Chapter 2: B-Rank Shinobi Combat Mission [Iwagakure Spy]!
The setting sun was like molten gold, and the evening mist was heavy.
Two figures, one large and one small, chased the afterglow of the sunset as they stepped out of the Konoha gate.
Tsunade tirelessly counted the 100,000 ryō in cash several times before confidently stuffing it into her naturally gifted "four-dimensional pocket," patting it twice on the outside.
On my grandfather's name.
It won't be a problem for me, Tsunade, to turn this 100,000 ryō into five million!
"Kid from the Nara clan, you just said you were physically weak. Have you sought out a 'professional medical-nin' to help with a physical examination?"
Tsunade gazed at Kikyo Castle, which was shrouded in the distant twilight, deliberately emphasizing a certain word in her question, her intention clear.
Besides her gambling skills, she was actually quite confident in her medical ninjutsu. Although she'd had a tiny, insignificant misunderstanding with this child just now, and had even extorted—received—a 100,000 ryō mission bonus from him, Tsunade hadn't forgotten her professional ethics as a medical-nin.
...Alright, she just wanted to earn more money.
Under normal circumstances, shinobi earn their income by completing missions. Of course, a very small number of people could also make money through side hustles like "literary creation"...
One had to understand that the reward for a standard B-rank mission was only around 100,000 ryō. Not only was it time-consuming and laborious, but you also had to split the money with your teammates. Most of the time, the income you actually received was at most only one-third of the mission bonus.
And due to certain special personal reasons, Tsunade, who couldn't stand the sight of blood, hadn't taken on a high-level mission in a very long time. After all, missions of B-rank and above basically required facing enemies head-on in battle. This "special reason" had even significantly affected her primary job as a medic.
Despite being one of the famous Sannin, Princess Tsunade had lacked a stable source of income for a long time, and on top of that, she had a bit of a gambling problem...
In short, Tsunade would not easily miss any newly discovered potential source of income!
This Nara kid behind her came from a very well-off family. He had casually taken out 100,000 ryō as a "mission bonus." He was definitely a super-fat sheep, dripping with oil.
If the boy's physical problem wasn't serious and could be cured with a simple touch, then the 100,000 ryō from earlier could be considered payment for his treatment. But if his physical problem was significant, Tsunade was prepared to negotiate a truly big business deal with this kid!
Tsunade eagerly awaited the answer from her "temporary employer," but one second passed, then two... The Nara kid behind her was as silent as if he'd been run over by a road roller.
Tsunade frowned and turned around, intending to see what was wrong with the boy.
In the next second, she was suddenly met with a fixed, staring gaze.
"This brat!"
Tsunade's fists clenched subconsciously, and several ferocious veins instantly bulged on her fair forehead.
She definitely hadn't misjudged him earlier. This kid was absolutely the same type of scum as Jiraiya!
Tsunade was about to give this indecent brat a punch, but before she could even lift her arm, she saw Nara Keisuke continuing to walk forward at a steady pace, the expression on his handsome little face completely devoid of any emotion.
'No... I'm not being peeked at...'
Realizing that Nara Keisuke wasn't peeking but was simply in a daze, Tsunade couldn't help but take a step back, unable to hide the embarrassment and shame in her heart.
'I'm being completely ignored!!'
Once she realized this, the sense of shame in Tsunade's heart was instantly replaced by a surge of anger.
This young lady has money, looks, a great body, and skills! I have status and position! The line of men chasing me stretches from Konoha to Kumogakure! You're following right behind me, not getting worked up, but spacing out? Are you treating me like air?!
Exasperated, Tsunade simply stood her ground, looking at Nara Keisuke with a cold smile, waiting to see when he would finally snap out of it.
One step, two steps. Seeing Nara Keisuke getting closer and closer, about to commit a crime with his chest, Tsunade finally raised her hand and slapped him on the forehead.
Smack!
Nara Keisuke was awakened by the crisp sound and slight pain on his forehead. He instantly closed the <
Our universe is filled with protons, neutrons, electrons, and—
Nara Keisuke bowed his head under the intensely strong visual pressure. His gaze slid down rapidly, past a small waist that looked so tender you could pinch juice out of it, past a pair of pale legs that seemed to glow even in the dim light, all the way down to the pair of shinobi sandals on the ground.
A few round, jade-like, fair toes peeked out mischievously from the top of the dark-colored sandals. The neatly trimmed toenails were even and regular, and the rusty-red, smooth nail polish暈染 out a warm, intoxicating luster in the dim, hazy natural light.
The moonlight is beautiful tonight; Nara Keisuke knew he was in trouble.
"Hiss—"
He drew in a sharp breath, pretending to be hurt by the slap, and took several steps back. He asked in as calm a voice as possible, "Lady Tsunade, is there something I can help you with?"
