It was night.
The forest was quiet, with no owls hooting, no leaves rustling in the wind. All that could be heard was the faint crackling of a campfire and a pair of hushed voices, spoken from the two shadows that were illuminated by the flames' light.
Listening closely, you could make out what they were whispering.
"...So, about this map."
"Hmm?"
"It's the official world map that all shinobis use, right?"
"Go on." The shadow moved, its hand gesturing for the other to continue.
"You see how it shows the Elemental Nations and supposedly everything else in this world."
"...Is there a point to this?"
"Let me finish," the other shadow insisted, leaning forward. "Well, haven't you ever wondered what was beyond the edges of the map?"
The flames flickered slightly.
"...What?"
"I said what I said. What if there was more? Either that or the edges are the ends of the earth. Aren't you curious what it'll look like?"
"You have a point, but who are we to ask? We're not travelers or anything, we're just low-level shinobi that are camping out the village briefly for a mission." The shadow crossed its arms, most likely frowning at the other.
"Think about it," the shadow pressed. "It's unknown what lies beyond the edges of the map, and no one's ever bothered to find out. It could be the pinnacle of human exploration!"
A huff.
"You have a point."
"See?"
"Tomorrow, we leave at the crack of dawn."
"Sounds good to me."
The two shadows moved, arms raised for a fist bump.
Their knuckles connected.
Whoosh.
The fire was snuffed out, leaving nothing but burnt cinders and a trail of smoke reaching towards the sky.