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After Akio joined the caravan, it took less than half an hour before they set off.
Akio looked around and frowned slightly. From what he could sense, there was at least one Jonin-level individual in the caravan, along with seven or eight Chunin, and several samurai of unknown strength. Including the scar-faced man—who likely also possessed Jonin-level ability—this escort mission could easily be classified as an S-rank mission by Konoha standards.
"What exactly are they transporting?" Akio muttered to himself, curiosity piqued.
After confirming that no one was watching, Akio quietly approached the nearest carriage, attempting to lift the curtain to sneak a peek at the contents inside.
"Big bro! You stayed too?!"
A sudden shout rang out right beside him, causing Akio to jolt in surprise.
Turning around helplessly, he saw that the seventeen-year-old boy from before had somehow sneaked up beside him.
"Heh… kid, congratulations…" Akio forced a smile.
The boy didn't notice Akio's odd expression at all and cheerfully said, "I told you, I'm not a kid! My name's Nakakai! What's your name, big bro?"
Akio sighed. Hiding his identity while traveling was turning out to be troublesome. Let your guard down for a second and you end up with a little brother. Tobirama would probably cry if he knew...
"Alright, Nakakai… kid… Nakakai?" Akio paused. "That's an odd name… I'm Aaron."
The boy fell silent for a moment, clearly baffled that Akio had the nerve to call his name strange.
From then on, Nakakai stuck to Akio like a tail, pestering him non-stop throughout the journey. Akio couldn't even find another chance to sneak a look into the carriage.
"You talk so much... definitely suited for being a 'middleman'…" Akio muttered under his breath.
"Huh? Big bro, what was that?"
"Nothing…"
A day later, the caravan entered the Land of Rivers. Just as the rumors said, the region was still mired in conflict, its own version of the Warring States period ongoing.
The caravan guards became visibly more alert. The scar-faced man, who had stopped paying attention to Akio after initially testing his strength, now approached him again.
"New-style samurai… let's put any grudges aside for now. If we get attacked, I'll be protecting the company president. I hope you'll do your best to protect the cargo."
Akio rolled his eyes. As if I have any grudges with you.
Still, he replied casually, "Relax. I take the money, I handle the trouble."
Scar-face paused for a moment, clearly unfamiliar with the saying, but he understood the gist of it and nodded before walking away.
Beside them, Nakakai once again chimed in, "Big bro, you're amazing! Even the captain consults you!"
Akio: "…"
To Akio's surprise, two days passed without incident. The caravan was nearly out of the Land of Rivers and about to cross into the Land of Lightning, and not a single attack had occurred.
Several squads from local shinobi clans had observed them from a distance, but none had made a move, almost as if deliberately avoiding the caravan.
Akio didn't bother trying to figure out the reason. Whatever the case, nothing so far posed a threat to him. All he needed was to use the caravan to slip into the Land of Lightning.
Two hours later, the caravan officially exited the Land of Rivers. Towering peaks loomed ahead, and thunder boomed continuously atop them.
"So this is where the Land of Lightning gets its name…" Akio murmured. "The world really is huge… I should've traveled sooner."
Looking around, Akio noticed the guards visibly relaxing now that they were past the border. Scar-face even cracked a terrifying grin, while Nakakai let out a sigh of relief. "Big bro, I can't believe it went so smoothly!"
Akio sighed. "Not necessarily…" He had noticed that the closer they got to the Land of Lightning, the more tense the company president became. It seemed they really were transporting something highly valuable…
"They've come? That chakra… probably S-rank level. What a pain. Huh? There's also ten others with Genin-level chakra? Are they not here to attack us?"
Akio frowned. His sensory abilities told him that a group of eleven was approaching. One had chakra rivaling even Tobirama's—definitely not weak. The others barely even qualified as Genin…
Sure enough, before long, a group of eleven appeared on the road ahead. Ten of them were clearly children, likely not even graduates of the Academy yet. Leading them was a massive man, over two meters tall, probably in his early twenties. His skin was dark, though his features weren't particularly intimidating.
Akio's expression darkened when he saw the man's face. "You've got to be kidding me… it's him? This could be trouble."
The caravan guards readied themselves, and Scar-face opened his mouth to speak—but the elderly company president raised a hand to stop him.
The old man shook his head bitterly and said, "Lord B, I didn't expect you to come in person…"
"B? Could it be that B?" Akio muttered.
In the Land of Lightning, there had long been an A-B pairing tradition. "A" referred to the Raikage—usually named "Ai"—while "B" was his right-hand man, often a powerful shinobi in his own right.
The B in front of Akio was unmistakable—this was the future Third Raikage!
The man known as B didn't answer. Instead, he turned to the ten children behind him and said solemnly, "One of you will be chosen to become my partner. Watch how I fight and learn."
With that, he turned and began walking toward the caravan.
Scar-face looked grim and motioned with his hand. A mustached man stepped forward—it was likely the Jonin Akio had sensed earlier. Scar-face motioned again. And again.
Akio blinked. "Wait, are you calling me?"
Scar-face frowned and turned to him. "You said it yourself—take the money, handle the trouble. This guy isn't someone we can handle alone. We'll take him together!"
Akio scratched his head, sighed, and pulled a 500,000 ryo promissory note from his pocket. He handed it to the old man. "Heh… I think I'll pass on the money."
The old man had paid a partial advance, knowing the enemies they might face weren't ordinary. It was meant to prevent anyone from fleeing. But clearly...
"Big bro! How could you?!" Nakakai shouted before the old man could respond.
"Hmph! New-style samurai really can't be trusted. Let's go!" Scar-face barked.
Akio sighed. "Go where, you idiots…" Sure enough, the next second, a flash of lightning sent the two men flying.
The old man's expression grew even more bitter. "Lord B, must you really oppose us like this?"
B didn't answer. His continued approach made his stance clear.
The old man's expression darkened. "Everyone, attack! Just hold him off! Reinforcements are on their way!"
"Ah…" The rest of the guards looked at each other but didn't move. Nakakai, however, shouted and charged forward.
A thunderous crash rang out as Akio's katana clashed with B's lightning-coated leg, the scabbard shattering on impact. Nakakai stood nearby, dumbfounded.
Akio had a bitter look on his face. "Why did things turn out like this…? I just wanted to sneak into the Land of Lightning. And if this guy isn't even using ninjutsu, I'm not sure I can keep up with him just using my Uzumaki techniques…"
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