Peddler's Escort Mission II

Having successfully hoodwinked Haruna into a soul contract, for her own good of course, Shiki walked back towards the peddlers and Haruna's guards along with the princess who had already tossed her male disguise away.

As they were walking back, Shiki commented.

"You know Haru . . ." He started.

"H-Haru!?" Haruna squicked.

"Yeah! Cute right? But as I was saying . . ." Shiki continued.

'Cute!?' Haruna thought with a blush. Whether it was anger, embarrassment or both, it was anyone's guess.

"You look quite beautiful with your hair down." He finished.

"Hmph!" Left without words and not knowing how to answer, Haruna just hmphed and elected t ignore Shiki which made him say.

"How feisty!" Embarrassing Haruna even further.

Everyone had strange expressions when they saw the pair return and Haruna, with her hair down and a full blush gracing her face. Even her two guards thought the worst.

Right after Shiki released them, they jumped up, weapons in hand as they questioned him.

"What did you do to Haruna-sama bastard!?" Kikunojo shouted.

"Guhehehehehe~!" Shiki just laughed preversedly, furthering the misunderstandings of the people around him.

Meanwhile, Haruna frantically tried to explain without breaking her contract but was having little success as everyone just thought she was hiding her shame, part of it due to the resentful and embarrassed looks she shot at Shiki.

Much to her relief though, by the time the intercepting shinobi trio returned, Haruna had managed to clarify what had happened between her and Shiki and so, no one misunderstood anymore.

"We took care of the enemies Shiki-san!" Hinata reported on return.

"Some of you didn't but congrats on taking out one of the leaders Hinata!" Shiki said.

"A leader?" Haruna asked.

"Yes, the coup was orchestrated by three janin (evil ninja) brothers. Hinata just took out the youngest of them Ruiga." Shiki explained.

"Eh? Who are you?" Choji asked Haruna.

"Shun-san, right?" Shikamaru said.

"Indeed!" Shiki responded.

But Hinata caught on something else.

"What was that about some of us not taking out the enemy?" She asked Shiki.

"Other than the ones you fought Hinata, the others are still breathing." Shiki clarified.

"Eh? There's really no need to go that far right?" Choji asked.

"They participated in a coup d'etat of an entire country. Of course they should be summarily executed." Shiki declared.

"Wait a minute Shiki-san." Shikamaru started but Hinata interrupted him.

"Mercy towards your enemy is cruelty towards yourself and your allies!" She recited Shiki's teachings as the man himself looked on with pride.

'It seems like it won't be long before I can fully recruit her.' He thought.

"Well don't worry too much about it, you're still young." Shiki declared.

'Aren't you the same age as us?' Shikamaru thought.

"Besides, I had a shadow clone dispose of all survivors already." Shiki said, chilling everyone around him but Hinata and surprisingly Haruna who seemed to appreciate his mercilessness.

In the original series, Naruto converted Haruna to the idealistic type but Shiki appreciated her cynicism so long as it did not reach the point of stupidity. She would become an iron queen, both loved and feared by her subjects.

With the band back together, they all continued down their path into the Land of Vegetables as per the original plans for the Peddlers Escort Mission.

Perhaps realizing the group was no soft persimmon, ripe to be squashed, no more useless attacks came from the rank and file janin but Shiki knew that eventually, they would return with one of the remaining two brothers leading them, most likely, the middle child Jiga.

Soon enough, he was proven right when janin forces rapidly surrounded the peddler convoy with Jiga himself, blocking the road in front of them.

The middle brother of the three janin was a Magnet Style user but not one with a kekkei genkai. Apparently, he had swallowed iron when he was a young child and somehow gained supernatural abilities from it. He could actually magnetize his body and weapons with his chakra.

"Hand over the princess and I might let you live!" Jiga shouted an ultimatum.

"Okay then! Choji and Shikamaru, Hinata is about to show you how it's done so pay close attention." Shiki announced.

He then turned to Hinata and said.

"Hinata, you know what to do."

"Yes, Shiki-san!" She responded with zeal.

"What about the enemies surrounding us?" Shikamaru asked.

Shiki merely smiled and . . .

'Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder'

A huge golden thousand armed Kannon avatar appeared behind Shiki and instantly performed a simultaneous strike on all surrounding shinobi, brutally slaughtering them all.

