Seeing this, Kurokawa Yasumasa wisely stopped pressing the subject, his tone softening a little.
"Elder Takahashi, I've made inquiries. The reward those villagers pooled together would qualify as, at most, a C-Rank mission in Konoha's system. By Konoha's customs, missions like this are usually assigned to Genin, with at most one Chunin leading the team. They're not especially capable and shouldn't be difficult to deal with, but they represent Konoha."
He deliberately slowed his speech, making his words sound more persuasive:
"We have no need to clash with them and take on unnecessary risks. Since they're here to complete a mission, we can let them complete it. They'll return to Konoha and report afterward, and then we'll have nothing more to do with them."
Elder Takahashi, hidden in the shadows, was silent for a moment. His hood shifted slightly, and his chilling voice came from beneath it. "In that case, I'll need to be present when you meet the Konoha Ninja."
Kurokawa Yasumasa frowned slightly, quickly weighed his options, then nodded. "Fine. You'll pose as my steward and stand by. But don't act rashly! Everything will be done according to my arrangements."
"Doom is coming. Only by submitting to our God can we be saved. The Saint Son will descend, and his grace will bless all living things."
Elder Takahashi said nothing. He merely murmured a line from the church's creed, then slowly merged into the shadows behind him and disappeared.
Silence returned to the secret chamber.
A scornful smile tugged at Kurokawa Yasumasa's lips.
A bunch of completely brainwashed fools!
It wasn't as if he had never read that so-called Gospel of the Holy God. It was no different from the scriptures of other cults that pretended to be divine. Every page was filled with delusions like, "Doom will come in a few decades," and "Only by believing in the Holy God and awaiting the birth of the Saint Son, so that our God may descend in the flesh, can we lead the faithful through the calamity and into a new age."
Doom would come in a few decades?
What utter nonsense!
Even if there were a shred of truth in that ridiculous story, and some kind of calamity really did come in a few decades—
So what?
In this body of his, gnawed at day and night by illness, he might not even last two years.
The calamity? The new age? What did they have to do with him?
His reasons for allowing the Church to operate here, and even half-heartedly joining its ranks, were simple and practical:
The thing they gave him—the blood-red liquid said to be a "blessing from the Holy God"—really could suppress the bone cancer pain that made him wish he were dead and slow the disease's progression.
And... deep in his heart, there was the faint hope that perhaps it really could cure his incurable illness completely.
Three days later, at the edge of a dense forest near the northeastern border of the Land of Fire.
Two figures emerged one after the other, their feet treading on the soft forest loam.
The view opened up before them, revealing gently sloping hills. In the distance, they could already see wisps of cooking smoke and the outlines of farmland.
"Nakimachi is just ahead." Maruboshi Kosuke, walking in front, stopped and calmly introduced the area. "It's on the northeastern edge of the Land of Fire. The climate's a little cooler than back in the village. There are plenty of forests, and the farmland isn't especially fertile, but the mineral and timber resources are decent. The locals... are a bit more hard-bitten than those farther inland, since they live so close to the border."
He turned slightly to give Shinichi a clearer view of the landscape ahead, then continued, "Travel farther northeast from Nakimachi, cross that low range of border mountains, and you'll reach the Land of Hot Water. It's an interesting country, with beautiful scenery and hot springs all over. It's known as the land of wellness; even its name comes from that. Plenty of nobles and wealthy merchants like to go there for rest and relaxation."
Throughout the journey, Maruboshi Kosuke had done more than simply teach Shinichi the essential skills of a ninja: mission reconnaissance, tracking, and wilderness survival.
Whenever they passed through a new place, he would recount its geography, customs, and even local rumors and anecdotes as if reciting them from memory.
These seemingly trivial bits of knowledge were, in truth, the accumulated firsthand understanding of the Shinobi World held by an experienced old ninja. Now he was passing it all on to the young man behind him, broadening his horizons without him even realizing it.
Shinichi followed his gaze toward the distant border mountains shrouded in mist.
The Land of Hot Water...
It wasn't just Jiraiya's favorite place to gather material. In the original timeline, it also seemed to be the birthplace of Hidan of the Akatsuki.
A man who believed in an evil god and possessed an immortal body and the bizarre ability to kill through curses.
But judging by the timeline, Hidan probably hadn't been born yet. (Note)
As for the Jashin Cult and its evil god, Shinichi had no idea what their origins were.
Shinichi turned his gaze from the distant mountains and brought his thoughts back to the present.
"Senior, when we arrive, should we meet the client first, or go to the Security Office in Nakimi Castle and speak with the local guards about the information they've gathered?"
Maruboshi Kosuke pondered for a moment before answering. "The clients are scattered among several villages outside the city, while the Security Office is inside. Since it's on the way, let's head into town first. Official records and details from an on-site investigation can sometimes be clearer than the accounts of anxious villagers, and it'll save us from having to make a second trip."
The two pressed on without delay, quickening their pace. Before long, they reached the entrance to Nakimi Castle.
The walls of this small border city weren't especially imposing, but the guards' inspections were rather strict.
Maruboshi Kosuke stepped forward and calmly presented Konoha's mission credentials.
The foot soldier captain carefully examined them, then looked at their Forehead Protectors. He turned and murmured a few words to one of his subordinates before politely addressing the two of them. "You must be the Konoha Ninja sent to investigate the children's disappearance. The City Lord gave orders in advance that you should be invited to his residence as soon as you arrived. Please, follow me."
Maruboshi Kosuke and Shinichi exchanged a quick glance, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes.
Konohagakure did hold a distinguished position in the Land of Fire, and the Hokage was nominally the country's supreme military commander.
But when it came to local affairs, especially investigations into civil cases like this one, there was no clear chain of command between Konoha Ninja and local administrators.
The usual procedure was for ninja to deal directly with the client or coordinate with the local security forces to share information. The highest-ranking local official rarely took the initiative to meet with them—unless the case involved matters of great importance.
Besides, the two of them were only Genin.
A City Lord who governed an entire city and held a respectable position had invited two low-ranking ninja to his residence so quickly and with such formality. In every respect, it seemed... far too courteous.
Their original plan had only been to visit the Security Office, review the case files, question the people in charge, and obtain the initial official leads before leaving.
"Thank you for showing us the way." Maruboshi Kosuke offered a mild, even somewhat unassuming smile, as if he were simply an ordinary old ninja accepting a friendly invitation. There was no hint that anything seemed amiss.
He turned slightly to signal Shinichi to follow.
Shinichi nodded and silently took his place half a step behind Maruboshi Kosuke. The two followed the guard, walking at an even pace through the city gate and toward its most prominent residence.
Before you continue