Chapter 32
"Come on, everyone's here. Did you bring everything you need?" Yamato stood at the entrance of the village, carrying a brown backpack while checking over the gear of Zixu and the others.
"Everything's ready. Plenty of kunai, smoke bombs, and ration pills..." Aburame Hatsuizumi showed a sealing scroll to Yamato.
"Good. Make sure to use the sealing scroll wisely. Huh?" Yamato frowned as his gaze fell on Zixu, who was still yawning. "Zixu, why do you look so damn tired? Didn't you pay attention to what I said earlier?"
"Hmm? Ah, I woke up in the middle of the night from the cold and couldn't get back to sleep, so I just practiced some ninjutsu." Technically, Zixu wasn't lying—training in Sage Mode did count as practice.
"Oh? Well, make sure you cover yourself at night. And don't overdo it with training. Rest when you need to." Yamato nodded skeptically but didn't press the issue. After greeting the Konoha gate guards, he led the group out of the village.
Konoha was surrounded by vast forests, stretching endlessly in all directions. The village itself sat like a massive ark floating in a sea of trees. Though they had all read about the surrounding environment in books, seeing it firsthand was an entirely different experience.
"Eh? I've never seen aphids like these in the village before. They're a new species. I need to collect them... Hmm? The pattern on this butterfly's wings is different too. Could it be an environmental mutation? And this grass... it's attracting a ridiculous number of ants. I should gather some for study..."
Among them, Hatsuizumi was the most excited—like a wild dog finally let off its leash. She darted around, collecting insects with unrestrained enthusiasm, forcing Yamato to send a wooden clone to keep her in check.
Hyuga Chinano, on the other hand, seemed more at peace than ever. To her, Konoha had always felt like a gilded cage, where she was constantly judged and looked down upon by her clan. But out here, surrounded by nature, with the scent of wildflowers in the air and untamed grass underfoot, she finally felt free.