Shino maintained his unique "presence" as always. He unfailingly arrived at the meeting point five minutes early, and whenever Toru Kujyo and Hinata were even slightly late, he delivered a silent "reproach" through the look behind his sunglasses and his rather low voice. During missions, he controlled his insects to carry out reconnaissance and support with precision, but most of the time, he was like a silent spectator, watching the increasingly intimate exchanges between Toru Kujyo and Hinata.
Their third mission was another C-Rank assignment: escort a tea merchant from the Land of Hot Water to a small town on the border of the Land of Fire. However, their client was a notorious miser who not only nitpicked every detail of the mission but also tried to drive down their payment.
"Honestly, you Konoha ninjas are far too slow! It's such a short distance, and you've taken this long!" Sitting in his luxurious palanquin, the merchant lifted the curtain and eyed the three walking alongside him critically.
Toru Kujyo remained expressionless, his voice calm. "Sir, for your safety, we've done our best to avoid potentially dangerous routes along the way."
"Dangerous? What danger could there possibly be? I think you're just dragging this out to get paid more!" The merchant snorted, then made another unreasonable demand. "There's a trail up ahead that will save us half a day. It looks a little deserted, but to save my time, you'll take that route."
Shino pushed up his sunglasses and warned quietly, "That trail passes through an area occupied by wandering ninjas. The risk is extremely high."
"Risk? Isn't dealing with risk exactly what I hired you for? If you can't even handle that much, then you Konoha ninjas hardly live up to your reputation!" The merchant's scornful tone carried a faint