Bounty Hunter Team!

Outside the royal capital.

In the lush forest, Hyuga Setsuna's figure stood atop a tree branch. (This was a Shadow Clone~)

The forest at sunset was not particularly noisy. Only the leaves rustled in the wind.

But at that moment, Hyuga Setsuna, who had been leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his Byakugan and looked toward the sky.

"Coo!" "Coo!"

A flock of birds flapped their wings, crying continuously as they flew deeper into the forest.

That summoned peregrine falcon was mixed in among the inconspicuous flock.

Meanwhile, another peregrine falcon had arrived above the royal capital to take its shift and monitor everything below.

Hyuga Setsuna fixed his gaze on the peregrine falcon flying into the depths of the forest and said quietly.

"So, they're finally heading back!"

After leaving the royal capital, he had been waiting here all this time. Now, the time to reap the rewards had finally come!

Hyuga Setsuna's figure began flashing through the forest, using the complex terrain to conceal himself.

Elsewhere.

Inside a cave ten kilometers from the royal capital.

A middle-aged man dressed as a samurai opened his previously closed eyes, shook his head at the other three, and said.

"My peregrine falcon will be back soon. No one is following it."

Hearing this, a scar-faced man said indifferently.

"Hey, hey, hey, does Qingyu really need to be this cautious?"

"They're just two brats from Leaf Village. What is there to worry about?"

Qianhun Qingyu glanced at the scar-faced man and mocked him.

"It's precisely because you're never cautious, Tetsuya, that you have that shameful scar on your face."

Yamada Tetsuya stared darkly at Qianhun Qingyu, his words filled with chilling killing intent.

"You bastard, are you looking to die?"

"And this scar isn't shameful. It's proof of my bravery in killing enemies! You bastard, you don't understand anything at all!!"

"I really don't know why I formed a team with you in the first place!"

Watching the two start arguing again, Tokugawa Koichi's eyes flashed with helplessness. Seriously, how many times had they argued over the past month?

The four of them were a team of bounty hunters. They had met by chance and formed an alliance because they were "like-minded."

This time, they had accepted an invitation from an extremely generous employer to carry out a mission.

The mission required them to kill the Land of Fire's daimyo and his daughter, Akishinomiya Yuri.

Normally, they would never touch a mission that would bring the pursuit and wanted notices of the entire Hidden Leaf Village down upon them.

But helplessly, that exceedingly generous employer was offering far too much.

He would even allow them to freely choose A-Rank Ninjutsu or even Forbidden Techniques after completing the mission.

As a guarantee for the mission, that employer had also given them a full fifty million ryo in advance, along with four B-Rank Ninjutsu.

When the four of them saw that generous reward, their eyes had lit up. Even their breathing and heartbeats had quickened.

In the end, clutching the fifty million ryo and four B-Rank Ninjutsu, they had reluctantly agreed.

After all, once they pulled off this job, the four of them could wash their hands of it forever and never have to worry about food or money for the rest of their lives!

As for retaliation and wanted notices from the Hidden Leaf Village, they did not care much. As long as they struck fast enough and used the ample time afterward to hide, even Leaf Village, now known as the number one village in the Shinobi World, would never be able to find them.

That exceedingly generous employer had even generously declared that once they completed the mission, both Leaf Village's wanted notices and their hiding place could be dealt with easily!

And after the mission, besides receiving four A-Rank Ninjutsu or Forbidden Techniques of their choice, the four of them would also receive the full one hundred and fifty million ryo mission reward!

Including the advance payment from the employer, that was a full two hundred million ryo! Even if each of them received only fifty million ryo, it would be more than enough!

At the time, they had even considered simply killing that foolishly rich employer and taking all his property for themselves.

But after thinking it over, they decided against it. Since the employer had been confident enough to make such offers, he was certainly not someone they could afford to provoke.

In the end, they could only force down that tempting thought.

Tokugawa Koichi looked at the two arguing before him, impatience flashing through his eyes. Then he turned his gaze toward the tall middle-aged man sitting cross-legged at the very back.

Knowing he could not suppress those two noisy fellows, he looked toward their leader, Nakamura Shido.

Nakamura Shido sat cross-legged on a rock with his eyes closed. He stood two meters tall and possessed the massive physique of a lion. His bare upper body was covered in wounds and scars, proof of the death and battles he had endured.

As though sensing Tokugawa Koichi's gaze, he slowly opened his eyes. His lion-like eyes, majestic and terrifying, looked at Qianhun Qingyu and Yamada Tetsuya.

He said nothing. He merely stared at them with that imposing, terrifying gaze.

Qianhun Qingyu and Yamada Tetsuya, still in the midst of their argument, noticed Nakamura Shido's gaze as well. They exchanged a look, then both fell silent.

After all, they could not beat him...

Seeing that the two had finally stopped arguing, Tokugawa Koichi relaxed. Having to listen to them quarrel while carrying out a mission was truly irritating.

Tokugawa Koichi touched his throat, cleared it, and spoke with a brilliant smile.

"Although Qingyu shouldn't have mocked Tetsuya's brave scar, he does have a point. This mission isn't like our usual jobs dealing with bandits and thieves."

"So being a little cautious is a good thing!"

Qianhun Qingyu and Yamada Tetsuya looked at Tokugawa Koichi with contempt, wanting very much to refute him.

But because of their leader Nakamura Shido's authority, they remained silent and said nothing more.

They merely glared at Tokugawa Koichi, that sarcastic bastard, with contemptuous eyes.

Seeing the two looking at him with contempt, Tokugawa Koichi smiled unconcernedly.

After all, geniuses did not bother with two ordinary mediocrities.

Of course, Boss Nakamura Shido was undoubtedly a genius among geniuses!

After all, Nakamura Shido was extremely powerful. He had even touched the threshold of Kage-level strength, far surpassing the other three, who were merely Jonin.

Once this mission was complete, Nakamura Shido would be able to obtain a Forbidden Technique from that generous employer.

By then, even Kage-level experts could be confronted by the four of them working together. In fact, Nakamura Shido alone would be enough to hold one back.

Just then, a small peregrine falcon suddenly flew into the cave from outside and slowly landed on Qianhun Qingyu's shoulder.

All four pairs of eyes fell neatly upon the peregrine falcon!

Elsewhere.

Hyuga Setsuna had also followed the peregrine falcon to the place where that group was hiding!

La la la, first update!!

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