Making a Move

As Uchiha Yue walked across the rooftops with Senba at night, she kept glancing at him, wanting to say something but holding back.

"Yue, if something's on your mind, just say it. Since when did you get shy? That's not like you."

In the end, Senba was the first to break the silence, his tone full of teasing.

But Senba's words didn't put Uchiha Yue at ease. Instead, she said worriedly, "Senba, if our guess is wrong this time, then the fact that Konoha Ninja attacked the client will become a fatal burden for us."

"Maybe I should..." As she spoke, Uchiha Yue's eyes turned scarlet, and her black Tomoe spun rapidly.

"Hey!" Yue cried out softly, clutching her forehead as she looked at Senba in confusion. She didn't understand why he'd done that.

Seeing Uchiha Yue's bewildered expression, Senba had to admit that the Uchiha's "love" for their family and close friends was beyond ordinary comprehension. It even overrode their reason entirely.

Looking down at the izakaya as it was closing for the night, Senba sighed and rubbed Uchiha Yue's forehead. "Yue, you need to understand that the moment you used an Illusion Technique on the client, you planted the seed of suspicion in both of us. Don't underestimate the Shinobi World. Something like this can't be kept secret. That would be the most fatal thing for us."

"On the other hand, right now I'm ninety percent certain. So we just need to proceed step by step. Even if my deduction is wrong, we'll still have room to maneuver."

As he spoke, Senba saw Murakami walking briskly along the bluestone road below, a bamboo basket on his back. His mood seemed just as steady as it had been during the day.

At the same time, Iruka appeared on the opposite rooftop and waved to them. Seeing this, Senba knew the time had come. He quietly gave a few instructions to the thoughtful Uchiha Yue, then secretly followed Murakami. He wanted to see for himself the swordsmanship of a master from this era.

In the back room of the izakaya, candlelight glimmered faintly. Occasional coughs broke the silence.

"Kaneda, I told you a long time ago not to be so greedy. And now look where we are—I had no choice but to send a mission to Konoha. Konoha's Ninja have arrived, and they came straight here, ruining all my preparations. You were a fool to listen to that old man."

The fat on Little Dog's face no longer looked ingratiating as it had during the day. Instead, his expression was vicious as he glared at Kaneda, who was coughing nonstop across from him.

Despite his close friend's accusations, Kaneda, who looked as if he were on death's door, didn't immediately argue. Instead, he took a pill from his robes and swallowed it. A few minutes later, a trace of color returned to his sallow face.

"Little Dog, do we need someone else to teach us what greed is? If we weren't greedy, we'd still be begging on the roadside. If we weren't greedy, how else could you have bought out those merchant guilds after they were dealt heavy blows? You don't think the guildmaster's position simply fell into your lap, do you? It was because the caravans you led were the safest. Besides, you never really managed to get rid of me..."

"I didn't! In all these years, have we ever fallen out over the goods we took?" Little Dog sprang to his feet in anger and leaned forward. His fat body loomed oppressively in the darkness. "After the guild members pressured me into placing this commission, I made a lot of preparations, but...but..."

His eyes were bloodshot with anger, as if he were ready to tear someone apart.

Seeing this, Kaneda placed a piece of cloth on the table and gestured for him to look.

Little Dog opened it and scanned the message by the faint candlelight. His eyes widened as he stared at Kaneda in disbelief.

"Cough, cough." Kaneda, who had only just stopped coughing, covered his mouth with a handkerchief and bent over in pain, his whole body trembling. Little Dog immediately stepped forward and took medicine from his robes, but then he remembered what was written on the cloth and hesitated. It was medicine, but it was poison too.

As he hesitated, Kaneda's skeletal right hand took the pill from him and slowly swallowed it.

"I'm going to die soon. More gold and silver mean nothing to me now. The only thing I can't let go of is Ichirō. Once I take all the blame, take Ichirō back to the guild and change his name. Let him start a new life."

"As for those samurai, they've never seen you. In the end, they'll be buried alongside me by Konoha's Ninja and vanish without a trace."

Kaneda's words plunged the room into silence. Little Dog's lips trembled as he held his friend's hand. He'd always thought Kaneda's old illness had merely flared up again, but he hadn't realized that they'd reached the moment when one of them would soon die.

The oil lamp's wick gave a faint crackle. A sharp Kunai pressed against the fat around Little Dog's neck.

"Before you make arrangements for your son, Mr. Little Dog, shouldn't you give Konoha an explanation?" Uchiha Yue's cold voice rang out, followed by the sound of a sliding door opening.

Several members of Little Dog's merchant guild raised torches, glaring furiously at the two men as if they wanted to devour them alive.

Behind them, Iruka had tied up several izakaya workers, including Kaneda's son.

At the sight, Kaneda could no longer endure the pain in his lungs. He spat out a mouthful of blood, fell to the ground, and died.

Uchiha Yue felt no pity at the sight. Instead, she worried that something might go wrong for Senba. That was where the real battle was.

"Ninjutsu: Mind Reflection Technique!"

Senba's hands blurred through a series of seals. The sleepy-looking samurai across from him smiled faintly, then fell fast asleep.

A Kunai flashed, and blood sprayed. Not a sound was made. Senba had already taken out more than ten men using the same method.

He had to admit, traditional blacksmithing was grueling work. Every one of them was sleeping like a log.

After taking out the last man, Senba leaped onto the rooftop and stood beside Teacher Genma, looking down at the compound below. That was where the real action would be.

"Not bad, Senba. You acted decisively. I thought you'd hesitate."

Genma Shiranui had a toothpick in his mouth, and his voice was full of praise. He was clearly quite pleased with his student, whom he'd acquired almost by chance.

So Kurōsuke Sarutobi must have been drunk when he wrote that report evaluating Senba and the other two.

Senba, unaware that his former team leader was being mocked by his current one, was enjoying the biting night wind. It quickly cooled his excited mind.

"Teacher Genma, what's the situation? How strong is the bandit leader?"

Senba looked down. In the torchlit courtyard, an old man over fifty was sitting cross-legged beneath the eaves, watching Murakami practice with a Katana in front of him.

His bright eyes seemed far too lively for his age, and his face wore a pleased expression. He was clearly very satisfied with Murakami's aptitude.

"He's old, so his stamina is bound to be a weakness. But his skill is so polished that he could easily get close and kill you right away. You'd better keep your distance and strike by surprise with Ninjutsu."

"Finally, people his age usually have one trump card. Watch out for it."

Senba nodded repeatedly as he listened to Teacher Genma. But when he heard that he'd be the one facing the old samurai below, he couldn't help freezing and giving Genma a questioning look.

Genma Shiranui gave his student a firm nod, then sat down as if it were none of his concern, enjoying the practice match below.

He wanted to see what Senba's experience was like in a face-to-face fight.