Having earned over twelve hundred gold coins in one go, Lin Mu felt thoroughly pleased with himself.
Those gold coins meant he had moved another tenth of the way toward acquiring the Wood Human Technique.
Together with all the gold coins left over from his earlier missions, his total had now reached five thousand.
He only needed another 5,000 gold coins to redeem the Wood Human Technique.
"Hehehehehehehe!"
Lin Mu let out another sinister chuckle.
He had already begun imagining himself riding a wooden giant, sweeping across the entire shinobi continent.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, he heard a rush of wind behind him. His expression changed, and his guard shot up.
Thud!
A kunai shot out from somewhere in the forest and lodged itself in the tree directly in front of Lin Mu.
Someone's attacking me!
Cold sweat covered Lin Mu's back and forehead. Fortunately, he had retained a shred of vigilance instead of letting his excitement go to his head.
If he had completely let down his guard, that strike would have hit him. Even if it hadn't killed him, he would have been gravely wounded!
"Who's there?!"
After narrowly dodging that lethal kunai, Lin Mu regained his composure completely. His gaze swept toward the direction it had come from as he barked a cold challenge.
"Hahahahaha... You're just a little brat, but you're surprisingly alert!"
The bushes rustled, and several figures emerged from the shadows.
They weren't far from Lin Mu. Within a few breaths, they had approached to within about five meters of him.
The weather was clear that night, and the moon shone brightly.
By its light, Lin Mu could make out their appearance.
More precisely, he could make out what they were wearing.
They were clearly dressed in standard-issue uniforms, with masks covering their faces.
"Who exactly