Because it wasn't a particularly urgent mission, the group wasn't traveling fast, and they only reached the border of the Land of Rivers by the end of the day.
Kakashi intentionally or unintentionally chose a different route to the Land of Rivers than the last time, so they didn't pass by Sansho Granny's shop—the Konoha Technician wouldn't fall in the same curry house twice.
They set up a tent directly in the wilderness for the night, and Naruto took out the cooking utensils and ingredients he carried with him, while Kakashi was in charge of cooking.
Chef Kakashi's skills were excellent, especially his fish dishes, which were so delicious that even with Kakashi's hand speed, he couldn't get a bite.
After the meal, the three little ones sat by the fire, rubbing their bellies, watching Kakashi pack up.
Sasuke blushed a little. It had been a long time since he had been so ungraceful, probably because Naruto hadn't been coming to his house for meals lately.
He didn't expect that it would still be the same as when he was a child, that it tasted best when Naruto was there to fight him for food.
Kakashi looked at his three students and lectured, "Ninjas shouldn't eat too much when carrying out missions, because it's easy to get sleepy, relax their vigilance, and affect combat."
"Isn't it because Kakashi-sensei's cooking is too delicious?" Sakura said, distressed. "I've been trying to lose weight lately, but I accidentally ate so much again."
"Restraining your desires is also a required course for ninjas. This only shows that your training is not enough."
"Is that so? Then let me tell you, I secretly saw Pervy Sage's manuscript last time, and the male lead in the ending of your book..."
Kakashi immediately covered his ears and shouted, "Shut up! I won't listen! Spoilers die... cough, spoilers have no good ending!"
Kakashi hadn't completely lost his mind; some things couldn't be said carelessly.
Naruto laughed, and Kakashi let go of his hand when he saw that Naruto wasn't going to continue.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, imitating Kakashi's tone, "restraining your desires is also a required course for ninjas. Being so concerned about a book shows that your training is not enough, oh~"
"Ah, you guys are really hopeless." Kakashi's shoulders drooped, and his eyes returned to their dead fish state.
"Hahaha!" Naruto and Sakura laughed out loud, and the corners of Sasuke's mouth also curved up.
The joking time ended, and Kakashi said, "Alright, take turns keeping watch. You guys go rest first."
"Yes~" *3
Then Naruto casually set up a small sensory barrier and a simple defense barrier before yawning and crawling into the tent.
Nothing happened overnight, and they didn't reach the vicinity of the client's designated location until almost noon the next day.
"How are we supposed to find it in such a big jungle?"
"Shadow Clone?"
"That's too much trouble." Naruto pointed at Kakashi, "Why not let the dogs out?"
"Although I understand what you mean, I feel like you're scolding me." Kakashi glanced at Naruto and used the Summoning Technique to summon a pug about the size of Tonton.
"Yo, Kakashi." Pakkun raised his front paw and casually greeted him, then turned his head to look at Naruto and the others. "Are these your students? Nice to meet you, I'm Pakkun."
"Hello." *3
Kakashi said, "We need to find a Ferret this time, I'm counting on you."
"Leave it to me, ferrets have a strong body odor." After saying that, Pakkun's nose twitched, and then he stared straight at Sakura.
Sakura felt uncomfortable being stared at by Pakkun and asked, "Wh... what's wrong?"
Pakkun said solemnly, "Little girl, if I'm not mistaken... the shampoo you use is the same brand as mine!"
"Huh?" Sakura was stunned, then exclaimed, "Huh~~~~ No way!"
Kakashi's eyes curved into crescents, and he smilingly added, "Pakkun is a tracking ninja dog, his nose doesn't make mistakes~"
Sakura stood there, her whole person turning gray and white: "Same brand... as a dog..."
Pakkun raised his hind leg and scratched his ear, saying proudly, "Although the shampoo is the same brand, my fur is still smoother."
"Pfft~" Naruto laughed unkindly, and Sasuke turned his head away to stifle a laugh.
"I'm going to throw away my shampoo when I get back!"
"You seem very shocked." Pakkun thought for a moment and said, "Oh well, how about I let you squeeze my paw pads?"
"Who wants to squeeze that kind of thing!" Sakura raised her fist, "Kakashi-sensei, what did you call him here for!"
"Okay, don't get excited." Kakashi quickly appeased her. He knew Sakura's combat power; this punch would kill a dog, "Stop fooling around, Pakkun, start tracking."
"Understood." Pakkun lowered his head and sniffed the ground.
Naruto provided sound effects in his mind: "Heaven and earth are boundless, track for ten thousand miles!"
"Found it!" Pakkun said, turning his head, "There's a ferret-like scent ahead."
So, the four of them followed Pakkun into the jungle, jumping between the branches. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't see any vines, or he could have experienced a Tarzan-like feeling.
"Stop." Pakkun landed on the ground and sniffed at the footprints, "The direction of the scent matches these footprints. The target may have been captured by someone else."
Kakashi crouched down to observe the footprints, "Judging by the size, they should be about the same as you guys, but the depth is off. Are they carrying something heavy or wearing armor?"
Naruto was also puzzled. According to the plot, they should have been able to catch them easily. Could it be that they were late?
Kakashi stood up and said, "Keep chasing, stay alert."
The three little ones nodded and followed Kakashi and Pakkun.
They continued through the jungle and crossed a valley, and the grass under their feet gradually turned into a desert.
"Very close." Pakkun reminded.
"We've already reached the Land of Wind." Kakashi felt uneasy. Could there really be some trouble?
After chasing for a while, Pakkun stopped and said, "We're here, right ahead."
The four of them looked in the direction Pakkun's paw was pointing, and saw a group of buildings, mainly made of stone, that looked ancient and somewhat like pyramids.
But what was even more eye-catching was a steel fortress next to it, about ten stories high, with several lightning rod-like antennas on top, looking out of place here.
Kakashi scratched his head and said, "It seems like we're really in trouble..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a door opened in the fortress, and dozens of large iron balls spewed out. After landing, they very unscientifically turned into burly men wearing armor and wielding long-handled hammers.
"This thing... Nezha?" Naruto muttered.
But no one answered. The burly men rushed over without saying a word, swinging their hammers.
Boom! The force was good, but the speed was lacking. Naruto seized the opportunity to punch the armored man in the stomach three times to test his defense.
"Hiss~ So hard." Naruto dodged the armored man's counterattack, retreated a few steps, and used a Jackie Chan-style hand-flinging motion, the pain relief effect was remarkable.
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