Three days passed just like that.
Every day, Qingguang disguised himself as one of the ordinary villagers or ninja in Amegakure, wandering across this land that never stopped weeping.
"Summoning Technique."
Inside a cave outside Amegakure, Qingguang summoned his Ninja Cat.
"Black Flower, sorry for the trouble, but could you ask Grandma Cat to deliver this to Senior Fugaku for me?"
Qingguang held his hands beneath the chin of the tiny, jet-black cat with its silky fur, and gently scratched it with his fingers.
"Purr~ Purr~"
The warmth of its master's hands made it squint contentedly, its pupils widening.
A few minutes later, Qingguang withdrew his hands.
"All right, I still have to carry on with my mission. I'll play with you when I get back. Go home for now."
Black Flower sat on the ground and raised its pudgy paw, as though asking for something.
"Don't worry, I've got some."
He took a small bottle from his ninja pouch. It was filled with dried, crushed catnip.
"Meow~"
The black cat clutched it between its paws and sniffed it, looking blissfully intoxicated.
Seeing that, Qingguang slipped the scroll into the little pouch on Black Flower's back.
Then he released the Summoning Jutsu, sending Black Flower back, and immediately set off for his destination.
The Land of Rain was not very large. Even after avoiding many places guarded by ninja along the way, Qingguang reached the agreed meeting point in less than a day.
It was a small town near the eastern junction of the Land of Rivers, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Wind.
It rained all year in the Land of Rain, and nearly all the rivers that formed there flowed through the Land of Rivers before finally emptying into the sea.
That was how the Land of Rivers got its name.
Thanks to its favorable location, the town's scenery and prosperity were every bit as impressive as those of some villages and towns in the Land of Fire.
There were even quite a few wandering ninja to be seen in the streets.
As for ninja from hidden villages, they naturally wouldn't reveal their identities so easily at a time like this.
"I wonder who my teammates will be."
After muttering to himself, Qingguang headed for the inn listed in the mission details.
As soon as he stepped inside, the clerk at the counter greeted him.
"Welcome, sir."
Qingguang nodded with a smile and said, "I'd like the highest room. It has a good view. Also, get me a bowl of ramen from the barbecue restaurant outside, with half a catty of venison."
The man behind the counter replied, "Sir, there aren't any restaurants nearby that serve venison. Would beef be all right?"
"I don't eat beef. Make it half a catty of pork instead. No fatty bits. Slice it thin and serve it with chili oil and vinegar."
The man answered at once, "No problem, sir. Third room on the left at the top of the stairs."
He handed Qingguang the key and blinked twice.
Qingguang understood immediately. He tapped the counter twice with his finger, once hard and once softly.
Then he headed upstairs.
The man from earlier was one of Konoha's undercover operatives in the intelligence department.
The things he had said also matched the code recorded in the scroll.
What Qingguang hadn't expected was that his teammates, whom he'd never met before, had already arrived.
He climbed the stairs and walked up to the room. After inserting the key into the lock, he turned it left twice, stopped, then turned it right and left a few times before opening the door.
As soon as he entered, he saw three familiar faces seated around the tea table, holding playing cards.
All three looked up at Qingguang, each with a different expression.
Surprise, delight, and something knowing.
"Qingguang, I didn't expect it to be you!"
Jiraiya stepped forward, slung an arm around Qingguang's shoulders, and laughed as he clapped him on the back.
He led him over to the tea table and sat him down.
"Come on, come play cards with us. Tsunade's lost a ton of hands. Maybe you showing up will turn her luck around."
At that, Tsunade's eyes lit up. The frustration of losing more than ten hands in a row vanished in an instant.
"Exactly! I've never played cards with you before, Qingguang. Come on, let's see how good you are."
Without missing a beat, Tsunade snatched the cards from Jiraiya and Orochimaru and tossed them back into the deck to shuffle.
Whew, that was close. I almost lost another hand.
Jiraiya looked at his empty hands, then at Tsunade's delighted expression as she shuffled. He immediately understood what she was thinking.
"Qingguang's here. We can't leave him sitting around, can we?"
"That last hand doesn't count. We're starting over."
Tsunade shuffled the deck with practiced ease and began dealing the cards.
Qingguang sat opposite her and watched. He couldn't help thinking of four words:
The dealer's dealing.
Tsunade had terrible luck at gambling and almost never won, but she was remarkably skilled at shuffling cards and rolling dice.
As he picked up his cards, Qingguang looked at the three of them and asked in confusion, "Tsunade, Senior Jiraiya, Senior Orochimaru, aren't you going to continue the mission?"
Jiraiya shook his head helplessly. Tsunade's attention was fixed on her cards, so he gestured toward Orochimaru.
"Let him explain. I'm looking at my cards."
"Qingguang-kun, we've done everything we can these past few days to stir up conflict between Sunagakure and Amegakure."
"But Amegakure hasn't reacted at all. They've just put up with everything and made no attempt to fight back."
"We even learned the day before yesterday that Hanzō personally wrote an apology letter to the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure. He sent Shinda, his right-hand man, to deliver it, but they refused to let him in."
Jiraiya nodded. "That's right. Judging by Hanzō's attitude, I don't think there's any chance of starting a war."
"If I were Hanzō, I'd have charged straight in and challenged that Kazekage to a duel."
A puzzled look crossed Qingguang's face. As he played a card, he shared what he'd learned recently.
"No wonder the ninja in Amegakure have been so frustrated and resentful lately. So that's what happened."
"Then what are we supposed to do about the mission Lord Hokage gave us? Just give up?"
Tsunade nodded, looking troubled. "What else can we do? We've been at it for more than ten days, and haven't even made a ripple. If we keep dragging this out, we'll just be wasting our time."
"Besides, I did the work. That old geezer can't use the mission's failure as an excuse to withhold our payment."
"If he dares not to pay, I'll tear down his Hokage Tower myself."
Suddenly, Tsunade sprang to her feet. The large mounds on her chest bounced as she slammed four cards onto the tea table, looking thrilled.
"Four of a kind! I've only got two cards left!"
She still had a pair of twos. She'd just played four aces, so no matter how she looked at it, she was bound to win, right?
Could someone really have both jokers in their hand?
She didn't believe it. Who would play cards with their life on the line?
Orochimaru and Jiraiya both shook their heads to show they couldn't beat her.
Tsunade's eyes were fixed on Qingguang now. She bent over and braced one hand on the table.
What a great hand. So clean and bright.
It looked freshly opened.
Qingguang gave an awkward smile, making Tsunade's grin grow even wider.
I'm finally going to win!
"Rocket!"
Before you continue