The peddlers even performed some type of divine worshiping gestures, seeing Shiki's holy looking and godlike powers.

As for Haruna, she was transfixed by such a display of raw power as the two guards behind her stared in shock at the almighty Shiki.

Even the Konoha trio were surprised but while Shikamaru though that was power beyond anything a shinobi should possess and Choji was just incapable of thought before such might, Hinata had other thoughts.

She was just thinking that Shiki was even greater than she believed and needed to try even harder to be at his side.

Jiga, the janin was already considering escape but with a few words, Shiki crushed his hopes.

"The moment you try to escape . . . I'll turn you into a meat patty." Shiki said with a bright smile.

The poor janin was shivering in place and on the verge of pissing himself. But then, Shiki gave him a small bit of hope.

"If you can beat my little Hinata here . . ." He pointed at the girl.

"I'll let you go." Shiki said.

The people around Shiki were surprised but kept quiet anyway.

"What if I kill her?" Jiga inquired as drew out his kusarigama.

"That that would mean she is beaten, would it not?" Shiki replied.

Hinata then stepped forward to meet the janin in combat.

"Hehehe~ If you admit defeat little girl, I'll le-" Jiga started but was interrupted by a vicious Air Palm that knocked him back.

That damage was not to significant though, even if it hurt. But waiting for Jiga where he was pushed to by the Air Palm, was a ready Hinata who pressed her attack with a Mountain Crushing Palm.

Successfully turning around in the nick of time, Jiga tried cutting her hand with the blade end of his kusarigama.

However, Hinata responded by turning her Mountain Crushing Palm into a powerful Chakra Burst attack that once again pushed Jiga back while dealing some internal injuries, blood running from the corner of his mouth.

Relentless, Hinata pressed on, using Chakra Burst in her legs along with the Body Flicker Jutsu for an extreme burst of speed that caught the janin completely of guard.

And then, at point black range, she unleashed a Chakra Burst enhanced Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists, tearing apart Jiga's chakra network before he could even use his signature jutsu in the fight and bursting his internal organs.

The Janin merely coughed large amounts of blood mixed with bits of flesh and keeled over dead, thus ending the fight with Hinata's overwhelming victory.

'Hmm . . . Hinata fought much more viciously that with the other one, Suiga . . .' Shiki thought.

'Guess my little display of power really motivated her. That's good.' He concluded.

"Well, that's that! Very well done Hinata!" Shiki enthusiastically praised.

"Thank you . . ." She said in a low voice with a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Praise still got to her sometimes even though most of her shyness had been replaced by decisiveness.

On the other hand, everyone, especially Choji and Shikamaru who knew Hinata since their Academy days, were stupefied by the girl's display of power. Even if not as great as Shiki's, to see a polite and somewhat shy and soft spoken, cute girl unleash such a vicious assault was quite the shock.

"Alright everyone!" Shiki called to everyone's attention.

"From now on, we'll split into two groups. Hinata will take Choji and Shikamaru to continue on the original route and guard the peddler to their destination as per the original mission." Shiki commanded.

"Yes, Shiki-san!" Hinata responded.

"Understood." Shikamaru followed.

"G-Got it." Choji said behind.

"Meanwhile, I'll take Haru and her bodyguards and go straight to the capital to finish off the janin." SHiki declared.

'Haru?' Hinata thought with suspicion but still didn't say anything.

"Okay, let's move out!"

Saying this, Shiki picked up Haruna in a princess carry, much to her embarrassment and went of while saying.

"Try to keep up boys!" To her loyal bodyguards.

With this though, Hinata's suspicions turned into jealousy. But alas, much to her frustration, the show went on and everyone went to do do their assigned roles.

Shiki ditched the two useless ornaments and sped away, reaching the Daimyo's castle right away and before Renga, the eldest janin could figure out what was going on, Shiki appeared in the room where he was meeting the traitorous officials that helped him take over the Land of Vegetables.

"Hello there! How y'all doin'"

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P.a.t.r.e.o.n is officially up!

The link is: https://www.p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/lusoba without the extra dots of course.

You'll get to read up to FOUR week ahead, a full month, but I'll still post here.

There's also my other novel Archon of DanMachi, do check it out!

I would greatly appreciate any support since this is going to be my breadwinner.