"Come on, everyone's here. Did you bring everything you need?" Yamato stood at the entrance of the vilge, carrying a brown backpack while checking over the gear of Zixu and the others.

  "Everything's ready. Plenty of kunai, smoke bombs, and ration pills..." Aburame Hatsuizumi showed a sealing scroll to Yamato.

  "Good. Make sure to use the sealing scroll wisely. Huh?" Yamato frowned as his gaze fell on Zixu, who was still yawning. "Zixu, why do you look so damn tired? Didn't you pay attention to what I said earlier?"

  "Hmm? Ah, I woke up in the middle of the night from the cold and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I just practiced some ninjutsu." Technically, Zixu wasn't lying—training in Sage Mode did count as practice.

  "Oh? Well, make sure you cover yourself at night. And don't overdo it with training. Rest when you need to." Yamato nodded skeptically but didn’t press the issue. After greeting the Konoha gate guards, he led the group out of the vilge.

  Konoha was surrounded by vast forests, stretching endlessly in all directions. The vilge itself sat like a massive ark floating in a sea of trees. Though they had all read about the surrounding environment in books, seeing it firsthand was an entirely different experience.

  "Eh? I've never seen aphids like these in the vilge before. They're a new species. I need to collect them... Hmm? The pattern on this butterfly’s wings is different too. Could it be an environmental mutation? And this grass... it's attracting a ridiculous number of ants. I should gather some for study..."

  Among them, Hatsuizumi was the most excited—like a wild dog finally let off its leash. She darted around, collecting insects with unrestrained enthusiasm, forcing Yamato to send a wooden clone to keep her in check.

  Hyuga Chinano, on the other hand, seemed more at peace than ever. To her, Konoha had always felt like a gilded cage, where she was constantly judged and looked down upon by her cn. But out here, surrounded by nature, with the scent of wildflowers in the air and untamed grass underfoot, she finally felt free.

  Meanwhile, Zixu had gotten used to perceiving the world through natural energy ever since he started practicing Sage Mode. Though he hadn't fully mastered it yet, he could tell that the energy in the wild was far purer than in the vilge.

  His gaze drifted back toward Konoha, where he noticed something odd. The natural energy above the vilge felt... off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely unusual.

  Are there really that many powerful enemies out there? I thought my physique was already enough to handle most threats...

  Zixu recalled what the Three Goddesses had told him the day before. Maybe the outside world had more people as strong as them. Though he was confident in his physical abilities, it seemed he still had a long way to go.

  Of course, the Three Goddesses had lied to him. They didn’t want him getting arrogant because of his strong body. But Zixu didn’t know that—he had taken their words at face value. In his mind, Bck Zetsu had now become an enemy on par with Luffy, starting at the level of the White Snake Sage.

  "Alright, gather up. We're almost at the meeting point with the samurai. Keep yourselves in check—we’re representing Konoha’s reputation here," Yamato sighed, rubbing his forehead. Teaching students was way more exhausting than he had expected. Maybe he didn’t want to be a teacher after all.

  Hearing Yamato’s words, the group straightened their clothes, adjusted their headbands, and fell in line. Even Hatsuizumi, despite her obsession with bugs, knew when to get serious and put her specimens away.

  "Samurai? Those two energy signatures over there must be them..."

  Though Zixu didn't possess the Byakugan’s piercing vision, he had developed a rudimentary ability to perceive through natural energy. In his sensory field, two distinct energy signatures stood out—one radiating a cold, bluish-white aura, and the other exuding a murderous, blood-red glow.

  "Are you the samurai who issued the mission request? We're the Konoha shinobi assigned to assist you," Yamato greeted them with a formal yet firm tone, maintaining the dignity of a Leaf ninja even in front of clients.

  "Hmph." The taller, masked man let out a dismissive grunt. The lower half of his face was completely wrapped in bandages, leaving only his sharp eyes visible.

  "Yes. Thank you for your assistance. This is part of the payment. The full sum will be provided once we reach the outskirts of the Hidden Mist Vilge. I hope you understand," the other, shorter figure spoke in a neutral yet polite tone, in stark contrast to his companion.

  Zixu and the others, standing behind Yamato, couldn't get a good look at the two samurai at first. But as they leaned forward, they finally saw them clearly.

  The taller man’s face was mostly concealed—grayish-white skin, the lower half covered in messy bandages, and a white cloth strip tied diagonally across his forehead. He wore a loose, dark-blue kimono with bck stripes, baggy gray pants, and carried two bck-sheathed katana at his waist. A massive sword wrapped in bandages rested on his back, its sheer presence enough to make people uneasy.

  The other warrior was cd in pure white, his face hidden behind a bnk white mask. Two strands of long bck hair fell over his chest, and his head was tied in a neat bun. His white robes were simple yet elegant, with dark gray armguards covering his forearms. A sword hilt rested in his hand, the bde positioned horizontally across his back. Though his aura was icy, his tone was unexpectedly gentle.

  "Alright, samurai. It'll take a while to reach the Hidden Mist Vilge, so let's head out without wasting time," Yamato said, his tone strictly professional.

  "Fine," the bandaged warrior muttered.

  "Understood. We appreciate your support," the masked warrior responded politely.

  With that, the group set off. The atmosphere was heavy, making it hard for anyone to start a conversation. Even Zixu, Hatsuizumi, and Chinano, usually talkative, remained silent. The air was thick with tension, almost suffocating.

  "...Will we run into any danger on the way? Should we be ready to fight at any moment?" Zixu finally broke the silence, and both Hatsuizumi and Chinano sighed in relief at the change in mood.

  "Huh?" The bandaged warrior shot him a sideways gnce.

  "It's like this..." The masked samurai began to expin.

  According to him, they were wandering warriors, traveling the world to hone their skills. But during their journey, they had offended a group of local thugs, who now sought revenge. Unable to deal with the trouble alone, they decided to hire ninja guards. After all, samurai and shinobi had vastly different skill sets—there were many things samurai simply weren’t suited for.

  "Wandering samurai, huh?" Zixu and the others now had a clearer understanding of their clients.

  "But what about you guys?" The bandaged warrior suddenly asked, resting a hand on his katana’s hilt. "I’ve heard that Konoha’s shinobi are pretty special. I’d like to see just how strong you really are."

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Do you want to read Advanced Chapters?

  Visit this link:

  P?treon.com/Fanficlord03