B-Rank Ninja Battle Mission: Iwagakure Spy! (Please Bookmark, Please Recommend)

The setting sun melted like gold, and the evening haze hung heavy.

Two figures, one large and one small, followed the lingering glow of the sunset out through Konoha's gates.

Tsunade tirelessly counted the hundred thousand ryo in cash several times, then confidently stuffed it into her naturally gifted "Fourth-Dimensional Pocket" and patted it twice from the outside.

On my grandfather's name.

I, Tsunade, winning five million with these hundred thousand ryo won't be a problem!

"Nara boy, you said earlier that you're physically weak. Have you sought out a 'professional Medical Ninjutsu practitioner' to help examine your body?"

Tsunade gazed toward Kikyo Castle shrouded in twilight, deliberately stressing a certain phrase as she asked with obvious implication.

Aside from gambling, she was actually quite confident in her Medical Ninjutsu.

Although she had just had a tiny, insignificant misunderstanding with this kid—and extorted—received a hundred thousand ryo in mission rewards from him.

Tsunade had not forgotten her professional ethics as a medical ninja because of that—

Well, she just wanted to make more money.

Under normal circumstances, ninjas earned their income by completing missions.

Of course, a very small number of people could also make money through side jobs such as "literary creation"...

After all, the reward for an ordinary B-Rank Mission was only around a hundred thousand ryo.

Not only was it time-consuming and exhausting, but they also had to split the money with their teammates. Most of the time, the actual income they received was at most a third of the mission reward.

And because of certain personal reasons, Tsunade, who could not bear the sight of blood, had not taken on high-level missions for quite some time.

After all, B-Rank Missions and above basically required confronting enemies and fighting to the death.

That "special reason" had even greatly affected Tsunade's primary work as a medic.

Despite being one of Konoha's famed Sannin, Princess Tsunade had lacked a stable source of income for a long time. Coupled with her little gambling habit...

In short, Tsunade would never easily let any newly discovered potential source of income slip away!

This Nara boy behind her came from a very wealthy family. He had casually produced a hundred thousand ryo as a "mission reward," so he was definitely an enormous, fat, oil-dripping Big Fat Sheep.

If his physical problem was minor and could be cured with a wave of her hand, then the hundred thousand ryo from earlier could count as payment for treating him.

But if his physical problem was serious, Tsunade intended to discuss a truly big deal with the kid!

Tsunade waited expectantly for her "temporary employer's" answer, but one second passed, then two...

The Nara boy behind her was as silent as if he had been flattened by a steamroller.

Tsunade frowned and turned around, intending to see what was wrong with the kid.

The next second, she unexpectedly met a fixed, vacant gaze.

"This brat!"

Tsunade instinctively clenched her fist, and several vicious veins immediately bulged across her fair forehead.

Her judgment earlier had definitely not been wrong.

This brat was absolutely the same type as Jiraiya!

Tsunade was just about to punch this improper little brat, but before she could raise her arm, she saw Nara Kaikei continue walking forward at an unhurried pace, with not the slightest emotional change on his handsome little face.

No... I wasn't being peeped at...

Realizing that Nara Kaikei was not peeping at her but merely spacing out, Tsunade could not help taking a step back, unable to hide the embarrassment and shame in her heart.

I was completely ignored!!

Once she realized that, the shame in Tsunade's heart was instantly replaced by surging fury.

I've got money, looks, a figure, skills, status, and standing. The people chasing me line up from Konoha all the way to Kumogakure. You're following right behind my ass, and instead of getting horny, you're spacing out? Do you think I'm air?!

Fuming, Tsunade simply stood where she was and looked coldly at Nara Kaikei, waiting to see when he would finally snap out of it.

One step, two steps. Nara Kaikei drew closer and closer, about to commit the crime of ramming into her chest.

In the end, Tsunade still raised her hand and slapped Nara Kaikei's forehead.

Smack!

The crisp sound and slight pain on his forehead jolted Nara Kaikei awake. He immediately closed the [Lazy Ghost Ascends to Heaven] panel, looked straight ahead to trace the source, and saw only a deep, soul-stirring abyss split open amid a vast expanse of white.

Our universe is full of protons, neutrons, electrons, and—

Under that overwhelming visual pressure, Nara Kaikei bowed his head.

His gaze slid swiftly downward, passing over the slender waist so tender it seemed one could squeeze juice from it, passing over the pair of dazzlingly white long legs that gleamed even in the dim light, until it reached the pair of ninja sandals planted on the ground.

Several round, smooth white toes playfully peeked out from the tops of the dark ninja sandals. Their carefully trimmed nails were neat and even, while the rust-red, glossy nail polish diffused an intoxicatingly warm sheen beneath the hazy natural light.

The moonlight tonight was beautiful. Nara Kaikei knew he was in trouble.

"Hiss—"

He sucked in a breath, pretending the slap had hurt, and retreated several steps. Keeping his tone as calm as possible, he asked,

"Lady Tsunade, may I ask what the matter is?"

"There was, originally."

Tsunade crossed her arms and looked down at Nara Kaikei with smug satisfaction, her lips curling into the full arc of a victor's smile.

"Now there isn't!"

Kid, you were looking at me just now, weren't you?

"..."

Nara Kaikei was rendered speechless, then deliberately looked away.

That innately shameless Senju Fat Sheep!

He had clearly already paid protection money voluntarily!

