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Chapter 45: Traitors and Ambushes
Chapter 45: Traitors and Ambushes
In a remote inn, a young girl with pale golden hair, around sixteen or seventeen years old, entered a room. She swept her hair into a ponytail, smoothing it with her hand, then patted her flat chest. With a simple hand seal, she transformed.
A puff of white smoke later, her ponytail fell loose, her golden hair cascading down her back. Her once flat chest now swelled, and the vibrant young girl had transformed into a mature beauty.
"Phew, I finally managed to shake them off," Tsunade said, adjusting her hair and letting out a sigh.
Jiraiya entered the room behind her, her eyes fixed on Tsunade's chest, a strange glint in her eyes. She knew that Tsunade had transformed into her younger self to evade debt collectors, but what she couldn't understand was how Tsunade, who had been flat-chested as a teenager, had managed to develop such a buxom figure.
Tsunade sat down at the table and glanced at Jiraiya, "Who was that ninja we met today?"
"Umm, he's my classmate, Kakashi Hatake," Jiraiya replied as she knelt in front of Tsunade.
Tsunade was slightly taken aback by Jiraiya's answer, "So he's Kakashi Hatake? Hmm...he does resemble Sakumo a lot."
During the Second Great Ninja War, the renowned Sakumo Hatake of the Ninja World had been the commander of the Rain Country's front line. At that time, the three legendary Sannin had not yet risen to fame, and they were all a generation younger than Sakumo.
A hint of sadness flashed in Tsunade's eyes as she spoke of Sakumo. She recalled how he had cared for her on several occasions, and how his suicide over a failed mission had shocked her deeply. Upon hearing the news, she had even returned to Konoha to pay her respects at his grave.
She had also heard of Sakumo's son, Kakashi, who had become a Chunin at the age of six, just a year after graduating from the Academy. This had impressed her greatly, and she had marveled at the promising future of Konoha's White Fang.
"Kakashi is indeed very talented," Jiraiya said, a hint of admiration in her voice as she hugged a pillow and sat in front of Tsunade. "In the recent Chunin Exams, he single-handedly eliminated all his opponents and even caught the attention of Orochimaru-sama, who took him on as a disciple."
"Oh?" Tsunade's eyes sparkled at the mention of Orochimaru, and she stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I remember his talent being rather ordinary compared to Kakashi's."
"That's only because Kakashi doesn't like to show off," Jiraiya unconsciously smiled, "From what I've heard, Kakashi has always tried to catch up with him but has never won."
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya, "Do you like him?"
"Eh? Eh?!" Jiraiya's expression turned awkward, and she stammered, "Wh-what makes you ask that suddenly...?"
"It's obvious," Tsunade crossed her arms on the table, her fingers interlaced, exuding a confident air, "If you like him, just go for it! What does it matter if he's Orochimaru's disciple? You're my disciple too."
"N-no, it's not like that..." Jiraiya stammered, her face reddening.
"Don't deny it, your face gives it away," Tsunade chuckled, "I'm just curious, what does that boy have that makes you, Jiraiya, too shy to pursue him? And how did he end up as Orochimaru's disciple?"
Tsunade's thoughts drifted to the fleeting glimpse she had caught of Kakashi earlier that day, her fingers tapping her chin thoughtfully.
...
Kakashi was unaware that his brief encounter had piqued Tsunade's interest. Had he known, he would have smiled at the thought of how much easier it would be to get close to her in the future.
After a night of chakra training, the group set off on their journey once more the next day.
Feng Ye paused to observe the river for a few seconds before turning his head toward a stone bridge located not far to the northeast. "We haven't reached the end of our contracted mission yet. Let's keep going."
"Mhm."
Ubudei Daiwei nodded and followed Feng Ye forward.
The group arrived at the stone bridge, with Feng Ye in the lead and Might Dai at the rear. They quickly crossed the bridge without incident.
However, after crossing the bridge, Feng Ye's eyes turned cold as he looked toward a nearby bush and calmly spoke, "Not even bothering with concealment now?"
Feng Ye's words caused Ubudei Daiwei and the others' faces to drastically change.
Might Dai was also initially startled but quickly reacted, leaping to Feng Ye's side.
"Because there's no need."
A light and indifferent voice came from the direction of the bushes.
Immediately after.
Ten figures emerged from the bushes, each wearing the forehead protector of Iwagakure, the Hidden Stone Village, and armed with kunai, shuriken, and other weapons.
"Ninja from the Hidden Stone Village... How is this possible...?"
Upon seeing this, Ubudei Daiwei's face contorted with rage as he spun around, his teeth clenched as he glared at the members of his own group, his eyes filled with fury.
It was impossible for a squad of ninja from Iwagakure to be lying in wait at the border of the Land of Grass by coincidence. Moreover, from their attitude, it seemed as though they had been waiting for some time.
There was a traitor among them!
"Damn it, who is it?!
Ubudei Daiwei drew a dagger, his anger directed at the members of his group, who also exchanged angry glances, their eyes revealing their mutual suspicions.
Feng Ye paid no attention to the commotion behind him. Instead, he calmly said, "Finding the traitor is pointless at this moment. He won't come forward on his own... You seem to have withheld some crucial information. This situation certainly goes beyond what a C-rank mission can explain."
"..."
Ubudei Daiwei's face turned ashen.
He glanced sideways at the ten approaching Iwagakure ninja, his heart sinking further. With a traitor leaking information, the enemy had hired an entire squad from the Hidden Stone Village to ambush them, while they had only hired a two-man squad from Konohagakure.
They had no chance of fighting back!
His only hope was that the enemy's mission wasn't to kill them but to capture them alive. That would at least leave them with a chance of survival.
"What is your mission? Are you here to kill us? We can pay you double the mission fee!" Ubudei Daiwei gritted his teeth and offered the enemy ninja a deal, his eyes fixed on them with desperation.
"Our mission is... to capture him alive."
The leading jonin of the Iwagakure group, his eyes filled with contempt, pointed at the boy standing behind Ubudei Daiwei. "As for the rest of you, we can only invite you to descend to hell."
Altering a mission for the sake of a reward was something that only third-rate ninja from minor villages would do. As ninja from one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the members of Iwagakure would never do something that would tarnish their reputation.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
As the jonin finished speaking, three ninja from Iwagakure rushed towards Feng Ye, and another three towards Might Dai, their faces cold and devoid of emotion. They wasted no words and moved with deadly intent.
"..."
Ubudei Daiwei's face fell, and he looked utterly devastated.
Although the young master was not their target, if they all died here, the young master would be captured and taken away, making it nearly impossible to turn the situation around. The position of Daimyo of Shimogakure would undoubtedly fall into that person's hands.
He never imagined that there would be a traitor among the late Daimyo's most trusted people. This was something he could never have foreseen, and now that this step had been taken, there was no going back.
(End of Chapter)
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