Back to the Village

Tsukimi dropped the joking look. Before they could leave, the two bodies had to be dealt with properly.

The bodies were vital clues in the search for whoever was behind this. But if the dead men had family or friends still alive, taking them away without a word could cause trouble. Tsukimi couldn't bring himself to do that, either. Only after confirming that neither man had any relatives could he take the bodies back to Konoha without misgivings.

With his mind made up, Tsukimi told Kurenai and Asuma to search the scene once more. He went out to ask around the estate.

The old cook, Toji, had no wife or children and had lived alone in Bluestone Town. Kawata Genji often traveled for business, but the only people around him were hired Genin. He had no surviving relatives either.

Neither man had anyone left behind.

Once Tsukimi had confirmed it, his last concern vanished. He returned to the estate and met up with Kurenai and the others. After confirming that no clues remained at the scene, the four of them finally set out for the village.

The return trip was nothing like the journey there. While escorting their client, the team had been limited by the carriage's speed and had taken four days to reach Bluestone Town.

Now the mission was over, and they needed to report to the village as soon as possible. The four traveled at full speed. Nothing else happened along the way, and by the afternoon of the third day, they finally spotted the statues of the Hokage from afar.

Dusty from the road, the four reached Konoha's gate. Tsukimi took out the mission Scroll and passed it to the Ninja at the gate for verification and registration. Then they headed straight for the Hokage Building.

In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, pipe in hand, quietly listening to Tsukimi's orderly report.

Tsukimi recounted everything, from their first meeting with the client to the first signs that something was wrong, the Chunin sent to kill them, the smuggling secret, their plan to lay a trap, and how their opponent had outmaneuvered them in the end. He also shared his suspicions about the person behind it all.

Asuma and Kurenai filled in the details of the tasks they had handled. Even Orochimaru spoke up, explaining that the toxin was extremely obscure and would need to be analyzed with instruments.

After finishing the report, Tsukimi took a Sealing Scroll from his Ninja Tool Pouch and placed it on the desk. Sealed inside were the bodies of Kawata, Toji, and the Chunin Death Soldier, along with the poisoned tableware.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly set down his pipe. He picked up the Sealing Scroll, weighed it in his hand, then looked up at Tsukimi. There was a testing note in his voice.

"Tsukimi, where do you think we should start investigating?"

Tsukimi considered it briefly, then raised two fingers.

"Two avenues. First, identify the source of the toxin. Second, investigate every channel through which Green Velvet Grass is sold in the Land of Fire."

"Oh? Why investigate all the Green Velvet Grass sales channels so broadly?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned forward slightly, keen interest showing in his eyes.

"I suspect the person behind this has more than one way to acquire Green Velvet Grass."

"How do you know?" Asuma asked, puzzled.

"If they really are conducting experiments on living subjects, they'll need a great deal of Green Velvet Grass. One merchant like Kawata Genji couldn't supply them over the long term. Besides, if Kawata Genji were their only source, they wouldn't have killed him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, his eyes full of approval as he looked at Tsukimi.

"You're right. That's one avenue to pursue." He gave a quiet sigh. "Who would have thought an ordinary C-Rank escort mission would lead to all this? Its difficulty exceeded C-Rank long ago."

His gaze swept over the three Genin before him, and his tone turned solemn.

"Faced with covert attempts on your lives and one scheme after another, you kept your heads and preserved the crucial evidence. You handled the situation with great care."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, then delivered his final decision.

"Orochimaru's team's C-Rank escort mission is hereby upgraded to a B-Rank Special Reconnaissance Mission. All compensation will be paid at the B-Rank Mission rate."

"Yes! Thank you, Lord Hokage!"

Tsukimi, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi bowed together in acknowledgment.

After giving the three their instructions, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru, you know the most about poisons. Take charge of coordinating with the Medical Department and following up on the analysis."

"Yes, Teacher Sarutobi." Orochimaru nodded.

The group said their farewells and left the Hokage Office.

"All right. Get some proper rest over the next few days."

With that, Orochimaru vanished in a flicker. Tsukimi and the other two went down the stairs to the first-floor mission hall.

The mission hall was still bustling that afternoon. Ninja came and went in a steady stream, their voices filling the orderly space.

As soon as the three emerged from the stairwell, they spotted Minato Team in the hall, there to turn in a mission.

Minato Namikaze wore a Jonin vest and stood straight, his manner gentle. Beside him were three familiar figures.

The little white-haired one still wore his usual deadpan expression. The Konoha Ghost Woman smiled gently. Idiot Two looked thoroughly pleased with himself; having just turned in their mission, he was quietly arguing with the white-haired one.

What a collection of characters!

Asuma couldn't resist speaking first. He had just completed a B-Rank Mission, after all. How could he pass up the chance to brag to Obito?

"Well, if it isn't Obito. While we were away, you weren't still stuck doing D-Rank Missions, were you?"

All four members of Minato Team turned toward Tsukimi's group. Obito's eyes lit up. He ran over, threw an arm around Tsukimi's shoulders, and spoke with easy familiarity.

"Tsukimi, you're finally back! I haven't been able to find anyone to spar with these past few days."

Then he turned to Asuma, looking indignant.

"And Asuma, I'll have you know I can take a C-Rank Mission tomorrow. Just you wait!"

Rin smiled warmly and asked with concern, "Did the mission go smoothly? It looks like you ran into trouble."

Kurenai nodded, a faint smile on her face. Now that she was back, she seemed more at ease. "We took care of it. Nothing went wrong."

Kakashi looked at Tsukimi. His voice was calm, though it carried a trace of regret.

"We're leaving on a C-Rank Mission tomorrow too. Looks like we won't have a chance to spar anytime soon."

"That's all right. We'll have plenty of time later."

After answering Kakashi, Tsukimi turned to Minato Namikaze.

Minato smiled warmly. "We just turned in a D-Rank Mission. I didn't expect to run into you right as you got back."

Tsukimi was about to answer when Obito's voice suddenly shot up beside him, his face full of disbelief.

"What? You're saying your mission was B-Rank? How is that possible?"

Obito stared at Asuma suspiciously. Then he looked at Kurenai and Tsukimi. When both nodded, his shoulders visibly slumped, and he muttered under his breath.

"That's impossible. How is that possible? Why does Asuma get to do a B-Rank Mission?"

Asuma patted Obito's shoulder and laughed smugly. "Hahaha! You've got to accept the gap between us, Obito!"

Idiot Four used Taunt on Idiot Two!

Tsukimi stretched beside them and invited Minato along. "After all these hectic days, I'm treating everyone to barbecue. Would you like to join us, Minato?"

Minato waved apologetically. "Sorry, Tsukimi. I have something else to take care of, so I won't intrude on your get-together."

After a brief goodbye, Minato left ahead of them. The other six set off together, chatting and laughing on their way to the Akimichi Barbecue Restaurant.