"It's more than that," Yuki lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "The Lord also ntioned that so of the commoners on his estates— Ow!"
Before he could finish, a sharp smack landed on the back of his head.
"Harusa-nee! What was that for?"
"Keep your mouth shut about things that don't concern you," Yoshisuke cut in, eyeing him coldly.
Yuki shrunk his neck back and quickly corrected himself. "I an... the tenant farrs. They've started causing trouble lately.
It looks like rogue samurai are inciting them from the shadows. The Lord suspects those wandering ninja and the samurai are actually working together to seize his family estate."
Shisui listened quietly, his mind rapidly organizing the intel.
Although the Land of Waterfall was a neutral nation and ostensibly far from the front lines, it had long been perated by the ripples of war.
Refugees were pouring in, foreign ninja were crossing borders in secret, and internal security was loosening by the day...
It was clear that once the Great War erupted, no place was truly safe. However, compared to the outside world, this secluded corner was still relatively peaceful.
As for these troublemakers... once he had a free hand, he could clean them up—or better yet, put them to use. After all, the Land of Waterfall was to be his "ho" from now on; he needed to clear out the pests in his own house.
Ryuji Ida was still groggy when he was woken up, but the sight of four official Takigakure ninja standing there snapped him awake instantly. He bowed with fearful reverence.
"Lord Ninja, visiting in the middle of the night... how may I serve you?"
Sato Yoshisuke didn't mince words. He sized Ryuji up and asked directly, "Are you the head of this caravan? Takigawa Shuu says he's been escorting you. Is this true?"
"True! Absolutely true!" Ryuji said hurriedly. "Lord Takigawa is our savior! If he hadn't stepped in, we would have been at the rcy of those ronin..."
He gave a brief account of what happened outside the station town. Naturally, he knew what to omit; he made no ntion of the two ronin who had vanished into thin air.
Yoshisuke followed up with questions about the cargo, destination, and personnel, all of which Ryuji answered ticulously.
"My apologies," Yoshisuke said afterward. "I'm just being cautious. It's standard procedure, especially since Shuu has been away from the village for so long..."
"No, I understand perfectly. It's the right way to do things," Shisui replied easily.
It was undeniable that for a Chunin of a small village, Yoshisuke possessed a comndable level of vigilance. But that was where it ended. The gap between them wasn't just in raw power, but in the "Art" itself.
"However, Takigawa," Yoshisuke turned to him, "according to regulations, since your original escort mission failed, you should have returned to the village to report imdiately instead of taking on private work without authorization."
"I intended to return once I saw Mr. Ida to safety. eting you all was just a lucky coincidence..."
Yoshisuke saw that Shisui "didn't get the hint" and waved it off. "Forget it. Mr. Ida, what is your route?"
"We plan to detour north through the Land of Waterfall and enter the Land of Earth from the northern border. We'll be passing through the large city up ahead. If you wouldn't mind, we would be honored to travel with you."
"Fine. But let's get one thing straight: our mission takes priority. We can't escort you the whole way. Once we reach the city, you're on your own."
"Yes, of course! That is more than enough!" Ryuji was overjoyed. With a squad of official Takigakure ninja, the safety of the next leg of the journey was guaranteed.
Yoshisuke glanced at the two—the rchant and the "Genin"—and sighed inwardly. Truly, those who don't run a household don't know the price of rice.
Shisui was being far too charitable. If every ninja handed out favors for free, how was the village supposed to eat? He had made the point clear, but one seed not to understand, and the other was clearly playing dumb.
The group rearranged the watch and settled in.
Shisui leaned against his tree again, eyes closed. But two figures crept over—Naoto and Yuki. Youthful energy was a restless thing.
"Senior Takigawa, you're really sothing," Yuki whispered. "I heard there were three ronin originally, and you handled them all. That Ichiro Kurosaki guy has a heavy aura; I bet he's killed a lot of people. He looks way stronger than ."
"Just luck," Shisui responded without opening his eyes. He had already squeezed them for information; he was tired and wanted to rest, not chat.
"Don't be humble! Shuu-go, I feel like you've gotten way stronger after this training trip. Want to spar with us later?"
Shisui turned his head away. "Not a good idea. You should be on alert. This area isn't safe."
"Oh, right." Yuki didn't doubt him for a second. It was his turn for the watch anyway, so he bid them goodnight and left.
Naoto didn't leave, though. He lay down next to Shisui, hands behind his head, staring at the stars. "Brother Takigawa, why don't you join us on our mission? The Captain probably wouldn't mind."
"We'll see," Shisui said noncommittally. "I have to report to the village first."
"Fair point." Naoto sounded disappointed but perked up quickly. "Well, at least in the city, we can grab a drink! I know a great tavern..."
Naoto droned on and on. Shisui gave half-hearted hums of agreent. He was annoyed, but he continued to listen.
By the second half of the night, Naoto finally fell asleep. But then, Ryuji Ida crept over.
"Master Takigawa, I've been thinking... since we're passing that big city, I might sell off a portion of the goods there."
"I have silk and tea that aren't worth much in the Land of Fire, but they'll be popular with the Waterfall nobility. If I can strike a deal with the City Lord, I'll get cash and a connection. Then, I can use that money to post an official mission and hire your friends to escort us to the border."
He rubbed his hands together sheepishly. "I know it's a bit calculating, but opportunities are rare. What do you think?"
Shisui looked at him. Ryuji might have a limited worldview, and he certainly had his prejudices against ninja, but when it ca to survival and climbing the social ladder, the man was relentless.
"It's your business. Decide for yourself."
"Understood, understood." Before leaving, Ryuji added, "I don't think you're an ordinary ninja, Master. I hope we can continue to 'cooperate' in the future."
With the constant interruptions, Shisui's sleepiness had evaporated.
He nudged Naoto with his foot. The boy was sleeping like a log, scratching his backside before rolling over to continue snoring.
"Truly, there are similar people everywhere in this world," Shisui whispered. "It's just a pity that not everyone has the destiny of a protagonist."
He released a specialized Kikaichu to cast a minor Genjutsu, ensuring everyone in the imdiate area fell into a deeper, unshakable sleep. Then, he reached over, pried Naoto's mouth open, and slid a translucent egg down his throat.
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