The morning sun cast long shadows as the two teams departed through Konoha's main gate.
Yuta found himself positioned between the formations, not quite belonging to either team but accepted by both.
"So," Ino said, stepping beside him as they took the main road east.
"You're really from another world?"
"Ino," Shikamaru sighed.
"What a drag. Let the guy breathe."
"I'm just curious!" she protested.
"I mean, it's not every day we meet someone from... somewhere else."
Yuta glanced at Kakashi, who was reading his book while somehow avoiding every tree root and pothole in their path.
"It's... complicated to explain."
"Try me," Sakura said from his other side, her medical training making her naturally analytical.
"The reports mentioned unusual abilities. Something about a different spiritual energy?"
"Different from chakra," Yuta said carefully.
"Similar purpose, different source." He said blatantly.
Choji looked up from his bag of chips but paid no more than needed interest.
Shikamaru's eyes sharpened with interest.
"Troublesome. Definitely Fascinating and potentially problematic." He muttered
---
Two hours into their journey, the paved road gave way to packed dirt paths winding through farmland.
The pace was steady but not rushed, Kakashi had estimated eight hours to reach their first destination.
"Kozakura Village," Asuma said, consulting his mission scroll. "Population around three hundred. Primarily agricultural, some small-scale trading with traveling merchants."
"Remote enough that whatever's affecting them hasn't spread to major trade routes," Kakashi added without looking up from his book.
"What exactly are the symptoms again?" Sakura asked.
"Reports vary," Asuma replied, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"Insomnia, aggressive behavior, and in some cases, people speaking in... different voices. Local doctors think it's some kind of fever, but conventional medicine isn't helping."
Yuta's step faltered slightly.
Different voices.
His mind immediately went to cases he'd encountered in his own world.
We'll not necessarily see him but the usual jujutsu high.
"Something wrong?" Shikamaru asked, noticing the hesitation.
"Just... thinking," Yuta said.
"It sounds familiar"
"How so?"
"When negative emotions accumulate in an area, they can... influence people. Make them act unlike themselves." Yuta chose his words carefully.
"Physical medicine doesn't help because the root cause isn't physical."
Kakashi's visible eye glanced up from his book for a moment before returning to the pages.
"Well then, let's hope it's not something familiar to you."
---
By midday, they stopped beside a small stream for lunch and rest.
The landscape had shifted from farmland to scattered woodlands, with the occasional glimpse of smoke rising from distant chimneys.
"We're getting close," Asuma said, studying the horizon.
"Maybe two more hours."
Ino stretched, then turned to Yuta.
"So what was your world like? Was it very different from here?"
"More... crowded. Bigger cities, different technology." Yuta paused, then added quietly,
"More dangerous, in some ways."
"Dangerous how?" Choji asked.
"The threats were... less visible. Harder to fight with conventional weapons." Yuta's hand unconsciously moved toward where his katana rested on his back.
"That's why we needed specialists."
"Like you," Sakura observed.
"Like I was," Yuta corrected.
"Here, I'm still learning."
Shikamaru was quiet during this exchange, but his eyes never left Yuta's face.
The strategic mind was clearly cataloguing every detail that Yuta noticed.
---
The afternoon brought them through denser forest, following a winding path that showed signs of regular use but recent neglect.
Cart tracks were visible in the dried mud, but they looked weeks old.
"That's odd," Asuma muttered.
"This route should see regular merchant traffic."
"Maybe they're avoiding the area," Kakashi suggested.
"If word's spread about the problems in Kozakura..."
"Smart merchants would find alternate routes," Shikamaru agreed.
"Troublesome for the village's economy, though."
As they crested a low hill, the forest opened into cleared farmland.
In the distance, Yuta could see Kozakura Village, a collection of perhaps eighty buildings clustered around a central square, with fields stretching in all directions.
Smoke rose from a few chimneys, but far fewer than would be expected for a settlement that size.
"Quiet," Ino observed.
"Too quiet," Shikamaru added.
However, Yuta also saw something else, a cluster of a familiar energy to him, visible to only his kind from a mile away.
Kakashi finally closed his book, tucking it away as they approached the village outskirts.
"Everyone stay alert. Standard formation, Team 10 takes point, Team 7 provides support."
As they drew closer, Yuta could make out more details. Windows were shuttered despite the pleasant afternoon.
The few people visible moved with odd, jerky motions.
And underneath it all, that spiritual pressure continued to build.
"Yuta," Kakashi called quietly.
"Is there anyone still in the village?"
Yuta met his sensei's eye.
"Yes. But they are not here"
"What does that mean?"
"It means," Yuta said, his voice carefully controlled,
"That they're underground, most of them at least."
"So he's a sensory type, how convenient " Shikamaru muttered openly.
The teams exchanged glances as they entered the village cautiously.