Chapter 15

Chapter 15: An Unexpected Mission!

Four figures swiftly leaped through the forest.

It was Team Three, heading to a location over a thousand kilometers away from Konoha.

At their pace, it would take them about two days to reach their target area.

Yes, a distance of over a thousand kilometers covered in just two days.

That's the power of a ninja! For a merchant caravan, it might take a month to cover the same distance.

The terrifying mobility of ninjas means that only other ninjas can intercept them, which is why the ordinary forces of the Five Great Nations have no place in the wars of the ninja world.

Their speed was around seventy kilometers per hour, as they had to accommodate Uchiha Takashi and the others.

They traveled about ten hours a day.

When chakra is used solely for travel, the consumption isn't too high, and they could barely manage.

However, it was undoubtedly exhausting.

If it were Minato Namikaze traveling alone, he could probably reach the destination in less than a day.

Ninjas! You can't view them with normal standards.

Traversing mountains and valleys is basic for them.

Two days later.

"Finally here!"

Looking at the small town ahead, Uchiha Takashi sighed softly. The past two days had been more exhausting than working on a construction site.

Compared to Konoha, this town was quite shabby.

With a population of only a few thousand, it was indeed very small.

But this was a normal population size.

Konoha, which is called a 'village' yet has a population in the hundreds of thousands, is a complete misnomer.

"We'll split up to gather information and meet back here in two hours!"

Uchiha Takashi began to give orders.

Minato Namikaze remained silent.

This B-rank mission belonged to Team Three, not him.

If he, an elite Jonin, were to take on a mission, it would be at least A-rank or S-rank, not a B-rank.

So, once they left Konoha, he left all matters to Uchiha Takashi and the others to handle. He was merely an observer.

Uchiha Takashi was tasked with organizing because he was appointed as the temporary captain.

There was no other choice.

They couldn't possibly let Kakashi, the 'emotionless' robot, take charge, could they?

Yamakawa Koji was even more silent and reserved.

If not Uchiha Takashi, then who would lead?

It must be said that, having been a programmer and a gaming enthusiast before crossing over, he felt no pressure in giving commands.

It's just three people, right?

I've commanded armies and fleets before; this is nothing.

Before any ninja action, gathering intelligence is crucial, which is why Uchiha Takashi wanted to scout out information about the bandits first.

"Transformation Jutsu!"

Uchiha Takashi formed seals and performed a jutsu, transforming into a shabby, sallow-skinned farmer.

The three D-rank jutsus taught at the ninja academy are Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu, all of which are quite useful in everyday situations.

When gathering intelligence, a Transformation Jutsu ensures that no one can see through your disguise.

Of course, the academy also teaches disguise courses.

So now, in both appearance and behavior, he was indistinguishable from the town's residents.

The group dispersed and entered the town.

As Uchiha Takashi observed, he maintained a calm exterior.

But internally, he was deeply troubled.

Even knowing how harsh the ninja world was, seeing it firsthand was shocking.

After all, hearing about something and witnessing it are two different things.

The town's residents were all gaunt and malnourished, looking as if a gust of wind could topple them, and their clothes were tattered.

From these details, one could imagine the dire situations in other places.

After all, the Land of Fire is wealthy, and if people living here are like this, other places must be even worse.

At this moment, Uchiha Takashi felt a bit relieved.

After crossing over, he didn't immediately flee Konoha.

Not to mention whether he could succeed, even if he did, living in such places would be even more miserable, a fate worse than death.

Using the Transformation Jutsu, it wasn't hard to gather intelligence from the residents.

He quickly obtained some valuable information.

It seemed that from time to time, some 'fierce-looking' individuals would appear to purchase supplies in the town.

Most importantly, these people had been appearing for a few years.

Two hours later!

### Chapter 15: An Unexpected Mission!

The three of them met outside the small town to exchange information. It had to be said, Kakashi truly lived up to his reputation as a mission machine, having gathered quite a bit of intel.

From the information gathered:

The target group was about a hundred people, and their base was located in a valley southeast of the town.

"Let's move out!"

Uchiha Takashi commanded.

At this moment, Minato Namikaze was already hidden in the shadows, leaving the mission entirely up to them.

It only took them an hour to locate their target.

For ordinary people, it wouldn't just take an hour; it might take them over ten days to find the target.

After all, traversing over ten kilometers of mountains and finding a target hidden in the forest is no easy task.

This just goes to show the exaggerated difference between ordinary people and ninjas.

Currently, the three of them were perched atop the dense canopy outside a valley, observing the entrance from afar.

A simple wooden wall, a few meters high, blocked the entrance, with two thieves patrolling on top.

'Are they really this disciplined?'

Uchiha Takashi pondered with a frown.

According to the intel, this was indeed the thieves' hideout and their mission target.

Yet, for some reason, he felt something was off.

"Should we go in?"

Yamakawa Koji was eager to act.

He wasn't anxious about the impending slaughter; rather, he seemed to anticipate it.

In the ninja world, killing was as routine as eating or drinking.

Even Minato Namikaze, the "Little Sun," had a staggering number of lives taken under his belt, and that was just counting mission-related kills, regardless of the target.

This was why Uchiha Takashi felt the world's moral compass was twisted.

"No, let's wait until midnight to scout further. For now, let's take turns resting."

Uchiha Takashi was bold in research because he was confident.

But in combat, he wouldn't take such risks because he only had one life.

Of course, this wasn't cowardice, but prudence.

Late at night.

Once the moonlight descended, the three began their infiltration.

Their impressive agility allowed them to bypass the wooden wall and easily enter the valley.

Inside the valley, they saw numerous crude wooden structures and tents.

"Over there!"

Uchiha Takashi quickly spotted a large cave in the center, seemingly well-protected, and deduced it was likely a warehouse.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The three swiftly approached the cave and saw a large stockpile of supplies inside.

Soon, they discovered a suspicious target.

A pile of crates, covered with tarpaulin, was stacked in a corner of the cave.

Snap! Yamakawa Koji carefully pried open a crate lid with a kunai.

"How is this possible!"

He gasped, his pupils contracting sharply.

The crate was filled with kunai.

Kunai themselves weren't unusual, as they weren't difficult to forge.

However, they were exclusively used by ninjas, with quality requirements far exceeding those of ordinary weapons.

Throughout the Land of Fire, only a few places could produce them in bulk.

And these thieves were definitely not among them.

Thus, seeing a crate of kunai here was enough to shock even the stoic Yamakawa Koji.

Though Uchiha Takashi wasn't particularly talented as a ninja, his mind was sharp, and he immediately connected the dots.

Smuggling weapons!

Kunai were regulated items, akin to firearms, and even if they were to be sold, it would be under the village's or the Land of Fire's authority.

These thieves having such a stockpile was absolutely unrelated to Konoha or the Land of Fire.

They proceeded to open other crates, finding either kunai, senbon, shuriken, or similar ninja tools.

Seeing this, Uchiha Takashi quietly asked the others.

"Should we retreat?"

He had no desire to get caught up in such a mess; his small shoulders couldn't bear such a burden.

Kakashi and Yamakawa Koji, naturally understanding the implications of finding so many ninja tools here, nodded in agreement.

Unfortunately, it was a bit too late to retreat now.

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