Chapter 27: Intuition, Suspicion, Pursuit

Since it was marginally better than having his ass tenderized an additional three days, Nobu ended up accompanying Yui without much of a fuss. He was also curious to learn whether or not he had a special ability, so, having already resolved himself to die several times in the past, he decided to go with the flow.

"At least I don't have to smell literal bullshit any longer..."

Hearing Nobu mutter something under his breath, Yui's ears twitched as she looked back and said, "It would be best to remain silent. Aura Beasts become more active in the evening. The Provisional Army would have eliminated most of them, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Deadpanning in response to Yui's warning, Nobu didn't hesitate to reply, "Your argument would sound more convincing if you hadn't just dragged me away from safety..."

Furrowing her brows, Yui was about to retort her own when the sound of a distant twig snapping reached her ears. As a result, she held up her left hand in the classical 'stop' gesture seen in movies where a team of elite soldiers skulk through a forest or attempt to sneak into a top-secret facility.

Though his cultivation base had increased to Rank 4 after more than two weeks on the road, Nobu knew he was nowhere near the level of being about to fend for himself. Thus, while he was tempted to continue with his snide remarks, his body naturally tensed up as he purposefully moved to stand behind the petite yet heroic woman. She might have been more than a head shorter than him, but when it came to strength and combat potential, they were leagues apart...

After several tense seconds of silene, Yui's brows slowly morphed into a furrow as she softly uttered, "It must have been a rabbit...or maybe a rat..."

With the meaning of Yui's words flying completely over his head, Nobu casually retorted, "A rat that can break a twig? That must be one fat ass rat..."

"Indeed..."

...

..

.

"I can't believe you stepped on a twig..."

"Shut it! I'm already frustrated enough as is! I don't need your reminder...!"

"Both of you need to be quiet. If we're to have any hope of completing this mission, we'll have to coordinate as a team. Yui isn't called a once-in-a-thousand-years prodigy for no reason..."

Annoyed by the two childish voices arguing within the darkness, a moderately more mature voice had spoken out to get them back on task. This was enough to silence the youngest of the duo, but, seemingly unconvinced by what the eldest had said, the middle voice retorted, "Tch! She isn't anything special. If I had access to half the resource-"

Before the immature voice could finish speaking, the eldest adopted a harsh tone as it said, "If you had half her talent, you might have received half her resources. Now, cease this childish blathering and focus on the mission. If they cross the border or link up with one of the Provincial Army's patrol units, this mission is bound to fail. We'll only have one chance. Don't waste it."

"..."

"..."

With neither of the voices responding, the owner of the mature set of vocals turned around with a serious expression, asking, "Do I make myself clear...?"

Withering under their leader's gaze, two girls, one with raven-black hair and another with peculiar pink locks replied, "Understood." and "Yes, Aneue..." in turn. Then, as if the shadows around them possessed depth, all three figures melted away, absolute silence descending in their wake...

...

..

.

With the evening passing without incident, Yui was beginning to believe she had made some kind of mistake. There was a chance the sound had been something like an owl attempting to land on a perch, and, due to the silent nature of their wings, she hadn't heard it flying away.

While most people would have overlooked the sound of a single twig snapping, merely tensing for a few moments, Yui's training had taught her to be skeptical of such abnormalities. If a creature was large enough to snap a twig with its movements, common sense dictated that it would make some kind of additional sound as it either fled or approached. In other words, for there to be no sound at all, the only answer was that the creature had either paused in its tracks or disappeared into thin air.

Though there were a handful of Aura Beasts with an intellect that rivaled humans, most were little more than animals that had, somehow, managed to increase their cultivation base. They lived life by adhering to their instincts, and while there were innumerable exceptions, most animals reacted in one of two ways: fight or flight.

Yui had never heard of an animal that would move about when a predator is nearby only to freeze after it had already made its presence known. This was a behavior typically associated with humans, so, after a short and silent breakfast, she broke the silence between her and Nobu by asking, "What do I smell like to you?"

"Pfft...!"

Not expecting such a question while he was in the middle of engorging himself on a neatly-packed ball of rice, a wayward grain ended up slipping into Nobu's esophagus. This resulted in a painful coughing fit, and, though Yui's gentle patting helped, it didn't prevent him from exclaiming, "What kind of stupid fucking question is that!?" the moment he recovered.

Without showing any change in expression, Yui calmly explained, "There is a chance we are being followed. I want to ascertain how sensitive your nose is. If you can distinguish between people and animals, your current weakness might become one of your most powerful strengths."

Though he was tempted to tell her he wasn't a bloodhound, Nobu wasn't so daft that he couldn't understand where she was coming from. It was a pretty common trope in fiction that people with an enhanced sense of smell could track targets vast distances. This sentiment had been exacerbated by the existence of real-world animals with this ability, so, while it might sound like utter nonsense, it would be remiss of him to simply dismiss it.

