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Chapter 50: The Rock Ninja's Caution
Chapter 50: The Rock Ninja's Caution
Red Earth frowned, his brows furrowed as he spoke to Uramoto Daisuke in a low voice, "You said that the two escort ninjas from Konoha included one with thick eyebrows and a tight-fitting outfit, and the other was only about twelve years old?"
"Y-Yes..." Daisuke Urabe's face was pale from excessive blood loss.
Red Earth turned his head to the ninja beside him and asked in a deep voice, "Who else has specific information about the mission Firelight took on?"
The ninjas beside him exchanged glances, all shaking their heads.
They were not responsible for task handovers nor were they members of Firelight's team. It was understandable that they remembered Firelight had accepted a mission from the Grass Country, but it was unlikely for them to recall specific details or intelligence.
"..."
Red Earth's brows furrowed slightly as he fell into thought for a few seconds before speaking, "It should be a hidden elite jonin-level ninja from Konoha. Distribute their descriptions to all ninjas and tell them to be on high alert!"
There was no need to pay attention to regular jonin as they were quite common, but elite jonin were few in number. The legendary Sannin of Konoha—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—were also classified as 'elite jonin', so every elite jonin from an enemy village warranted caution!
"Yes!"
The ninjas beside him acknowledged the order.
After giving the command, Red Earth raised his head, his gaze deep as he looked toward the direction of the Fire Country.
That silver-haired boy...
He seemed to fit the description, but that person was already dead. Could this be his son? But according to the intelligence, that person's son should still be quite young—
Nevertheless, regardless of their identity, the fact that someone of that age possessed such terrifying strength made that young ninja a threat that needed to be eliminated as soon as possible.
Konoha couldn't afford to have another White Fang!
...
Konoha.
After leaving the Grass Country far behind, Feng Ye and Might Guy traveled day and night without rest, eventually returning to Konoha. However, it was clear that the village was not oblivious to the intelligence from the frontlines, as it had already entered a state of wartime alert.
The entire village was enveloped by a massive sensory barrier, and the defenses at the main entrance had been bolstered to include two squads. Additionally, there was at least one squad of ANBU lurking in the shadows, keeping a watchful eye.
Feng Ye and Might Guy underwent a rigorous interrogation at the village gate to ensure they weren't enemy ninjas in disguise before being allowed to enter.
Once inside, the two made their way straight to the Hokage Building.
The mission assignment desk on the first floor of the Hokage Building also exuded a different atmosphere from before. All C-rank missions had been removed, and only a few scattered B-rank and A-rank missions remained posted on the bulletin board, all of which were within the Fire Country, such as serving as a personal bodyguard for the Fire Country's daimyo.
"It's you two?"
Hiashi Hyuga was still on the first floor, handling mission assignments. Seeing Feng Ye and Might Guy walk in, he was initially surprised but then breathed a sigh of relief. "Looks like you didn't encounter the Rock ninjas in the Grass Country. Lucky you."
News of the Rock ninjas' large-scale operation in the Grass Country had already reached Konoha through their scouts, and Hiashi Hyuga recalled that Feng Ye and Might Guy's mission had been to escort a caravan to the Grass Country. In such a situation, encountering the Rock ninjas' main force would have spelled disaster, so their safe return was undoubtedly a fortunate turn of events.
"No, we did encounter the Rock ninjas," Feng Ye said slowly as he looked at Hiashi Hyuga. "The mission took an unexpected turn, and we met a ten-person squad from the Rock Village at the Grass Country border..."
"A ten-person squad?
"It's good that you're back safely. According to the rules, unexpected circumstances beyond your control that lead to a failed mission will not be recorded as a 'failed commission.'"
Unknow Fire lowered his head to search for the mission request form that Feng Ye and Might Guy had previously accepted.
Feng Ye walked over, watched as Unknow Fire located the form, and picked up a pen to mark it in the 'accident' column. But before he could do so, Feng Ye spoke up:
"Don't record it randomly. The mission was not a failure."
"Huh?"
Unknow Fire paused, a bit taken aback.
Feng Ye threw a scroll onto the table as he walked past and headed upstairs. "I'm going to see the Hokage. You explain the situation to him."
With that, Feng Ye quickly disappeared into the interior and climbed the stairs to the second floor of the Hokage building, his figure vanishing into the stairwell.
"Hmm."
Might Guy made a thoughtful sound and walked to the table. He hesitated for a moment, scratching his head. "How should I put it... we encountered a ten-person squad from the Rock Village, and then the client temporarily amended the request, upgrading it to an A-rank mission. Then, we... took care of the Rock ninja squad."
Unknow Fire listened intently, and when he heard the phrase 'took care of,' he froze, thinking he had misheard. "Wait... Did you say you 'took care of' the ten-person Rock ninja squad?!
"Yes."
Might Guy nodded.
Unknow Fire frowned, staring at Might Guy. "What are you up to now? Don't tell me you're falsifying mission details! That's a serious offense!!"
Might Guy shook his head. "Why would I falsify mission details? I'm reporting the facts. Oh, and the proof is in that scroll."
"Scroll...?"
Unknow Fire furrowed his brows as he looked at the scroll Feng Ye had tossed onto the table. He opened it and spread it out, then placed his hands together and formed a seal. "Open!"
Whoosh!
White smoke flashed, and a pile of objects appeared on the scroll—numerous Rock ninja headbands and a single shriveled head.
Unknow Fire's pupils constricted at this sight, and he looked at the headbands and the head in disbelief.
Ten headbands!
Ninja headbands were a symbol of identity, given only to ninjas recognized by their village. These ten Rock ninja headbands indicated they had come from ten Rock ninjas! Feng Ye and Might Guy had actually taken out an entire squad of ten Rock ninjas!
This...
Unknow Fire froze in place, his eyes wide with shock. His mouth hung slightly open, and for a few seconds, he couldn't speak. Finally, his throat moved as he said, "Wait here."
With the unexpected change in the mission's scope, its elevation to an A-rank request, and the deaths of ninjas from an enemy village, this was no longer something he could handle on his own.
Unknow Fire took a deep breath and quickly left the counter to report to his superiors.
(End of Chapter)
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