The night was deep, and the rain fell lightly.
In the dark, where he could barely see his hand in front of his face, Hyuga Senso moved forward cautiously.
Beside him, Ogawara, usually so lively, had quieted down as well.
Most of the missions he had taken part in before had mainly involved Genin, with Jonin only there to watch over them and offer guidance.
This time was different!
Though the mission was only C-rank in danger, it was an A-rank intelligence mission overall.
Their Jonin leader had infiltrated a large town, leaving them with no one to rely on but themselves.
Well, not quite. Ogawara could still watch each other's backs with his teammate, Hyuga Senso.
Thinking of that reassured Ogawara, but also made him worry about someone else.
"Senso, do you think that guy can complete the task the captain assigned him?"
Hyuga Senso gave a brief "Mm," but it was hard to tell whether he meant yes or no.
"Senso, why did the captain insist on sending me with you, but make that guy go alone?"
Hyuga Senso stopped. They were on a rise, a good place for him to use his Byakugan.
He glanced at Ogawara, then let out a quiet breath. His gaze softened.
"Because Gong Yi is strong!"
"Uh..."
"Stronger than me!"
He offered no further explanation. Hyuga Senso formed Hand Seals.
Byakugan, activate!
His normally black-and-white eyes turned completely white in an instant, while veins bulged around them!
"I should've been the one to go alone. Sigh, I hope he comes back safely!"
The boy was wrapped in a black raincoat, and the dark night sky enveloped everything.
Only the town's orange-yellow lights cast a warm glow.
Nightlife in the Naruto world wasn't as lacking as one might expect. No matter the era, people found ways to fill their leisure time.
Gambling, bathing, drinking, and all sorts of activities fueled by hormones.
Gong Yi strolled slowly along the street. He didn't have the Byakugan, nor did he have the extensive experience at identifying fellow ninja that an elite Jonin like Iga Kawaji possessed. To determine how the ninja were distributed around the town, he had to rely on the knowledge he'd gained over the years.
Clothing, speech, Forehead Protectors, ninja tools, Chakra fluctuations, group composition, suspicious behavior...
He had three days to act alone. After that, he would return to the original town to meet up with the others.
Gong Yi had three days to gather the necessary intelligence. Once that time was up, he had to return, no matter what he had found.
None of this was particularly difficult for Gong Yi.
Ninja of this era cared a great deal about their identities. They rarely removed their Forehead Protectors, always kept their ninja tools close at hand, and weren't very good at concealing their Chakra.
He was confident that his exceptional mental strength would let him tell ordinary people apart from ninja.
Even if a ninja deliberately disguised themselves!
Of course, as the third day came to an end and it was nearly time to head back, Gong Yi still felt a little frustrated.
"If only I had a pair of special eyes!"
The eyes Gong Yi meant were certainly not ordinary ones. He meant special eyes like the Sharingan, the Byakugan, or even the Rinnegan.
Gong Yi hid in a bathhouse's coal shed, sorting through the intelligence he had gathered over the past three days.
"Rain Ninja aren't within the scope of this intelligence-gathering mission. This time, I'm investigating ninja from other countries."
"As a buffer zone between the great nations, this place is also a hub for commerce. The number of Genin from each country is within the normal range."
Gong Yi thought quietly. The information he had organized in his hands looked perfectly ordinary.
He glanced at the coal shed around him and furrowed his brow.
Hot springs weren't found everywhere, but the Land of Rain was shrouded in rain year-round, making it easy to catch a chill. That was why bathhouses with heated water had sprung up.
The bathhouse had just closed, and almost everyone inside had left.
The water was probably still warm, though. Since no one was around, he could sneak in and wash up.
Gong Yi had the thought and tucked the intelligence into his clothes.
The mission had been uneventful. He had prepared himself for danger, but nothing had happened.
Gong Yi wasn't disappointed. If anything, he was glad. Who wanted to fight for their life against other people?
He would much rather stay in the village and safely improve his strength.
But improving his strength required resources. The Scholar System hadn't issued a task or given him a new research topic in a long time, which showed how important resources were.
Whether Ninjutsu resources, money, or manpower!
After checking his surroundings and confirming it was safe, Gong Yi slipped into the bathhouse. He planned to wash away the chill with some hot water, then hurry back to meet up with his captain and the others.
But the moment he stepped into the most secluded bath, Gong Yi instinctively held his breath.
Someone was there!
A ninja!
More than one!
Gong Yi quietly backed away. In the rainy night, he nimbly leaped onto the roof and pressed his ear against the green tiles.
"I hate discussing business in a bathhouse, especially with Sand Ninja!"
"Heh. Lord Kitsuchi, please be patient. The leader will arrive shortly."
On the roof, Gong Yi clenched his lips. Kitsuchi—the son of Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage!
So who could Kitsuchi be waiting for?
Kitsuchi's deep, irritated voice sounded again. "If we're going to discuss business, then come to the Land of Earth. Meeting in the Land of Rain, in some remote little town, skulking around like this—it's exactly what I'd expect from Sand Ninja."
What exactly was the Sand Ninja's way of doing things?
Changing their minds on a whim, keeping their options open, cowering one moment and acting arrogant the next.
They weren't meeting in the Land of Earth, but in a remote place in the middle of the night. It certainly fit their style.
The man speaking with Kitsuchi gave an awkward laugh, but didn't explain further.
Who would dare go to the Land of Earth to discuss business? The Third Tsuchikage, that old veteran of the First Shinobi World War, was still alive.
Kitsuchi snorted. "Don't think I don't know what you're after. Konoha's become too powerful and taken your mission business, so you want to work with Iwagakure to oppose Konoha Ninja. What's there to hide? Iwagakure isn't short on missions."
A sharp voice came from outside the door.
"Kitsuchi, don't think being the Tsuchikage's son gives you the right to boss us Sand Ninja around!"
The door swung open, and Kitsuchi looked surprised.
"Why are you here? Wasn't Rasa coming to meet me?"
"Rasa went to Amegakure to pay Hanzo of the Salamander a visit. What, you think I'm not qualified to speak with you? I'm Kazama Heitetsu, commander of the Third Kazekage's personal guard!"
The moment he finished speaking, the sharp voice fell silent. Then came a furious shout.
"Who's there, skulking around!"
Gong Yi leaped off the roof and sprinted into the dark night.
Behind him, a huge wind blade ripped through the roof, and cold rain poured into the warm bathhouse.
"Kitsuchi, son of the Third Tsuchikage! Rasa, the future Fourth Kazekage! Kazama Heitetsu, commander of the current Third Kazekage's personal guard!"
Gong Yi's body trembled slightly. He was in deep trouble.
Ding!
"Task issued: Bring the intelligence from the Land of Rain back to Konoha! Success reward: 100 Scholar Points and one low-level Scholar Skill! Failure:
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