Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 127 Northwest

At the boundary between the yellow sand and the earth, scattered patches of green dotted the vast expanse of yellow earth, allowing travelers crossing the desert to finally breathe a sigh of relief. The endless yellow sand had buried all traces of life, and the markers made of bones silently told the world of the desert's terror. The Gobi Desert was certainly dangerous, but it was still better than the desert itself; before them lay a clearly defined road, leading straight to the distant mountains.

"Boss, is this road frequently repaired? The trail markers are all new, and the supply points along the way even have food and water. I don't think we saw such a clear road last time we were here, did we?" Now that they were no longer afraid the moving sand dunes would lead them astray, the atmosphere in the group was noticeably more relaxed. The younger brother leading the camels couldn't help but become more curious about the changes along the way.

"How would we know? Anyway, it definitely wasn't done by our Bird Kingdom." The middle-aged man on the camel gazed into the distance through binoculars, not particularly concerned about such matters. They were a caravan from the Bird Kingdom, specializing in traveling between the Wind Kingdom and the Earth Kingdom, making a living by trading and profiting from the difference.

Because the caravans were small and had to transport goods during the calmest times in the desert, they only traveled this route once every six months. These ordinary people didn't understand grand principles, but they knew that a repair operation of this scale could only be accomplished by a national-level force, unless... ninjas were involved, and a large number of them would be skilled in earth-style ninja techniques.

“Speaking of those supplies, there are so many things we’ve never even seen before. Boss, why won’t you let us take any?” another henchman asked.

The eldest brother glared at him and retorted, "Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is food. You won't even know when you'll fall victim to your cravings! We're not short of supplies, so why are you using that stuff?"

"Don't you know the desert is a place where people can be buried? What if someone who desperately needs these things arrives there but has nothing? Are you going to let them die of thirst or starvation?"

The younger brother reluctantly shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

Leaving supplies at supply points is indeed a desert tradition, but the reason for not taking them wasn't entirely due to that. It was because the variety of goods was too extensive, clearly not the work of ordinary merchants. The middle-aged man had initially thought the Land of Earth was about to go to war with the Land of Wind, which was why he had deliberately left supplies as a precaution. What lowly minions like them would dare take anything from the Land of Earth? Even if they were truly starving, they would never have access to that kind of food.

After quickly crossing the desert, the flattened road further confirmed the leader's guess, which is why he nervously looked ahead to make sure there were no troops or checkpoints before letting out a sigh of relief. But... he thought he just saw a white shadow ahead?

To conserve water, the entire group quietly traveled for over ten miles, finally arriving at their designated resting place before nightfall. However, before they could even enter the underground cave, bright firelight suddenly appeared. The middle-aged man waved his hand, signaling the group to stop. They first confirmed the marks of the cave entrance, then used camels to surround it, and finally, carrying torches, cautiously ventured inside.

Based on the marks at the cave entrance, only one person should have come. Encountering someone in the desert is extremely rare, especially since that person entered this uninhabited area without any means of transportation, completely disregarding the power of nature. The leader didn't want to cause trouble, but the next suitable campsite was too far away, and traveling at night was too risky. He hoped that the person had simply gotten separated from the main group, which would make them much safer.

Because only ninjas would dare to act alone in such a dangerous place. And ninjas are simply beyond their ability to stop.

As the firelight drew closer, their pace slowed. An orange-yellow figure appeared near the firelight, turning over a small pot on the fire as if unaware of their presence.

The man was dressed in typical desert attire, his face bearing the marks of time, and apart from his white hair, he was unremarkable. Beside him was nothing but a large backpack; no dangerous weapons were visible.

The eldest brother breathed a slight sigh of relief, deliberately making his footsteps heavier to attract the other person's attention, trying his best to appear friendly. "I didn't expect there to be anyone here. Brother, you also came via the Silk Road? Where are you headed?"

The weathered middle-aged man, seeing so many people, didn't react much. He said, "I'm going to Gachar Village. What about you?"

"Isn't this a coincidence? We're going too." The leader shoved the torch into his underling's hand and walked up to him familiarly. "Brother, are you alone? Do you want to come with our caravan? It's not safe to travel alone in this place."

The man looked somewhat dull. He tilted his head and asked, "Is there any special significance to this place? This is my first time hiking across the desert, so I'm not very familiar with it."

The leader inwardly cursed the man for being incredibly audacious, but outwardly said seriously, "The wolves here aren't afraid of people."

The flickering firelight did indeed obstruct visibility, but the leader was 100% certain that when this man spoke those words, he showed not a trace of fear, only feigning surprise before urging them to enter the cave quickly. He was somewhat apprehensive; this almost certainly indicated that this man possessed the strength to face the wolves without fear. And right now, their only advantage was their numbers.

"You two will keep watch inside the cave and keep an eye on that guy." After arranging the watch outside the cave, the boss pulled two more men out and quietly assigned them a special task. The underlings understood immediately, and one of them even whispered a question.

"Boss, should we..." The underling slashed across his neck with his palm, and his head was instantly struck. He covered his head but dared not cry out in pain.

The boss was speechless at his incredibly incompetent teammates, but thankfully they were still obedient.

"Do you dare to trek across the Gobi Desert alone?"

"No...I wouldn't dare..."

"But he dares to do it. Where would he get the confidence if he didn't have some real skills? With your mediocre skills, don't embarrass yourself here!"

"...Yes, boss."

Night fell completely, and the tranquility of the Gobi Desert was often broken by distant wolf howls. Just as the leader had said, this was indeed a high-risk area for wolves. Fortunately, desert wolves usually do not attack particularly large animals, and the caravan, surrounded by camels, spent their first night on the Gobi Desert without incident.

To accommodate the newcomer, the caravan leader specifically pointed to a camel, but the newcomer refused. So he swayed along behind them, carrying a large cloth bag, walking at a moderate pace, always lagging behind, making him impossible for the leader to catch. Ironically, the younger brother watching over the supplies saw him every day, occasionally exchanging a few words, but they didn't become particularly familiar. He just thought the newcomer was a strange person, asking all sorts of odd questions, seemingly unaware of even basic desert customs—quite peculiar.

But soon, an event changed their minds.