The Full Story

Not to mention anything else—even the clothes he wore made it obvious that the fabric was of fine quality and that he had some standing, even if one failed to recognize the Uchiha Clan crest. Clearly, this servant had no Eye Power.

Or perhaps he was simply accustomed to throwing his weight around.

Still, it was normal for people in a rural town to lack discernment. But for a servant to treat outsiders with such an attitude showed that this family was no better.

"Th-this... Konoha's reply said that a Jonin would lead a team here to carry out the mission..."

"Do you really think the little amount of Silver Taels you offered would be enough to hire a Jonin?"

"Th-this..."

An embarrassed expression appeared on Hida Yuichi's face.

Naturally, it would have been good if he could hire powerful ninja, but he was reluctant to part with the money!

Tetsuseki Town was impoverished. He had only managed to squeeze out that much Silver Taels in total. He was merely a low-ranking minor noble who had failed to obtain an official post in Kyoto, which was why he had returned to his fief. He truly could not bear to spend it.

"But... they shouldn't have sent a child barely over ten..."

"You need not doubt my abilities."

Meikyō stopped walking and spoke calmly.

"Even if you doubt me, you cannot doubt the Clan Crest on my body, much less the power of these eyes!"

Meikyō closed and opened his eyes, revealing his Sharingan.

At a time like this, the Uchiha Clan's reputation should have been rather useful.

Sure enough, the instant Hida Yuichi saw the Sharingan, his expression changed, and he forced out a smile.

If Meikyō had not mentioned it, he truly would not have noticed the red-and-white fan Clan Crest on Meikyō's clothes.

"So you are a Ninja Lord of the Uchiha Clan! Then I am naturally at ease!"

In the Land of Fire, no matter how remote one lived, one might not know who the Third Hokage was, but it was impossible not to know the Uchiha Clan's renowned name.

Over the past thousand years, the Uchiha Clan had built that reputation with their strength. It had become deeply ingrained throughout the Ninja World, and even more so in the Land of Fire.

Of course, Hida Yuichi had another consideration in mind.

With the Uchiha Clan's pride, other missions might have been one thing, but if they truly failed to complete a C-rank or D-rank mission like this, all he needed to do was spread the word. Those Uchiha would naturally feel that it damaged the Uchiha Clan's reputation, and they would solve the problem for him even if they had to pay out of pocket.

Hida Yuichi had heard all these tricks from other nobles when he had been getting by in Kyoto during his youth.

"Rest assured. Besides, I am not the only one handling this mission. The others are outside gathering information on the mountain bandits. I came here because I wanted to see whether I could get any useful information from you."

"Of course, of course! Whatever this Ninja Lord wishes to ask, I will tell you everything I know. Ninja Lord, would you like me to arrange a banquet first to entertain you?"

"No need. Tell me the information first."

The next day.

"Th-this... this..."

Inuzuka Ryo stared wide-eyed at the table laden with exquisite dishes. Looking past the young girl beside him peeling shrimp, he turned to Meikyō.

"I was in the tavern, using my sense of smell—tens of thousands of times stronger than an ordinary person's—to endure the stench of sweat from a group of Big Men while gathering information. Nami, a little girl, was all alone outside town, keeping insects company while scouting the terrain."

"But you spent an entire day in the Lord's Mansion enjoying this kind of..."

Inuzuka Ryo looked around at the surroundings and realized that both his experience and learning were too shallow. He could not find suitable words to describe it.

"Actually... I rather like keeping insects company."

Aburame Nami suddenly interjected, then picked up another piece of Tempura from her plate and put it into her mouth.

"You do not like it?"

Meikyō also picked up a crystal shrimp dumpling and asked Inuzuka Ryo.

Inuzuka Ryo froze, then hurriedly said:

"Although ninja need the ability to endure every hardship and danger, we are usually under a lot of pressure too. There is nothing wrong with relaxing a little. I am just worried about Master Dan..."

"It is fine. We can pack the food and bring it back later."

Meikyō waved a hand.

"That is true."

Inuzuka Ryo nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to enjoy the delicacies with a clear conscience, his movements suddenly paused.

"Ninja Lord, is the food not to your liking? If you are dissatisfied, I can have the kitchen prepare something else. Ah, Tetsuseki Town is merely a small place, after all. It cannot compare with Kyoto or Konoha. This is all we have to entertain you Ninja Lords."

Hida Yuichi, who had been watching the situation, noticed this and approached with a cup of wine in hand.

"It is nothing. I just think that since we came here, we should complete the mission as soon as possible," Inuzuka Ryo said, shaking his head.

"It is fine. There are items in the Lord's Mansion left behind from the last time the mountain bandits attacked it. With your abilities, Ryo, you should be able to find them easily."

As Meikyō spoke, he pulled a box from beneath the table and handed it to Inuzuka Ryo.

After receiving it and opening it, he saw a bloodstained piece of cloth inside.

Only then did he finally feel at ease.

Other items would have been one thing, but this piece of cloth was stained with blood.

That meant it carried the most fundamental scent of a person. With his abilities, so long as those mountain bandits had come to Tetsuseki Town within the past month, he was confident he could follow the scent to find their hiding place.

Inuzuka Ryo did indeed follow the scent and find the mountain bandits' stronghold.

However, just before they were about to set out, Inuzuka Ryo stopped.

"What is it, Ryo?"

Meikyō turned to look at Inuzuka Ryo, faintly guessing what was on his mind.

"Meikyō, do you think... what we are doing is really right?"

Inuzuka Ryo raised his lowered head and faced Uchiha Meikyō with his face marked in paint.

"After these past two days, you should know that Tetsuseki Town is very poor. The people throughout the town live in terrible poverty. Some cannot even put together a complete set of clothes. Yet at the banquet, Hida Yuichi was able to use such precious delicacies to entertain us..."

"So, what are you trying to say?"

Inuzuka Ryo suddenly sat down. Stroking Tetsu Maru's head, he explained:

"When I was gathering information in Tetsuseki Town, I learned that four months ago, when those Sand Ninja carried out their Raid and Sabotage on the mines and tunnels here, they released the miners Hida Yuichi had captured to dig ore. They had them attack the Lord's Mansion in Tetsuseki Town to draw attention away, allowing them to escape."

"But evidently, they failed. Minato Namikaze, the youngest Jonin in the village at the time, tracked their trail and defeated them. Yet at the same time, after the mountain bandits captured the Lord's Mansion and discovered that Hida Yuichi had escaped at some unknown point, they looted most of its valuables and went up into the mountains to become bandits."