Chapter 198: Secrets Behind the Mission
Chapter 198: Secrets Behind the Mission
"May I ask who you are, Mr. Hamanjiro, we are the ninjas assigned to your mission." Mu Yue inquired, her eyes narrowing at the peculiar trio before her.
The trio consisted of two burly men flanking a slender, timid-looking man, and Mu Yue found it odd that they didn't resemble bodyguards but rather hostage-takers.
However, she doubted they were kidnappers. If anyone dared to hold a client hostage in Konoha, she would consider them brave, but foolish beyond measure.
"I... I am Hamanjiro," the slender man in the middle spoke up meekly.
"I have a question," Mu Yue interjected. "In the mission description, did the large black eagle display any special abilities, such as breathing fire or shooting lightning?"
If it had such abilities, it would likely be a Ninjuu, and a formidable one at that.
"Ah, Da Hei is just strong. He doesn't breathe fire or shoot lightning," Hamanjiro shook his head.
"Da Hei?" Mu Yue was surprised by the nickname, expecting something more ominous like 'Black Grim Eagle'.
"I have no further questions, we can depart at any time," Mu Yue stated.
"Then let's go now. We can't let that monster continue its rampage," one of the burly men beside Hamanjiro urged.
Mu Yue glanced at Hamanjiro, and the burly man followed her gaze. Finally, Hamanjiro nodded.
With the client's consent, Mu Yue, along with Deidara, Kakashi, and Might Guy, set off toward the Land of Rivers, specifically the town of Kawakita, with haste.
Kawakita, a town in the northern region of the Land of Rivers, likely derived its name from its geographical location—truly in the north of the Land of Rivers.
To the west of the Land of Rivers lay the Land of Wind, predominantly desert and desert grassland, while to the east was the Land of Fire, characterized by forests and grasslands. The northern border was shared with the Land of Rain, and the south boasted a coastline.
As such, the southeastern regions of the Land of Rivers were more developed, while other areas lagged, including Kawakita, Mu Yue's destination.
The environment in the north, though better than the west, was influenced by the neighboring Land of Rain, a region known for its chaos. Additionally, the absence of a ninja village within the Land of Rivers contributed to the region's instability and hindered its development.
"Hamanjiro, pick up the pace, lad! The longer we delay, the greater the losses for all of us," the burly man urged as they traveled.
Hamanjiro silently quickened his pace.
When they reached a secluded forest, Mu Yue and Deidara took the lead to scout the path ahead, while Might Guy and Kakashi guarded their rear to prevent any surprise attacks.
"Teacher Mu Yue, this mission feels odd. Why is our client so timid?" Deidara asked as he slashed away the brambles blocking their path with his kunai.
"There must be something amiss. We'll talk to the client tonight," Mu Yue nodded.
The fact that even Deidara noticed the strangeness of the situation spoke volumes.
On the first day of their journey, they encountered no obstacles, which Mu Yue had anticipated based on her previous mission in the Land of Fire, where the security situation was relatively stable.
As evening approached and they prepared to make camp for the night, Mu Yue cast a genjutsu on the two burly men, rendering them unconscious.
"You...?" Hamanjiro's eyes widened in alarm as he watched the two men collapse. He turned to Mu Yue and her companions, his expression fraught with anxiety.
"Mr. Hamanjiro, rest assured that we, as ninjas of Konoha, will never bring harm to our clients," Mu Yue reassured him with a smile.
"Based on our observations, these two don't seem to be your bodyguards. What is your relationship with them?"
"They were sent by the town mayor to protect me on my way to Konoha to post the mission," Hamanjiro admitted.
He had never witnessed a ninja battle before, and the silent takedown of the two burly men had genuinely startled him.
"If they were sent to protect you, why were they so rude to you?" Mu Yue inquired, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Hamanjiro stole a glance at the unconscious men on the ground and, satisfied that they were both insensible, continued, "Actually, Da Hei hasn't bothered the townspeople at all. He only took poultry from the mayor's house."
