The light in the forest grew dimmer, the last rays of the setting sun swallowed by the treetops, leaving only the faint moonlight filtering through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
The team moved forward, treading on fallen leaves, their footsteps deliberately softened, with only the rustling sound of the stretcher dragging on the ground, exceptionally clear in the silent night.
Lin Yue walked in the middle of the team, his Sharingan already deactivated—frequent activation also consumed Chakra, and the red in his eyes could easily be detected by distant enemies.
He paid attention to his surroundings using his hearing and peripheral vision, while Shadow, Lightning, and Blaze behind him maintained their vigilance, like three invisible nets, protecting the team in the center.
Even so, the stone in his heart had not yet settled.
"The issue of the unregistered individuals is always a hidden danger," Lin Yue mused to himself.
Shadow, Lightning, and Blaze could currently be covered by the excuse of "clan reinforcements," but upon reaching the temporary outpost, their identities would surely be exposed during registration.
The outpost had a strict Ninja roster; anyone without official registration would be immediately discovered, let alone those who stayed by his side long-term.
He couldn't always rely on temporary orders or lies to conceal them; once an anomaly was detected, not only would these three be controlled as "suspicious individuals," but he himself might also be apprehended.
Just then, a prompt from the system's initial binding flashed in his mind—"World Travel (Cooling Down)."
Lin Yue abruptly stopped, his heart uncontrollably accelerating: Right! The system still had a World Travel function!
If he could temporarily transfer Shadow, Lightning, and Blaze to other worlds, and then look for other methods later, as long as they were in another world, he wouldn't have to worry about exposure!
Lin Yue called out to the system in his mind: "System, show me the detailed description of the World Travel function.
What are the conditions for the cooldown to end?"
"Ding—World Travel Function (Current Status: Cooling Down).
Function Description: Can open a spatial channel to transport designated targets (host and summoners) to unlocked worlds.
Cooldown End Condition: Trigger a special condition (condition not unlocked, host needs to explore independently)."
The system's prompt left Lin Yue both excited and confused: Did he have to wait for natural cooldown? But he couldn't wait that long—they would reach the temporary outpost in a few days at most, and then the identity issue would erupt.
The key was the "special condition"; the system said he needed to explore it himself.
What could this condition be?
He subconsciously recalled all the details since his transmigration: triggering a novice mission when binding the system, the number of summoners increasing from 1 to 4, accumulating summon points, and completing two combat missions...
Among these variables, which one could be related to the "special condition"?
"Could it be the number of summoners?" Lin Yue suddenly thought, when he first bound the system, he was the only one, and World Travel showed no activity.
Now that it had increased to 4 people (Rin, Shadow, Lightning, Blaze), there didn't seem to be any reaction either.
"Then is it summon points?" He looked at the 100 summon points on the panel again—when he had accumulated 400 points before, no special prompt was triggered, and the travel cooldown still proceeded as usual.
Lin Yue frowned, his gaze sweeping over Shadow, Lightning, and Blaze behind him, then looking at Rin beside him, suddenly realizing an overlooked point: The system was often linked to "energy."
Could the cooldown of World Travel also be related to a "lack of energy"?
He boldly speculated: Or perhaps the system needed to control a certain number of "people" (e.g., summoners reaching a certain threshold) to stably open the World Travel channel, and currently, 4 summoners might not be enough.
For example, when the number of summoners reached 10, or the total "controllable population" (including himself) reached a certain value, a special condition could be triggered, ending the cooldown early.
"This possibility is also very high!" The more Lin Yue thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
The core of the system was "Uchiha recruitment," and rising to power required enough manpower—the cooldown condition for World Travel was either related to energy or population size.
Currently, he could only acquire more summon points and expand his personnel.
"Xiao Yue, what's wrong?" Rin noticed him stop and asked in a low voice, "Did you find anything unusual?"
Lin Yue came back to his senses, shook his head, and whispered, "No anomaly, I was just thinking about the outpost.
By the way, do you know the situation at the outpost, how strict are they with identity registration?"
Rin recalled for a moment and said, "It's quite strict.
You must have proof from the squad leader, and they also check the Ninja roster.
Anyone without registration might be treated as a spy."
"Hmm." Lin Yue nodded, "I'm thinking of having them 'disappear' temporarily, then finding an excuse to get by.
As long as we are strong enough to establish ourselves, we can then find a way for them to appear with legitimate identities."
Rin was stunned for a moment, then understood his meaning: "You mean... find a place to settle them?
But this area is all a battlefield; there's no safe place at all, and we can't leave them alone."
Lin Yue did not voice his speculation about World Travel—there was currently no way to activate it.
He merely said vaguely, "I have an idea that might take a few days to verify.
Before that, we'll have to try to make excuses that they need to perform reconnaissance missions and won't enter the outpost for now."
Rin nodded, not asking further—she had absolute trust in Lin Yue and knew he wouldn't risk everyone's safety.
Just then, Shadow behind him suddenly signaled Lin Yue with a "something's wrong" gesture, pointing his finger towards the depths of the forest on the right.
Lin Yue immediately became alert and whispered to Tanaka, "Uncle Tanaka, that might be an Iwagakure patrol team."
Tanaka immediately raised his hand, signaling the team to stop, and ordered in a low voice, "Rin, you and I will go ahead to scout.
Xiao Yue, you take Sato and Takahashi to protect the wounded.
The rest, follow behind!"
Everyone immediately sprang into action.
Rin and Tanaka stealthily moved towards the right side of the forest.
Shadow's perception Ninjutsu range expanded to 1000 meters, sensing the enemy's Chakra fluctuations.
Lightning quickly laid traps and explosive tags around the team, preparing for battle.
Blaze concentrated his Chakra, ready to form hand signs and release Ninjutsu at any moment.
"Shadow, have you confirmed it? How many people?" Lin Yue asked in a hushed voice.
Shadow closed his eyes, then opened them a moment later, giving Lin Yue a "3" gesture, and then pointed to his own leg—meaning 3 Genin, no Chunin.
Tanaka peeked out from the forest and said to everyone, "They should be Iwagakure stragglers.
Let's go around them; don't alert them.
Now is not the time to fight."
The team quietly changed direction, circling to the left, avoiding the Iwagakure Ninja.
Lin Yue looked back at Shadow, Lightning, and Blaze behind him: Regardless of whether the cooldown condition for World Travel was population size, he had to expand his scale as quickly as possible—only with enough manpower could he survive this brutal battlefield and lay the foundation for the rise of the Uchiha.
Under the moonlight, the team's figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the forest, continuing towards the temporary outpost.
And in Lin Yue's heart, a plan for "cross-world settlement" had quietly begun to sprout.