"All those jokes are just words from people who can't fight. Those with real combat abilities still follow the boss's opinion."
After the most unstable factor in Nikamura was eliminated, the once-calm village came back to life.
No one could predict what kind of conflicts might arise in the days to come.
The journey back was very smooth. Not long after crossing the border, the group took off their raincoats.
The feeling of being under the sunlight again even made them show expressions of enjoyment.
In the end, Shiki still didn't go searching for his mother. He knew that village where he had claimed to have become separated from her must have already been visited by countless Konoha ninja.
If there were really any clues, his mother would have already been found.
Rather than placing hope on vague luck, it was better to rise to a higher position and obtain more valuable information.
However, nothing had been found yet.
Could it be that his mother was actually being controlled by some faction?
Shiki frowned. A perfect jinchuriki would be a prized asset for every faction.
"But I can only hope everything remains okay." With a sigh, Shiki silently prayed in his heart.
Chapter 110: Gaara
Once they entered the Land of Fire, their journey sped up considerably. In fact, when Shiki saw Konoha's main gate again, he couldn't help but feel a sense of temporal disorientation.
It felt as if he had never left Konoha at all; he was simply returning from training outside the village, as always.
They left the mission hall early in the morning. The sun shone brightly while sparrows chirped noisily.
Hayate Gekko stretched lazily, "Well then, let's split up here. We'll meet back at this location at two o'clock this afternoon."
"It's been a long time since we've returned home. Speaking of which, we really stayed in Nikamura for quite a while. I think even Sensei secretly hoped something would happen so we'd get dragged into battle involuntarily."
Shiki sighed, outwardly accepting that Hayate had stopped him from getting directly involved in Nikamura's affairs to avoid harming Konoha.
Actually, though, Shiki knew Hayate had still wanted Team 9 to gain real combat experience by fighting bandits and rogue ninja in the turbulent Land of Rain.
Otherwise, there would have been no need to stay in Nikamura so long after completing their mission—unless it was for the sake of gaining real battle experience.
Unfortunately, things turned out exactly as Nikamura's village headman had said—the village located in the rain-drenched Land of Rain indeed hadn't faced any bandit threats at all.
Precisely because of this abnormality, everyone realized there were deep waters beneath Nikamura's surface. At the very least, they were hiding certain secrets from the four ninjas sent by Konoha.
"Indeed, Nikamura was extremely unusual. Originally, I thought this would definitely be an excellent test for you guys, but much to my surprise, they managed to remain calm even longer than we did." Hayate gave a faintly bitter smile. Originally, he had assumed they would easily get drawn into conflict in such an environment, but unexpectedly—they returned having accomplished nothing.
"Sensei Hayate, now that we're back, let's not talk about those matters anymore," Yuuma said, frowning.
Hayate Gekko replied, "Alright then, I won't say anything."
Soon after, the group exchanged nods and parted ways. However, Yuuma Akimoto headed off with Shiki. In Konoha, there was no one more important to her than Sena Hoshino.
Truthfully, she hadn't had many significant people in her life to begin with, so naturally, returning and meeting up with Sena-chan together with Shiki felt perfectly normal.
Yuuma naturally hooked her arm through Shiki's right arm and leaned affectionately against him. Shiki walked forward without glancing sideways; the subtle, delicate scent of the girl beside him didn't cause even a momentary hesitation.
He'd long grown accustomed to Yuuma clinging to him like a kitten nuzzling his shoulder.
A gentle breeze blew around them, but it lacked the chill they would have felt back in the Land of Rain. The sunlight in Konoha was abundant and warm, inviting a pleasant sense of sleepiness.
After walking through several streets, they finally reached this somewhat remote part of Konoha.
Here, only a few households existed, most not belonging to ninja families.
Wild flowers and plants grew abundantly around the house, giving off an impression of vibrant vitality. A white wooden fence separated these wild plants from the small yard inside, where numerous plants were clearly being carefully tended to.
In spring, pink cherry blossoms would fall gracefully and gently.
Creak— came the sound as Shiki pushed open the wooden door.
"Shiki, you're back," said a voice. Surprisingly, it wasn't Sena Hoshino, but Tenten.
Her tone carried soft joy, and delight showed on her face.
"Tenten, why are you here?" Shiki asked in surprise.
"Lee and I just finished our mission, so we came over to visit Sena-chan."
"You're here to crash a meal, aren't you?" Shiki looked helplessly at the rice grains still on Tenten's cheek.
Actually, coming over to Sena Hoshino's place for free meals was a common habit among Shiki's friends — after all, it wasn't unusual for him to find at home: a certain teenage boy with golden whiskers (nicknamed King), a twelve-year-old who always seemed detached from the world, a rather plump boy nicknamed the new "butterfly", and a certain thick-browed boy.
"Yo yo, Shiki — Mr. Determination on the road of youth! Long time no see!"
Sure enough, Lee raised his hand high into the air as he called out to Shiki when he appeared.
Shiki frowned slightly, muttering, "I knew it... Lee was definitely going to be here."
Since Team Guy had completed their mission, it was perfectly natural that Lee and Tenten had come here together to eat.
Yuuma also let go of Shiki's arm and quietly pulled up a chair to sit down.
Tenten smiled and said, "It's been a while, Yuuma."
"Yeah, I missed everyone." Yuuma nodded sincerely — her world wasn't that big to begin with; the people she cared about made up her entire world.
"It's just been a while since I last came back — it was all because we've been training away recently."
Shiki also pulled up a chair and sat down. Suddenly, he asked with confusion, "Where's Sena-chan?"
Lee looked up. "Sena-chan had afternoon duty, so she left after cooking."
"I see."
Tenten glanced at the Seiquan resting in the corner beside Shiki and asked, "Shiki, have you really started learning sword training?"
"Yeah."
"Honestly, I have no idea how your mind works sometimes. Can't you just stay focused for once?" Tenten said with a sigh.
Shiki shook his head as well. "If I had a choice... Look, my sword skills are actually pretty strong by now."
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