The inn Kozakura used for traveling merchants had seen better days, but it was clean and had enough rooms for both teams.
As evening settled over the village, the shinobi gathered in the common area around a low table, mission scrolls and maps spread between them.
"We can't return to report yet," Kakashi said, studying the locations of affected settlements.
"Not when there are other villages still contaminated."
"Ishimura Township is closest," Asuma added, pointing at the map.
"Two days' hard travel northeast. After that, Yamakaze Settlement in the mountains."
Shikamaru examined the route, noting the geographic spread.
"The pattern suggests systematic coverage. Testing different population densities, isolation levels..."
"Like a proper experiment," he muttered darkly.
"Which means the next sites will likely be more dangerous," Yuta said.
"The spirits will be stronger, the contamination deeper."
Sakura looked up from treating a villager's residual symptoms. "Can we handle stronger ones the same way we did here?"
Yuta was quiet for a moment, considering how much to reveal.
Technically, they didn't do anything, so...
"The basic principle is the same, find and destroy binding objects. But combat... that's different."
"Different how?" Kakashi asked.
"Physical attacks won't work against manifested cursed spirits. Punches, kicks, kunai, they'll pass right through." Yuta met Choji's disappointed expression.
"Cursed energy and likely your Spiritual energy can affect them, though. Chakra-enhanced attacks."
"How strong is their psyche then?" Ino asked.
"Not strong at low levels, however, it is dangerous depending on what grade of cursed spirit it is used on," Yuta said immediately.
"A mental attack can disrupt their movements; however, be careful at higher levels as they are capable of reciprocating the gesture," Yuta said grimly
Ino paled.
"Noted."
"So Ninjutsu only?" Asuma asked, lighting a fresh cigarette.
"And concentrated chakra attacks. The more spiritual energy you put into an attack, the more effective it'll be." Yuta paused.
"But eliminating them completely... I'm not sure chakra would be sufficient for such a task."
"What do you mean?" Shikamaru leaned forward.
"There are specific methods for exorcising cursed spirits. Your chakra might disperse them temporarily, but without proper purification, they could reform with time."
The group absorbed this soberly.
Fighting enemies they couldn't fully destroy added tactical complexity none of them had faced before.
"Can you teach us to sense them?" Sakura asked.
"Even basic detection would help."
Yuta considered this carefully.
Basic sensing wouldn't reveal his true capabilities, but it would make them more effective partners.
He had told them one of the ways before but maybe that was too vague.
"Cursed spirits are made of concentrated negative emotions," he began.
"Fear, anger, despair, hatred. If you focus your chakra on detecting spiritual disturbances rather than just energy signatures..." Yuta said practically like he was experimenting with himself.
He guided them through a meditation exercise, helping them attune their senses to slight emotional resonances rather than pure chakra detection.
It was similar to the sensory training they'd done before, but with a different focus.
After an hour of practice, Shikamaru was the first to succeed. "There's... something. Like a cold wind to the northeast."
"Ishimura direction," Asuma noted grimly.
Sakura managed partial success, her medical chakra naturally attuned to detecting abnormalities.
Ino struggled but eventually picked up faint traces.
Kakashi's natural sensing abilities adapted quickly once he understood what to look for.
Choji seemed frustrated by his lack of progress until Yuta offered different advice.
"Don't worry, Physical fighters can sense spiritual pressure through their body's reaction. Trust your instincts, if something feels wrong, it probably is." He said to him as well as Asuma
---
The next morning brought urgent departure.
The spiritual pressure from Ishimura had grown stronger overnight, suggesting the situation was deteriorating.
The two-day journey passed with practical training.
Yuta taught them to recognize the signs of cursed energy contamination while they shared advanced chakra control techniques with him.
That was his bargain
His natural spiritual sensitivity made him a quick study for chakra sensing methods.
Ishimura Township appeared similar to Kozakura but larger, perhaps five hundred residents, with more substantial buildings and a clear merchant district.
The cursed energy here felt different, though.
More organized, more directed.
"The binding objects will be harder to find," Yuta warned as they approached.
"And the spirits are more aggressive."
"Same strategy?" Kakashi asked.
"Modified. We'll need to clear the spirits before searching thoroughly. They'll be actively defending their anchors now."
The township's main square was eerily quiet, but unlike Kozakura's abandonment, this felt like anticipation.
Waiting.
"Split into pairs," Kakashi decided.
"Asuma and Choji, Sakura and Ino, and Shikamaru with me. Yuta, you're mobile support, go where the spirits are strongest."
"Contact is likely," Yuta warned.
"When they manifest, remember, Ninjutsu attacks only. Don't get separated."
They moved into the township's winding streets, each pair taking different districts.
The cursed energy here pulsed with more rhythm, more intelligence than Kozakura's chaotic emanations.
Yuta felt the first manifestation before he saw it, a Grade 4 cursed spirit materializing near the merchant district where Asuma and Choji were searching.
Stronger than anything at Kozakura, but still manageable.
Through their new spiritual connection, he could sense the team's growing awareness of the supernatural presence surrounding them.
In the distance, something larger stirred.
'A Grade 3... Definitely' Yuta thought.
The experiments were definitely escalating.
"This is concerning," he murmured and, in the blink of an eye, dispatched the grade 3 curse like nothing with his katana, then flickered toward the merchant district where his teammates would need backup against their first real cursed spirit encounter.