Beginning the Setup

When Fuma Ryoma woke up, he found Tsuki watching over him. Her clothes looked somewhat damp, as if they had been splashed with water.

"Hm?"

Ryoma twitched his nose and caught a faint scent of blood.

He immediately sat up and spotted a head at Tsuki's feet.

"An Anbu from the village," Tsuki said.

What happened?

What had happened?

Fuma Ryoma froze.

"It's already over. I went to the rendezvous point, and just as I guessed... there were no people from Takigakure there at all. Only this guy."

"You... you killed him?"

Ryoma's throat bobbed.

"Yes."

"..."

As a father, he knew his son well. They had not seen each other for only around half a year, yet Tsuki, who had just graduated, had actually taken down an expert sent by the village? Ryoma did not recognize the dead man, which meant he definitely was not an ordinary ninja from some regular department. To enter the Anbu, one had to meet a hard requirement.

They had to be strong enough.

At the very least, they had to be an exceptionally capable ninja within Kusagakure.

And Tsuki was only a Genin.

At that moment, his son felt somewhat unfamiliar to Ryoma.

Something he did not know about must have happened to Tsuki.

However, once the shock settled, the emotions that followed were surprise and relief.

He was surprised because his son truly was a genius.

He was relieved because Tsuki now had the ability to protect himself. That way, even if something happened to him, he would not need to worry constantly as he had in the past, afraid that Tsuki might die young.

"Is there anything you want to ask?"

Tsuki studied her father's expression and smiled faintly.

At least in this world, her parents were the only people she could trust.

Whether it was her mother or father, it was not difficult to see how much effort they had poured into protecting and raising her.

"No."

Ryoma suddenly sighed with emotion, looking at Tsuki with a complicated gaze. "I'm just happy that my son, Fuma Ryoma's son... could be this outstanding."

Tsuki understood how he felt.

It was probably like a village producing a student accepted into a prestigious university.

"You really won't ask? Aren't you curious?"

Tsuki raised an eyebrow.

"I won't."

Ryoma said, "Tsuki, the path you will walk is different from mine. I may not be very capable, but I've been around for years. There are some things and some people I've seen or heard about. My experience and judgment are no longer suited to you. As your father, I can't treat you like a child anymore. As for... your affairs, if there comes a day when you want to talk about them, you naturally will. Your mother and I will always be by your side."

"Thank you."

Tsuki fell silent for a moment before speaking those two words.

"Are we going back to report the mission now?"

Fuma Ryoma proactively changed the subject. He seemed not to hold it against Tsuki that she had knocked him unconscious and ventured out alone.

Moreover, from the way he spoke... he switched into his role remarkably quickly, as though Tsuki were the one leading.

He did not put on airs as her father.

Setting aside their relationship as father and child, there was an unwritten rule in the shinobi world that could not be ignored: whoever was stronger was the leader.

Fuma Ryoma adapted to their current situation very naturally.

It had to be said that while he lacked strength, even Tsuki admired his mindset and character.

"Since the people of Grass Seed wanted to harm us, they can come up with ten thousand excuses. That is how those at the top control those beneath them..." Fuma Ryoma glanced at the Anbu head. "Should we take it with us?"

"Mm... Whether we're guilty or innocent is up to them. Fortunately, Ryuga's Father is on my side, so we still have some room to maneuver."

Tsuki's tone suddenly turned icy.

After discussing matters with her father for a while, the two of them got up and left.

Some time later, they returned to the outpost camp.

Several people were resting there.

Including the captain.

When they saw the Fuma father and daughter return safe and sound, everyone's expressions clearly revealed their surprise.

Everyone already knew that the two had left alone to carry out a mission.

Combined with the fact that Anbu members had come earlier to ask about Tsuki... they could all infer some of the underhanded dealings involved.

They were all from the village. No one was a fool when it came to what was going on.

"Ryoma... was the mission successful?"

The captain looked somewhat uneasy. After coughing, he asked the question.

He stepped forward to greet them.

Fuma Ryoma remained expressionless and directly flung something onto the ground.

The Anbu's head.

The sight immediately shocked everyone nearby.

"This..."

The captain was at a loss for words.

"When we reached the destination, we found no one, and there were no people from Takigakure either. It only seemed that a battle had taken place there. I merely picked up a head and don't know this person's identity. This is within the Land of Grass, after all, so... I wondered whether he might be from our village. That's why I brought it back for you to take a look and identify. Maybe one of you knows him?" Fuma Ryoma said expressionlessly.

Tsuki stood behind her father, observing the subtle changes in the captain's expression.

"You killed him?"

Sure enough, the captain blurted it out instinctively.

"I said it already... I didn't kill him. I merely happened to pick up a head."

Ryoma stared at the captain and repeated himself meaningfully.

"Uh."

The captain came to his senses and realized he had said the wrong thing. He hurriedly changed his tune. "Good, it's good that you're safe, good that you're safe... It seems the mission changed. Perhaps something happened on Takigakure's side. I'll contact the village."

Then Ryoma and Tsuki headed straight back to their tent.

As they passed the captain, Tsuki glanced at his somewhat dazed face and curled her lips.

Clearly, this captain knew some of the inside story.

They had not killed the man... but the village that had planned this whole act naturally understood that no one besides the father and daughter could have been the killer!

Yet such matters could not be laid out in the open. No matter how shameless they were, they could not publicly reveal that they had tried to murder ninja from their own village.

Unless Fuma Ryoma and Tsuki had committed some unforgivable crime, but the truth was that they had not.

What the higher-ups wanted was to quietly erase them in secret.

Therefore, this counterattack was destined to leave those old dogs swallowing their losses in silence.

They probably could not understand how Fuma Ryoma, a mere Chunin, had killed a Special Jonin.

As for Tsuki... no one would guess it was her.

People were pragmatic... After this little incident, over the following days, the people at the outpost became noticeably more polite toward the father and daughter. Even the captain spoke to Ryoma with a trace of respect. This was treatment Fuma Ryoma had never received before.

One day, while resting, Tsuki sat in a tree and looked out over the camp in the distance.

A kunai spun between her fingers as she pondered.

For Kusagakure, a Special Jonin was still a valuable source of fighting power. Losing one so suddenly would be a lie if it did not hurt. It had also disrupted the plans of those in power. More importantly, this matter could not be blown up. Were they supposed to send several Jonin over just to deal with a Genin brat?

And stage another act?

Besides, in order to earn money and build the village's reputation, some of its top combat forces had been sent out on various missions.

There were not many usable people left.

"No one else has come... There hasn't been any movement. It seems... Ryuga's Father must have helped coordinate some things in the middle." Tsuki murmured, shifting her gaze toward a black speck within the camp—her father.

A plan began to take shape in her mind.

This was the border where the Land of Grass met the Land of Rain.

She could make use of the situation in the Land of Rain to do something.

She had not expected that the Fire Cloud Robe Yahiko gave her before they parted... would actually come in handy.