You're Greedier Than an AD

All three turned their eyes on Kawata Genji. The flickering firelight played across his deathly pale face, laying his panic and guilt bare.

Orochimaru stood a short distance behind them, his golden slit pupils sweeping over the group. After answering their questions, he had resumed his role as an observer. He intended to watch this inexperienced but intriguing investigation to the end.

Under their scrutiny, Kawata's lips trembled and cold sweat rolled down his forehead. At last, unable to bear the pressure, he spoke in halting bursts.

"I... I really don't know who they are!"

"I started trading with them last October. The people I dealt with wore masks the whole time. They offered an absurdly high price to keep me collecting Green Velvet Grass powder, then told me where to meet them near the Land of Fire's border. The location changed every time."

"I was just doing it for the money. I have no idea what faction they belong to!"

Asuma frowned. "If it was a normal trade, why would they ambush you?"

"Exactly. You're only a middleman. If they wanted to buy the herbs, they had no reason to kill you." Kurenai nodded slightly, her eyes full of doubt.

That was the greatest contradiction. The buyers had hidden their identities, paid a premium, and kept a low profile throughout. They clearly wanted their supplies without trouble. Yet tonight they had sent men willing to die to silence Kawata. It was a ruthless attempt to eliminate a witness.

Kawata Genji looked ready to cry. He shook his head over and over. "I really don't know! I delivered on time every time. I never made a mistake. I can't understand why they want to kill me either! You—"

"How many times have you traded? Was it always this amount?"

Kawata Genji was still protesting his innocence when Tsukimi cut in. He answered without thinking. "Five times. It was always this amount."

Only after answering did Kawata Genji realize what he had said. He looked up to find Tsukimi watching him with a faint, knowing smile.

"Have you truly never made a mistake, Mr. Kawata?"

The words were calm, but they struck Kawata Genji to the core. He shuddered, all color draining from his face.

Kurenai noticed his reaction too. "What is it? Was there something wrong with what Mr. Kawata said?"

Tsukimi chuckled, then turned to Kurenai with a question.

"We worked out that they wanted the powder for experiments on living subjects. So, Kurenai, if you were behind those experiments, under what circumstances would you kill the middleman?"

Kurenai and Asuma fell into thought. Two minutes later, they exchanged a glance and spoke at the same time.

"Only two possibilities!"

"Three possibilities!"

"Huh? There are three?" Asuma scratched his head. He had racked his brain and come up with only two.

Tsukimi ignored Asuma's interruption and tipped his chin toward Kurenai, inviting her to explain.

"If I were behind it, and everything was for the experiments, either I'd run out of money and couldn't keep buying, or the experiments would be over and I'd eliminate everyone who knew to keep the secret."

"Right, right! That's what I thought. Either they're out of money, or the experiments are done and they don't need Green Velvet Grass powder anymore. Then there's no reason to keep the middleman around."

Asuma nodded repeatedly to show he agreed.

Kurenai ignored him and went on to the third possibility, glancing at Kawata Genji as she spoke. "Or someone tampered with the trade. In that case, whether he might leak anything or not, they couldn't leave him alive!"

"If one of the three great nations—the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, or the Land of Lightning—is behind this, we can rule out a lack of funds. As for whether the experiments are over..."

Tsukimi turned toward Orochimaru. "Teacher, in your judgment, would this amount of powder be enough to sustain their experiments until they were complete?"

"Heh. Experiments on living subjects are hardly simple. They can take years. What do you think?"

Orochimaru's raspy voice carried to the three of them on the night wind.

"Then we can rule out the experiments being over, too. That leaves only one possibility," Asuma said.

"Looks like you haven't kept your hands clean, Mr. Kawata!"

Tsukimi spoke without haste, laying out the trick. "Either you secretly kept some for yourself, passed off inferior powder as the real thing, or even sold them out. Am I right?!"

Silence fell over the ravine. Asuma's and Kurenai's eyes lit up. The contradictions and oddities finally fit together.

No wonder!

No wonder a simple herb trade had turned into this mess.

With his deepest secret exposed, Kawata Genji could no longer keep up the act. He slumped to the ground, utterly defeated.

After a long silence, he finally gritted his teeth and confessed everything.

"I... I was too greedy..."

"They were paying so much. Every time we traded, I secretly kept some of the Green Velvet Grass powder. I thought that once I'd saved up enough, I could sell it right back to them."

"I even... even claimed supplies were limited and hard to acquire, hoping to pressure them into buying less while I raised the price!"

"They were buying in bulk and paying three times the market price. I thought they wouldn't care. And even if they noticed, I thought they couldn't do anything to me..."

Fear and regret filled Kawata Genji's face.

"I kept telling myself I'd get away with it. I started with the second trade."

"Wait. Why did you think they couldn't do anything to you?"

Asuma interrupted, puzzled.

"Because I investigated them. The people who traded with me were ordinary people. There were no Ninja among them, so I thought they were just an underground merchant guild from the Land of Fire."

"How did you confirm that?" Kurenai asked at once.

With matters already at this point, Kawata Genji stopped hiding anything. Whatever they asked, he answered.

"I once saved two wandering Ninja. I took them in afterward and bought Ninjutsu for them on the Black Market at a high price. I brought one along to the second trade, and he checked the people there."

Kurenai looked at Tsukimi. "They were careful. They even sent ordinary people to handle the trades."

"Then why didn't you bring those two wandering Ninja as guards this time?" Asuma pressed.

"I did! I'd been feeling uneasy lately. To be safe, I left one to watch my home and brought the other, Kaz, with me." Kawata Genji's voice suddenly rose.

"The trip was peaceful all the way to Konoha, so I left Kaz outside to investigate from the shadows. Before setting off myself, I posted an escort mission too. I thought that would cover both angles."

"I was afraid drawing too much attention would expose me, so I only posted a C-rank mission." Kawata Genji's voice sank lower with every word.

"It's my fault for underestimating them. I never saw Kaz once on the road. He didn't even leave a signal. That was when I knew he was gone."

"So the closer we got to the Land of Rivers, the more frightened you became?"

At last, the truth had come to light.

An encounter entangled with a great nation's covert operations had begun with nothing more than a merchant's greed.

Asuma found the whole thing absurd. He did not even know whether to be angry. Kawata Genji's greed alone had brought a Chunin squad down on them.

Kurenai hardly knew whether to laugh or cry. Her doubts were gone, leaving only helpless frustration.

Orochimaru, who had watched the entire exchange from behind, narrowed his serpentine eyes. An enigmatic smile touched his lips.

Human greed, selfishness, and foolishness were as fascinating and pitiful as ever.

Tsukimi looked at Kawata Genji, who was trembling and visibly sick with regret. There was not a trace of sympathy in his eyes.

You're so damn greedy, why don't you go play AD?!

"Now, there's one last question."

Tsukimi turned away from Kawata Genji and raised a finger toward Kurenai and Asuma. "This has gone far beyond a C-rank mission. Are we going to continue?"