"Don't let your guard down. Even in the Land of Fire, you must maintain the discipline expected of a ninja," Hayama Shirakumo warned sternly. Lin Chuan was clever enough to understand with just a hint, but Hayama still wanted to remind him, lest he grow careless while training in the Land of Fire and compromise the mission.
"Don't worry, Captain Hayama. I know what to do." Lin Chuan nodded firmly. Since he had accepted the mission, he would carry it out meticulously. Being a ninja meant risking his neck for a living, and he certainly wouldn't dare get careless.
"As long as you understand." Hayama Shirakumo continued leaning against the tree trunk, watching the quiet camp below. He, too, felt that this was the calm before the storm. Trouble was unlikely within the Land of Fire, making this a rare chance to relax.
Something else suddenly occurred to Lin Chuan. He had never once seen the person they were protecting. How was he supposed to protect the client's daughter if he didn't even recognize her?
"Captain Hayama, I've never seen the client's daughter leave her carriage. What does she look like? Does she even exist?"
"You've already met her. Keep it to yourself." Hayama Shirakumo had assumed Lin Chuan could tell. He had even seen Lin Chuan talking to the client's daughter, but it turned out the kid hadn't realized.
"So it was her." Lin Chuan had kept feeling that something was off. This was what had been bothering him.
The girl the young samurai liked was indeed the right one, and so was the girl they were protecting. The maid was the real noble young lady.
He should have realized sooner. What maid had no sense of hierarchy whatsoever? She had dared approach them for medicine without showing the