Chapter 61

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Along the way, it rained continuously.

The terrible road conditions greatly slowed down the speed of the caravan. Originally, it was expected to leave the borders of the Land of Fire in seven days, but it ended up taking thirteen days.

"I told you it's related to you."

Kakashi stuffed a rice ball into his mouth, "Thirteen days, a whole thirteen days, and I haven't had a single bite of warm food!"

Kyomu naturally couldn't admit it, "Yeah, I'm fed up with this damn weather too."

"You conveniently ignored the first half of what I said, right?" Kakashi rolled his eyes, "Come clean, is this your doing?"

"Let's just say it's my doing, ~sigh~... whatever."

Kyomu chose to be defiant, "Think what you want, but I think things might improve once we enter the Land of Iron."

Kakashi glanced at the gloomy sky and didn't dwell on the reasons for the continuous rain, "Let's hope so."

At this moment, a caravan attendant approached, "Two esteemed Leaf Village ninja, this is miso soup sent by our boss. It can warm you up."

"Thank you."

Kyomu and Kakashi thanked separately, taking the steaming bowls gratefully, feeling very comfortable.

On a rainy day like this, being able to drink a bowl of hot soup was already a blissful thing.

After resting, the caravan continued on its way. Kyomu and Kakashi became alert, brushing off their previous lax attitudes.

Previously, within the borders of the Land of Fire, Kyomu and Kakashi didn't need to worry about unexpected situations. But now that they had crossed the border into the Land of Iron, things were different.

Despite being a neutral country, the Land of Iron was not very peaceful internally. Many ninja from various countries came here for missions, and skirmishes occurred daily.

Moreover, there were many rogue ninja who had defected from their villages and sought refuge here, resorting to banditry and espionage to survive.

Given this situation, the possibility of the caravan escorted by Kyomu and Kakashi being attacked couldn't be ruled out.

One person in the front, one in the back, enduring the drizzle, the two of them escorted the caravan forward.

Fortunately, on the mountain roads most susceptible to ambushes, the caravan did not encounter any attacks. As they breathed a sigh of relief, they safely escorted the caravan into a small town.

"Two esteemed Leaf Village ninja, our caravan needs to sell some goods in this town and purchase some items. We will depart tomorrow."

Kyomu and Kakashi exchanged glances and agreed.

After ensuring there were no issues around, Kyomu and Kakashi finally had time to relax and enjoy themselves in the foreign town.

"How about this restaurant?" Kyomu pointed to a restaurant, "It smells good from outside."

Kakashi didn't refuse and followed Kyomu inside.

The shopkeeper was very hospitable, but the first thing Kyomu did after entering was to casually scan the surroundings with vigilance.

Nothing out of the ordinary, but it felt odd.

After seating themselves and ordering, Kyomu finally identified what had been bothering him.

A group of four sitting in the corner.

The composition wasn't strange, but it didn't make sense. One was a boy about the same age as Kakashi, another was a middle-aged man, and there was a middle-aged woman sitting beside him, dressed as a couple.

In the middle was an old lady, and it was obvious that she was related to the other three, a three-generation family.

"Is there a problem?" Kakashi kicked Kyomu under the table with a questioning look in his eyes.

Kyomu shook his head imperceptibly. Because he only felt something was off instinctively, it was difficult to pinpoint it precisely.

This kind of sixth sense was sometimes hard to explain, but with the assistance of a warning necklace and enhanced mental strength, Kyomu trusted his intuition.

Anyway, they needed to stay alert.

As Kyomu and Kakashi were halfway through their meal, the caravan boss approached, "Two ninja lords, I've been looking for you."

Kyomu looked at the caravan boss, while keeping an eye on the family of four in the corner, observing their reactions.

There were no obvious abnormalities.

"There's been a change of plans. Our caravan intends to depart early."

Kyomu and Kakashi nodded, immediately putting down their chopsticks with professional integrity, settling the bill, and following the caravan boss out.

But in their minds, they couldn't help but wonder.

As the caravan set off again, Kyomu, who already sensed something was amiss, observed more carefully.

As they were about to leave the town, the caravan stopped, and there was some commotion ahead.

Kyomu immediately sharpened his focus, quickly rushing over.

"Kakashi, what's going on?" Kyomu pointed to the family of four they had encountered in the restaurant.

