Testing Each Other

The rest of the journey was smooth sailing. Perhaps the enemy's probing was just to find out the true strength of the Tokugawa Clan. After figuring out that they had invited a team of Konoha from Jonin, they stopped making moves.

After all, the real struggle takes place in the Mining Area, and even if Tokugawa Shuo were killed, it would be of no use.

And so, the Yamaguchi Squad arrived at the Tokugawa Clan in Matsudaira City on the evening of the fourth day.

Dressed in magnificent patriarchal attire, Tokugawa Yasu personally led his family members to greet the Yamaguchi Squad at the mansion gate. Such elaborate ceremony surprised the squad members, and at the same time made them realize how much the Tokugawa Clan valued this mission.

Tokugawa Yasu greeted the crowd with a warm smile and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, "It is truly an honor for the Tokugawa Clan that the elites of Konoha have traveled from afar."

When his gaze swept over the young faces of Taiichi and the other two, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. However, when his eyes fell on Tokugawa Shuo and he saw the other man nod almost imperceptibly, that surprise was quickly replaced by a seasoned composure.

To welcome the Konoha Ninja, the Tokugawa Clan held a grand banquet in the most spacious main hall of the Tokugawa Clan, where twelve gilded lanterns illuminated the hall.

The maids served up a variety of high-end dishes, delicacies that were not usually seen even in Konoha. The group toasted and drank, with Captain Yamaguchi mainly dealing with the Tokugawa Clan, while Taiichi two listened and ate.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Tokugawa Yasu gently tapped his wine cup to signal everyone to quiet down. "I'm troubling you all this time because the Kawata Clan has colluded with Sunagakure to try and sever the lifeline of my Tokugawa Clan."

He pointed to the Mining Area map hanging on the wall, "The hematite in the Matsudaira Vein has a purity of up to 70%, making it an excellent ore for forging weapons. The trace elements it contains can make the forged weapons even sharper."

The waiter promptly presented a sample of a bluish-black ore. Captain Yamaguchi immediately noticed its unusual weight upon receiving it. Tokugawa Yasu lowered his voice and said, "This is a by-product of hematite, called Dark Azure Ore. Metals forged from it have high ductility."

"The Sunagakure Puppet army is desperately short of this kind of highly malleable iron ore, and according to scouts, the Kawata Clan has promised that if they acquire the mining rights, 70% of the ore production will be directly traded with Sunagakure, not to mention other iron mines."

Upon hearing this, Taiichi looked at Captain Yamaguchi. Both of them had witnessed the terror of the Sand Village Puppet Corps; on the battlefield, they were nothing short of human killing machines.

Tokugawa Yasu truly deserves his position as head of the clan; his eloquence is top-notch.

"Thirty percent of the iron used in the Land of Fire's Ninja Tool comes from here." Tokugawa Yasu vigorously waved his arm to bolster his words, "If the Kawata Clan succeeds, the Kunai fired at Konoha on the next battlefield might very well be made from here."

Saori's chopsticks hovered over the eel rice for a moment, clearly moved by Tokugawa Yasu's words, and her gaze unconsciously turned to Captain Yamaguchi.

"Lord Tokugawa Clan, now that we have accepted this mission, we will do our utmost to complete it, even if it costs us our lives." Captain Yamaguchi remained calm as always, but his tone revealed his determination.

As the banquet drew to a close, the head of the Tokugawa Clan sat solemnly, looking at the Konoha members present. "Gentlemen, the lifeline of the Tokugawa Clan is entrusted to your protection. This is not only a mission, but also a testament to the enduring friendship between the Tokugawa Clan and Konoha. I hope you will all give it your all!"

As he spoke, the head of the Tokugawa Clan solemnly bowed to the people of Konoha, and the Yamaguchi Squad, led by their Captain, also solemnly returned the bow.

Nighttime, a guest room in the Tokugawa Clan.

Yohei was pacing back and forth with a worried expression, glancing at Captain Yamaguchi for a moment, then lost in thought by himself.

Finally, Saori couldn't stand it anymore. "Yohei, stop spinning me! You're making me dizzy."

You've seemed preoccupied ever since we left the banquet. Is something wrong?

Upon hearing this, Yohei stopped in his tracks, looking at this person and then at that person.

"Speak up if you have something to say, get to the point. Stop dawdling, it's not manly at all." Taiichi couldn't stand it anymore and scolded.

"Do you think we should call for reinforcements? This iron mine seems extremely important," Yohei finally voiced his lingering doubts. "Such a vital resource—if it falls into the hands of Sunagakure, wouldn't we suffer a huge loss?"

Hearing Yohei's question, Captain Yamaguchi smiled slightly. "Yohei, it's good that you thought of asking the village for help. You're able to assess the situation and aren't arrogant."

"Captain, how can you be so calm? Isn't this Mining Area important to Konoha?" Yohei asked, puzzled.

"Important, absolutely important." Captain Yamaguchi looked at Taiichi and Saori, "Which of you can figure out the problem?"

Saori shook her head helplessly; she didn't know either, and Yohei's problem was exactly what she was worried about.

