My control over mental energy still isn't good enough.
If it were, I could adjust both range and resolution separately… Not like now—where touching one dial crashes the rest.
Souma grumbled inwardly.
He had just tried tightening the radius of his perception while increasing the clarity of what he sensed.
But the moment he added a new condition—"count the number of signatures"—
his range instantly collapsed by almost a kilometer.
So much for refinement.
He leapt onto the top of a tall tree—
A sudden chakra presence shot up from below.
Whoosh!
A figure phased up through the trunk and landed beside him.
"You found something?"
"Kakashi-sensei? Oh—the shadow clone. Yes, I did.
I adjusted my mental field and picked up three separate chakra groups ahead."
Souma kept his voice low.
They were well separated from the main group; unless someone had inhuman hearing, no one would pick up this conversation.
"…"
Even through a mask, Kakashi's clone looked completely stunned.
His single visible eye practically bulged.
Souma continued, unfazed:
"It's not stable yet. I still can't refine my control enough.
To confirm what exactly is going on up ahead, I need to get a little closer."
"…Understood. I'll cover you."
The clone's tone softened.
Even if Kakashi hadn't personally taught Souma much, the boy was still his student.
And more importantly—
The kid was taking the risk for the team.
Souma shook his head.
"I suspect they're actually aiming for you, or rather, the jōnin of our squad.
So Sensei, you should conserve your strength first."
Kakashi's clone frowned.
Of course the real body had considered this possibility…
but hearing Souma state it calmly only highlighted how sharp the boy really was.
"I'll move carefully. I'm not going to do anything reckless."
Souma assured him.
The clone hesitated, then finally nodded, releasing the technique and returning to the original.
A short distance behind—
Kakashi's real body blinked.
Then his expression turned… odd.
Manipulating mental energy to extend your sensory field?
This wasn't normal chakra sensing.
This was already brushing against secret art territory.
Mental energy manipulation was one of the most obscure paths in the shinobi arts—
only a handful of clans even had records for it.
And Souma… simply "figured it out" on his own?
Terrifying talent.
As for Souma's casual lines like:
"My control isn't very fine yet."
"I can't precisely adjust the output."
Kakashi automatically filtered them out.
The kid probably had no idea how outrageous he sounded.
If he ever perfected such control, the Yamanaka Clan would beg to trade their clan-exclusive techniques for it.
"Phew~"
"You're not about to collapse, are you?"
Pakkun crouched on Kakashi's shoulder, sniffing around.
He was exhausted. He was secretly hoping Kakashi would say they could stop running for a while.
He had dreams too, okay?
But Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"You've rested enough. Get down and run with your own legs."
"Bark!"
"Down."
"…Fine."
"…"
"Lord Kakashi, are you certain of the direction?"
Kiyota Shin noticed Kakashi subtly accelerating.
"Our direction is correct. Keep moving.
He probably hasn't had time to completely erase his scent trail."
Kiyota Shin gritted his teeth and sped up, doing his best to keep pace.
Behind him, Tenten frequently glanced back.
Something felt wrong.
Souma had been unusually quiet.
Too quiet.
It felt more like…
Kasa.
Wait.
Souma did lag behind once earlier…
Was that when he made the switch?
Tenten bit her lip.
She was the first one who wanted to try cover work, but…
Kasa really was the better fit for swapping with Souma.
Even so—
Souma swapping identities meant he had already sensed something dangerous.
And now, he was probably nowhere near the group.
Tenten felt her chest tighten.
Meanwhile, Souma was already a full kilometer ahead.
This was the edge of Kakashi's sensing range.
Souma didn't push further recklessly; he kept a safe buffer.
Patient. Controlled.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
"Three kilometers between us… If I push forward a little more, I can switch to the next resolution tier without risking detection."
"…Who's trailing us from behind, I wonder? Another squad?"
"Probably ANBU?"
Souma thought.
He wasn't suicidal.
Charging blind into danger with teammates behind him was the definition of stupidity.
After a steady run, he shrank his sensory range—
And clarity surged.
He could now clearly distinguish multiple signatures.
The group ahead formed a loose semicircle around one chakra signature—
most likely Yuichi.
The others…
Probably the Kiyota clan's warriors?
But the BACK-most cluster he'd sensed earlier—
Completely out of range now.
Only by advancing another kilometer would he detect them again.
Which would bring him barely a kilometer away from Yuichi.
Way too risky.
"…So we detour."
Souma turned, slipping into a wide arc.
He trusted Kakashi would understand immediately.
And indeed—
As a former ANBU captain, Kakashi understood instantly.
If Souma didn't take the direct path, there was only one reason:
The direct route risked exposing him.
Meaning Souma was already close to one of the three chakra groups.
After another careful detour, Souma took a soldier pill for stamina.
By the time Kakashi's presence intentionally alerted Yuichi—
Souma had reached the third chakra group.
Four individuals.
But their chakra felt… strange.
Powerful, yet unstable.
Like people wielding strength they couldn't truly control.
In other words—
"Strong and weak at the same time."
It reminded Souma of only one thing.
"…Wait. Isn't the Land of Iron close to the Land of Crafts?"
To get from Earth Country to Iron Country, you'd pass right by the Land of Crafts.
And around this era…
There was a certain infamous group in the Crafting Ninja Village.
A certain foursome whose strength came from specialized ninja tools.
The Four Celestial Symbols Men…?
Souma's eyes narrowed.
If it was really them, this mission was about to get a lot more complicated.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614