After resting properly for the night, Natsuhiko and Kakashi set off early the next morning.
However, Kakashi couldn't help but glance at Natsuhiko curiously.
During the second half of the night, when Kakashi had woken up to take over the watch, he had clearly seen Natsuhiko studying a scroll on sealing techniques.
Sealing techniques were by no means simple.
Ordinary ninja rarely had access to them, and their difficulty was almost unimaginable.
Kakashi could understand how Natsuhiko had obtained such a scroll. After all, he was a veteran member of the ANBU. It wasn't strange for someone with his record to acquire rare materials through merit.
But sealing techniques were truly not easy to learn.
Very few people could master them. In every village, anyone capable of using sealing techniques was considered elite.
Even if their combat ability wasn't exceptional, they would often be assigned to a sealing unit, where they would receive proper protection.
Just look at the barrier seals each village used to prevent enemy infiltration—that alone showed how valuable sealing specialists were.
Of course, against truly powerful enemies, such seals could prove insufficient.
But at the very least, they provided early warning of intruders.
"Captain, are you very interested in sealing techniques?" Kakashi asked curiously as they traveled.
"More or less." Natsuhiko nodded. "I've actually been interested in sealing techniques for a long time. It's just a pity—my talent in this area seems a bit lacking. But I have no intention of giving up."
"Is that so…" Kakashi pursed his lips slightly, clearly thinking about something.
"Alright, enough about that. Let's pick up the pace," Natsuhiko said with a smile. "Don't forget we have a mission. If we arrive late, that'll be troublesome."
Kakashi immediately fell silent.
Indeed, they had more important matters at hand.
Still, he made a mental note of Natsuhiko's intention to study sealing techniques.
For most people, sealing techniques were incredibly difficult. Even with access to materials, there might be no proper learning path.
But Kakashi was different.
In the future, he himself would become fairly proficient in sealing techniques. When Sasuke had been marked with Orochimaru's Cursed Seal, Kakashi had been the one to suppress and seal it first.
Kakashi had the foundation to master sealing arts.
After all, his teacher was Minato Namikaze.
And his teacher's wife was Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
...
The two resumed their journey at high speed.
After more than another full day of travel, they finally arrived at the border of the Land of Fire.
The Land of Fire was vast. For ninja, spending several days traveling was entirely normal.
Fortunately, they weren't on an escort mission—so they didn't need to consider a client's stamina.
Nor were they marching as part of a large army, where everyone's pace had to be coordinated.
With just the two of them, their flexibility ensured impressive speed.
However, upon arrival, they did not head straight to the garrison.
Instead, they chose to scout the surrounding area first.
The ANBU and the regular border garrison ninja operated under two separate systems.
To avoid complicated handovers—and for the sake of secrecy—ANBU generally did not make direct contact unless necessary.
After all, it was impossible to be certain whether the garrison had been infiltrated.
If it had, then exposing the ANBU's movements would mean the mission was compromised.
Avoiding risk was the ANBU's foremost priority.
After patrolling the outer perimeter of the border and inspecting a surveillance post near the stronghold, Natsuhiko nodded slightly.
There seemed to be no problems.
The surroundings were calm.
Although the geographical position was considered one of the most dangerous areas—
For the moment, no one appeared to be approaching.
"Captain, this place looks fine," Kakashi scanned the surroundings before speaking calmly. "But isn't there still one surveillance post we haven't checked?"
"Mm, that's right." Natsuhiko nodded. "Let's go. Once we finish inspecting that one, we can rest for a bit."
Each surveillance post was positioned differently, but all were arranged around the main stronghold, with open fields of view that allowed clear observation of the surroundings.
If one of these posts was attacked, and the enemy wasn't overwhelmingly powerful or numerous, they could launch a flare to call for reinforcements.
But now that even the ANBU had been deployed, it could only mean one thing—
The number of attackers was unlikely to be small.
"Hmm?"
While advancing, Natsuhiko suddenly frowned.
His sensory perception had already picked up fluctuations of chakra in the distance.
His sensing ability had always been strong. He barely needed to exert effort to detect such things.
And these chakra fluctuations were intense—clearly the signs of battle.
That meant the surveillance post had most likely already come under attack.
"Speed up. Prepare for combat," Natsuhiko said in the simplest tone possible. "We've run into trouble. There are probably quite a few enemies."
"Yes, Captain."
Kakashi didn't question him at all.
He had long realized that Natsuhiko possessed strong sensory abilities. Though he didn't know the exact extent of them, they were absolutely trustworthy.
After Natsuhiko gave the order, the two of them accelerated instantly.
Even as they dashed forward, they began preparing their weapons.
Before long, they could see with the naked eye—
On a surveillance tower in the distance, more than a dozen ninja wearing Iwagakure's red uniforms were attacking Konoha shinobi.
"Iwa ninja?" Kakashi frowned. "Are they deliberately disguising themselves to sabotage the peace between Konoha and Iwa?"
"Obviously. Anyone with eyes can see that," Natsuhiko replied calmly. "At the end of the day, it's always about profit."
Profit?
Kakashi's brows knitted slightly. He didn't fully understand what Natsuhiko meant.
But there was no time to ask.
They were getting closer, and the Konoha defenders were clearly reaching their limits.
At that moment, Natsuhiko suddenly drew out a kunai.
In an instant, powerful Water Release chakra gathered along its blade.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
The amount of Water Release chakra on the kunai grew larger and larger—then began to compress and spin violently!
The next moment, the chakra stabilized.
But the very nature of the water seemed to have changed under Natsuhiko's manipulation.
Sharp.
Piercing.
An overwhelming sense of pressure radiated outward.
Even Kakashi couldn't help but be astonished.
"This is… both shape transformation and nature transformation at an extremely high level?"
Kakashi thought to himself.
In the next instant—
Natsuhiko hurled the kunai with full force.
It tore through the air with a fierce screeching sound, carrying a suffocating pressure as it shot straight toward an enemy's chest in the distance.