Clues

Mo Jingxian hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

Looking at the Grass Ninjas who had been easily subdued, he finally understood the caliber of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

It wasn't just the difference in ninjutsu. These two also fell short in the other skills a ninja ought to have.

He didn't bother with them any further and hurried to the room where the prisoner was being held.

When the door opened, the scene inside made his blood run cold.

The man had been tortured beyond recognition, with three of his limbs broken.

If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, Mo Jingxian would have thought he was dead.

"Kangfu."

Mo Jingxian called softly.

After a while, Kangfu raised his head. All that remained of his eyes were two dark sockets, and streaks of blood ran down his face.

"You're finally here."

His voice was faint, mingled with his labored breathing, so the words that reached Mo Jingxian came in broken fragments.

He crossed the room in a few strides and slowly helped Kangfu up.

"How did you end up like this?"

Perhaps it was the last surge of strength before death. Kangfu gripped his wrist excitedly.

Bang!

A sudden change!

In the blink of an eye, a fist like a stone spear punched through Mo Jingxian's chest.

But Kangfu showed no signs of injury at all. He had actually been a Rock Ninja using the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as Kangfu.

Mo Jingxian's body burst apart into a stream of water.

It transformed on the spot into a Water Flood Dragon, which coiled around his opponent and sealed him the moment his guard dropped.

Kameyama Ganto didn't react in time. The excitement he'd just felt instantly plummeted.

"Impossible! How did you see through me?"

Mo Jingxian had long since learned what underhanded schemers the people of the Ninja World could be.

These days, he practically wished he could sleep with one eye open. How could he fall for such an obvious trick?

He'd sensed something was wrong as soon as he entered the building. Seeing Kameyama Ganto only confirmed his suspicions.

It had all gone too smoothly. The Grass Ninjas had no reason to leave anyone alive.

He didn't believe the Grass Ninjas had gone mad and suddenly attacked Konoha's people without a reason. Unless they'd found themselves a backer.

So the Rock Ninja's presence here made far more sense.

"Your acting was too obvious. It didn't feel natural."

Mo Jingxian twisted the knife with his words.

Next, he put the three of them in separate rooms and questioned them one at a time.

A little psychological suggestion was all it took for the two Grass Ninjas to talk.

But a great nation's ninja was different. Kameyama Ganto never let anything slip.

To show him the respect he deserved, Mo Jingxian finished him off with a single slash, without putting him through any more torture.

The whole thing was almost laughable. Kangfu had met his end for no reason at all.

The two Grass Ninjas had been bored out of their minds while stationed here and wanted to return to Hozuki Castle. After tossing the idea around, they came up with a scheme to kill an innocent man and claim credit.

They also wanted to skim some money off the top, and, unfortunately, they chose Kangfu.

During the arrest, Kangfu thought his cover had been blown and moved the documents ahead of time.

After Kangfu was captured, he couldn't withstand the torture. He gave up the information, and they killed him.

The good news was that Kangfu had hidden the documents among the goods belonging to the merchant Kashima Chuwa. The caravan was already on its way to Hozuki Castle.

The two Grass Ninjas discussed it and decided to keep the lead to themselves, so they could cash in on it once they got back.

In truth, the Land of Grass had secretly pledged itself to Iwagakure. Kameyama Ganto had tracked the documents here, only to find that the trail had gone cold.

All he could do was lie in wait, setting a trap and waiting for the contact to take the bait.

He hadn't expected Mo Jingxian to get the better of him and flip the whole table.

Mo Jingxian hadn't expected two greedy Grass Ninjas to cause so much trouble, either.

What next? Keep tracking them...

It wasn't really a choice. If he moved quickly enough, he might be able to get the documents without alerting anyone.

As the two Grass Ninjas looked at him pleadingly, he professionally made sure they were dead.

Mo Jingxian set out that very night, racing toward Hozuki Castle beneath a sky full of stars.

After traveling all night, he finally reached Hozuki Castle around noon the next day.

The city wasn't large. Two squads of Sand Ninjas guarded the gate, but he blended into the crowd and entered without trouble.

The city was divided into two districts. The northern district was residential, where most commoners made their living.

The southern district was where the nobles gathered. The lord's manor alone took up about a third of the area, and security was strict. It would be difficult to sneak in.

Fortunately, the information he'd gathered showed that a merchant named Kashima Chuwa lived in the northern district.

That would make things easier for him.

After night fell, Mo Jingxian made his way to the wall surrounding Kashima Chuwa's courtyard and quietly activated the Mist of Vitality.

His senses told him that no one was watching the area. He nimbly vaulted over the wall.

He landed without a sound. In the shadows, he moved through the buildings with the light-footed grace of a cat.

The merchant's estate covered a vast area, with artificial hills and pavilions scattered throughout. It took Mo Jingxian quite some time to reach the reception hall.

Ever since sneaking into the estate, he'd sensed something was off.

It was too quiet.

He hadn't seen a single person along the way. An estate this large should have needed plenty of servants to keep it in order.

Something was wrong.

But since he'd come all this way, he couldn't leave empty-handed. He still didn't know whether there was any danger.

Outside the reception hall, candlelight spilled through the windows and door, stretching the shadows of the trees long across the ground.

Mo Jingxian hid in a tree and slowly sensed the situation inside with the help of the Mist of Vitality.

Water elements passed through the walls and seeped into the room.

Tables, chairs, candlesticks, famous paintings...

Hmm?

Someone sat in the main seat, sipping tea. His movements were so unhurried that he seemed born to sit there.

