's expression suddenly changed.

"Stop! We're being watched."

The entire convoy came to a halt. Even though Ishimura Yukio didn't sense anything, he trusted Kiyo's judgment.

Nawaki and Sarutobi Shuo immediately assumed battle stances, scanning their surroundings for threats. They hadn't sensed anything themselves, but they knew better than to doubt an Uchiha's instincts.

Kiyo narrowed his eyes. Just moments ago, he had felt an unmistakable wave of killing intent—brief, but clear. His senses had always been sharp, but ever since training in self-cultivation techniques, his ability to detect hostile intent had become even more refined.

"There's no doubt about it…" Kiyo murmured. "We're about to be attacked."