Hoshino strode into the Anbu's Team Six quarters.
There weren't many people inside.
Only his teammates Fox Shadow and Faceless were there, while their captain, Shaji, was handling business in his office.
The others were probably out on missions.
Fox Shadow was playing with a small puppet.
It was the gift Hoshino had given her earlier; everyone on Team Six had one.
Faceless was silent as ever, the expression beneath his mask inscrutable.
"We've got a mission." Hoshino walked over to the two of them.
Fox Shadow looked up, a flicker of interest in her eyes. "Oh? What kind of mission?"
Hoshino handed over the mission scroll.
"Someone made an anonymous report that the Night Sand Clan has been passing off inferior puppets as quality goods, and even secretly selling shoddy puppets to the village's ninja."
"This has had a serious impact. We need to investigate and get to the bottom of it."
Faceless took the scroll and quickly read through it, then looked up at Hoshino.
"An anonymous report? How credible is it?"
Hoshino shrugged. "The informant provided quite a bit of evidence. It doesn't look like a wind blowing from an empty cave."
"But this is also something of a personal matter. If you don't want to take part, I won't force you."
Fox Shadow chuckled, immediately understanding what he meant.
The conflict between this kid and the puppeteer family had been going on for more than a day or two. He was definitely planning to use this mission to retaliate.
She patted the puppet on her shoulder and said, "Consider it repayment for the favor. This puppet has helped me out quite a bit."
Faceless nodded. "I'll go with you."
"Thanks, then," Hoshino said gratefully.
The three of them took the mission scroll to the office and reported to their captain, Shaji.
After hearing them out, Shaji understood what Hoshino meant too.
Even so, he chose not to refuse.
After all, Team Six was a unit in some respects. No matter what, they couldn't let outsiders laugh at them.
Besides... this kid knew how to handle personal relations, and that was right up his alley.
"Go on, but be careful! The Night Sand Clan has considerable influence in the village. Try not to cause too much of a stir."
Hoshino nodded. "Understood. We'll be careful."
After leaving the Anbu office, the three hurried toward the Night Sand Clan's puppet shops.
The Night Sand Clan was a puppeteer family with a long history in Sunagakure, and its shops were spread throughout the village.
They really had passed off inferior goods as quality merchandise.
But after the Spirit Puppet Series came out, they had made improvements. At least there was nothing wrong with the puppets they supplied to the mid-range market.
But who cared? Couldn't they find something to pick at?
The Anbu was the ninja village's largest organization wielding force. Whatever they said you were, that was what you were. If they said a puppet of yours was no good, then it was no good.
"Let's start with the nearest shop," Hoshino said quietly.
Fox Shadow and Faceless nodded.
The three quickly arrived at the Night Sand Clan's shop in the center of the village.
An ornate sign hung over the entrance, and all kinds of puppets were displayed inside, making it look quite grand.
Hoshino pushed open the door and walked straight to the counter.
The shop assistant immediately grew nervous when he saw the three wearing Anbu uniforms.
"My lords, is there anything I can help you with?" the assistant asked cautiously.
Hoshino gave him a cold glance. "We received a report that your Night Sand Clan has been passing off inferior puppets as quality goods and even selling shoddy puppets to the village's ninja."
"We need to inspect your stock."
The shopkeeper stammered, "Th-that's impossible! Our Night Sand Clan has always put honesty first. How could we do such a thing?"
Fox Shadow sneered and walked over to a puppet nearby. She picked it up at random and examined it carefully.
Then she pressed down with a fingertip, and a crack immediately opened in the puppet's shell.
"This is your honesty?"
Fox Shadow tossed the puppet onto the counter, a hint of mockery in her voice.
The shopkeeper's expression grew even uglier, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
He could tell these people had come looking for trouble.
If you squeezed a puppet hard enough with Chakra, any puppet would break!
At that thought, he immediately called over the assistant beside him in a low voice and told him to report the matter to the Night Sand Clan's ninja.
The assistant acknowledged him and immediately ran off to the shop.
Hoshino didn't care that someone was going to report this. Or rather, that was what he had wanted in the first place.
He went straight to the warehouse entrance with Fox Shadow and Faceless, pushed open the door, and walked in.
The warehouse was piled high with all kinds of puppet parts.
Hoshino picked up a part at random and examined it carefully, then sneered.
"Just as I thought. These parts are all inferior goods. They don't meet the village's standards at all."
Faceless walked to one side, picked up a puppet, and squeezed hard. It immediately crumpled into pieces, scattering parts all over the floor.
Then he spoke in a voice everyone could hear.
"These puppets can't stand up to combat at all. If used, they could very well get their users killed."
Hoshino nodded and turned to the assistant.
"From this moment on, this shop is temporarily closed. All puppets and parts are confiscated and will be taken back to the Anbu for inspection."
Fox Shadow pulled a sealing scroll she had prepared in advance from her ninja tool pouch and gave it a gentle flick. It unrolled, revealing a complex sealing formula.
She then formed Hand Seals, and the runes on the scroll began to glow.
"Sealing Jutsu: Object-Sealing Technique Seal!"
In just a few minutes, the entire warehouse was empty, all the puppets and parts sealed inside the scroll.
The shopkeeper's face turned ashen. He could only watch as all the goods in his shop were taken away, not daring to offer the slightest resistance.
Hoshino swept a cold glance over him, then said to Faceless, "Get everyone out and put a seal on the door."
Faceless nodded, walked to the shop entrance, and spoke coldly to the assistants and shopkeeper inside.
"Everyone, leave the shop immediately. From now on, this shop is temporarily closed pending further investigation."
The assistants exchanged looks, then, under Faceless's icy gaze, all left the shop.
Once everyone had left,
Hoshino walked to the shop entrance, took a closure notice from his ninja tool pouch, and pasted it on the door.
The large characters on the notice read "Sealed by the Anbu. Entry forbidden," and looked particularly glaring.
"All right, next one," Hoshino said mildly.
The three quickly left and headed for another of the Night Sand Clan's shops.
What followed was exactly the same.
Fox Shadow emptied the warehouse with a sealing scroll, Faceless drove everyone out of the shop, and Hoshino was responsible for posting the closure notice.
The Night Sand Clan's second shop was sealed as well.
The whole process was clean and efficient, without the slightest wasted movement.
When they arrived at the third shop, however, things changed.
This shop was located in a bustling part of the village. It was larger than the first two, and its furnishings were more luxurious.
Hoshino pushed open the door, ready to do the same as before, only to find an elderly man in a black robe standing inside.