Seeing Saori shake her head, Taiichi offered his guess. "It's probably because this is still a normal competition for missions, and neither Sunagakure nor Konoha wants to start a war over this."

"That's right!" Captain Yamaguchi chimed in. "Iron ore is available in many places. If you can't buy it here, you can buy it elsewhere. If you can't buy it yourself, you can buy it by reselling it. It just costs a little more money."

"But if the two villages keep sending more ninjas because of a single mission, it would break the tacit understanding between the villages regarding missions. You must understand that what the villages are vying for is not just the iron ore here, but also various other resources."

Seeing that Yohei and Saori both nodded as if they understood, Captain Yamaguchi gave his final summary.

"Therefore, at least in this relatively peaceful period, everyone can only compete according to the mission rules. Nobody wants to be the first to break the balance, lest they become the first unlucky victim to be attacked by other ninja villages."

"I see!" Yohei punched the air, feigning sudden realization. "Then I'm not worried anymore. In a mission competition, who's afraid of who!"

"Alright, but don't let your guard down. Judging from the previous attack, the Kawata Clan not only hired Sunagakure ninjas, but also Bounty Ninja. So they definitely outnumber us, so everyone must be careful from now on."

Captain Yamaguchi gave Taiichi and the other two his final instructions and urged them to rest, as they would officially begin their garrison duty the next day.

At the same time, on the other side of Matsudaira City, at the Kawata Clan mansion, a fierce argument was taking place.

"Head of the Kawata Clan, don't you understand that if you've already asked us from Sunagakure for the same mission, it's a big taboo to hire other ninjas?" A Sunagakure Jonin his anger and spoke in a deep voice to the richly dressed man sitting at the head of the hall.

"Head of the Kawata Clan, don't blame the Wind Wolf Jonin such a fuss." Another thin Jonin up, though his tone was much gentler. "This matter concerns the reputation of Sunagakure. If other ninja villages find out, they'll think our Sand Village Ninja are incompetent and need to ask for outside help."

The members of the Kawata Clan exchanged bewildered glances. This was the first time they had ever heard of such a thing. They had simply wanted to spend more money to hire more ninjas so they could feel more at ease.

With a team of Sunagakure as a source of confidence, those cheap and convenient Bounty Ninja are naturally a better choice, since hiring ninjas from major ninja villages is indeed expensive.

"Gentlemen of Sunagakure, this was indeed a matter of oversight on my part; I hadn't considered such a taboo. So, what do you think we should do next?"

The head of the Kawata Clan at the lower end glanced at his patriarch, then stepped forward and took responsibility for the mistake.

"I don't care, that's your business. Anyway, we will not cooperate with Bounty Ninja." The leader, Wind Wolf, showed no respect to the Kawata Clan and then led the others back to their residence.

"Wind Wolf, weren't you going too far with what you just did? We didn't need to offend our employer like that."

"Sha Kui, you don't know this, but Kazekage gave me some instructions before we went on the mission."

The Kawata Clan is not a peaceful family; they only approached us this time out of desperation.

In previous years, their family would directly hire Bounty Ninja for their missions.

If I take this opportunity to give them a good talking-to, future collaborations will be fraught with trouble!

At this moment, Wind Wolf remembered the instructions given by the Kazekage before the mission. This Mining Area was too important to Sunagakure. Therefore, he not only had to help the Kawata Clan seize the mining rights, but also had to take the initiative in the mission to facilitate future cooperation.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Kawata Clan, watching the departing Sand Village Ninja, the atmosphere was so tense you could hear a pin drop. The Kawata Clan head's hands were clenched so tightly they turned white, showing how furious he was.

"My lord, what should we do now—" The steward looked at his master and asked cautiously.

Taking a deep breath, the head of the Kawata Clan suppressed his anger and said, "What else can we do? This is the Young Master Daimyo's order, and we can only obey. Now is the most important time in the competition for the Daimyo position, and the daimyo cannot do without the support of Sunagakure."

"What about the Bounty Ninja...?"

"You guys figure something out. As long as the Sand Village Ninja and Bounty Ninja don't meet, we'll pretend we don't know anything else." With that, the head of the Kawata Clan waved his hand and left the main hall, leaving a group of retainers looking at each other in bewilderment.

The next day, the Yamaguchi Squad, accompanied by Tokugawa Shuo, arrived at the Mining Area. It was a rather large Mining Area, but what really needed protection were the work and living areas near the mine pits.

This greatly reduced the difficulty of guarding the Yamaguchi Squad; otherwise, with just a few of them, they simply wouldn't have been able to protect that seemingly endless Mining Area.

The squad patrolled the entire defensive area. Captain Yamaguchi divided the entire Mining Area into three fan-shaped zones. Taiichi, Yohei, Saori were each responsible for a 180-degree defensive zone, while he himself was stationed in the center, ready to provide support at any time.

The first day was calm and peaceful, with only the busy figures of miners and the roar of the smelting furnace.

