Stone Ninja Village, The Cat's Paw of the Mission

"Since you've arrived, let's head to the caravan together. After all, the employer is in quite a rush for this shipment!"

Outside the tavern, Nakada Shun, dressed in black, spoke to Shisui. Although he felt some concern about whether the youthful-looking Shisui could help him carry out his plan, he had no better options at the moment.

"Konoha ninja, don't let me down."

"Wait a moment, I have another teammate," Shisui said, stopping Nakada Shun as he was about to walk forward, then reached behind his back to quietly signal.

"Another teammate?" Hearing this, a smile appeared on Nakada Shun's face. Just as he was about to say something, Naraku, with his red hair and a long sword strapped to his back, appeared in his line of sight.

"A teammate? A child?" Looking at Naraku's small frame, Nakada Shun's mouth twitched slightly. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

Forget it, having an extra person is better than nothing. Even a genin has some combat capability, he thought to himself.

He then walked forward, and Naraku and Shisui followed.

Naraku took the opportunity to carefully observe Nakada Shun ahead of him, but he soon noticed something amiss. Under his perception, there was a significant fluctuation of energy within the man's body.

This is a ninja, and a jōnin at that.

His expression, hidden beneath his mask, shifted slightly, and Naraku turned to report this discovery to Shisui.

Wait. Seeing Shisui's calm expression, Naraku instantly understood. With Shisui's strength and experience, he would have been able to identify Nakada Shun as a ninja even without using his Sharingan.

Naraku shook his head slightly and then followed quietly behind Nakada Shun.

So he had already figured it out. As expected of the Uzumaki Clan, a faint, imperceptible smile touched the corner of Shisui's mouth.

He had identified Nakada Shun as a ninja long ago; the reason he hadn't warned Naraku was to give him a small test.

Naraku's performance did not disappoint him. Shisui felt that even he might not have been able to do as well at that age.

Uzumaki Naraku, truly a genius.

Naraku and Shisui followed Nakada Shun for a while. None of the three spoke along the way, and they soon arrived at a secluded villa. It appeared to be Nakada Shun's private property, with two guards stationed at the entrance.

"You've returned, My Lord."

Seeing it was Nakada Shun, the guards bowed respectfully.

Nakada Shun waved his hand slightly and led Shisui and Naraku inside. "By the way, notify the others to get ready. We are leaving immediately."

"Leaving? Has the ninja you hired arrived?" The guard looked puzzled, then cast his gaze toward Shisui and Naraku.

"Could it be them?" The guard looked at Shisui's youthful face and Naraku's small stature, a look of doubt appearing on his face.

"Yes, these two are the ninja sent by Konoha. Go and prepare!" Nakada Shun urged with a wave of his hand.

"Understood, My Lord." Despite their doubts, the guards dared not say anything more once Nakada Shun had spoken, and they went off to notify the others.

Naraku and Shisui followed Nakada Shun into a room within the villa.

"Mr. Nakada, does this mission require us to escort the caravan to the Land of Wind?"

At that moment, Shisui spoke up, his sharp gaze fixed directly on Nakada Shun.

Nakada Shun was startled, then nodded. "Yes."

"Originally, I intended to hire ninja from Sunagakure to handle this, but for some reason, they kept delaying, which is why I sought out you from Konoha."

Perhaps fearing a misunderstanding, Nakada Shun hurriedly explained.

"Sunagakure," Naraku thought to himself, a look of contemplation crossing his face. At this time... could it be?

Naraku thought of the tailed beast of Sunagakure, the One-Tail Shukaku. In his memories, it seemed that the One-Tail jinchūriki, Bunpuku, passed away around this time.

Of course, it was only a guess; he couldn't be certain.

As for Shisui, he seemed to already know something, as he showed no signs of surprise.

Shisui then proceeded to confirm further details regarding the mission with Nakada Shun.

Naraku finally understood why this mission was rated as A-rank. First, the reward Nakada Shun offered was substantial, even more than a typical A-rank mission.

Second, this shipment of his had been targeted.

According to Nakada, their caravan profited by transporting special ores. While these ores were not extremely rare, the profit margins were quite impressive.

It was precisely because of this profit that their cargo had been targeted by some small ninja villages.

"Stone Ninja Village. It's them. My last few shipments were all robbed by them," Nakada Shun said with a look of resentment.

"Stone Ninja Village," Shisui murmured.

He didn't know much about the Stone Ninja Village, only that it was a small village on the border of the Land of Wind with a limited number of ninja.

"Ninja, I will have to trouble you both with this mission," Nakada Shun said, bowing deeply to the two of them.

"Mr. Nakada, there is no need for that," Shisui said, somewhat surprised. "Since Konoha has accepted this mission, we will naturally do our utmost to complete it. Please rest assured, Mr. Nakada."

"Then thank you, ninja."

Nakada Shun then left the room to make preparations for their departure.

Shisui and Naraku remained in the room to rest for a while.

Naraku watched Nakada Shun's retreating back. He felt that this mission might not be as simple as the man claimed. Although the Stone Ninja Village was small, it was still a ninja village.

If things were truly as he described, Sunagakure would never sit idly by while the Stone Ninja Village robbed their cargo. After all, being in the vicinity of the Land of Wind, such actions by the Stone Ninja Village would inevitably affect Sunagakure's reputation.

He felt that there must be something else fishy going on here.

As for Shisui, he remained expressionless, lost in his own thoughts.

An hour later, the caravan had finished reorganizing, and Nakada Shun sent someone to notify the two of them.

"My Lords, we are ready to depart."

"Understood," Shisui nodded, then stepped out of the room.

Naraku followed behind him; for him, this mission was a massive source of experience.

The purpose of a ninja taking on missions was twofold: first, to earn money, and second, to accumulate combat experience, for only actual combat was the true test of one's strength.

Only through real combat could one's strength improve at a faster pace.

"Move out!" At the front of the caravan, Nakada Shun gave the order, and the group of twenty or so people set off in a grand procession.

"Stone Ninja Village, heh, it is time to settle the score between us."