Off the Hook

Kawata Genji's eyes lit up when he saw the old man. He hurried forward, urgency in his gaze and a tremor in his voice.

"Toji, tell me. While I was away, did you come here to cook every day?"

Toji paused, then answered honestly.

"Yes, sir. I came every day to prepare Lord Yungu's three meals."

"When you left last night, did you notice anything around the storeroom? And Yungu—where was he?"

Toji set down the bag of ingredients in his hand, looking puzzled.

"There was nothing unusual around the storeroom when I left last night. Lord Yungu was on watch in the back courtyard."

Those two simple sentences struck Kawata like a hammer. His face went deathly pale, and a chill ran down his back.

Hidden in the shadows, Tsukimi and his two companions exchanged glances. They had their answer.

Their enemies had indeed acted on two fronts. While sending people into the forest to intercept and kill them, they had slipped in here and taken all the medicinal powder and account books.

Seeing Kawata Genji's wretched state and bloodless face, Toji could not help trying to comfort him.

"Sir, did you run into bandits on your way back? Money can be replaced. As long as you're safe, things can still turn around. Oh, where's Lord Kaz? Didn't you leave together? And Lord Yungu, too. I'll make everyone a good meal later, and you can all settle your nerves."

Kawata Genji was too dazed to explain anything to the family's longtime cook. He merely nodded numbly.

Toji said no more. He picked up the ingredients and headed for the kitchen on the west side.

Tsukimi lowered his voice and quickly assigned his companions their tasks.

"Asuma, come with me and search the residence for any clues left behind. Kurenai, go to the kitchen. Check whether the cook is under Genjutsu, and inspect the ingredients while you're there. Meet back here in half an hour. Remember, don't reveal yourselves."

"Got it!"

The two answered, and all three immediately moved out.

Tsukimi and Asuma slipped into the grounds without a sound and searched room by room. They checked the storeroom, the side rooms, and the courtyard, examining everything from cracks in the ground to window frames. They even searched the artificial rockery out back.

But the entire courtyard had been cleaned spotless. Whoever had done it had been meticulous, leaving no trace behind. Yungu, the Ninja who had stayed to guard the place, had vanished as if into thin air. Not even a drop of blood remained.

Meanwhile, Kurenai Yuhi circled to the alley behind the kitchen and watched Toji closely through a half-open wooden window.

She focused her Chakra and gradually extended her senses over the old cook's body.

Toji moved naturally as he cooked and looked entirely at ease. His eyes showed none of the vacant dullness of someone controlled by Genjutsu, and no foreign Chakra had entered his body. There was no sign that he was under a technique.

Kurenai turned her attention to the ingredients, identifying each scent and using her Chakra to sense whether any toxins had been mixed into them.

Every ingredient was normal. None showed signs of tampering.

Once she was certain nothing was wrong, Kurenai retraced her steps to the team's hiding place and rejoined her companions.

"I checked. The old cook isn't under Genjutsu, and all the ingredients he brought are clean."

Kurenai reported her findings softly, her brows drawing together. "He seems to be an ordinary cook."

Asuma sighed at the news.

"Tsukimi and I searched the whole residence and found nothing. They cleaned up too thoroughly. They didn't leave a single clue."

Standing in the shadows, Tsukimi watched the cooking smoke rising from the courtyard. A faint unease stirred in his chest.

Something's wrong. Very wrong. But for the moment, he could not work out what it was.

"Since we haven't found anything unusual, we'll keep watch and wait for them to come to us. Asuma, take the west side of the courtyard. Kurenai, watch the back of the residence. We'll cover three directions, and I'll spread the Shadowkhan out too."

Before long, Toji finished making lunch and carried the dishes into the sitting room. Kawata Genji ate quickly, then went upstairs to rest in his bedroom, exhausted in body and mind.

After clearing the dishes, Toji went into the room beside the kitchen to take a short nap while he had the chance.

As noon arrived, Bluestone Town gradually grew quiet. More than half the pedestrians had disappeared from its streets.

Tsukimi and his companions remained spread around the residence, alert to every movement as they waited for the person behind it all to show himself.

Several hundred meters from the residence, a figure stood in the shadow of a rooftop, unnoticed by anyone.

Orochimaru's long black hair hung over his shoulders. His narrow, snake-like eyes calmly watched the wealthy merchant's residence below, and an amused smile touched his lips.

"You've laid out bait and are waiting for your prey to come to you? Not a bad idea. A fairly thorough plan, too. Unfortunately, you're still far too green..."

His rasping murmur faded into the wind without drawing anyone's attention.

A true killing move never came as an open assault!

Time crept by. The sun drifted westward, and soon afternoon arrived. But the enemy Tsukimi had expected never appeared. The Shadowkhan he had sent throughout Bluestone Town reported nothing, and the entire residence seemed to have fallen silent.

The long wait only deepened Tsukimi's unease.

"Something's wrong!"

Tsukimi's expression changed. He straightened abruptly, every trace of his earlier ease gone.

The enemy had intercepted them while infiltrating the residence to take the medicinal powder. By all rights, they would not ignore Kawata Genji's return to Bluestone Town alone. Yet hours had passed since morning, and they still had not shown themselves. That was not normal!

"Asuma, Kurenai, get in here now! The second-floor bedroom!"

Tsukimi no longer cared about staying hidden. He called out to them, channeled Chakra into his feet, and ran up the courtyard wall toward the second-floor corridor.

Bang!

He kicked the bedroom door open. The curtains were half-drawn, leaving the room dim.

Kawata Genji lay on his back on the bed, his eyes wide open. His face had turned an unnatural bluish gray, and his limbs lay limp at his sides. He was no longer breathing.

There were no wounds on his body and no signs of a struggle in the room.

Tsukimi narrowed his eyes, his face darkening.

The three of them had lain in ambush around the residence, and he had even sent out the Shadowkhan. Yet he had never expected the enemy to forgo a Ninja assault entirely and kill Kawata with poison in his lunch!

The bait had slipped off the hook!