Karma was summoned to the Hokage's office the following morning.
That alone wasn't unusual anymore.
At seven years old, Karma had already become accustomed to being handed missions that would have sounded ridiculous to most people his age.
What was unusual was the number of shinobi already waiting inside.
Karma stepped through the door and looked around.
Hashirama sat behind the desk.
Tobirama stood beside him.
Madara was leaning against the wall.
Ren was there too.
Karma's eyes moved between them.
'Okay.'
'This isn't a normal mission.'
Hashirama smiled.
"You're here."
Karma walked forward.
"What's the mission?"
Hashirama gestured toward the table.
"A convoy will be leaving Konoha tomorrow morning."
Karma looked at the map spread across the table.
"It'll be carrying medical supplies and weapons."
Tobirama nodded.
"The convoy will travel toward one of the smaller settlements near the eastern border."
Karma studied the map.
"What's the rank?"
"C-rank."
Karma frowned.
"That sounds too simple."
Madara smirked slightly.
"Good."
Karma looked at him.
"Why good?"
"Because you're finally learning to question the mission briefing."
Karma looked back at the map.
"So what's actually going on?"
Hashirama leaned forward.
"We have reason to believe someone has been observing supply routes leaving the village."
Karma's expression sharpened.
"Bandits?"
"Possibly."
Tobirama answered.
"Or something more organized."
Karma studied the map again.
"Why send a convoy if you suspect an attack?"
Hashirama smiled.
"Because we want them to attack."
Karma's eyes widened slightly.
"Decoy."
"Exactly."
Tobirama pointed toward the route.
"Your squad will accompany the convoy."
Karma immediately understood.
"We're bait."
"Yes."
Karma looked at Ren.
"And the actual mission?"
Ren finally spoke.
"Will be handled by ANBU."
Karma's eyes narrowed.
"So you aren't protecting the convoy."
"Not primarily."
Ren pointed at another location on the map.
"The people watching the convoy have been using scouts positioned around this area."
He tapped a point several kilometers away.
"If they're connected to whoever has been stealing supplies, they'll react when the convoy moves."
Karma thought for a moment.
"They'll assume we're the main target."
"Correct."
"And while they're watching us…"
"ANBU will follow the people watching you."
Ren's finger moved across the map.
"Then we'll find where they report."
Karma smiled.
"That's clever."
Tobirama gave him a look.
"It's also dangerous."
Karma's smile disappeared.
"I know."
"Your squad is not being sent there because we expect you to defeat whoever attacks."
Tobirama's voice became firm.
"Your objective is to maintain the appearance of an ordinary convoy escort."
Karma nodded.
"Protect the civilians."
"Yes."
"Don't chase fleeing enemies."
"Correct."
"Don't reveal that we know we're being watched."
"Exactly."
Karma looked at the map again.
'So this isn't really a combat mission.'
'It's an information mission disguised as a combat mission.'
That was new.
Karma looked at Ren.
"And if they don't attack?"
Ren shrugged.
"Then we learn something else."
Karma smiled.
"I like this."
Madara looked at him.
"You shouldn't."
"Why?"
"Because liking it means you might underestimate it."
Karma's expression became serious.
Madara continued.
"Your job is to be predictable."
Karma frowned.
"Predictable?"
"Yes."
Madara tapped the map.
"If you're the bait, you don't get to improvise simply because you see an opportunity."
Karma understood.
"If I act strangely, they'll realize something is wrong."
"Exactly."
Hashirama nodded.
"That's why you're going."
Karma looked at him.
"Because I'm good enough to handle the danger?"
"Partly."
Hashirama smiled.
"Because you're also good enough to follow a plan."
Karma grinned.
"Now that sounds like a challenge."
"It is."
The next morning, the convoy left Konoha.
Karma's squad consisted of three shinobi.
Karma was the youngest.
The other two were older Chūnin who had considerably more field experience.
Neither seemed particularly happy about having a seven-year-old as part of the team.
Karma didn't blame them.
He probably wouldn't have been thrilled either.
They moved along the eastern road.
Nothing happened.
For the first hour.
Then Karma noticed something.
A broken branch.
He slowed slightly.
His teammate glanced back.
"What is it?"
Karma shook his head.
"Nothing."