The water elements seemed to have feelings. The information they sent back carried a cheerful excitement, like the feeling of meeting one of their own.

"Friend outside, since you've come, why not come in and have a cup of tea?"

The night was quiet.

His voice wasn't loud, but every word reached Mo Jingxian clearly.

Mo Jingxian was intrigued. This was the first time anyone had sensed his probing.

For the sake of safety, he'd deliberately stopped blending Chakra into the Mist of Vitality, relying solely on the water elements to sense his surroundings.

The technique's range had shrunk, but it had also become harder to detect.

Now that someone had called him out with a single sentence, it meant that person had mastered the same method, or at least had experience with elemental forces.

Mo Jingxian jumped down from the tree and strolled into the room.

The vast courtyard felt deserted, but the candlelight inside the room gave off a warm, golden glow.

A young man in his twenties sat in a high-backed chair. His long hair was bound atop his head, and his pale green robe lent him an elegant air.

A pot of tea sat on a low table beside him, with one cup already poured.

As soon as Mo Jingxian entered, the fragrance of tea reached him, filling his nostrils and soothing his lungs.

He didn't know much about tea, but he could tell this wasn't an ordinary brew.

As he sized up the man, the man sized him up in turn.

Perhaps he hadn't expected his visitor to be a boy. The man's surprise showed for an instant before he quickly hid it.

"Please!"

The man's invitation to tea was steeped in old-fashioned courtesy, every movement revealing the refinement of a distinguished upbringing.

Mo Jingxian didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the cup and drained it, then dropped into the high-backed chair on the other side of the low table.

"Enough with the theatrics. Tell me... who are you? Why did you call me here?"

He was a novice when it came to etiquette, but he knew better than to let someone else dictate the pace.

The atmosphere the man had worked so hard to create was completely ruined.

The man didn't take offense. He smiled and said:

"I am Long Yunzhi, the Land of Grass's minister of finance. Welcome to my humble home, sir."

Hmm?

So he wasn't Kashima Chuwa. And why did that name sound so odd?

It sounded like the sort of name people in the east might use.

The thought flashed through Mo Jingxian's mind, and he immediately brought his attention back to the present.

"I'm here to find Kashima Chuwa."

"I know."

"Do you know me?"

"No."

Mo Jingxian fought the urge to draw his sword and poured himself a cup of tea.

Talking to this man was exhausting.

Perhaps he noticed Mo Jingxian's frustration, because Long Yunzhi changed his approach.

"You're here for those secret documents, aren't you?"

It wasn't a question. He sounded certain.

Long Yunzhi's next words proved it.

"Kashima Chuwa is the head of my caravan. He's clever. When he found the documents, he hid them somewhere secret."

Mo Jingxian picked up his tea and took a sip, waiting for him to continue.

Long Yunzhi gently brushed aside the tea leaves and went on:

"He kept the documents as a trump card and didn't show them to anyone.

"But he was too careless. I found out and had him thrown in prison."

At this, Long Yunzhi looked up at Mo Jingxian.

"Now, Kashima Chuwa is the only one who knows where the documents are. If you want them, you'll have to find him in prison."

Things were getting more complicated by the minute. Of course, Mo Jingxian didn't believe Long Yunzhi was being kind for no reason. There had to be something going on that he didn't know about.

Mo Jingxian suddenly stood up and headed for the door without looking back.

"Wait!"

Long Yunzhi's voice was urgent now, no longer composed as before.

"What? Are you planning to use force to keep me here?"

Mo Jingxian looked back, an eager expression on his face.

The man gave a wry smile, shook his head, stood up, and bowed deeply to him.

"It was my fault. In that case... I have a business proposition. I would like to strike a deal with you."

"Why choose me?"

"Because of this quality of your Chakra."

Long Yunzhi gathered a ball of Chakra in his hand. Tiny flecks of elemental energy flickered within it.

If Mo Jingxian hadn't been so familiar with water elements, he might not have noticed the secret hidden inside.

There was too little elemental energy, and it had no attribute at all.

Mo Jingxian sat back down.

"Tell me what you want me to do, and what you're prepared to offer in return."

It was a long story...

Long Yunzhi began with his ancestors and rambled on about Hozuki Castle's political landscape, only then making his request:

"If you enter Hozuki Castle's prison, you can find Kashima Chuwa and learn where the documents are hidden. All you need to do is cause a disturbance in the prison. I'll handle the rest."

Mo Jingxian weighed the offer in his mind.

According to Long Yunzhi, his ancestors had received a form of inheritance that could extend one's lifespan when cultivated. Blended into Chakra, it could also produce many other effects.

Unfortunately, an elder of the previous generation had disappeared into Hozuki Castle's prison, taking the inheritance with him.

That was why the peace faction led by Long Yunzhi had broken completely with the radical faction led by Mui.

This had created the current standoff between Hozuki Castle's two political powers.

The radical faction now had complete control of the prison. There was no way Long Yunzhi could enter their territory, which was why he was proposing this deal.

Mo Jingxian couldn't easily decide whether the man was telling the truth.

But the water elements' response didn't lie, so there was a good chance this inheritance was real.

He kept turning the matter over in his mind, weighing the pros and cons.

Secret documents, a mysterious inheritance, a longer life.

Those words kept running through his head.

Mo Jingxian admitted that he was tempted.

But a business deal was a business deal. There was nothing wrong with trying to maximize his profit.

With that thought, Mo Jingxian looked at the man with a faint smile.

"That's a den of dragons and tigers, so... you'll have to pay more!"