"Yamanaka Xingran, according to our investigation, the bandits who attacked you last time were not rogue Iwagakure ninja." The Third Hokage paused slightly, glancing at Xingran's expression.
Seeing Xingran raise an eyebrow, he guessed what Xingran was thinking. Nothing more than Just as I thought.
"But they were not people from Kirigakure in disguise, either." The Third Hokage paused again. He wanted to see Xingran's reaction—whether he would mention Kumogakure. After all, much of the analysis regarding Kumogakure had come from intelligence Xingran provided.
"..."
Xingran remained silent. The Third Hokage had not expected a Genin who had graduated only a little over a year ago, and who had never experienced the crucible of war, to be so composed.
In truth, this was a habit Xingran had developed—or rather, a disguise he had cultivated—ever since he transmigrated here.
He possessed no visible talent. More accurately, his abilities as a ninja were extremely lacking. He did not have the luxury of being as carefree as Naruto. Being cautious in all things and never easily revealing his intentions had always been his means of self-protection. But in the end, it was merely the sorrow of a small-time nobody.
"Don't you have anything to say?" The Third Hokage was not an idle man with time to spare. His verbal probing had merely been incidental. Faced with Xingran's continued silence, he did not wish to waste any more time. Asking directly would yield a more straightforward answer.
"No, Lord Third Hokage. No matter who these people were, as long as they are confirmed to be enemies, that is enough." Xingran's reply was simple, though it was effectively empty talk. The Third Hokage still failed to obtain what he wanted: Xingran's attitude toward Iwagakure.
What the Third Hokage wanted was simply Xingran's current attitude toward Iwagakure. As long as he could confirm that Xingran did not harbor hostility toward Iwagakure, he could arrange for him to travel to Iwagakure and explain this incident to them. That would allow Iwagakure, which knew of the matter, to lower its guard again and preserve the fragile peace that had only just begun.
If the Hokage wished to maintain this hard-won peace, he could not allow other nations to believe that Konoha was deliberately provoking trouble. The intelligence had already confirmed that Iwagakure was not responsible. From the Tsuchikage's perspective, it would be only natural to wonder whether Konoha had staged the whole affair itself, intending to extort greater compensation from the Land of Earth after it had already declared defeat.
Therefore, although Konoha was the main victim in this matter, it could only swallow its broken teeth and explain things politely to Iwagakure: someone had deliberately stirred up trouble, intending to spark conflict between their two nations once more.
As for who had stirred things up—sorry, they had not found out. For Konoha as it currently stood, even if they could confirm that Kumogakure was behind this, they would not choose to escalate the conflict. Konoha already held the advantage over the Cloud Ninja on local battlefields. If they pushed too hard, Kumogakure's hawkish faction would emerge in force, allowing certain despicable people to get exactly what they wanted.
Xingran was directly involved in Team 16's annihilation. With him as the primary witness, the credibility he could provide Iwagakure was irreplaceable.
"Mm. Because of this incident, the Land of Earth, which has only just declared defeat in the war, has formed an unfavorable impression once again. We need to send a team of representatives to explain the full course of events to the Tsuchikage in detail and preserve this hard-won peace. Are you willing to become one of those representatives?" The Hokage finally revealed the contents of this mission.
After thinking briefly, Xingran understood the key points. They wanted him, as someone who had been there, to explain in person: Konoha did not suspect Iwagakure and knew they were innocent. At the same time, Konoha had no further plans targeting them. Please rest assured; everyone should remain harmonious neighbors.
"Understood. I will do everything I can to explain this incident clearly. Also, Lord Hokage, you said a team would be sent as representatives. What about my teammates?" Xingran accepted the mission without hesitation. Unless one was the heir to a great clan like the Hyuga Family, wealthy enough to take missions purely based on preference, one could only accept whatever was assigned.
Most ninja relied on missions as their primary source of income. Xingran had previously only taken B-rank or lower missions without combat. He had some savings, but not much. He needed missions to support himself. Ever since graduating from the Ninja Academy, he had no longer depended on Hai Yi for support.
His former team had already been wiped out. Now that he was being assigned a team mission, it was obvious that the Hokage intended to place him into another team. This mission likely also served to help the new team adjust to one another. Since he could not avoid it, he might as well start early while the mission was easy.
A mission without ninja combat would not exceed C-rank. At its simplest, this was merely a message-delivery mission. It was only because of the political need to demonstrate sincerity that they could not simply send a messenger hawk to complete it.
"Gather at the Konoha gates at six tomorrow morning. Your new team will be waiting for you there. You will learn about your teammates then." Ninja missions always had to remain confidential. Even the simplest missions followed this practice, as it effectively reduced the chances of mission details leaking to spies.
After the Third Hokage spoke, he took a puff from his pipe and slowly exhaled a long breath. His intention to dismiss Xingran was obvious.
Though he still did not know whether Xingran had completely let go of his hostility toward Iwagakure, Xingran's unruffled acceptance of this mission showed that he did not hold any special hatred for them. He could not tell whether this Yamanaka Family brat had truly seen through the facts or was simply a cold-blooded person indifferent to his companions.
Still, those two should be able to see clearly this time. In any case, as Hokage, he only needed to ensure that the mission was completed. Spending too much thought on a minor figure would be unnecessary. Whatever he wished to know, his subordinates would naturally investigate it thoroughly for him.
Xingran did not yet know that this mission was not merely a message-delivery assignment. The new team he was joining had also been tasked by the Hokage with monitoring him.
After returning home, Xingran carefully organized his ninja tool pouch according to the knowledge he had learned at the Konoha Academy.
This message-delivery mission was nominally a diplomatic visit, so he needed to prepare to stay in Iwagakure for some time. The mission would only be complete once he returned to Konoha with the Tsuchikage's reply.
After finishing his preparations, he had stuffed a large travel backpack full. It made Xingran think of the original story, when Naruto and the others went to the Land of Waves on a mission. Everyone had carried large bags and bundles. Later, as their strength increased, they needed fewer and fewer things when traveling far from home.
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