"Hmm? Kid..."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Her sixth sense seemed to faintly detect a trace of malice.

But before she could finish speaking, Nara Kaikei's gaze caught sight of a stranger walking toward them.

He was broad and muscular, dressed in coarse brown clothes, with an ordinary face. His entire body looked like a cold, hard rock.

At this hour, there are still civilians daring to linger outside the village?

Nara Kaikei's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

As one of the eight great mountains guarding Konoha, Kikyo Mountain had quite a few civilians living in Kikyo Castle at its foot.

Konoha also dispatched a certain amount of ninja strength to protect the city, such as the Nara Clan, whose main occupation was raising deer and whose side job was being ninjas.

Personally, Nara Kaikei was also on good terms with the Blonde Big Sister Dean of an orphanage in Kikyo Castle.

But the situation outside the village was indeed tense at the moment. Even Konoha's residents had voluntarily reduced the frequency of their nighttime outings. As for this man coming from the direction of Kikyo Castle...

He's probably a civilian trying to make a living, right?

Nara Kaikei suppressed his baseless suspicions.

But while he lowered his guard, Tsunade, who had also noticed the stranger approaching, did not relax at all.

His breathing is incredibly steady, his footsteps are silent, and the distance between each step is almost perfectly consistent... Most importantly, this guy is even actively avoiding my Line of Sight!

Having waded through the mire of ninja wars since childhood, Tsunade stared keenly at the approaching man.

The stench of guilt on him is far too pungent!

Tsunade casually gathered a small amount of Chakra in the soles of her feet, then unleashed it. The tremendous force nearly shattered the ground beneath her.

Amid several flying Mud and Stone Fragments, Tsunade leaped high into the air. She glanced down at the stranger, who had abruptly stopped and warily raised his head, then plummeted downward like a cannonball.

The taciturn-looking man immediately raised his right hand at the sight. Pressing his index and middle fingers together, he hurriedly refined Chakra and released it through the Chakra pathways in his legs.

Body Flicker Technique!

Whoosh—

The man's figure fled the spot like a phantom, so fast that Nara Kaikei could see only a lingering afterimage.

He really is a ninja!

The inexperienced Nara Kaikei was startled.

And that speed... He's definitely no ordinary chunin! A Special Jonin? Or a jonin!?

The next second, Tsunade's foot landed slightly ahead of where the man had just been standing, and—

Step!

Tsunade landed lightly on the ground and fixed a sharp gaze on the stranger's new position after his Body Flicker.

Both her target location and that seemingly unstoppable "Monstrous Strength Foot" had merely been feints!

Tsunade let out a sharp cry. "You really are a ninja! Which village are you from?"

"Golden hair, coupled with that utterly exaggerated sense of strength... Could you be..."

The man stared at Tsunade in shock, though his right hand remained raised before him.

"One of the legendary Konoha's Sannin! Princess Slug! Princess Tsunade?!"

"That's right!"

Tsunade nodded proudly.

"Exactly—huh!?"

At the instant Tsunade nodded in reply, the man's figure abruptly vanished from where he stood, as if some special eraser had wiped his traces from the world. Even his bodily scent completely disappeared.

The fame and characteristics of Konoha's Sannin were simply too well-known.

When he had approached earlier, this Spy Jonin from Iwagakure had already more or less identified Tsunade's true identity.

The conversation just now had only been to buy time for him to activate the Iwagakure Secret Technique he had mastered!

"Toton?"

Tsunade's delicate brows knitted together. Without hesitation, she immediately flashed back to Nara Kaikei's side.

"No! It should be some kind of enemy village invisibility secret technique! Sunagakure doesn't seem to have this kind of technique. Is he an Iwagakure ninja?"

At almost the same moment, several new notifications appeared on Nara Kaikei's virtual panel.

[B-Rank Ninja Battle Mission detected!]

[B-Rank Mission: Iwagakure Spy]

[Mission Objective: Defeat/Kill an Iwagakure Jonin]

[Mission Reward: B-Rank Ninja Scroll. Upon opening, randomly obtain a B-Rank technique, ninja tool, or other miscellaneous item.]

[Mission Tip 1: When completing a mission for the first time, the mission reward's quality will be increased by one tier.]

[Mission Tip 2: Against the same target, a B-Rank Ninja Battle Mission can be completed once per month.]

[Mission Tip 3: It's just a lazy ninja's mission! You may instantly complete the triggered mission at no cost by lowering the mission reward's quality by one tier (panel only). Accept/Reject?]

So this is the proper way to use a [Ninja Scroll]? Obtain scrolls to receive random rewards!

Nara Kaikei skimmed through the mission details on the panel, his mood stirring slightly.

Since there are specialized ninja battle missions, there should be other types of missions too, right?

Although I can instantly complete it, if it only applies to the panel's contents, that doesn't seem especially meaningful. After all, I would still need to continue the real mission... No, wait!

In fact, even if I don't complete the mission—or at the instant before I fail the real mission—I seem to be able to use this function to end the mission early and claim the reward? Isn't that...

Lazy ninjas living off welfare?

During the new book period, extra chapters will not be added in principle.

But I have no way to refuse my esteemed readers' requests.

So I'll mention the rules for extra chapters.

Ten thousand in tips: two extra chapters.

One thousand monthly votes: two extra chapters.

Ten thousand recommendation votes: one extra chapter.

Alliance Leader: twenty extra chapters.

That's all.