Cheng considered for a moment, then turned to their client, the portly merchant Yamada. "Mr. Yamada, unidentified ninja are fighting up ahead, and we don't know what's going on. To be safe, I recommend taking a detour for now and avoiding this area. It may cost us another half day, but it'll be safer."
He made the suggestion partly out of his duty as an escort, to minimize unnecessary risks.
But his deeper reason was that he didn't want to reveal too much of his team's true strength or fighting style in front of any Root spies who might be watching.
Keep a low profile whenever possible.
Yet the merchant Yamada looked visibly troubled and anxious when he heard this.
"A detour? Half a day? But... Lord Cheng, it's not that I won't cooperate. We really don't have time to spare!"
Yamada rubbed his hands together, his tone carrying a merchant's characteristic shrewdness and calculation.
"This shipment needs to reach the market on time. Even a day's delay could make a huge difference in the price! Besides, nowhere in the Land of Rain is peaceful. If we avoid this place, we might run into danger somewhere else anyway. Why not go straight through? You're all so powerful. Surely a few wandering ninja without forehead protectors won't pose a threat?"
As he spoke, he looked expectantly at Uchiha Makoto, as though saying, "You're ninja from Konoha. Don't tell me you're afraid of a few vagrants?"
Cheng looked at the merchant's face, which all but screamed that he was in a hurry and afraid of losing money, and sneered inwardly.
Just as I thought...
This mission and its client were both tools he had "materialized" through the system to give himself a legitimate reason to travel to the Land of Rain.
At