Disguised Infiltration

"Choose your missions, then go to the logistics department to collect your supplies. After that, you can set out. You only have one week to complete your missions." Ryūma Aburame looked at the differently minded crowd, seeing through their little schemes. Since some missions required leaving the village, he reminded them, "Most of you have accepted missions outside the village. If any of you defect, then next time, one of you will be assigned to hunt down someone among you who has defected..."

"Gulp." Hearing Ryūma Aburame say that, everyone secretly swallowed and suppressed their little thoughts. Some still had family in Konoha and did not dare defect. Besides, they could not escape Root's grasp. Root had many ways to track them down.

Lin Chuan did not care much about that. He had never considered defecting. If he did, his nominal parents would definitely suffer. It was not because of them that he chose not to defect, but because he wanted to polish his credentials in the ANBU Training Class. There were no such good opportunities for growth outside. Root provided everything needed for training, so all he had to do was fleece them for all they were worth.

"Let's go." Terai put away the mission scroll and slipped it into his ninja tool pouch, then headed for the logistics department to replenish their kunai, Soldier Pills, and some medicinal supplies.

Without a medical ninja accompanying them, if they were injured during the mission, they could only temporarily bandage themselves with medicine. They would receive treatment after returning to Konoha. If they could not return, they could only wait to die.

After collecting their supplies, the sixteen members of the eight ANBU squads left Konoha through Root's underground passageways...

Tanzaku Town was a major pleasure district in the southwest of the Land of Fire. It was filled with casinos, hotels, and entertainment venues, making it a place where one could easily violate the ninja "Three Taboos."

After traveling for a day, Lin Chuan and Terai arrived at Tanzaku Town. However, their ANBU attire only allowed them to hide in the forest. The moment they appeared in Tanzaku Town, they would easily be exposed. They had no intention of getting killed here by the enemy before completing their mission.

"What do you think?" Terai looked through his mask at the bustling Tanzaku Town. He had noticed that Lin Chuan had the most clever ideas. Lin Chuan had been the one to suggest leaving behind Shadow Clones in the Forest of Death and slipping away early.

"What else can we do? We disguise ourselves and infiltrate. First, we gather intelligence. Go steal a few sets of children's clothes." Lin Chuan looked at the residents around Tanzaku Town and casually picked a house with clothes hanging outside, quietly taking them away.

Then he used a kunai to cut the clothes into tattered rags. After smearing mud and pot ash over his body and face, he took a broken bowl, hid his ANBU uniform and weapons in the forest, and headed toward Tanzaku Town's entrance.

"Do we really need to disguise ourselves like this? We're not even bringing weapons?" Terai caught up with Lin Chuan and looked at their beggar outfits. They were too shabby and embarrassing. If someone they knew saw them, it would be social death!

"Obviously. If we don't disguise ourselves like this, how are we supposed to get close to the target?" Lin Chuan looked at Terai speechlessly. Were they supposed to carry swords and tell the rogue ninja that they were ANBU sent to hunt him down? The rogue ninja would run the moment he saw ANBU.

"Without weapons, even if we get close to the target, we can't kill him." Terai looked at his empty hands, holding nothing but a broken bowl. Were they supposed to smash the target with it?

"Now isn't the time to capture the rogue ninja. First, we need to figure out his routine. The mission says he works as a thug at a casino. We'll stake out the area near the casino first." Lin Chuan could only explain it to Terai, lest this guy be unable to lower his ninja pride enough to play a beggar and ruin the mission.

Suddenly, he noticed Terai's fair, clean hands and could not help complaining, "We're infiltrating in disguise. Your hands are too clean. Get some mud on them to cover the calluses from gripping a sword all the time. If someone sees them, they'll suspect you're either a ninja or a samurai..."

"You even noticed that detail?" Terai hurriedly grabbed a handful of wet mud from the ground and rubbed it over his hands, then wiped some on his clothes as well to conceal the calluses on his palms.

"And your face. We're orphans, beggars. A clean white face doesn't fit at all. Put on some pot ash too and make yourself look weak. You need to look like you haven't eaten in a long time." Lin Chuan used his own grimy hands to paint Terai into a complete mess.

Then the two went to a water vat and lowered their heads to look at their reflections. Neither could hold back their laughter. "Hahaha, hahaha..."

"Stop laughing. Go beg for food." Lin Chuan could not help laughing too. He slapped Terai on the shoulder, and the two slowly made their way to the casino entrance. Listening to the shouting from inside, they squatted outside with broken bowls and begged for food.

Outside the casino—

A group of people suddenly emerged from the casino. Two women walked in front, followed by a group of men. The men were escorting the two women out while smiling broadly. They had probably made quite a profit.

"Take care, honored guests. Come again next time..."

The honored guests leaving the casino suddenly noticed the two filthy children squatting at the entrance, yellow-faced and emaciated, with sunken cheeks. Unable to bear it, one of them turned to look at her little attendant.

"Lady Tsunade, we don't have any money left for lodging," Shizune said. She glanced at the two pitiful children, but in the end, she could not withstand Tsunade's expectant gaze and took out their last ten-thousand-ryō note.

"These two children are so pitiful." Tsunade took the last ten-thousand-ryō note from Shizune's hand, placed it in Lin Chuan's broken bowl, and turned to leave the casino.

Lin Chuan paid no attention to the banknote in his bowl, worth about five hundred in real-world money. Instead, he stared fixedly at the beautiful blonde woman walking away. He had actually run into Tsunade. The rogue ninja was hiding at the casino as a thug, and Tsunade frequented the area around casinos. Nothing strange about that.

"Boss, should we drive these two little beggars away?" The casino thugs seeing Tsunade off noticed the two beggar children outside. More importantly, they saw the ten-thousand-ryō note in the broken bowl, and their eyes gleamed greedily.

"No need. I'm in a good mood today." Seeing his subordinates itching to act as they stared at the ten-thousand-ryō note, the casino thug leader cursed, "Put away those thoughts. That was alms from a fat sheep to beggars. Even if we make a move, we can't do it at the casino entrance..."

"Boss, we get it. We all get it. Heh heh." Hearing that they could rob them and keep the money, the underlings let out sinister chuckles.

"Boss, that fat sheep lost plenty today. What are we doing tonight? Take the brothers out to have some fun?"

"Easy. Tonight, I'll take you to the pleasure district so we can drink our fill and have a good time..."

Hearing they could go to the pleasure district, the casino thugs excitedly chatted and laughed as they entered the casino. They were not worried about Lin Chuan and Terai escaping. Their people were all over Tanzaku Town. Where could two beggars run to? There would be plenty of time to deal with them after work.

"Hey, what are you looking at? The targets have appeared, and they even said they're going to the pleasure district for drinks later. I think it's time to make a move." Terai lightly nudged Lin Chuan. Seeing him still staring blankly at the beautiful blonde woman's retreating figure, Terai leaned close and reminded him in a low voice.

[Shizune, Tsunade]