Against such defense, a ninja with average strength would quickly fall into a disadvantage or even be killed. However, there were strange techniques to counter them, such as the Destruction Bug or Puppet Jutsu. The former could bypass the defense and attack the person inside directly. The latter could turn a person into a puppet and control them while alive, though only a Puppet Master could likely accomplish that.
"They're all doing well. They are currently preparing to lead their squads back to the Land of Iron."
Tsunade nodded upon hearing this. She was only curious and had no interest in the Samurai's whereabouts.
Yahiko and Konan, however, felt a great pity. They had been talking about wanting to spar with Kaito, but now, not only could they not spar, but they didn't even get to see him.
"Ah, Kaito-senpai is leaving so soon? We haven't even seen him yet."
Torifu thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's late today; they'll probably leave tomorrow. If you can get up early enough, you might be able to meet him."
Torifu's original intention for letting Kaito spar with Yahiko and the others was to let Yahiko study the Samurai's swordsmanship, hoping it would give him some insights and progress in his own sword arts. It was also meant to enhance their practical combat ability.
Unexpectedly, by a strange twist of fate, they had become good friends instead.
Torifu naturally wouldn't stop them. There were no more barriers between Samurai and ninja now, and the Land of Iron's isolationist policy had been lifted. Making a Samurai friend was a good thing; after all, having more friends meant more avenues of opportunity.
"Okay! Then Konan and I will go look for him tomorrow morning, and I'll buy breakfast on the way back!"
Jiraiya gave an OK sign: "Then I'll leave it to you two. I'll have the usual, just something light."
"Got it."
"Alright, alright, it's getting late now. Hurry up and clean the table. That's enough for today."
Naori's words made everyone look up at the time. It was true; it was already past six o'clock. They would be heading to bed in about an hour.
"Alright, that's enough for today then," Torifu said, standing up and starting to help clear the trash and dishes from the table.
The group worked together, each performing their own tasks, and the dining table was quickly cleaned. As for washing the dishes, they would leave that to a jutsu. Naori was truly too lazy to move now; she would just send out a clone to handle it. She was going to rest for a bit.
"Are you going back later, Torifu?"
"Of course, I have to go back. There are many things I haven't finished arranging yet."
Naori nodded upon hearing this: "Okay, then leave six clones here. Remember to give them extra chakra so they don't have to be stingy with their usage."
Torifu also gave an OK sign: "Don't worry."
He snapped his fingers casually, and a clone appeared beside him: "Protect Naori and manage the affairs of this city. You should be clear on the specific mission details."
"Of course I know, Main Body. You don't need to inform me again. We are the same person, after all."
Looking at himself in front of him, Torifu always had an ineffable feeling—a profound sense of unreality. Although he knew it was just a clone, it still felt strange. He hadn't managed to shake this peculiar feeling after all these years. However, he had mostly gotten used to it; if he didn't have this feeling, Torifu would find it even more baffling, making it a vicious cycle.
After Torifu returned to Konoha, Jiraiya and the others also returned to their respective apartments to rest.
The night quickly passed, and Yahiko and Konan woke up early to find the Land of Iron contingent.
When they arrived at the Samurai's residential area, they saw the Samurai packing their gear and preparing to depart.
From a distance, the two spotted Kaito's figure. The sword at his waist was the one Torifu had given him.
"Kaito! Kaito!"
Kaito, who was preparing to leave the central city with the team, seemed to hear a familiar voice calling him. He looked around and finally saw Yahiko and Konan at the back of the contingent, his few friends.
"Master! It's Yahiko and Konan. May I go to them?"
Mifune naturally recognized the Hokage's disciples, so he smiled and nodded, allowing Kaito to leave.
"Thank you, Master!" After breaking away from the formation, Kaito quickly walked toward the two of them.
"Yahiko, Konan, why are you two here?"
Yahiko scratched his head: "Last night, my Master said you were leaving, but we hadn't even had a chance to see you, so Konan and I came together."
Kaito was also very happy at this moment: "How about it? Should we spar?"
But Yahiko shook his head: "Let's not. You're in a hurry to travel, so it's best not to waste your stamina. Besides, it's only been a few days since we last met, so our strength probably hasn't increased much. We'll definitely have a good spar the next time we meet."
Kaito felt that Yahiko's words made sense, so he agreed: "It's a promise, we'll fight next time."
Since they still had about half an hour before their departure, the three found a place to sit and chat.
"How are your missions going these past few days? Can you handle it?" Kaito asked.
He had actually been a little overwhelmed at first. Samurai were different from ninja; they didn't have many opportunities to kill people. Some Samurai trained their entire lives without killing a single person, yet he, at such a young age, had come to the Land of Rain and engaged in heavy slaughter. It had made him vomit several times.
However, he slowly got used to it later, and Mifune had even praised him for it. Only those who could adapt could become strong; constantly running away and not trying to break through would always hold one back. After executing missions for two days, he discovered that killing was simply what it was: a flash of a blade, and a life was gone. How fragile life was.
But Mifune consistently ensured Kaito held one thing close to his heart: he must not kill the innocent. This was Mifune's principle, and his disciple naturally had to abide by it.
"We're both doing fine. We're actually locals of the Land of Rain. We were orphans when we were young and have seen everything, so we weren't scared."
Kaito hadn't known this before. Were Yahiko and Konan from the Land of Rain? He had assumed they were from Konoha.
"That's rare. Beyond fate, there doesn't seem to be any other way to define this. In a place like the Land of Rain, why would anyone take notice of two orphans?"
Yahiko and Konan felt the same way; everything was due to destiny. After all, the Land of Rain was such a backward place, and having just been attacked, everything was in disarray. Why would anyone specifically care about two orphans?
"Speaking of which, Kaito-senpai, how did you and General Mifune become Master and disciple? We've talked about many versions in private, but none of them are probably true."