"Understood!"
The four of them said no more. After confirming their direction, they plunged into the vast night.
The journey back was uneventful.
With the Hidden Cloud Village causing such a commotion at the border, the Hidden Sand Village's full attention was drawn there, leaving them no time to worry about these few who had slipped through the net.
A few days later, the group finally stepped into the Land of Fire.
The familiar humid air and forests allowed everyone's tense nerves to relax.
"We're finally back." Kurenai Yuhi let out a long sigh of relief and sat on the ground, regardless of her image.
"Don't be in such a hurry to relax." Shinku Yuhi took out a map, his expression serious: "There's still a long way to Konoha from here. After we rest for a bit, we need to hurry back as soon as possible."
Everyone nodded.
Aokawa's gaze swept across a clear river nearby. With a thought, he stood up and walked to the riverbank.
He raised his hands slightly, and over a dozen thin but tough Chakra Threads fell from his fingertips, silently sinking into the water.
Then, his fingers flicked rapidly. These Chakra Threads seemed to be given life, weaving through the river and skillfully passing through swimming fish.
With a flick of his wrist and a splash of water, over a dozen lively fish were pulled onto the shore.
This precise Chakra control stunned the other three.
This... you can even use it like this?
"Aokawa, you know how to use Chakra Threads?" Shinku Yuhi asked in surprise.
"Weren't there materials related to Puppet Technique in the intel we seized? I studied them a bit on the way," Aokawa said dismissively.
Then he changed the subject: "It's temporarily safe now. Let's eat some cooked food. I'm tired of eating dry rations."
Sure enough, everyone's attention was quickly diverted by the fresh fish.
Uchiha Tetsubi volunteered to be in charge of the fire.
He quickly gathered firewood, extended his index finger, focused for a moment, and a flame "poof"ed into life at his fingertip.
He curled his lips in satisfaction and moved his finger toward the woodpile.
However, the flame didn't follow his fingertip down to light the wood; instead, it stubbornly burned upwards.
"Sss!" The tongue of fire licked the back of his hand unexpectedly, burning a clear blister.
"I can't even handle you?" Uchiha Tetsubi refused to believe it and tried several times in a row.
Each time, he ended up getting burned.
He frowned, took a deep breath, and quickly formed hand signs.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A fireball wobbled and smashed into the already prepared woodpile.
Crash!
He didn't control the power well, and the woodpile he had just set up was blown to pieces.
The scene was extremely awkward for a moment.
Uchiha Tetsubi's face turned the color of pig liver, and he wanted to try again.
"Let me do it," Aokawa's voice sounded calmly.
He walked over and casually extended his index finger.
A steady and bright orange flame ignited out of thin air at his fingertip.
He moved his fingertip into the center of the woodpile, but the flame didn't go upward like Uchiha Tetsubi's.
Instead, it condensed into a hot, pointed cone, extending from his fingertip and steadily pressing against the dry wood.
The sound of burning continued. Under the scorching of the high-speed flowing fire, the woodpile was quickly ignited, crackling as it burned.
"This guy knows Fire Release too?"
Uchiha Tetsubi looked at the campfire, then at Aokawa's finger that hadn't been withdrawn yet, feeling like his worldview of over ten years had taken a massive hit.
This fire control ability was even more ridiculous than his own, an Uchiha clan member famous for Fire Release?
Looking at the shape of the flame, it was clear that his level of Chakra Shape Transformation for Fire Release was quite high.
Moreover, to be able to output fire so steadily, his Chakra control was even more terrifying.
Was the gap really that big?
He sighed, walked silently to the side, and began picking up branches to build a grill.
Seeing this, Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She squatted down, skillfully cleaned the fish on the ground, skewered them with sticks, and placed them on the grill Uchiha Tetsubi had built.
Soon, under the roasting of the flames, the fish began to sizzle, emitting an enticing aroma.
Kurenai Yuhi first took two skewers and handed them to her father and Uchiha Tetsubi respectively.
Then she took another two, handing one to Aokawa: "Aokawa, here."
"Thanks."
She sat down beside Aokawa and began to eat in small bites.
The aroma of the fish was fatally attractive to everyone who had been eating dry rations for days.
Even without seasoning, the four of them ate with great relish.
Kurenai Yuhi's gaze would occasionally steal a glance at Aokawa.
"What is it?" Noticing Kurenai's gaze, Aokawa turned his head.
"No... it's nothing."
Kurenai Yuhi's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly looked away: "I just wanted to say, thank you so much for this mission."
"Don't mention it!" Aokawa responded with a smile.
After speaking, he said no more and silently munched on the grilled fish.
In his mind, he began to recall the major events of the Third Great Ninja War.
The Raikage's raid on the Land of Wind had completely opened the curtains on the Third Shinobi World War.
Next, Minato and the A-B Combo would have their first encounter.
Coupled with Ōnoki's sneak attack, casualties on the Front Lines would rise sharply.
Then Ninja Academy Students would also be sent to the Battlefield soon.
The time left for him was not much.
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