Shanks had been reading All About Ninjutsu for only about half an hour when Erza returned with the list of essential supplies.
Seeing Shanks deeply focused on the book, Erza chose not to interrupt. She stood quietly at the entrance, waiting patiently for him to finish.
Shanks sensed her presence. He read to the end of the page, carefully placed a bookmark between the lines, then closed the book and looked up.
"Alright," he said, rising to his feet. "Let's go get the supplies we need."
Erza nodded silently, and the two of them stepped out of the cave together.
Before leaving the valley, Shanks called out to the children who had scattered to train nearby. One by one, they returned to him.
"I need all of you to stay inside the cave while Erza and I are gone," Shanks instructed. "We won't be long gone."
The children responded without complaint, obediently following his request. Soon, they were all safely gathered inside the cave.
Only after confirming that the valley was empty and the children and won were secure did Shanks and Erza finally set off, heading toward Tonika Village.
Shanks and Erza moved swiftly through the forest, covering four to five miles before reaching the outskirts of Tonika Village. They approached quietly from a secluded corner, staying hidden in the underbrush.
Activating his Observation Haki, Shanks scanned the area, locating each of the village's guard ninja stationed around the periter. After identifying a gap in their patrols, he gave Erza a subtle nod.
Seizing the mont, both of them leapt over the village wall in a fluid motion and landed silently within the village bounds. They ducked into the shadows of a narrow alley, remaining completely undetected.
Using his Observation Haki again, Shanks located a nearby house occupied by only a single resident. Perfect.
With speed and precision, Shanks and Erza moved toward the house. Their movents were so silent and swift that no one noticed them approach.
Inside, a woman was going about her chores, unaware of their presence. Shanks used a light wave of his Conqueror's Haki—just enough to cause her to faint gently without injury.
As the woman slumped to the floor, unconscious, Shanks turned to Erza. "Use the Transformation Jutsu to take her form. Go to the market, buy all the supplies on the list, and have everything delivered to this house."
Erza nodded without hesitation. Forming the necessary hand seal, she activated the Transformation Jutsu. A puff of white smoke surrounded her, and when it cleared, she had taken on the woman's exact appearance—down to the smallest detail.
Shanks looked at Erza and said, "Don't worry. I'll be right behind you. If anything goes wrong, I'll handle it."
Erza gave a firm nod, then stepped out of the house and headed straight for the village market. Shanks followed from a safe distance, his face concealed beneath the hood of a black cloak.
Upon arriving at the market, Erza's first move was to hire a donkey cart—there were too many items on the list to carry by hand. Without wasting ti, she began purchasing the supplies, loading each item onto the cart as she went.
Though so villagers glanced her way, surprised to see a woman buying such a large volu of goods alone, they didn't question her openly. It was, after all, her private business—and she wasn't doing anything suspicious. Even a few patrolling ninja took notice but assud she was simply preparing for a large gathering or family event.
Erza moved with quiet efficiency, sticking to the list. She bought essentials: proper beds to ensure everyone in the valley could sleep comfortably, sacks of grains, fresh vegetables, and other staple supplies to last them several days.
All the while, Shanks kept watch from the shadows, prepared to intervene if anything threatened to expose them.
After finishing her shopping, Erza returned to the woman's house. One by one, she instructed the donkey cart driver to bring the supplies inside and stack them neatly in a corner. Once everything had been unloaded, she paid him and dismissed him without drawing attention.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Shanks erged from the shadows.
"Alright, Erza," he said. "Seal everything into a scroll. We're leaving imdiately."
Erza nodded and got to work. With practiced hands, she perford the necessary hand signs and began sealing the items into storage scrolls—bedrolls, sacks of food, bundles of supplies—everything vanished into the parchnt in seconds.
Once the last item was stored, Shanks gave a brief nod of approval, and the two of them exited the house.
They left Tonika Village the sa way they had entered—swift, silent, and unnoticed. No one in the village had realized two outsiders had co and gone. The lack of attentive guards and the minimal ninja presence made their covert operation seamless.
Shanks and Erza returned to the valley, and both felt a wave of relief wash over them as they saw that everyone was safe.
During their ti away, Shanks had remained quietly anxious. While helping Erza buy supplies, one thought had weighed heavily on his mind: if soone were to discover their clan mbers while he was gone, it could be a disaster.
He had instructed the children to fire a flare into the sky if they were in danger, but that reassurance only went so far. Most of the clan mbers were still powerless—without combat training or defensive skills. If even a moderately skilled ninja stumbled upon them, they wouldn't stand a chance. They might not even have ti to launch the signal.
Now, seeing them all unhard brought him a much-needed sense of peace.
Erza handed the sealed scrolls containing the essential supplies to Aunt Miki for safekeeping. After all, she was the one responsible for managing day-to-day necessities, and the items were ant for the clan's shared use.
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