The Ninja Lord Has Arrived, and Tetsuseki Town Is at Peace!

As an Uchiha not much younger than the First Hokage and Madara, Uchiha Yu had gradually developed concerns about his clan's future as he grew older and more experienced.

He had witnessed the fighting power of the strongest figures at the pinnacle of the Ninja World. He clearly understood the might of the Mangekyō Sharingan, and had even personally seen just how terrifyingly vast Uchiha Madara's godlike power had been.

Now, comparing that to the Uchiha Clan, let alone a supreme powerhouse like Uchiha Madara who could subdue the Ninja World alone, they did not even have a single Mangekyō Sharingan.

Even Uchiha Fugaku, the only one who was somewhat passable, seemed to be lacking in both strength and methods. He had not even reclaimed authority within the clan.

If things continued like this and no powerhouse capable of revitalizing the clan emerged, then in Uchiha Yu's eyes, the Uchiha Clan would likely find itself in an extremely dangerous situation in the future.

For now, he could only place his hopes on the most talented junior to emerge in the clan in recent years. He would spare no effort in nurturing him, hoping Uchiha Meikyō could take on that role.

Thinking of this made Uchiha Yu even more irritated, and he impatiently waved Meikyō away.

"All right, get lost and carry out your mission. Don't tell me you want to stay and mooch another meal off this old man?"

"Got it! Grandpa Yu, when I come back, I'll bring you some local specialties!"

Konoha, the village gates.

By the time Meikyō arrived from the Uchiha Clan compound, Dan Katō, Inuzuka Ryo, and Aburame Nami were already waiting there.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Meikyō scratched his head and smiled sheepishly at his teammates.

"It's fine. There are still more than ten minutes before our agreed meeting time. We just arrived early."

Dan Katō shook his head. After registering with the two Chunin stationed at the gates, he led his subordinates out of the village.

Of the three Genin, aside from Meikyō, who had transmigrated here, this was their first time seeing the world beyond Konoha. Naturally, they were all curious about the outside world.

If Dan Katō had not kept Tetsu Maru and Inuzuka Ryo in check, the two would likely have run wild already.

Aburame Nami appeared calm, but she was constantly looking around as well. From time to time, several insects flew from her sleeves to explore the surroundings.

However, the novelty came quickly and faded just as fast.

By the time they reached Tetsuseki Town, everything had returned to normal.

"So this is Tetsuseki Town? It doesn't seem very prosperous."

Inuzuka Ryo held Tetsu Maru in his arms and looked around.

"Tetsuseki Town naturally can't compare with Konoha."

Meikyō shook his head.

"Konoha is the strongest ninja village in the Ninja World. The number of ninja alone is enormous, and once you add the ordinary civilians, its population and economic scale are on a completely different level from an ordinary small town."

Dan Katō smiled, then steered the conversation back on track.

"Now, you may begin acting freely. Unless you encounter something beyond your capabilities, I will not intervene. After this mission is over, I'll evaluate your performances. Those evaluations will determine whether you go back to pulling weeds and picking up trash on your next mission."

"As for now, I'll find a suitable inn to rest for a while, and book rooms for you as well."

After saying that, Dan Katō placed both hands behind his head and strolled away with a leisurely expression.

Watching Dan Katō leave, Inuzuka Ryo and Aburame Nami exchanged a glance before turning their eyes toward Meikyō in silent agreement.

The former simply had no idea where to begin, while the latter was accustomed to silence.

"Let's gather intelligence first. Nami, use your insects to map out Tetsuseki Town and the surrounding terrain, so we won't become headless flies if anything unexpected happens."

"Ryo, investigate the members of that bandit group, including the bandit leader Okamoto's social connections, as well as the times and locations of their previous raids. Also, pay attention to whether anything unusual has happened in town recently."

"As for me, I'll pay a visit to the noble lord whose goods were stolen and see if I can obtain any other intelligence from him."

Meikyō thought for a moment, gesturing on the ground with his finger as he spoke.

Everyone had a clear division of duties. Inuzuka Ryo's and Nami's abilities were especially suited for gathering intelligence, so sending them out separately to investigate from different angles was ideal. As for himself, he was indeed inferior to his two teammates in that regard, so he might as well go straight to the client who had issued this commission—the noble serving as the lord of Heishi Town—and question him directly.

"Then leave it to Tetsu Maru and me!"

Inuzuka Ryo rubbed Tetsu Maru's head as he gave Meikyō a thumbs-up and pointed it at himself.

"When it comes to intelligence gathering, the Inuzuka Clan is professional!"

Inuzuka Ryo had every reason to be confident.

Although the Inuzuka Clan's advantage in reconnaissance lay in their sense of smell, in order to maximize that advantage, most of them also possessed considerable skill in conventional intelligence-gathering methods.

Aburame Nami nodded along, then split up with Inuzuka Ryo to begin their respective tasks.

"Then next..."

Meikyō turned his gaze toward a building located at the center of town.

Tetsuseki Town, Lord's Mansion.

"Shoo, shoo! Where did this brat come from? Can't you see this is Lord Hida's residence?" At the entrance, a servant holding a broom and wearing a sweatcloth around his head waved Meikyō away. Though he was merely a servant, his words were full of arrogance.

He was a servant of Lord Hida's household! His status was far higher than that of these lowly commoners!

"I'm a Konoha Ninja hired by your lord to carry out a mission. Please notify Lord Hida!"

Meikyō's face darkened. As he spoke, he glared and revealed his Sharingan.

Even without using genjutsu, the crimson Sharingan was more than intimidating enough.

The servant swallowed, fear appearing on his face.

"O-okay, I'll go right away!" With that, he hastily dropped his broom and ran into the courtyard.

Before long, a fat man dressed in luxurious silk hurried over, surrounded by a group of attendants.

"Oh, the Ninja Lord has arrived! Tetsuseki Town can finally be at peace! I am Hida Yuichi, lord of Tetsuseki Town. Greetings, Ninja Lord. May I ask where your leading Jonin is...?"

"Teacher Kato had urgent matters and could not come, so he sent me to visit the lord in his stead."

Uchiha Meikyō spoke to the noble before him in an exceptionally calm tone.

Honestly, starting with that sweeping servant, the nobles here had already left him with a rather poor first impression.