The following evening, Taiichi keenly sensed several figures flashing across the treetops in the distance. He immediately fired Signal Flare and simultaneously created a Shadow Clone to quickly approach, hoping to ascertain the true nature of the figures.

But the other side seemed to be merely scouting from a distance, and once they realized they had been discovered, they immediately retreated without the slightest hesitation.

Before Taiichi's Shadow Clone could return, two Signal Flare, trailing brilliant flames, rose into the sky almost simultaneously from two other directions.

After confirming that the spying ninja had left, the Shadow Clone Taiichi did not linger and quickly returned to the center to report the situation to Captain Yamajiro.

Just as they finished reporting, Yohei and Saori's Shadow Clone also came to report one after another. The situation on both sides was the same as on Taiichi's side: they took a quick look and left without making any contact with the team members.

There was nothing anyone could do but increase vigilance.

Over the next two days, these ninjas appeared repeatedly like ghosts, sometimes approaching the edge of the Mining Area, sometimes hiding in the dense forest, but always maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far. As soon as the people of Konoha made a move, they would immediately retreat.

On the morning of the fourth day, Saori discovered disturbed soil on her routine patrol route. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a trap set with Explosive Tag.

She calmly dismantled the trap, but the fire of anger within her had already been completely ignited.

Back at the meeting point, Yohei slammed his fist on the table. "These bastards are treating us like monkeys! If this keeps up, even if we're full of energy, the miners will start to panic!"

Saori placed the Explosive Tag traps she had dismantled that morning on the table and said coldly, "They're no longer satisfied with just long-distance surveillance. If this continues, we'll be too passive."

Taiichi narrowed his eyes, looking at the Explosive Tag on the table, his face darkening. "Captain, since they like playing hide-and-seek with us so much, why don't I go and have some fun with them?"

Captain Yamaguchi pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Take the initiative, but be sure to finish quickly. And remember, don't pursue them too far."

As night fell, Taiichi sneaked into the forest alone and carefully lay in ambush on the enemy ninja's likely route.

As the moon rose higher and higher, and time drew near, Taiichi quietly released his Chakra. Sure enough, after a short while, thanks to his excellent Chakra Perception, he locked onto the two ninjas who were sneaking over.

Perhaps because they had been toying with the Konoha Ninja for the past few days, the two of them were unusually lax in their guard, and when Taiichi quietly approached from behind, the two of them were completely unaware.

With a flash of cold light, the Short Sword made a simple horizontal slash, and two heads flew into the air. From beginning to end, neither of them realized how they died.

Only the sound of two heads hitting the ground remained.

At this moment, Taiichi, having dealt with his own enemies, turned back without looking back and quietly entered Yohei's defense zone through the Mining Area.

Thus, when Taiichi finally returned from Saori's defense zone, the first batch of six enemies tonight had been silently eliminated by Taiichi.

"It'll probably be quiet tonight. They've lost a lot of men; I don't believe they'll dare come back today!"

As expected, the enemy ninjas, unable to figure out what was going on, refrained from making any rash moves after the first batch of Scout ninjas failed to return on time, and the night passed peacefully.

On the fifth day, the enemy, as expected, did not merely Scout from a distance as before. They abandoned their stealthy tactics of the previous days, gathered seven or eight ninjas, led by three or four Chunin, and launched a surprise attack on the Mining Area.

Before they even entered the attack range, all sorts of miscellaneous Ninjutsu came from afar, even including Kunai with Explosive Tag attached. After attacking, these ninjas didn't linger and immediately retreated while the Yamaguchi Squad was defending.

This happened several times, and while the Yamaguchi Squad wasn't affected, the daily mining operations in the Mining Area were impacted.

"Captain, what do we do? They're going to keep going until we drop!" Yohei slammed his fist on a nearby rock and growled angrily.

After two days, Team 8 learned the details of these ninjas; they were all Bounty Ninja hired by the Kawata Clan.

These guys didn't engage in a direct confrontation with Taiichi and his Taiichi. Instead, they would attack and then move on to a different location. Relying on their high mobility, they assumed that the Konoha ninjas wouldn't dare to pursue them far from the Mining Area, and so they continued to harass the Konoha ninjas.

This tactic was indeed effective; the continuous sneak attacks forced the squad to stay on edge at all times, leaving them no peace even for rest. They could hold out for a short time, but if it dragged on for a few more days, even Masasuke Yamaguchi and Taiichi would feel exhausted.

"Taiichi, Yohei!" Captain Yamaguchi's eyes flashed coldly, clearly indicating his determination. "You two move out immediately and ambush them along their retreat route! On the Mining Area side, I'll use Shadow Clone to disguise myself as you and confuse them."

His voice was deep but carried an undeniable ruthlessness. "This time, we must teach them a lesson they'll never forget! Let them know we're not to be trifled with!"

"Yes!" Yohei's eyes lit up with excitement. The frustration he had been holding back for two days finally found an outlet, and he was eager to try.

Although Taiichi was somewhat composed, the fierce glint in his eyes still revealed the anger in his heart.

Both men were itching for a fight, eager to unleash their pent-up frustration on their enemy.