On the third day after moving to the shrine, Luna formed a habit.
Every morning, while the other three were still fast asleep, she would quietly get up to practice cultivating Chakra.
Behind the shrine was a small clearing surrounded by woods, its ground carpeted with fallen leaves and overhead covered by a natural canopy of crisscrossing branches.
She chose to practice here because it was quiet and difficult to spot.
The early morning air carried the dampness of recent rain, cool and refreshing.
Luna sat cross-legged on the thick layer of fallen leaves, closed her eyes, and sank her consciousness into her body.
The flow of Chakra was already much smoother than when she first started.
She could clearly sense that warm energy rising from her dantian and slowly flowing through her meridians.
With every cycle, her control over the energy strengthened slightly.
On the system panel, the proficiency numbers were steadily increasing:
[Basic Chakra Proficiency: LV1 (24/100)]
At this rate, she should be able to level up to LV2 in about another week.
By then, she would unlock the affinity test and find out what her Chakra nature was.
Thinking of this, Luna felt a tinge of anticipation.
Fire Release?
Wind Release?
Or Lightning Release?
According to Uzumaki Clan tradition, they were best at Sealing Jutsu, but as for basic nature affinities…
it couldn’t be Water Release, could it?
The Land of Rain had enough water as it was; getting Water Release would be far too fitting.
Just as she was about to start another cycle of Chakra.
Suddenly, a glaring red prompt box popped up in her mind without warning:
[Fate Warning!]
[Hostile units detected approaching this area.]
[Quantity: 2]
[Combat Ability Assessment: Genin Level.]
[Estimated Contact Time: Approx. 12 minutes.]
[Recommendation: Immediately lead companions to evacuate covertly. Do not engage in combat.]
Luna’s heart constricted abruptly.
She opened her eyes, her pupils trembling slightly.
Hostile Ninja…
approaching?
Not refugees, not vagrants, but Ninja.
Real, trained Ninja who had killed people before.
The image of the old man’s corpse she saw in town that day instantly flashed through Luna’s mind.
If that old man had merely starved or died of illness, those targeted by Ninja would end up in a far worse state.
She snapped up from the ground, not even bothering to brush off the leaves on her clothes, and turned to run straight into the shrine.
Luna’s voice startled the three who were still sleeping soundly.
Yahiko flipped over and bounced up from the floor, sleep still in his eyes, yet his hand instinctively gripped the wooden stick beside him.
“What is it? What happened?”
“Someone’s coming,” Luna said, trying her best to sound calm.
“Very dangerous people.”
“What people?” Konan woke up as well, rubbing her eyes.
“…Ninja.” Luna paused and added, “I saw their tracks outside. They seem to be heading in this direction. We have to hide.”
She didn’t mention the system warning, pretending she had spotted them herself.
Konan and Nagato’s faces instantly paled.
Yahiko reacted the fastest.
Without pressing Luna on how she found out, he immediately scanned the shrine’s interior and made a judgment call:
“We can’t stay in the shrine. If they really are Ninja, seeing this shrine means they’ll definitely come inside to search. We have to hide outside.”
“But it’s raining outside…” Konan had just spoken before shutting her mouth, realizing herself that getting wet in the rain was far better than losing their lives.
“Follow me.” Yahiko had already rushed to the doorway, stepping aside to lean against the frame and glance outside.
“There’s a dense forest to the west with thick trees where we can hide. Move fast, and try to step in mud puddles so we don’t leave tracks.”
The four didn’t bring any luggage—there was no time.
Luna only managed to grab that Kunai, shove it into her clothes, and follow Yahiko out of the shrine.
Rain was still falling.
The sound of rain masked their footsteps and erased their tracks.
The four plunged into the dense forest west of the shrine, finding a natural depression deep within the thickets.
Crouching down, they were entirely concealed by the bushes and wild weeds.
Crouching at the very front, Luna carefully parted a clump of leaves to leave a small gap, her eyes glued to the direction of the shrine.
She had only a single Kunai in her hand.
The opponents were two well-trained Genin.
She didn’t even know the simplest Ninjutsu.
Time ticked by second by second.
The sound of rain, the wind, and her own breathing.
Then.
Two black figures emerged from the other end of the woods and stood on the open ground in front of the shrine.
They were two adult men dressed in dark clothing, wearing no visible forehead protectors or emblems.
However, their movements and postures—a composed stance ready to strike at any moment—were not something ordinary people could imitate.
Luna held her breath.
The two didn’t enter the shrine immediately.
They stood on the clearing for a moment, observing the surroundings.
One of them bent down to look at the ground—Luna’s heart leaped into her throat as he examined the footprints they had left at the shrine’s entrance.
But the rain had been washing over the ground for a while, making the footprints faint and indistinct long ago. Find the original chapter at g.com.
The man straightened up, said something to his companion, and the two walked into the shrine together.
About two or three minutes passed before the two emerged from the shrine.
One of them held an object in his hand, and Luna narrowed her eyes, discerning what it was.
It was a piece of dry flatbread they hadn’t had time to take.
The man brought the dry flatbread to his nose, took a sniff, and spoke to his companion.
The other man nodded and scanned the surroundings with his gaze.
Luna instantly lowered her head, softening her breathing as much as possible.
She could feel that gaze sweeping over the bushes where they hid.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Then, the sound of footsteps started again.
Luna cautiously raised her head and saw that the two had already turned and left.
Their backs soon dissolved into the curtain of rain, as if they had never appeared at all.
Luna crouched in place for a long time, letting out a long breath only after the red warning on the system panel vanished automatically.
She realized her back was completely soaked, unable to tell whether it was rain or cold sweat.
“Are they gone?” Yahiko asked in a whisper near her ear.
“…They’re gone,” Luna replied, her voice slightly raspy.
The four waited in the thickets for a good while longer, emerging from their hiding spot one by one only after confirming that the two really wouldn’t return.
The rain had drenched them through and through.
Konan asked softly, “Who were… those people?”
“I don’t know,” Yahiko shook his head, his expression grim.
“But they weren’t Ninja of the Land of Rain. Land of Rain Ninja should wear forehead protectors with a raindrop emblem. Those two had nothing on them.”
“Rogue Ninja?” Nagato asked.
“Could be, or maybe scouts sent by other countries,” Yahiko said.
“Whoever they are, their presence here means this area is no longer peaceful.”
The four returned to the shrine in silence.
When Luna walked through the door, her gaze fell upon the runes on that wall before shifting away.
She glanced at their rummaged belongings.
The two had gone through their things, but likely feeling there was nothing of value, left everything untouched except for taking that piece of dry flatbread.
Luna stood in the middle of the shrine, falling silent for a long time.
This was her first time personally experiencing the danger of this world.
If not for the system warning…
She didn’t dare think about the outcome.
Luna gripped the Kunai in her coat tightly.
She had to become stronger as soon as possible.