Chapter 84: Is this a mission, or a honeymoon?
The forest on the border of the Land of Windwasn't particularly dense, but moving at high speed, the dry branches kept brushing past, attempting to block their path.
Kakashi Hatake was running at the very front of the group, his dead-fish eyes uncharacteristically filled with gravity. He was calculating the combat strength of the Akatsuki. As the team leader, he felt the heavy burden on his shoulders.
After all, this mission involved an alliance between two great nations.
"Everyone, stay sharp. Although we are just traveling, the enemy could appear at any moment..."
Kakashi turned his head slightly, wanting to remind his subordinates to stay vigilant.
But when his peripheral vision swept over the formation behind him, the serious words he intended to say got stuck in his throat.
In the back of the group, they were in a perfect "U" shape.
Naruto was running in the middle, with Sakura Haruno, who radiated a "don't mess with me" aura, on his left, and Temari, who didn't forget her queenly demeanor even while traveling and held a large iron fan, on his right.
Does this look like a rescue mission?
It looked more like some rich young master taking two personal bodyguards out for a picnic in the wild!
The worst part was the expression on that Blonde Youth.
Naruto had his hands behind his back, his body leaning forward, and his eyes were restlessly scanning back and forth between the two beauties. The faint, wicked smile on the corner of his mouth was blinding in the sunlight.
"Heh, although it's pitiful that the Kazekage was captured, but who is Gaara? He's a plot-armored cheater with a built-in resurrection armor."
Naruto's inner voice rang out unceremoniously in both of their minds.
"Since I don't have to worry about the life of that panda-eyed guy, isn't this long-distance raid... just a private trip for me and two great beauties?"
The pink-haired girl on the left stumbled, almost snapping a tree trunk. The Sunagakure mature older sister type on the right flicked her folding fan, nearly blowing away a leaf.
"Look at little Sakura on the left. After learning the Strength of a Hundred, her skin is getting more and more supple. The way her hair flies when she runs makes her a standard violent sweetheart."
"And look at Temari on the right. Tsk tsk, that fishnet outfit is even more flavorful in the light and shadow of the forest. And have you noticed? The two of you have me sandwiched in the middle. The scent in the air... is that the legendary ultimate pheromone of 'left and right embrace'?"
Sakura's face flushed red, while Temari, to hide her shyness, glared fiercely at the innocent Kakashi in front.
But Naruto's imagination clearly wouldn't stop. He looked up at the sun, which was gradually sinking to the west.
"It's about to get dark. Since we're traveling, isn't this the classic wild camping script!"
"In such a dangerous forest, to prevent enemy ambushes, huddling together in one tent for warmth is a basic Ninja skill, right?"
Hearing "huddling in one tent," the breathing rhythm of both Sakura and Temari faltered at the same time.
"There's only one sleeping bag, and the cold wind is howling outside. As the core combat power of the team, I, Naruto-kun, must sleep in the very middle."
"Sakura can hold my left arm, Temari can hold my right arm... Hmm, what was that idiom called? Soft jade and warm fragrance?"
"More importantly, how dark is the forest at night! What if they get scared? So I must turn myself into a big furnace, letting them press tightly against me, feeling each other's heartbeats and the temperature of every inch of skin... Especially that tension of being squeezed out of the sleeping bag if they don't cling tightly, hiss—! This is the essence of team building!"
Sakura and Temari's cheeks were burning, and hot air was almost rising from the tops of their heads.
The two girls, separated by Naruto in the middle, actually exchanged a strange glance while moving at high speed.
That was the look of predators.
That was the fighting spirit of not wanting to lose to the other in this virtual war of "snatching the sleeping bag."
Sakura: "The spot in the middle of the sleeping bag... I will never give it to that woman from Sunagakure!"
Temari: "That furnace... must be mine! That little brat from Konoha needs to back off!"
Almost at that very moment, a crisp system prompt sounded simultaneously in both their minds.
"Ding!"
"Detected that the host (Sakura Haruno / Temari) has received strong tactical expectations from the core target regarding 'field camping' and the'sleeping bag battle.'"
"System judgment: If you can't even keep up, how can you talk about crawling into the same sleeping bag? In order not to fall behind on that beautiful night, and even to 'occupy' the favorable terrain first, you need to exceed the speed of the wind."
"Also, to see every detail of your crush clearly even in the pitch-black tent, you need eyes that can see through the night."
"Reward issued: Buff skill — [Wind Walk · Godspeed Mode]. Passive ability — [High-Definition Night Vision (Love Filter Edition)]."
"Effect description: Speed is passion! Your movement speed is increased by 30%, and your perception in night environments is doubled. As long as you want, no one can crawl into that imaginary sleeping bag faster than you!"
"Hmph!"
Temari's lips curled into a cold sneer. Her already extremely fast figure accelerated again, turning into a blur. Chakra exploded under her feet, actually kicking up a ring of air waves directly on the tree trunk!
"I won't lose either!"
Sakura was even more simple and crude. Her legs were covered in light blue Chakra. With every step she took, the big tree under her feet shattered directly. Using that terrifying reaction force, she turned into a pink blur and shot out.
Naruto, who was originally in the middle, was instantly left behind.
"Hey! Wait for me! Why are you running so fast? We still need to choose a campsite by the river ahead!"
Naruto froze for a moment, then laughed and accelerated to catch up, "Whoever runs slowly sleeps on the outer ring tonight!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The three figures accelerated instantly, the raging wind they stirred up snapping the shrubs along the way.
Leaving behind Kakashi Hatake, who had been leading the way but was now lonely and eating dust.
Kakashi stopped on a tree branch, staring blankly at the three figures ahead that were about to disappear. A few fallen leaves swirled and landed on his silver hair, looking somewhat desolate.
"This..."
Kakashi's eye twitched. He looked at his own Joninspeed, which he was proud of, and then at the group of young people ahead who were as hyped up as if they had taken stimulants.
"Are the Genin these days all this perverted in terms of stamina?"
He sighed, helplessly holding his forehead.
Kakashi gave a bitter smile and forced his Chakraagain, trying to catch up with that "Team 7 + 1" who were all going rogue.
"Naruto, this guy, I'm afraid he's going to die in a woman's comfort zone in the future."
Up ahead, in the dust-filled sky, one could vaguely hear Naruto's excited shouting: "Temari! You're speeding! That's a foul! And Sakura, don't step on the trees! You have to love the flowers and plants!"
And the girls' delicate shouts in unison: "Shut up! Keep up! No stopping until we reach the destination tonight!"
(Naruto's inner voice: {No stopping until we reach the destination? This sounds... why does it feel even more intense!})
This was destined to be a high-speed march that made Kakashi doubt his life.