Three Tasks

This time, Yugito gave a slight nod and didn't argue with Neji again.

She took a deep breath, frowned, and said, "The Land of Water has closed its borders and sealed off the village these years. The two batches of spies the village sent to Kirigakure have all vanished without a trace. Something must have happened there."

"Is that so?"

Neji first put on a deliberately surprised expression, then sighed, "It seems the waters in Kirigakure run deep."

Yugito quickly nodded: "Yeah."

That evening.

Yugito, Neji, and C were summoned to the Raikage's office.

Boom!

After reading the investigation report in his hand, the Fourth Raikage punched the desk to pieces and fumed, "Kirigakure! It's Kirigakure!"

"Lord Raikage."

Dodai spoke up at this moment, "What exactly the relationship between this mysterious Space-Time Ninja and Kirigakure is, we don't know yet. Whether Kirigakure's higher-ups were involved in Yozuki Rei's death is also unknown..."

Before Dodai could finish, the Fourth Raikage put down the dumbbell in his hand and asked in a deep voice, "Dodai, are you trying to convince me to let this slide?"

"..."

Dodai's face stiffened slightly.

Yugito's investigation was mostly based on speculation, lacking solid evidence.

Even if that mysterious Space-Time Ninja really was hiding in Kirigakure.

They couldn't easily hold Kirigakure accountable.

Dodai wanted to persuade the Fourth Raikage to endure, but he also knew it would be hard to convince him.

The Fourth Raikage had no tolerance for sand in his eyes.

Let alone the fact that this time, the victim was the brightest genius of the younger generation in the Yozuki clan.

It touched on the honor of the clan and the dignity of the Kage.

It had to be dealt with seriously.

At this point, Neji spoke firmly, "Lord Raikage, the search for the mysterious Space-Time Ninja shouldn't be done in a big way. Leave the mission to our squad."

"Leave it to your squad?"

The Fourth Raikage's brow furrowed slightly.

Seeing the Fourth Raikage hesitate, Neji stepped forward and said:

"Lord Raikage, without me, it's impossible to find that mysterious Space-Time Ninja. And besides..."

"Yozuki Rei was my friend. I will avenge him."

"I hope you'll grant me this."

Neji's stance was resolute.

The Fourth Raikage's expression softened slightly.

Seeing this, Dodai struck while the iron was hot and advised, "Lord Raikage, Konoha is our greatest enemy."

The Fourth Raikage casually dropped the dumbbell on the floor and sighed, "If it weren't for you two persuading me, I'd really want to square off with the Mizukage!"

Hearing this, Dodai let out a long, relieved breath.

He alone couldn't have convinced the Fourth Raikage; thankfully, Neji was there.

The Fourth Raikage picked up Yozuki Rei's Chakra Blade and handed it to Neji, saying solemnly, "Neji, Rei was killed in the village. I have no face to show the clan head. This blade is yours to use for now. Once you kill that mysterious Space-Time Ninja, return it to the clan head."

"Alright. From now on, it's my weapon."

Half a month later, Kumogakure was back on track.

In the first few days, the Anbu searched the village daily for suspicious individuals.

But the Root ninjas were too well-hidden; from start to finish, they found nothing.

Dodai speculated that those Root ninjas were likely hiding among ordinary civilians.

When a ninja doesn't use chakra, they're no different from ordinary civilians. If they're determined to lie low, it's very hard to find them.

Moreover, the large-scale search only stirred up anxiety among the villagers.

In the end, on the advice of Neji and Dodai, the Fourth Raikage revoked the search order.

That day, all was calm.

Neji, holding the Fourth Raikage's writ, made an exception and accepted a B-rank mission from the Mission Hall.

The mission's content was to deliver the Tachi used by the ninja Kyuzo to Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron.

This Kyuzo was right there in Kumogakure.

He was a middle-aged man of around forty or fifty, bedridden with a severe illness for three years, with little time left.

Kyuzo had been a samurai of the Land of Iron in his early years, later switching paths to become a ninja. By chance, he settled in Kumogakure and never returned to the Land of Iron.

"Young man, I entrust this to you. You must deliver this blade to Mifune."

"I'll give it my all."

In a dim underground chamber.

Aburame Ryoma glanced at the Patrol Team Captain, Aoyama Hideomi, who sat before him, and said coldly, "That man went to the Land of Iron?"

"I saw him leave with my own eyes. There's no mistake."

Aoyama Hideomi nodded firmly.

Aburame Ryoma took a deep breath and said, "Lord Danzo has urged us repeatedly. We have no time to spare. Even if it's a trap, we have to take the risk."

Aoyama Hideomi replied, "I was thinking the same."

Aburame Ryoma suddenly glanced at Aoyama Hideomi's left arm and said flatly, "Is that left arm still working well?"

Crack!

Aoyama Hideomi slowly raised his left arm, and the faint sound of grinding gears echoed.

It was a mechanical arm.

"No matter how well it works, it can't compare to a human arm."

Aoyama Hideomi's eyes were filled with a deep darkness.

Losing an arm had not only drastically reduced his strength and greatly increased the risk of exposure, but it also meant he could no longer work as a spy.

In other words, he was half a cripple.

Aoyama Hideomi was deeply pessimistic.

Just look at Nonō, who had been abandoned by Aburame Ryoma before.

Once Danzo deemed someone worthless, the only outcome was death.

"Relax. Once you complete the mission, you can return to Konoha."

"This time, we're going all out. We won't fail again."

Aburame Ryoma adjusted his sunglasses, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

Aoyama Hideomi laughed bitterly. "Maybe."

Aburame Ryoma paid no further attention to Aoyama Hideomi and instead called out into the dark underground chamber, "Have Kabuto come see me."

"Yes."

A voice sounded from the shadows.

Before long, a short, silver-haired youth appeared in the chamber.

"Captain, you wanted to see me?"

Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his glasses, using the dim light to make out Aburame Ryoma's blurry face.

"Kabuto, I have a very important mission for you."

"Understood."

Hearing this, Yakushi Kabuto immediately nodded respectfully.

He vaguely caught a glimpse of a malicious smile spreading across Aburame Ryoma's face.

But the thought had barely surfaced before he dismissed it.

Aburame Ryoma's expressionless face had been the same for ten thousand years.

He must have seen wrong.

Aburame Ryoma took a scroll from his Ninja Tool Pouch and handed it to Yakushi Kabuto. "The mission details are on here. This is Lord Danzo's test for you. If you pass it smoothly, you'll get to see the director you've been longing for."

"Director-sama..."

Yakushi Kabuto murmured unconsciously, his heartbeat quickening.

After Aburame Ryoma and Aoyama Hideomi left, Yakushi Kabuto couldn't wait to open the scroll and see what mission Danzo had assigned him.

[August 10th, 12:00 AM]

[Crimson Leaf Izakaya, assassinate the proprietress.]

Yakushi Kabuto let out a sigh of relief.

An assassination mission wasn't too difficult for him.

Though he was a medical ninja, he trained hard in his spare time, and his skills were no less than those of an ordinary Root ninja.

Yakushi Kabuto carefully read the mission details twice, making sure he hadn't missed anything, before burning the scroll.