They Were the Bandits

In the chilly morning wind, the caravan crossed several streams and made its way toward the valley ahead. Everyone in the caravan gripped their weapons tightly, ready for any bandits who might suddenly appear.

Standing atop the sheer cliffs on either side of the gorge, they looked down at the winding dirt road and the caravan crawling along like a tortoise. Senba gazed around, feeling rather helpless.

Those bandits had actually figured out how to change locations. They must have had their wits about them. But that just made things difficult for Senba and the others.

If they couldn't find the bandits, their mission would effectively be downgraded to a C-rank escort mission, which would also affect his Chunin exams.

But what was done was done. They could only take things as they came. In the Land of Rivers, the Yamakawa Trading Company was unquestionably among the best. He refused to believe that a cat wouldn't go after fish.

With that in mind, Senba formed a hand seal with one hand. A plume of signal smoke spread across the sky, sending a message to the cliff opposite.

A few seconds later, he heard a whistle in response from across the gorge. Senba leaped off the steep cliff, moving nimbly like an ape.

Watching three figures swiftly approach the caravan from the cliff, President Yamakawa smiled. His journey really had gone smoothly.

Normally, not only would they have to deal with the bandits here, but even crossing a bridge meant wasting a great deal of time while the Land of Rivers' soldiers inspected them. If the soldiers got too rough, they could even suffer losses.

At times like that, they had to give the brats some spending money to keep them occupied. Otherwise, after a few rounds of that, they couldn't afford the delays.

This time, there was no need. Whenever the Konoha Ninja passed by at the front of the caravan, the soldiers from the Land of Rivers sent them on their way as if they were seeing off a plague god.

Thinking of this, Yamakawa looked at Senba and the other two, who had just returned to their cart, then turned to Genma Shiranui. "Yanagawa Town is the last major settlement before we reach the Land of Wind. How about we get some good rest there, Ninja-sama?"

"The hot springs there are the best, and there's also a pleasure district. Ahem, ahem!"

Realizing there were three boys present, Yamakawa cut himself off in time. Genma Shiranui, however, clearly agreed with him.

The pleasure district wasn't all that interesting. The main thing was that a soak in the hot springs would help them relax. That was a rare luxury.

"Senba, what are you thinking about?" After President Yamakawa left, Uchiha Yue turned to Senba, who was sitting silently in thought, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe down Rain Cutter.

Seeing this, Iruka hurriedly edged closer to Senba. If Yue stabbed him with her sword on this bumpy cart ride, that would be a real injustice.

"Do you have an idea, Senba? Let's hear it," Genma Shiranui said. He clearly wanted to develop Senba in every way, so he often asked him to share his thoughts.

"Sensei, I was just wondering what bandits do with stolen goods," Senba said, sitting cross-legged with his chin propped on one hand as he looked at the others.

"Obviously, they sell them for money," Iruka replied, then realized what Senba meant. The caravan they'd encountered last time was no smaller than the Yamakawa Trading Company. Ordinary buyers couldn't handle that much merchandise.

"Yanagawa Town?!"

Uchiha Yue's questioning tone rang out at the same time as Iruka's certain one. A knowing smile appeared on Genma Shiranui's face as well.

"Great! I can sharpen Rain Cutter now!"

Uchiha Yue happily waved Rain Cutter with her right hand. Senba hastily grabbed her right wrist, alarmed. That reckless girl was far too careless.

After traveling for half a day, the caravan finally arrived in Yanagawa Town. Everyone looked relieved. At last, they wouldn't have to rough it outdoors anymore.

The Land of Rivers was weak, and aside from collecting taxes—which was the only real symbol of the daimyo's authority—its armed forces could do no more than protect the daimyo's own shogunate.

That made places like Yanagawa Town fertile ground for crime. People of every kind had turned the place into a warped sort of prosperity.

Casinos and pleasure districts were booming, while legitimate businesses had no chance of surviving here. Sitting in the cart, Senba watched the passersby along the road, one after another carrying swords and clubs. This place had quite a martial atmosphere.

"Senba, look! That guy's so tall!" Iruka shouted, pointing toward the side of the street. His notebook was already flipping open as he hurriedly jotted down a record.

"Do they really make no effort to hide when picking a target?" Senba looked at the burly man carrying a coffin on his back. He was eating while staring directly at the Yamakawa caravan.

The man's knuckles were thick, and there was an iron coffin on his back. Only a Ninja using a special secret technique would do something like that. There was no surprise in it at all.

Just as Senba was planning to wait for the man to make the next move, Strength Ghost, standing by the roadside, seemed to think of something and opened a long tube beside the coffin on his back.

Then he took out a flask and poured the red liquid inside. A faint scraping sound immediately came from within the coffin.

"Senba, what's wrong?"

Uchiha Yue saw Senba, who had been lounging around, suddenly straighten up and stare fixedly at the burly man across the road. A curious delight flashed in his eyes.

So that was where the surprise was. This mission had brought an unexpected bonus after all. It looked like the other side had some connections, too.

Senba swallowed, a rare hint of greed flashing in his eyes. These people were the bandits. They had to be. They might not be the ones who'd stolen the goods, but they had Senju clan property in their possession. It belonged back with its rightful owners.

Driven by this desire, Senba went to find his teacher, Genma Shiranui. After all, they still didn't know what the others were capable of or how many there were.

Half an hour later, Poison Ghost sat in the main seat, listening to the news Strength Ghost had brought back. He knew he'd chosen his target.

"Snake Ghost? Snake Ghost?" Poison Ghost called several times, but no one answered. He turned around and saw that Snake Ghost had vanished without a trace.

"Poison Ghost, Snake Ghost snuck out while you were lost in thought," Strength Ghost reminded him in a deep, rumbling voice.

The veins in Poison Ghost's forehead bulged, but in the end, he could only give up and wait for Snake Ghost to return that night before making further plans.

After Poison Ghost left, Genma Shiranui, who was using the Transformation Technique on their roof, looked surprised. These people weren't Ninja. He couldn't sense any Chakra from them at all?

Meanwhile, the wandering Snake Ghost hadn't noticed Senba following him. In the end, Senba had even walked right past him in plain sight, and Snake Ghost still hadn't noticed him.

Senba wasn't sure what to make of it. Even though he'd changed his clothes, the man hadn't noticed that anything was wrong.

But Senba wasn't one to dawdle. The next second, a drunken man took his place and slammed into Snake Ghost.

"Get lost!"

Snake Ghost's right arm twisted at a bizarre angle, knocking the drunkard flying. Then he simply went on his way.

After struggling on the ground for a while, the drunkard finally staggered to his feet and made his way into the nearby alley.

"That reek of snakes, and that murky Chakra... Damn, he's a test subject. Which Konoha scientist betrayed the village and made them? No wonder they have that thing."

Now that he knew the enemy had no other Ninja backing them, a smile crept across Senba's lips. This was good news.