Tanzō Makes Another Move

Namikaze Yoru set off back to Konoha with his bags packed full of specialties from the Land of Water.

He had traveled light on the way there, but was returning with his arms full, looking every bit like a merchant coming home from a successful trip.

At the border checkpoint in the Land of Water, he ran into the same Mist Village patrol squad as before.

"Honored shinobi, good to see you again. Thanks for your hard work on patrol." Namikaze Yoru greeted them warmly, wearing the familiar smile of a businessman.

The Mist Jonin leading the squad glanced at his bulging packs, looking a little surprised. "Business must be good. Heading back already?"

"Thanks to you all, my little business has done well. I'm going back now that I've sold everything." Namikaze Yoru rubbed his hands together with a smile. "I'll be back after a while, so I'll be counting on you to make things easy for me again."

The Kirigakure shinobi seemed unconcerned. "There's no need for that if you're a legitimate merchant. We're always glad to welcome you."

Namikaze Yoru seemed to suddenly remember something. He took a delicate porcelain bottle from his pack.

"This is the last bottle of the special edition Sidan Kang. Please, you must take it. As for how well it works..." He smiled meaningfully. "You'll know once you've tried it."

As he handed over the bottle, he pressed his fingers lightly against it, so subtly that no one noticed.

The Jonin took the bottle. It felt a little heavier than expected, and he understood at once. There was clearly something hidden in the base. Without changing his expression, he slipped it away.

He gave a slight cough and kept his face neutral, merely nodding. "You don't have to go to such trouble. Be careful on the road. The border hasn't been very peaceful lately."

"Got it. Thanks for the warning, sir." Namikaze Yoru understood the hint and passed through the checkpoint without a hitch.

His behavior had made his identity clear, greased the wheels, and paved the way for future visits.

The return trip went smoothly, without a single incident.

He hadn't even reached Konoha before he had sold most of the specialties from the Land of Water.

Once he entered Konoha, the shinobi on guard at the gate checked his papers as a matter of routine and let him through.

He didn't bother setting up a stall for the remaining goods, instead finding a shop and selling them off casually.

Thanks to the isolation of the wartime economy, the exotic handicrafts and specialty dried seafood from the Land of Water were in high demand.

After making another handsome profit, he looked at how much he'd earned from a single round trip and began to question the prospects of being a shinobi.

Not only had he completed his intelligence-gathering mission, but by trading on both sides, he had made far more than he normally would.

In high spirits, he even began to consider whether he could develop this "international trade" into a side business.

He turned into a quiet alley and, after confirming that no one was around, the disguised Namikaze Yoru took off his traveling merchant's outfit.

Back in his identity as a Konoha Chunin, he went to the Hokage Building to hand in his intelligence. The long-term mission wasn't completely finished, but the information he had brought back was enough for Konoha to analyze.

Naturally, though, certain people had kept an eye on all this.

"Outrageous!" Danzo slammed his hand on the table in the Root Base and snarled, "What does that brat think a shinobi mission is? A game of commerce?"

The Anbu shinobi knelt on the floor and reported cautiously, "According to our investigation, Namikaze Yoru did complete the intelligence-gathering mission, and... made quite a profit."

"Profit?" Danzo sneered. "A shinobi should put missions first. But he used a mission as an excuse to run a business! What kind of conduct is that?"

Root, the Konoha organization most fond of using spies, treated shinobi as tools to be summoned and dismissed at will. It couldn't tolerate them having personal ideas.

To Danzo, Namikaze Yoru's behavior was far too unconventional. And that was before considering that his original intention had been to humiliate him—or even have him die during the mission.

What angered Danzo even more was the report from his informant in the Mist Village: the spy hadn't noticed Namikaze Yoru's methods at all, and couldn't find out how he had obtained intelligence from the Mist.

This refusal to do things by the book displeased him greatly.

"He needs to be taught a lesson." Danzo's face darkened, a cold glint flashing in his one eye. "He needs to understand that anyone in Konoha who goes against Root's will won't have an easy time."

Just then, another Root shinobi hurried in and whispered a few words into Danzo's ear. Danzo's face turned from green to white, then from white to red. The expression on it was quite a sight.

As it turned out, after hearing about the matter, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't criticized Namikaze Yoru. Instead, he had praised him for "adapting to the situation and opening up a new way of thinking for the village."

An idea took shape in Danzo's mind. He summoned a trusted subordinate and gave him a few quiet instructions.

Words like "Mist Village" and "leak" could faintly be heard.

Meanwhile, Namikaze Yoru was at home, happily counting his money. He suddenly sneezed and rubbed his nose. "Strange. Who's talking about me?"

But he immediately put the thought out of his mind and started letting his thoughts wander, considering how to maximize his profits on his next trip to the Land of Water.

The next day at noon, exhausted from his travels, Namikaze Yoru slept in for once.

Near midday, as he prepared to head out, he took a delicate little box from his pack and slipped it into his breast pocket.

"I haven't seen her in a while. I should go remind her I exist," he muttered to himself as he headed toward the Senju Compound.

When he reached the large estate, he knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered.

Just then, a middle-aged woman next door, who was hanging laundry, poked her head out and said, "Are you here to see Tsunade? There are a lot of injured people who need treatment lately. She left first thing this morning."

After thanking her, Namikaze Yoru turned and headed for Konoha Hospital.

He even hummed a little on the way, unconsciously rubbing the little box in his pocket.

The familiar smell of disinfectant filled Konoha Hospital. Namikaze Yoru made his way to the office where Tsunade usually worked, as if he knew the way by heart.

Through the half-open door, he saw Tsunade intently reviewing patient records. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across her golden hair, accentuating the gentle lines of her profile. She was breathtaking.

Namikaze Yoru knocked softly. Tsunade had already sensed him. She raised her head, a flicker of panic in her eyes before her expression quickly returned to normal.

"You're back? Did everything go smoothly?"

"Yeah, I just got back." Namikaze Yoru smiled as he entered the office and naturally took a seat beside her.

"I saw this while I was in the Land of Water and thought it would suit you."

He pushed the little box toward Tsunade. She arched an eyebrow at him. When she opened the box, a hint of delight flashed in her eyes.

Inside was a bracelet made of deep-sea pearls and a blue crystal. Each pearl was perfectly round, complementing the blue crystal beautifully.

"Not bad taste." Tsunade's voice was calm, but Namikaze Yoru noticed the slight upward curve of her lips.

"Want me to put it on for you?" Namikaze Yoru asked tentatively.

Tsunade didn't answer, but she held out her wrist.

Namikaze Yoru carefully fastened the bracelet around her wrist. Their fingertips brushed lightly by accident, but both pretended nothing had happened.