Lure the Tiger Out of the Mountain! (Seeking Follow-ups and Monthly Votes)

Uchiha Namiichi might look cold, but Shita Genichi felt that he was actually easier to get along with than Yamanaka En.

It wasn't about having overwhelming strength; as long as one had a standout quality, it was easy to get along well.

Of course, Uchiha Namiichi was still quite the tsundere. He couldn't be bothered to pay attention to most people, but he wouldn't bully them either.

At this moment, Hatake Sakumo was also very satisfied with Shita Genichi's performance.

The reason he agreed to their sparring match was, in fact, to let Shita Genichi demonstrate his strength in front of Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the others.

In the world of ninjas, strength has always been king, and it is through strength that one earns the respect of others.

Letting Shita Genichi show his power would be beneficial for this mission.

At the same time, he wanted to use the mouths of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans to let more people know about Shita Genichi's capabilities.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Shita Genichi and the others set off again, crossing the border into the Land of Rivers.

They arrived at the mining area by dusk.

Standing on a different hilltop, Shita Genichi saw the area below the mountain ahead brightly lit.

Aside from rows of wooden huts that were clearly living quarters, there were many lights and structures at the entrance of the mine, and people could be seen moving in and out.

Mining operations were still underway.

Turning his head, he saw a Konoha ninja wearing a green flak jacket handing over duties to Hatake Sakumo.

A moment later, Hatake Sakumo returned and told Shita Genichi and the others, "Split into two groups. First, familiarize yourselves with the trap zones, patrol routes, and guard posts."

Shita Genichi and the others nodded.

Then, the two squads followed a Konoha ninja respectively to begin their work.

The mission was to protect the mining area from being attacked, but that didn't mean hunkering down at the mine; it meant establishing a defensive depth in the surrounding area.

The squad originally executing the mission had already laid out trap zones, planned patrol routes, and established various overt and covert sentry posts.

Now, Shita Genichi and the others just needed to familiarize themselves with all of these.

This was the handover.

It took two hours, and only then did Shita Genichi and the others return to the mining site.

There, the wealthy merchant's men had already prepared hot water and food, and there were even a few geisha present.

One had to admit, merchants certainly knew how to enjoy themselves; bringing geisha along to play while mining in the wilderness was enviable.

However, the geisha were sternly refused by Hatake Sakumo.

After washing up and finishing a hearty dinner, Shita Genichi and the others rested in the wooden huts.

The official handover of the mission would take place tomorrow morning.

However, Shita Genichi did not rest that early. Instead, he spent two hours studying the Nine Syllables Hand Seals, recording his insights in a notebook before finally lying down to sleep.

The night was peaceful.

At eight o'clock the next morning, after breakfast, Shita Genichi and the others officially took over from the original two squads and began the mission of protecting the mine.

On the mountaintop, at the very top of a large tree, Shita Genichi stood holding a Monocular Telescope to observe the distance.

The view here was excellent; there was no way to approach the mine from any direction without being spotted.

Of course.

The forest was lush and dense. Standing far away and at a high vantage point, even with a telescope, it was actually impossible to see movement beneath the thick canopy.

However, several clear buffer zones had been cleared around the perimeter of the mine, keeping the line of sight unobstructed.

The focus now was on observing these cleared areas.

Naturally, this wasn't foolproof.

After all, one couldn't stare at it forever, so this was just one observation point.

Hatake Sakumo and the others also had their own tasks, whether it was patrolling according to the routes or checking the traps. Since wild animals might accidentally trigger them, they had to be inspected periodically to ensure they wouldn't fail when needed.

Moreover, both squads had sensory ninjas this time, so Yamanaka En and the others also had sensory duties, performing sweeps at intervals to prevent enemies from sneaking in.

This was a simple, unadorned, multi-dimensional defense.

However, this kind of mission was also extremely dull.

Especially Shita Genichi's fixed-point observation, where he would stay at the top of the tree for half a day at a time.

Fortunately, Shita Genichi was focused on studying the Nine Syllables Hand Seals, so he didn't find it boring.

In the blink of an eye, it was almost lunchtime. Uchiha Namiichi appeared: "Genichi, I'll take your place."

Shita Genichi put down the Monocular Telescope, nodded with a smile, and dropped from the treetop like a large bird.

It took ten minutes to satisfy his hunger, and then Shita Genichi returned to relieve Uchiha Namiichi, continuing his task.

Uchiha Namiichi went off to patrol.

If only I had the Byakugan...

Watching Uchiha Namiichi depart, Shita Genichi finally realized just how useful and convenient the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan truly was.

All it took was sitting still and widening one's eyes to see for miles; there was no need for such strenuous effort.

The first day passed without any incidents.

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Shita Genichi watched as a line of cargo wagons departed the mine, hauling away the preliminary smelted iron ore.

These cargo wagons were horse-drawn carriages...

Shita Genichi was speechless.

The technological level of the ninja world was not low at all.

Things like air conditioning, refrigerators, and electrical appliances had existed for a long time.

The application of electricity had even become widespread as early as the era of Senju Tobirama.

Places like Konoha Hospital were equipped with all sorts of electronic medical devices, which, in Shita Genichi's view, were not much different from the modern world he came from.

Before graduating, Shita Genichi had even taken a graduation photo, as well as a group photo with Hatake Sakumo and the others.

Cameras, video recorders, radios, and the like were all readily available.

In the future, Kumogakure would even be able to develop a Chakra Annihilation Cannon.

Yet, for some reason, the nobles and elites of the ninja world still insisted on traveling by sedan chair.

Cargo transport still relied on horse-drawn carriages and the like.

There was absolutely no sign of cars, motorcycles, or bicycles.

Perhaps it had something to do with the terrible road conditions in the ninja world?

Watching the wagons gradually fade into the distance, Shita Genichi felt a bit too exhausted to even complain about this world.

The question was:

If he were to introduce bicycles or cars to the ninja world, would there be any potential?

"Cars probably wouldn't work, but bicycles... they should be fine."

"The roads in Konoha are quite flat; they are perfectly suited for riding bicycles."

Shita Genichi's eyes lit up slightly at the thought.

It seemed like something worth pursuing.

He could earn some money to build an experimental base later on.

Or perhaps use it to invest in Orochimaru's research...

Shita Genichi made up his mind; once he returned from this mission, he would give it a try.

Ninjas might not need them, but ordinary people certainly would.

In fact, even within the village, ninjas could use them too.

Before he knew it, the morning was almost over.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Shita Genichi frowned. Through his binoculars, he spotted several disheveled figures running toward the mine.

They were traveling along the main road.

It seemed they were people from the mine.

Lowering the binoculars, Shita Genichi immediately blew his whistle: three long blasts and one short.

This was a warning signal.

The subsequent whistle blasts indicated the direction.

Upon hearing the signal, Hatake Sakumo and Yamanaka En, who were stationed on the outer perimeter, reacted immediately; the former formed hand seals to create a clone and departed.

Not long after, Shita Genichi received the assembly whistle and promptly created a Shadow Clone.

His main body remained in place to monitor all directions.

Underneath a large tree, Shita Genichi appeared before Hatake Sakumo and the others: "Teacher!"

Hatake Sakumo nodded and said, "The convoy transporting the iron ore has been attacked. There are ninjas involved."

Upon hearing this, a thought immediately crossed Shita Genichi's mind: "Luring the tiger away from the mountain!"