Mu Yue narrowed her eyes slightly, then gestured for Hamanjiro to continue.
"Da Hei isn't aggressive at all. We found him in the forest and raised him together, but that scoundrel of a mayor wanted to keep Da Hei as a pet. Da Hei resisted and ended up taking revenge on the mayor instead."
"We had no choice. We rent our fields from the mayor, and he demanded that we pool our money to hire ninjas from a hidden village to drive away Da Hei, or he wouldn't lease the fields to us," Hamanjiro replied helplessly.
"And he expects you to pay for it yourself?" Kakashi was taken aback, having just realized why the mayor had sent Hamanjiro to post the mission.
"That man has lost his youth; someone needs to knock some sense into him!" Might Guy added, his voice filled with righteous indignation.
Mu Yue's expression remained unchanged, but he sensed that the mayor was a little off. The mayor's actions were cruel, but not to the extreme. Despite the situation, he still dared to have a villager post the mission. After all, the village's money didn't have the villagers' faces printed on it. He could have just taken the money and sent his own people to post the mission.
"Could he be afraid of ninjas?" Mu Yue speculated.
In remote areas where people hadn't encountered ninjas from major hidden villages, they might indeed be fearful. Sending two burly men to keep an eye on Hamanjiro probably indicated the mayor's fear that Hamanjiro would run away with the money.
Of course, there was another possibility—that Hamanjiro was lying. However, based on his current behavior, that possibility seemed slim.
But Mu Yue didn't mind; he would just gather information when they arrived.
If the mayor was indeed the type to oppress villagers, Mu Yue wouldn't mind playing the role of a vigilante for once.
Mu Yue didn't dislike the ninjas from Iwagakure or Kumogakure; he killed them because if he didn't, they would kill him.
Unlike other Konoha ninjas, Mu Yue was a time traveler of less than a year. He didn't have any emotional attachment to the village of Konoha. He might develop feelings for certain individuals, but so far, he had none for Konoha as a whole.
Mu Yue didn't see any reason to be emotionally invested in Konoha. In his previous world's perspective, it was a military base that sent children barely ten years old to the battlefield. It was challenging for him to develop any emotional attachment to such a place.
Compared to ninjas from other hidden villages, Mu Yue despised feudal exploiters even more.
"If he won't lease the fields, then don't rent them. Just farm your own land," Obito said, scratching his head.
He didn't understand why they had to rent fields when the residents of Konoha couldn't even tend to their own lands. On top of that, they sometimes had to post D-rank missions for ninjas to help out.
Obito's words left Hamanjiro speechless for a moment.
"Our own land"... what a distant concept. In reality, it wasn't that distant at all. He seemed to recall that his family used to have their own land, but due to increasing difficulties, they had no choice but to sell it to the mayor over a decade ago.
"Because we don't have any land left, and almost all the land in the town belongs to the mayor," Hamanjiro finally sighed in resignation.
He didn't understand why, despite everyone's hard work in farming, they only grew poorer, while the mayor, who did nothing, grew richer and acquired more land.
"Ouch!" Obito was about to say something when Mu Yue's finger tapped his head, harder than usual, causing him to draw in a sharp breath.
"Konoha is one of the most developed places in the Fire Country. Don't compare it to other places," Mu Yue said.
If there were such a thing as GDP per capita for the shinobi world, Konoha's would undoubtedly be very high. Konoha was truly blessed with abundant land and resources, and its population was relatively small.
After hearing Mu Yue's explanation, Hamanjiro seemed to relax, and he soon fell asleep.
"Teacher Mu Yue, what should we do?" Obito looked at Mu Yue, unsure of their next course of action.
He really didn't like the idea of driving away the giant eagle just to please the mayor.
"Let's go to Kawakita in the Land of Rivers first and take a look at the guy who's been harassing the residents," Mu Yue said calmly.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
