The highest tower of E-Rantel shimmered as the teleportation array activated.
Thirty combat shinobi and twenty support shinobi materialized within the chamber, their expressions firm, carrying a mix of tension and anticipation.
Guided by Konoha's support-nin, the delegation from Sunagakure stepped out of the tower—and froze for a moment.
Before them stretched a fortified, prosperous city unlike anything in the Great Shinobi Continent.
"The air here… even smells sweeter than back home."
A Suna shinobi's comment drew murmurs of agreement.
This air didn't carry natural energy—it was saturated with the foreign essence of mana, which brushed across their skin and seeped faintly into their bodies.
But within seconds, the infiltrating mana clashed with their chakra and was promptly expelled, crackling away like droplets on hot metal.
Support-nin from the Hyūga clan observed everything carefully with their Byakugan—tracking the behavior of mana within the body.
Though most of it dispersed immediately, a minuscule amount lingered, subtle as grains of sand slipping through fingers.
Whether this would have long-term effects was still unknown.
"The air is a bit fresher," someone else observed.
As the shinobi spread out, five short-statured figures immediately drew attention—the young disciples trained personally under the Shinobi Supreme, Uchiha Soren.
Orochimaru inhaled deeply, yellow serpentine eyes gleaming with interest.
Nearby, Biryūho looked around with fascination.
Meanwhile, the most restless of the group—Jiraiya—had already climbed onto the outer wall, spread his arms wide, and shouted:
"NEW WORLD! The great Jiraiya has arrived!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement, imagining countless unknown beauties waiting just beyond the horizon.
"Shut up, you idiot!"
A solid punch from Tsunade folded him like a shrimp.
She clapped the dust off her hands and glared at him.
"Don't forget—we never reported this trip to Soren-sensei. If the adults drag us home, I'll beat you again!"
(I'm pretty sure we were already noticed the moment we stepped foot here…)
Kato Dan, the most rule-abiding of the group, sighed silently.
Children? Hardly.
Soren's disciples—even in their growth phase—were recognized instantly by elite shinobi of every village.
Trying to hide was impossible.
The five had traveled by transferring between Suna's teleportation array to Iwagakure's, using the continental-class transport array—expensive enough that only villages with proper funding could pay for it.
Four of the five were penniless.
Only Tsunade—heiress of the Senju—had the wealth to cover such costs.
A heavily indebted Jiraiya touched his stomach miserably and dared not speak under Tsunade's raised fist.
"Come on, Tsunade. Just let him be happy for once."
Dan patted Jiraiya's shoulder, earning a grateful look.
"Hmph. Fine. But behave yourselves—people are staring."
"We're not tourists," Orochimaru reminded them, waving for everyone to follow as they entered the triple-walled city.
The street scene was completely different from the shinobi world.
The five looked around with wide eyes.
"The Basic Handbook of the New World says the quickest way to understand this continent is to become adventurers. The guild collects the fastest information."
Dan flipped through his palm-sized booklet.
"Then let's register," Jiraiya said cheerfully, hands behind his head while eyeing the surrounding shops—fruit stalls, weapon forges, potion stores…
(There! Found it!)
Jiraiya's heart skipped.
A tall three-story building with violet, sultry decorations stood ahead.
Its sign read:
Moonlit Pavilion of the Heavens
(This feeling… unmistakable. Just like the bathhouse districts back home.)
(I MUST see what's inside—especially if those demi-humans with fluffy ears and tails also work there…)
"Wipe that perverted look off your face!"
Tsunade's sixth sense locked onto his intentions immediately, her tiny fist clenching.
Jiraiya retreated behind Orochimaru with a wince.
"Enough. We're here."
The Adventurer's Guild bustled with activity—shinobi from Amegakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure… and—
"Over there—those two are seniors!"
The five nearly turned and ran when they spotted a bright green jumpsuit and a silver-haired shinobi with a short blade.
But a voice called out:
"Dai! It's Orochimaru and the others."
"It really is!"
Might Dai and Hatake Sakumo waved cheerfully.
"Dai-senpai, Sakumo-senpai."
After greetings, the seven sat together.
Now already a jōnin-class shinobi, Sakumo studied the five youngsters.
Their expressions were far too suspicious.
"What are you five doing in the New World?"
Orochimaru coughed lightly, maintaining composure.
"Sakumo-senpai… Soren-sensei approved our journey to broaden our horizons."
That was true—
except Soren had approved travel within the shinobi world, not across dimensions.
Sakumo stared at them long enough to make Jiraiya sweat.
Then—
"Well, since fate brought us together here,"
he said calmly,
"why don't you join Dai and me for a mission today?"
Might Dai thumped Sakumo's shoulder.
"Hahaha! Yes! Youth burns brightest when shared!"
Understanding Dai's intent, Sakumo sighed—but nodded.
Better to keep these five under supervision
than let Soren's students roam unsupervised and potentially cause international incidents.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL