When Hotaru brought up the matter, Sōsen picked up the newspaper and asked in return.
The entire silent convoy immediately erupted, and everyone in the carriages began speculating about it.
One person spoke.
Then another chimed in.
The convoy instantly became lively.
Recently, major shinobi villages and smaller ninja villages alike had learned through various channels that Konoha had deliberately announced a wanted notice for an Uchiha Rogue Squad.
The news caused upheaval throughout the Shinobi World.
For the time being, no one knew what exactly had happened within Konoha, but every ninja in the Shinobi World could guess that something major might have happened there!
Konoha had placed an astronomical bounty on the eleven-member Uchiha rogue squad.
Furthermore, it meant that eleven pairs of Sharingan were now loose in the Shinobi World. Anyone could try to seize them, and these rare Kekkei Genkai dojutsu were treasures that nearly every major shinobi village coveted above all else.
After more than a decade of silence in the Shinobi World,
the Uchiha's defection
was like fish food tossed into a pond full of fish, or a bomb suddenly detonating, stirring undercurrents throughout the Shinobi World and bringing turbulent times once more.
Besides Konoha, the other Four Great Shinobi Villages had also successively made plans to hunt down the squad.
This group of Uchiha had already become the hottest topic of conversation among shinobi villages, rogue ninjas, bounty hunters, and bandits—the center of attention for the entire Shinobi World.
For a time, it seemed everyone wanted to find them and strike it rich!
Compared to the name "Uchiha Ingetsu," Sōsen preferred to call him a walking fifty million ryō.
Unfortunately,
any ninja rated S-Rank was bound to be monstrously powerful. They were beyond the level that a hired escort team like theirs could ever deal with.
Although he could not hunt them down, the more famous the rogue ninja, the more other uses they had for Sōsen.
For example, he could use them as a stepping stone in front of outsiders, boosting his own reputation and making it easier to secure jobs!
In any case, even if people of that level found out someone was borrowing their name to bluff others, they would not go out of their way to trouble a small fry like him.
Seeing Sōsen ask in return,
Hotaru, still inexperienced in the ways of the world, nodded. She simply had not expected the matter to be so popular.
Ever since the people in the convoy learned of the news, they had talked about it during the day, and at night, someone would take the lead and discuss it with just as much enthusiasm.
It was as though they were personally taking part in hunting down that rogue Uchiha squad.
In truth, the merchants were so concerned about it because that Uchiha Rogue Squad seemed to have fled in the direction of Mount Katsuragi!
With such an unimaginable danger lurking nearby,
how could they not care?
Sōsen tucked the newspaper back into his robes, stood in the middle of the wagon bed, and declared passionately:
"This newly promoted S-Rank rogue ninja from Konoha, Ingetsu, assassinated Konoha's higher-ups and brutally slaughtered civilians. His many atrocities have indeed earned him a fearsome reputation.
"But when it comes to S-Rank rogue ninjas,
"I've dealt with people like that before!"
Hotaru's indigo eyes slowly widened as she stared at Sōsen in disbelief.
"Hm?"
Even the Tsuchigumo Clan's Great Elder looked at the escort captain they had hired with surprise.
"How is that possible?"
The white-haired old man looked Sōsen over from head to toe, confusion showing in his weathered eyes.
The man before him wore a short green robe and had short brown hair. No matter how he looked at him, he seemed like an ordinary man with a glib tongue, not someone who had ever dealt with an S-Rank rogue ninja.
Back in the market town,
the white-haired old man had not wanted to hire this escort team in the first place. Only because his young mistress insisted had he reluctantly agreed.
At that moment, the temporary guards Sōsen had recruited cheaply from the other carriages also looked at their seemingly unfathomable temporary captain with astonishment and shock.
Could he really be an expert...?
On the other hand, the two girls beside Sōsen knew what he was about to do. They immediately turned toward the forest, pretending to avoid the matter.
If they had not been riding in the same carriage,
they both would have wanted to leave at once.
"Cough, cough..."
Sōsen raised a fist to his mouth and coughed twice, sensing everyone's shocked and expectant gazes.
His deep eyes fixed tightly on an inexperienced girl like Hotaru as he continued asking:
"Everyone, you've all heard of Konoha's other S-Rank rogue ninja, Orochimaru, haven't you?"
Hotaru's gemlike eyes trembled slightly. Orochimaru, once one of Konoha's Three Legendary Sannin and now an S-Rank rogue ninja, was naturally someone she knew of.
At the mention of Orochimaru's name,
the Tsuchigumo Clan's Great Elder narrowed his eyes. That name represented extreme danger in the Shinobi World!