As this thought danced across his mind, Nobu managed to elicit a rare blush from his raven-haired companion by leaning forward and inhaling deeply through his nose. However, it wasn't the fact he had smelled her that caused the reaction. It was the fact he had reacted with an expression of utter disgust, unabashedly covering his nose as he rebuffed, "Dear God, woman! You seriously need to-"

Interrupting Nobu's brash remark with a left hook that would make a Boxer blush, Yui's expression darkened as she growled in a threatening tone, "We just spent two and a half weeks accompanying a caravan. It's hard enough taking care of my hair. Where am I supposed to find the time to sponge my body? If you want to complain about aromas...try smelling yourself...!"

Hissing from the pain in his cheek, Nobu licked the outside of his teeth to discover that his gums were bleeding. As for Yui's remark, he didn't pay it any mind. He wasn't dumb enough to carelessly sniff his armpits under these circumstances. Instead, he just spat a mouthful of blood off to the side before climbing to his feet and asking, "What now? This thing isn't as convenient as something like a Witcher Sense. Even if we double back, I don't think I'll be able to detect anything unless I put my nose to the ground."

Cocking her head to the side, Yui asked, "Witcher Sense? I've never heard of such a thing..." in an uncertain tone. If the answer had anything to do with actual Witches, she might seriously need to reconsider how she interacted with Nobu in the future. After all, Witches weren't exactly beings of benevolence and righteousness. There were cases where 'good witches' appeared, but, more often than not, they were vile creatures who had formed pacts with dark gods or demons for power.

Noticing the caution in Yui's face and body language, Nobu just shook his head before saying, "It's nothing serious. If I had to describe it, it's the ability to 'see' smells directly. It's super convenient for tracking targets and searching for clues. In other words, it's nothing like my shitty sense of smell."

Though she was tempted to ask where he had learned about this 'Witcher Sense', Yui just nodded her head before scanning the horizon at his back and saying, "There's no sense in doubling back if you lack confidence. We'll press forward and try to rendezvous with a group of patrolling soldiers. If we don't encounter any before the sun reaches its highest point, we'll begin searching for a place to rest. Seeking shelter when you're being tracked is dangerous, but it will be even more problematic if we suffer a sneak attack while exhausted..."

Returning her gaze to Nobu, Yui was honestly surprised by how energetic he appeared. He had put on a bit of weight since their first encounter, but he was still extremely thin. It would likely take him a year, if not several, to return to a healthy weight. Thus, ever since they had separated from the caravan, she had been waiting for him to demand they stop and take a rest. Instead, he managed to press forward with an annoyed yet determined expression on his face, seemingly unwilling to show any form of weakness...

("His strange cultivation technique probably helps. Even so, it's impressive he's managed to last this long. His willpower isn't as lousy as I previously concluded...")

Noticing Yui's pause as she stared at his face, Nobu presented a blood-stained smile as he cockily inquired, "What? Did you fall for my roguish good looks? Just wait until I cut my hair and put on a few muscles. You'll need to wear extra padding in your panties just to avoid a scene."

Punctuating his words with a wink, Nobu earned a deadpan stare from Yui before she promptly turned away and said, "We should hurry. The longer we rest, the more time we give our enemies to recover. A pursuit where the enemy isn't confident in being able to attack directly is basically a war of attrition. So long as we can drain their stamina at a faster rate than ours is spent, we'll be able to maintain an advantage."

Without waiting for Nobu's response, Yui looked toward the sky to determine the sun's position before pulling out a compass and choosing their heading. Detailed maps were considered a military and state secret in Nian, so most people were limited to following establish paths and trade routes. Yui, however, had been receiving navigational and survival training ever since she was four-years-old, so, as long as she could get her bearings, she could navigate the forests of Owari without fear of getting lost.

Confident they were going the right way, Yui stowed away her compass before gesturing for Nobu to follow. This caused the latter to roll his eyes, but, the moment she began moving forward, he did his best to remain within arm's reach of the raven-haired beauty's backside...

...

..

.

From atop a distant tree, a woman with inky black hair that reflected an unusual green hue could be seen observing Yui's and Nobu's departure like a hawk. This wasn't an exaggeration either, as, ever since she was a child, the woman's most striking feature had been her amber-colored eyes.

While Nobu would have undoubtedly pointed out that her most striking feature was the fact she was half-naked, her athletic figure veiled in little more than a cloth binding and loose green pants, the odd-eyed woman had always taken pride in her hereditary trait. They allowed her to see clearly even on moonless nights, so, while most of her sisters lamented night hunts, she was one of the few who favored them.

Waiting until Yui's and Nobu's figures had vanished entirely, the woman flipped from her perch, a silvery-white aura veiling her feet moments before she struck the ground. This allowed her to land silently even atop the layer of leafy mulch that covered the forest floor. Such skills were extremely important for people in her profession, as, much like the majority of Yoshitsune Clan members, her specialties were scouting, pursuit, and assassination...

"Let's go. Shizune, Rynka."

Responding to the woman's silent yet barking tone, two discernibly younger women emerged from their own hiding places, answering, "Understood..." and "Yes, Aneue..." in concert...

...

..

.

(A/N: When scantily-clad kunoichis start appearing, you know the 'plot' is beginning to thicken...)