It was called an escort mission, but it wasn't much different from taking a stroll since it was all taking place within the base. What was it like? It was like escorting someone to the edge of Konoha Village in the anime.
But if you really think that, reality will definitely give you a wake-up slap.
Striking like lightning with peerless precision, she slapped away a dishonest 'third hand' from the crowd!
This was already the fifth pickpocket!
Ever since stepping into the crowded area, Amane felt like she was playing a game of 'catch the thief,' and the target was invariably the client before her.
Amane had tried turning a stone into a bulging wallet and hanging it from her waist midway, but not a single person made a move on her.
[That makes sense. The proportion of actual civilians in this base should be quite low. Since most people are Ninja, this kind of mission is actually a form of training, which isn't surprising.]
Having realized this, Amane couldn't help but raise a hand and make a few hand signals. This was to notify Ameyuri Ringo, who was hidden in the shadows, of the current situation and her hypothesis.
This was Amane's arrangement. She, with the best overall performance, and Ye, who was lacking in various areas, would provide close-range protection, while Ameyuri Ringo, with the strongest explosive power, would follow at a distance.
This way, assuming they encountered someone with ill intent, as long as the strength gap wasn't particularly large, the three of them could respond in time.
You want to be sneaky?
Amane says, 'Oh?'
You want to deal with Ameyuri Ringo following behind first? Even an average Chunin shouldn't expect to take her down quickly; by then, she'd simply arrange for Ye to provide long-range support.
What? A direct frontal assault? Then there really was no good countermeasure; such a simple and crude mode of action could only be decided by raw strength.
After passing through the more crowded areas, a vast forest terrain came into view. A faint mist drifted through it, making it an ideal spot for an ambush. Amane's heart couldn't help but tighten.
With her Sensing Technique active at all times, this forest was simply fraught with danger.
Every tree in the entire forest possessed a faint trace of Chakra, and there were many fierce beasts with Chakra in their bodies that had already caught their scent and were moving toward them!
It has to be said that in the world of Naruto, humans aren't the only ones with Chakra. Some animals and plants can awaken Chakra after consuming humans.
Additionally, there are some exceptionally powerful monsters that pop up inexplicably from time to time.
The above was knowledge acquired in Root. Regarding this, Amane, a transmigrator familiar with the plot, actually had some theories.
(PS: The following is headcanon/fan-setting.)
The origin of Chakra is the Fruit of the Divine Tree. It was later passed on to the world by Hagoromo, also known as the Six Paths Sage, through the Ninjutsu Sect.
However, there are many creatures in the original work with Ninjutsu abilities. Amane guessed that if it wasn't animals or plants eating people with Chakra, then someone must have passed Chakra to certain animals.
As for the powerful monsters that appear inexplicably sometimes, they likely became spirits by accidentally absorbing Natural Energy. It's possible the three Sages of the Three Great Sage Regions in ancient times were in this situation.
[But they're still easy to deal with. It's a pity I'm not here alone, otherwise I'd want to try using the Contract Seal to get a few Summoned Beasts.]
In the original work, Sasuke's eagle was really cool. Amane had already had ideas since learning Sealing Jutsu, but unfortunately, that can only be postponed for now.
Besides, the things currently being slaughtered by Ameyuri Ringo in this forest aren't of much value for a Contract Seal anyway.
Thinking of this, Amane casually threw two shuriken, killing two snakes that had been missed on the spot.
"This forest used to be a battlefield for the Hidden Mist Village, so many people died here. Later, it was used as a place to dispose of corpses. So even the smell of blood is much thicker than in other places, though it still can't compare to the Hidden Mist Village itself."
The person speaking and providing background info was the client, Toyama Kei. Amane's eyes darted around as she thought, but she didn't make a sound, continuing to perform her duties.
Unlike the many pickpockets before, this forest'stage' clearly required more concentration and adjustments to her physical strength and Chakra.
She then sensed Ameyuri Ringo's situation, estimating when the two sides should swap shifts and when she should step back.
"Is that so... Miss Toyama said she came to admire the flowers, but could it be that she's actually..."
A trace of sadness appeared on Ye's cold face, just like when Toyama Kei was giving the explanation.
Taking this opportunity, Amane gave Ameyuri Ringo a signal, and they swapped positions.
"Yes, my mother died here."
Ameyuri Ringo's brow furrowed slightly. Hearing such a topic made her feel extremely uncomfortable, and a surge of anger toward Amane instantly rose in her heart.
She's definitely abusing her authority!
But Ameyuri Ringo had no choice now. Unless she disregarded the mission and flew up to kick Amane down, she could only obediently stay here and listen to the even more uncomfortable conversation between the two.
And based on her understanding of Amane, she definitely wouldn't be able to escape this scene for a short while. Amane was the Sensing Ninja, after all; she could more efficiently avoid danger and decide the path ahead.
[Sorry, Ameyuri Ringo. Although you could have held out for a while longer, from the moment that woman said that sentence, I basically knew what would follow. It's not that I lack empathy, I'm just a bit uncomfortable by her side, forgive me.]
Apologizing silently in her heart, Amane quickly concentrated her energy to sense the surroundings. The next second, she drew the short sword at her waist and used Body Flicker, killing a large centipede in the distance within a few seconds.
[And this distance should be about enough.]
Amane formed a hand seal.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Following a series of 'bang bang bang' sounds, Amane finally displayed this A-rank Forbidden Jutsu for the first time since leaving Root.
[About 300 with this Chakra ratio? Good! Use them all to deduce the Tongue Binding Seal.]
Shadow Clones cannot refine Chakra; they can only use the Chakra allocated to them at the start.
So, if the goal is to use them for cultivation, the ratio must be calculated carefully.
As a side note, Amane's record in Root was over a thousand, but let's not mention the quality of those.
However, that was shortly after obtaining Hashirama cells when she was only 4 years old. Now, Amane felt that if quality wasn't considered, she could probably break her record.
With 300 Shadow Clones used for deduction, Amane felt that with her current talent, she might actually finish it today!
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly. As long as she could break this cursed seal, her next step would be to find a way to reasonably have Ding exit the stage. And given the current situation in Kirigakure, Amane felt there was still a chance.
And then... she'd take it one step at a time.
How to return to Konoha and meet and recognize Naruto was still a problem; Amane currently had no ideas regarding that. This was also why she wanted to reasonably have Ding exit the stage rather than just killing him outright.
[Hmm? Is someone following us? Fortunately, I also had some Shadow Clones split off to sense.]
Not only that, all of Amane's Shadow Clones had just used Transformation Jutsu. Although it would consume some Chakra, it was a double insurance.
From an individual Shadow Clone that had just voluntarily dispelled itself, Amane learned that new animals had died behind their group of four, and it was clearly man-made.
[I can't directly sense their Chakra? It seems the possibility that they are targeting me is very high. Currently, there are two most likely scenarios: one is that they still have doubts about me. Or, is a spy from the Mizukage's side trying to nip the 'New Sprout' in the bud?]
Amane thought about the second option and felt it was somewhat unreliable. But if the conditions were changed—for example, if the target was Toyama Kei, or if they were doing something shady at the destination and needed to kill us in advance to keep it a secret—it became more reasonable.
Her eyes darted around as Amane thought of a counter-strategy.