He kept walking.
But his eyes remained on the forest.
'Someone's watching.'
He couldn't see them.
That was the point.
Ren had taught him not to search only for people.
Look at the environment.
Look for what didn't belong.
The branch was broken too cleanly.
Someone had stepped there recently.
But there was no corresponding disturbance in the soil.
'Could be a decoy.'
Karma kept walking.
A few minutes later, he noticed another sign.
This one was different.
A faint impression in the dirt.
Weight distribution.
Direction.
Real movement.
'There.'
He didn't look directly at it.
That would give away that he'd noticed.
Instead, he continued walking.
The convoy reached the settlement without incident.
Karma frowned.
Nothing.
No attack.
No ambush.
No obvious scouts.
Maybe they had abandoned the operation.
Or maybe…
"Stay alert," Karma said quietly.
One of the Chūnin glanced at him.
"You sense something?"
"Maybe."
They unloaded the supplies.
Then began preparing for the return journey.
That's when the attack came.
Three figures appeared on the road ahead.
Then two more emerged from the trees.
Karma immediately drew his tanto.
"Stay with the convoy."
The Chūnin moved into position.
The attackers charged.
Karma moved first.
His tanto flashed.
He blocked a sword strike and stepped aside.
His opponent swung again.
Karma ducked.
Lightning chakra surged through his legs.
He accelerated.
The tanto struck the man's weapon and knocked it aside.
Karma stopped.
He could have killed him.
He didn't.
Instead, he kicked the man's leg and sent him crashing into the dirt.
Another attacker rushed him.
Karma turned.
Steel clashed.
He moved backward.
The fight was messy.
Not difficult.
Just messy.
And strangely controlled.
The attackers weren't fighting like desperate bandits.
They were testing them.
Karma realized it after the third exchange.
'They're measuring us.'
That changed everything.
He stopped trying to finish the fight.
Instead, he fought exactly as planned.
A capable Chūnin escort.
Nothing more.
He used his tanto.
A little Lightning Release.
A few clones.
No advanced techniques.
No strange abilities.
Nothing that would reveal too much.
Eventually, the attackers withdrew.
Karma didn't pursue them.
He watched them disappear into the forest.
His teammate looked at him.
"We should follow."
Karma shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because that's what they want."
The Chūnin hesitated.
Then nodded.
They returned to the convoy.
Everything had gone according to plan.
Or at least, according to the plan Karma knew.
That evening, they stopped at a small camp outside the settlement.
Karma sat beside the fire, staring into the darkness.
Something bothered him.
The attack had been too clean.
Too controlled.
The attackers had never seriously tried to destroy the convoy.
They had wanted information.
They wanted to know how many shinobi were protecting it.
What techniques they used.
How strong they were.
And Karma suspected they had learned exactly what they wanted.
He looked toward the forest.
'But what did we learn?'
A figure suddenly appeared behind the camp.
Karma's hand moved toward his tanto.
Then stopped.
A familiar voice spoke.
"Relax."
Ren stepped into the firelight.
Karma stared at him.
"Mission complete?"
Ren nodded.
"We found them."
Karma's eyes narrowed.
"The people behind the attack?"
"Not all of them."
Ren crouched beside the fire.
"But enough."
Karma looked toward the forest.
"So the attack was successful."
"For us."
Ren smiled faintly.
"Your squad gave them exactly what they expected to see."
Karma understood.
"And ANBU followed them."
"Yes."
"Where?"
Ren looked at him.
"That's classified."
Karma stared.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Karma sighed.
"ANBU are annoying."
Ren stood.
"You'll get used to it."
Karma looked at him.
"Did I do well?"
Ren thought for a moment.
"You followed the plan."
Karma waited.
"That's it?"
Ren smiled.
"That's harder than it sounds."
Karma leaned back.
For once, he didn't have a clever response.
He looked at the fire.
He had always believed the strongest shinobi controlled a battlefield through strength.
Today had taught him something different.
Sometimes the strongest move was doing exactly what the enemy expected.
Even when you knew it was a trap.
Karma smiled.
'Interesting.'
He had learned another part of being a shinobi.
And somewhere in the darkness beyond the camp, Ren and his ANBU team were already moving toward the next piece of the puzzle.