"They're hitching a ride," Kakashi explained concisely, "and the caravan boss agreed."

Clearly, Kakashi realized what was wrong. In the chaotic world of ninjas, caravans trying to make a living weren't that sympathetic, and even if they were, they shouldn't have been so easily accommodating to strangers passing by.

Taking a deep look at the old lady, Kyomu patted Kakashi's shoulder, "Watch her closely."

"I know." Kakashi responded quietly, "I noticed something unusual in her eyes."

"Her eyes are clear, unlike those of an elderly person. And the intimacy between the couple is too heavy, it doesn't seem genuine. In any case, be cautious."

Kyomu patted Kakashi's shoulder and turned to leave.

Just as he glanced back, Kyomu made eye contact with the old lady who had already been helped onto the carriage.

---

Because it had been raining continuously, the caravan's progress was slow. After nightfall, they didn't manage to reach the next town and had to camp nearby, waiting for daylight to continue their journey.

To everyone's joy, the rain suddenly stopped in the early hours of the morning.

People who had been drenched in rain along the way rushed to spread the news. Even Kakashi, who had finished his night shift and came to wake up Kyomu, had a smile on his face.

"Kyomu, the rain finally stopped. You should feel much better after your night shift."

"Yeah, it finally stopped." Kyomu nodded, his passive skill, the "Shinobi Rain God" was finally replaced by a new passive skill.

[Passive Skill: Special Effects with Attacks] (VFX)

[Skill Description: During the skill's duration, all your attacks will come with special effects, providing different attack effects based on the special effects. Note: Special effects are generated based on the original attack effect and cannot be actively applied. The added attack effects are mostly range enhancements, attribute enhancements, light and shadow enhancements, and manifestation of quasi-image forms, with the multiplier being twice the original attack.]

[Skill Duration: 30 days]

[Parting Words: Men should be decisive, ruthless, invincible, and above all, cool, after all, being cool is a lifelong affair.]

"In fact, I don't really want to be to ostentatious..." Kyomu contemplated this passive skill, feeling somewhat melancholic but also having an indescribable feeling.

Everyone has imagined summoning a blue dragon with a wave of their hand, or even a phoenix, right? Whether in this life or the previous one, Kyomu really wants to experienced it.

"But compared to flashy moves, what I really want are passive skills that assist in training." Kyomu thought silently.

"Has my good luck really run out? If the passive from a year ago or even two years ago appeared again, I would fly away on the spot, kicking the Five Kage and punching the Otsutsuki clan, pointing at Uchiha Madara's nose..."

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted.

Kyomu's eyes instantly turned cold as he turned to look at the old lady standing behind him.

"Grandma, why aren't you sleeping so late?"

"When you're old, you can't sleep at night. Seeing you on night duty alone, I came specially to bring you a bowl of hot soup." The old lady held a bowl in her hands, "The rain just stopped, and the weather is quite chilly."

"Oh, thank you."

Kyomu reached out to take it, but his left hand unexpectedly passed over the ninja tool pouch and swiftly grabbed a kunai, spinning it around before thrusting it towards the old lady's eyes.

Clang!~

Sparks flew as the kunai Kyomu had thrust was blocked by another kunai.

"Good grandson, don't scare grandma."

The originally hoarse voice became clear, full of vitality, but also tinged with annoyance.

People can disguise themselves, but subconscious actions won't deceive. Kyomu, with a probing intent, successfully tore off the opponent's facade.

He dropped the bowl in his hand, and his right hand rested on the hilt of the Yōei, already preparing for an attack.

"Purpose." He was concise, his arm tense.

"In fact, this caravan not only hired you, but us as well." She replied, "It's just that they delayed, so we had to come and check to prevent any accidents."

Kyomu's thoughts raced, combining various premonitions, and he believed her words, coming up with a quite accurate inference.

"Kirigakure ninja?"

"Yes, Kirigakure ninja." She nodded and reached out her hand as a gesture of goodwill, "Kiri ninja, Terumi Mei."

Aragami gave her a deep look, also extending his hand and shaking hers.

"Konoha Chunin, Yamashita Kyomu."

"What about that white-haired kid?"

"Oppa Paipai" Kyomu followed up, "And your three companions?"

Mei answered truthfully, and Kyomu nodded, sensing trouble coming.

The cargo this caravan was transporting was full of iron ores!

(End of Chapter)