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Morning brought a gentle breeze.
The ship slowly cut through the water. On deck, Leo sat at the bow, sensing the subtle pulses of chakra.
After a moment, he formed a hand seal with one hand.
Splash!
Water sprayed everywhere.
Then came a crackling sound from the deck.
A fish had been shot up from the sea.
"Extra snack!"
"Nice!"
The sailors nearby cheered, eagerly grabbing the fish and tossing it onto the deck.
"That's the third one you've done today!"
Yuhi Kurenai's face lit up with excitement.
At only eight or nine years old, she was still curious about everything. Seeing this unique water-style technique, she couldn't help but crowd around to watch.
"How did you do that?" she asked.
"Think of it as a sensory technique, like the ones used by Hidden Mist ninjas. It's handy if you ever run into them," Leo explained.
Chakra sensing was a basic skill he had read about in Senju Tobirama's notes—an analysis of the core techniques behind Hidden Mist jutsu. He had read plenty but was only now practicing it himself.
Luckily, thanks to bonuses from super-strength training, his chakra control and fine manipulation were strong enough that picking up this basic technique wasn't difficult. After a little practice, he made it work.
As for shooting the fish out of the water, that was just a creative application of the Water Push Wave technique.
They were chatting when a sudden boom rang out from above.
Kurenai turned her head, a delighted smile spreading across her face.
"Kakashi made it!"
She sensed a strong surge of chakra coming from his room.
"Let's go see."
Leo quickly packed up.
Compressing chakra the wrong way could easily injure the hands. Kakashi had probably been at this since yesterday, barely resting.
Even though Jiraiya was in charge, he was occasionally scatterbrained—he couldn't be relied on entirely.
By now, Jiraiya had likely wandered off, talking with Matsuyama Ichiro or watching a performance on deck.
Knock, knock, knock!
The door rattled.
But there was no response from inside.
Leo and Kurenai exchanged a glance. Then—
Bam!
Leo kicked the door open.
Masked Kakashi collapsed onto the floor, only his eyes moving as he stared blankly at the doorway.
He vaguely saw two smaller figures bursting in, anxious.
Then his gaze drifted upward, and something inside him stirred.
Is this what it feels like to have comrades?
His vision blurred, consciousness fading. He faintly heard—
"Too much chakra used."
"Hold him up. I'll use chakra to manipulate water so he can drink the medicinal pills."
"Got it!"
…
Outside the room, the door had already been repaired by the Matsuyama household staff.
Leo and Kurenai stood in the corridor, eyes fixed on a short stretch of coastline appearing in the distance.
That's the Land of Waves!
They gazed quietly at the approaching land.
Kurenai leaned against the window and sighed softly.
"To be honest, Kakashi was always a genius at school. I used to think his talent alone made him stronger than us, and that was fair. But now…"
Behind every genius is a heavy price.
Leo nodded, deeply understanding.
"Geniuses aren't scary. What's scary is that they actually work hard too."
"…."
Kurenai tilted her head, her small eyes filled with confusion.
"How can you even say that?"
Leo cleared his throat. "I work hard too… but I'm just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill person."
Kurenai immediately waved him off.
"I'm going to check if Kakashi's awake."
Ordinary?
Ha!
Who's ordinary like you?
She decisively ended the conversation, or else jealousy might have flared—if this is what ordinary feels like, she wanted some of it too!
Kurenai returned to her room to read while Leo stayed on the corridor, enjoying the rare moment of rest.
Soon, they would reach the Land of Waves.
In Kakashi's condition, even if he woke up shortly, he wouldn't be able to fight at full strength right away. It would be a win just to not hold them back. Leo had to stay alert and avoid any surprises.
About half an hour later, a shout rang out—
We've arrived at the Land of Waves!
The door knocked again. Jiraiya entered, a faint smell of sake on him, and immediately began praising.
"Haha! Not bad at all! Kakashi ran into trouble, yet you handled it quickly. Looks like I don't even need to be here for missions to get done!"
"Sensei, you made all that noise and didn't even check on him!"
Kurenai rolled her eyes.
Clearly, she thought, Kakashi can get reckless while Jiraiya drinks below deck—she was silently annoyed.
"Why didn't I come? I've been watching," Jiraiya said with a laugh.
He snapped his fingers, and the seagulls lingering outside Kakashi's window instantly transformed into foamy reflections.
A shadow clone.
Kurenai's eyes widened and her face turned red. She quickly apologized.
"Sorry, I…"
"No worries. I just wanted to see how you handled unexpected situations. As for stopping him, with Kakashi's personality, it wouldn't do much anyway," Jiraiya said, biting his finger.
Soon, a sturdy frog appeared, armored arms glinting.
Summoning technique!
As the daughter of a Jonin, Kurenai wasn't shocked but still watched curiously.
"Sensei."
Leo stepped forward from the corridor. He had sensed the chakra fluctuations and arrived quickly.
"Good work, both of you. Let's escort Mr. Matsuyama to Kado. I'll have the armored frog carry Kakashi."
"Understood."
Leo nodded, handing over his heavy arm and leg guards to Jiraiya, feeling lighter than ever.
Three of them—and a frog—left the cabin in formation.
To ordinary people, ninjas were mysterious and powerful. Seeing a giant frog was shocking but not terrifying.
Outside, Matsuyama Ichiro had already prepared a carriage.
"Jiraiya, please get in."
"No need. We'll stay outside to ensure your safety," Jiraiya declined.
Matsuyama Ichiro was pleased and climbed aboard after polite exchanges.
The Land of Waves wasn't large.
It consisted of a main island and several smaller islands, connected by some bridges. Many islands required boats to travel between. Ships moved constantly across the waters.
Kurenai immediately became alert.
This area is perfect for Hidden Mist ambushes.
Jiraiya led the way, the armored frog carried Kakashi in the center, and Leo with Kurenai brought up the rear, forming a "triangular" formation.
Though small, it would take about half an hour from the dock to reach Kado.
The journey had been uneventful so far.
But Kurenai couldn't shake a sense of unease. She ran alongside Leo, glancing at him as she spoke.
"Leo… I think I'm picking up a very subtle chakra signature. Do you feel it?"
"No, but you might be right," he replied, his expression growing serious.
Kurenai's perception was stronger than his.
That meant one thing: she could sense danger that he couldn't.
"We—"
"Don't rush. If there's an enemy, Sensei will notice. Trust him. We wait for his orders."
"…Okay."
Kurenai nodded.
The chakra signature faded, but she stayed alert.
The carriage rolled through a puddle, the trees on either side thickening, and faint glimpses of boats moving across the water.
A thin morning mist hung in the air.
Too far off to make out clearly.
Leo focused, extending his chakra, widening his perception.
Something caught his attention.
A puddle ahead.
"....."