They Are Bandits

In the cold morning wind, the merchant caravan waded through several small streams, heading towards the valley ahead. Everyone in the caravan gripped their weapons tightly, guarding against sudden bandit attacks.

Standing on the sheer cliffs on both sides of the valley, looking down at the winding dirt road below, and the caravan crawling along like a turtle, Senba looked around with some helplessness.

These bandits actually knew to change their location. They were quite sharp-witted, but this made things difficult for Senba and his companions.

If they couldn't find the bandits, Senba's mission would essentially be downgraded to a C-rank escort mission, which would also affect his Chunin assessment.

However, with things as they were, he could only take it one step at a time. In a place like the Land of Rivers, the Yamakawa Merchant Association was definitely among the top. He didn't believe a cat wouldn't be tempted by fish.

With this thought, Senba formed a hand seal, and a signal smoke bomb dispersed into the sky, sending a message towards the opposite cliff.

A few seconds later, hearing a responding whistle from the other side, Senba leaped, jumping down from the steep rock face with the agility of a monkey.

Seeing three figures agilely approaching the merchant caravan from the cliff, Guild Master Yamakawa smiled. His journey had been truly smooth.

Originally, let alone the bandits here, even when crossing bridges, the army of the Land of Rivers would waste a lot of time just with inspections. If they were a bit rough, it could even cause losses.

At times like this, he had to give the brats some pocket money. Otherwise, after a few trips, the time would drag on too much.

This time, it wasn't necessary. When the Konoha Ninja passed by the front of the convoy, the army of the Land of Rivers saw them off as if they were sending away a plague god.

Thinking of this, Yamakawa looked at Senba and the other two who had just returned to the carriage, then turned to Genma Shiranui. "The Yanagawa Town ahead is the last large settlement before reaching the Land of Wind. Ninja-sama, how about we rest there properly?"

"The hot springs there are excellent, and there's the pleasure district, cough cough cough!"

Seemingly remembering that three youths were present, Yamakawa quickly stopped speaking. However, Genma Shiranui agreed with his words.

Whether there was a pleasure district or not was irrelevant. The main thing was being able to soak in the hot springs to relieve fatigue, which was a rare pleasure.

"Senba, what are you thinking about?" After Guild Master Yamakawa left, Uchiha Yue turned to Senba, who was lost in thought, and took out a handkerchief to wipe Rain Cutter.

Iruka, standing nearby, quickly squeezed closer to Senba. On a bumpy carriage, it would be a disaster if Yue accidentally stabbed him with a knife.

"Does Senba have any thoughts? Let's hear them," Genma Shiranui clearly wanted to cultivate Senba comprehensively, so he often let him voice his ideas.

"Teacher Genma, I was just wondering what the bandits do after they get the goods?" Senba sat cross-legged, propped his chin, and looked at the others.

"They naturally sell the goods for money," Iruka said, and then he realized. The merchant caravan that was ambushed last time was no less than the Yamakawa Merchant Association. Such a large amount of goods couldn't be handled by ordinary people.

"Yanagawa Town?!"

Uchiha Yue's questioning tone and Iruka's affirmative voice sounded together. Genma Shiranui also revealed a hint of a smile.

"Hooray, my Rain Cutter can be sharpened!"

Uchiha Yue happily waved Rain Cutter with her right hand, startling Senba, who grabbed her right wrist. This reckless girl was too impulsive.

After half a day of travel, the merchant caravan finally arrived at Yanagawa Town. Everyone showed expressions of relief, finally no longer having to endure the hardships of wind and rain.

Due to the weakness of the Land of Rivers, the Daimyo's power was largely symbolic, only collecting taxes. The armed forces could only protect their own shogunate.

Therefore, places like Yanagawa Town were prone to breeding crime. All sorts of people contributed to its distorted prosperity.

Gambling dens and pleasure districts, these gray businesses thrived, while legitimate businesses couldn't survive here at all. Senba sat in the carriage, looking at the pedestrians on the roadside, swords and clubs in hand. The martial spirit here was quite strong.

"Senba, look, such a tall person!" Iruka shouted, pointing to the side of the street, his notebook rapidly flipping open to record.

"Are they looking for targets so openly now?" Senba looked at the burly man carrying a coffin on his back, eating something, his gaze fixed directly on the Yamakawa Merchant Association.

Looking at the man's large, gnarled hands and the iron coffin behind him, only ninja who used special secret techniques would do this. There was no surprise at all.

Just as Senba was preparing to wait for the other party to come to them, the Strength Ghost by the roadside seemed to think of something and opened a long pipe next to the coffin behind him.

Then he took out a kettle from his body and poured a red liquid into it. A faint rustling sound came from the coffin.

"Senba, what's wrong?"

Uchiha Yue saw Senba, who had been lazy moments ago, suddenly straighten his body, his gaze fixed on the burly man opposite him, a hint of inexplicable joy flashing in his eyes.

So this was the surprise. This mission had an unexpected gain. It seemed the other party had some background.

Senba swallowed, a rare glint of greed in his eyes. These people were bandits, they had to be. They might not be the ones who robbed the goods, but they possessed items from the Senju clan. They should be returned to their rightful owner.

Driven by this desire, Senba found his teacher, Genma Shiranui, as their abilities and numbers were still unknown.

Half an hour later, the Poison Ghost, sitting in the main seat, listened to the news from the Strength Ghost and knew his target had been chosen.

"Snake Ghost, Snake Ghost?" The Poison Ghost called out several times but found no one responding. He turned to see that the Snake Ghost had vanished.

"Poison Ghost, while you were lost in thought, Snake Ghost already snuck out."

The Strength Ghost reminded him in a deep voice, causing the Poison Ghost's veins to bulge. In the end, he could only give up helplessly, waiting for the Snake Ghost to return at night before arranging future matters.

Just after the Poison Ghost left, Genma Shiranui, who was using a transformation jutsu on the roof, revealed a look of surprise. These people were not ninja; he couldn't sense any Chakra fluctuations?

Meanwhile, the Snake Ghost, who was wandering around, didn't notice Senba following him. In the end, Senba even walked right past him openly, yet the other party didn't notice him at all.

Senba was also a bit unsure. Although he had changed his clothes, the other party hadn't noticed anything unusual.

However, Senba wasn't one to hesitate. The next second, a drunken man replaced him and collided fiercely with the Snake Ghost.

"Get lost!"

The Snake Ghost's right arm swung in a bizarre arc, sending the drunkard flying. He then left on his own.

The drunkard, struggling to get up from the ground, staggered into a nearby alley.

"This snake smell, and that turbid Chakra... Damn, they're experimental subjects. Which Konoha scientist betrayed the village and created them? No wonder they have that thing."

Knowing that the other party had no other ninja power, Senba's lips curved into a smile. Good news.