The other members of the Tsuchigumo Clan and the escorts in the convoy all wore solemn expressions.
No one wandering the world disliked hearing a good story.
Seeing everyone quiet down,
Sōsen wore a calm expression and used a low voice to describe Orochimaru's defection from Konoha. He spoke of how, as a wandering adventurer at the time, he had bravely pursued the seriously injured Orochimaru and fought him one-on-one.
Sōsen told the story with tremendous flair.
He did not flatter himself excessively. Instead, he focused on describing Orochimaru's strength and how he, a fearless young upstart, had ultimately fought the seriously injured Orochimaru to a draw and survived by luck.
The story was impossible to distinguish from truth or fiction.
After hearing it, everyone fell silent, whether they were Tsuchigumo clansmen or temporary guards.
"This..."
Hotaru exchanged a glance with the Tsuchigumo Clan's Great Elder. She was delighted, feeling that she had found a treasure, while he was half-convinced and did not know what to say.
Hotaru suddenly regretted not speaking to Captain Sōsen sooner. Who would have thought he had such a courageous deed to his name?
It filled her with longing!
Young girls admired heroes most of all.
The Tsuchigumo Clan's Great Elder frowned tightly. Watching Sōsen get more and more carried away, he could not help grumbling inwardly:
What bullshit! If you really had the ability to fight Orochimaru to a draw, would you still need to work as a hired guard?
Still, the Great Elder did not bother arguing with someone like him. Not exposing him was the dignity he left the man.
"Hehe!"
Seeing that everyone had been bluffed by him, Sōsen hurriedly looked at the two female companions beside him and urged in a low voice:
"What are you spacing out for? Say something and set the mood! When you're out making a living, you need to build your reputation so you can get better merchant jobs!"
The two female guards nodded perfunctorily.
"Exactly, exactly!"
They still had some shame.
"..." Sōsen.
Seeing the admiration in Hotaru's eyes, Sōsen immediately flicked his green short robe behind him and said righteously:
"Miss Hotaru, there's no need to be afraid.
"Even if the Uchiha Rogue Squad is nearby, we'll protect you!
"Ingetsu?
"Heh...
"I'll make sure he never returns!"
Hearing that, Hotaru looked delighted. She felt truly reassured to have a powerful expert who could fight one of the Three Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, to a draw at her side.
The Uchiha Rogue Squad...
did not seem so frightening anymore.
As everyone chatted, the merchant convoy passed through the forest and arrived at an open clearing.
Yet the farther they went, the more uneasy they became.
The clearing was scattered with countless wood chips, and the air was thick with the scent of resin.
"It looks like the trees here were shredded by concentrated Wind Release Chakra!"
The Tsuchigumo Clan's Great Elder jumped down from the merchant wagon, crouched beside a plant covered in wood dust, and inspected it carefully.
With his vast experience, he spotted the anomaly at a glance.
"Hm? This is... the smell of roasted meat!"
Sōsen's eyes lit up. Amid the scent of resin, he caught the rich aroma of roasted wild boar drifting over from not far away.
He swallowed.
While everyone inspected the forest clearing,
Sōsen raised his head.
He looked around.
To his astonishment, he spotted a conspicuous bonfire burning on the plain northwest of the forest exit, not far away.
Sōsen had a bad idea and said with a grin:
"Everyone, there are refugees roasting meat over there. A few of you, come with me to 'borrow' some roasted meat for a late-night snack. We can also ask them what happened around here!"
At the mention of food,
ten guards stepped forward.
Sōsen led the escort team toward the bonfire in grand fashion.
[Side Quest]: Disguise [Options]: 1. Lead the team and infiltrate the Tsuchigumo Clan merchant convoy. [Reward]: Ninja Tool Bag.
By the bonfire, a Side Quest prompt suddenly appeared in Ingetsu's mind, instantly lifting his spirits.
PS: Tomorrow is Tuesday again, the moment that decides how well the results will be. Dear readers, I hope you can help me read through to the last page tomorrow.
Your little brother wishes everyone an early Happy New Year!
Let me explain something.
About using anime characters as minor cameos.
This was one of my experimental attempts;
my thinking was that since this was fanfiction anyway, minor roles required a large number of characters. Rather than create original minor characters with no sense of familiarity, I thought it would be better to include some anime characters as Easter eggs.
Readers who recognize them can treat them as Easter eggs, while those who do not will not have their reading affected.
These characters will not enter the main storyline or interfere with the Shinobi World's combat system.
As for the cost of doing this, it is obvious.
But it seems everyone does not like it. It's fine, your little brother takes advice—I'll change it!
Before you continue