Chapter 26: Retrieving Intelligence

Ancient trees towered overhead, their thick canopies casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. The dense woods buzzed with life as the four of them moved swiftly through the underbrush.

As they traveled, Shinku explained the mission.

"Our destination this time is still the Land of Hot Water. But we won't be heading toward the border with the Land of Fire—instead, we're going to the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of the Moon."

The Land of Hot Water was situated to the northeast of the Land of Fire. Beyond it lay the Land of the Moon, and past that, the Land of Lightning. Their current mission required them to travel to the Land of the Moon to retrieve intelligence.

Each of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had their own network of spies infiltrating the others, constantly gathering information. Every village maintained secret relay points scattered throughout the continent to facilitate the transfer of collected intel. Villages would dispatch shinobi to retrieve this intelligence at regular intervals.

This time, that responsibility had been handed to them—a C-rank mission.

The village had granted them a generous timeframe. According to Shinku, they even had a few days to play around. A small, unspoken perk of the assignment.

Of course, it wasn't all fun and games along the way. Shinku used the opportunity to teach them the basics—how to spot good locations for setting traps, where to best hide themselves, and how to mask their presence.

After all, the kind of ninja who relied purely on flashy jutsu in a direct confrontation were rare. Most leaned heavily on poisons, traps, and subterfuge. These lessons were crucial if they wanted to survive future missions.

"It's not uncommon for a Chūnin to kill a Jōnin using poison," Shinku said. "You need to learn how to neutralize toxins. Kiyosuke—don't just know how to use poison, you need to know how to cure it, too. Orochimaru-sama is an expert in both."

Only a handful of people knew that Orochimaru had taken Kiyosuke as his disciple—Shinku was one of them. Beyond Kiyosuke's unique kekkei genkai, most of the jutsu he used were classic Orochimaru techniques. Anyone who'd seen that signature Hidden Shadow Snake Hands move could figure it out easily.

"I know, I know," Kiyosuke said casually. "But Orochimaru-sensei hasn't taught me that part yet."

Poisoning was easy—just have a snake bite someone. According to Orochimaru, curing poison could be just as simple—let a different snake bite you. Still, Kiyosuke hadn't yet mastered the more advanced art of using poison to counter poison. That kind of knowledge required a deep, complex understanding of toxins, something only true experts could pull off.

Under Orochimaru's guidance, he'd learned how to cure weaker poisons. But when it came to something like the deadly salamander toxin, even Orochimaru found it difficult—so Kiyosuke had no chance yet.

Throughout the journey, Shinku continued to pass down knowledge, though not too much at once. Too much information could overwhelm them. It was better to let them absorb things gradually.

This time, without any cargo to escort, the four-person team crossed the Land of Fire with ease. Once they entered the Land of Hot Water, they concealed their identities as Konoha shinobi.

Although the Land of Hot Water still had ninja from the Hidden Hot Water Village, this mission required stealth. They were here to retrieve intelligence—quietly. No loud entrances, no drawing attention.

They encountered a few Hot Water shinobi along the way, but none seemed particularly capable—worse, in fact, than the three Genin on the team.

Shinku commented, "The Hidden Hot Water Village is falling apart. I heard the daimyō is planning to cut their funding and hire ninja from other villages instead."

Kiyosuke frowned. "Wouldn't that be even more expensive? And if war breaks out, every village will focus on their own interests. No one's going to spare time or effort protecting the Land of Hot Water."

In wartime, everyone looked out for themselves. Who had the luxury to worry about someone else?

"You're forgetting something," Shinku replied. "There are still rogue-nin and wandering shinobi. Their prices are way lower than ours. And for the sake of survival, they'll take jobs most of us wouldn't touch."

"Ah, that makes sense. Rogue-nin really are desperate for money... But still, if it were me, I'd never become a rogue-nin," Kiyosuke said.

"Betraying the village is absolutely unforgivable," Shinku said sternly. He knew none of the three before him would ever betray Konoha, but he added anyway, "If any one of you ever becomes a rogue-nin, I'll hunt you to the ends of the Earth."

He said it with conviction, though in his heart, he knew they'd never betray the village.

Asuma was the Hokage's son—defection was out of the question. His own daughter had been raised on the Will of Fire from the very beginning. And as for Kiyosuke... he was Orochimaru's student. Betrayal wasn't even on the table. If it ever came to that, Orochimaru would probably "handle" things himself before anyone else could step in.

Kiyosuke laughed. "What's so great about being a rogue-nin anyway? Always on the run, dodging bounty hunters, starving half the time... sounds like a miserable life."

Not everyone was like Orochimaru—defecting and then building their own hidden village to fund their research. Most rogue-nin either worked solo or grouped up with other outcasts, scraping by with dirty, dangerous jobs, living without any kind of safety net.

A few managed to join mercenary organizations, hoping to someday redeem themselves and return to their village in glory.

"It's good that you think that way," Shinku said gravely. "Everything we do is for the village. If necessary, we should be willing to give our lives."

...

A few days later, they finally crossed the Land of Hot Water and arrived at the border of the Land of the Moon.

The scenery was breathtaking—tall mountains, deep gorges, and thick mist rolling through the valleys. This terrain, bordering the Land of Lightning, made for a beautiful and mysterious landscape.

Their rendezvous point was a rundown little town near the border. Shinku, now transformed into an old man, pushed open the door of a small izakaya and shuffled in, coughing three times as he sat down.

"Agh... This body just isn't what it used to be," he muttered. "Hey, youngster! Bring me a warm sake and three plates of appetizers!"

Later, after eating and drinking his fill, he waved over the server to pay. But when he reached into his pocket—nothing.

The server scowled. "No money? Then what the hell are you drinking for?! Get out!"

He shoved Shinku out the door, sending him tumbling to the ground. Muttering curses under his breath, Shinku got up and slipped into a nearby alley.

From the shadows, he called to the three figures hiding nearby.

"Got the intel. Let's get out of here."

"Yes, sir!"

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