"There was."
Tsunade crossed her arms, looking down at Nara Keisuke with self-satisfaction, the corners of her mouth curling into the full arc of a victor.
"But not anymore!"
Kid, you were looking at me just now, weren't you?
"..."
Nara Keisuke was rendered speechless for a moment, then he proactively averted his gaze.
Shameless Senju sucker!
I clearly already paid the protection fee!
"Hmm? Kid..."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Her sixth sense seemed to faintly detect a malicious presence. But before she could finish her sentence, Nara Keisuke's line of sight was the first to catch a strange figure walking towards them.
The figure was burly, dressed in coarse brown cloth, with an ordinary face. The man looked like a cold, hard rock.
'There are still civilians daring to linger outside the village at this hour?'
Nara Keisuke's brow furrowed imperceptibly. As one of the eight great mountains guarding Konoha, Kikyo Mountain did indeed have many civilians living in Kikyo Castle at its foot. Konoha Village would also dispatch a certain number of ninja to protect the city, such as the Nara clan, whose main job was raising deer and whose side job was being shinobi.
Personally, Nara Keisuke was on good terms with the blonde, older-sister-like director of a certain orphanage in Kikyo Castle. But the current situation outside the village was indeed tense. Even the citizens inside Konoha had voluntarily reduced their evening outings. This man coming from the direction of Kikyo Castle...
'Probably a commoner trying to make a living, right?'
Nara Keisuke suppressed the groundless suspicion in his heart.
But while he let his guard down, Tsunade, who had also noticed the stranger's approach, did not relax.
'His presence is incredibly steady, his footsteps are silent, and the distance between his steps is almost flawless... Most importantly, this guy actually actively avoids my gaze!'
Having waded through the mud of shinobi wars since she was young, Tsunade's eyes shone as she looked at the newcomer.
'The reek of guilt is too pungent!'
Tsunade casually gathered a bit of chakra to the soles of her feet and then erupted it. The immense force nearly shattered the ground.
With a few splashing pieces of dirt and rock, Tsunade leaped high into the air. She stared down from above for a moment at the stranger below, who had also come to an abrupt halt and was looking up warily. Then, her whole body plummeted downwards like a cannonball.
Seeing this, the silent-looking man did not hesitate. He raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers held together, and urgently gathered chakra, releasing it through the chakra pathways in his legs.
Body Flicker Technique!
Swoosh—
The man's figure vanished from his spot like a ghost, moving so fast that Nara Keisuke could only see a faint afterimage.
'He really is a ninja!'
The fledgling Nara Keisuke was stunned.
'And that speed... this guy is definitely no ordinary Chūnin! A Tokubetsu Jōnin? Or a Jōnin!?'
In the next second, Tsunade's foot landed a step too late, just a short distance in front of where the man had been standing, and...
Thud!
Tsunade landed as lightly as a swallow, her eyes sharp as she watched the stranger's new position after his flicker. Both the target of her attack and her seemingly unstoppable "monstrous strength kick" were nothing but a feint!
Tsunade shouted, "You bastard, you really are a ninja! Which village are you from?"
"Long, golden hair, plus that ridiculously exaggerated sense of power... could it be that you are..."
The man looked at Tsunade in horror, but his right hand, held up in front of him, was still not lowered.
"One of the legendary Sannin of Konoha! The Slug Princess! Princess Tsunade?!"
"That's right!"
Tsunade nodded proudly.
"It is I—huh!?"
The very instant Tsunade nodded in response, the man's figure abruptly disappeared from his spot, as if he had been erased from the world by some special eraser. Even his scent had completely dissipated.
The reputation and characteristics of Konoha's Sannin were simply too famous. The spy from Iwagakure had already identified Tsunade's true identity when he was approaching earlier. The conversation just now was merely a tactic to buy time to activate the secret jutsu of Iwagakure that he possessed!
"Invisibility Jutsu?"
Tsunade's willow-like brows furrowed slightly. Without hesitation, she immediately flashed back to Nara Keisuke's side.
"No! It should be some kind of stealth secret art from an enemy village! Sunagakure doesn't seem to have this kind of jutsu. Is it a ninja from Iwagakure?"
At almost the same time, several new messages popped up on Nara Keisuke's virtual panel.
[Detected that a B-Rank Shinobi Combat Mission has been triggered!]
[B-Rank Mission: Iwagakure Spy]
Mission Content: Defeat/Kill the Iwagakure Jōnin.
Mission Reward: B-Rank Shinobi Secret Scroll. Opening it will grant a random B-Rank quality Jutsu, Shinobi Tool, or other miscellaneous item.
Mission Tip 1: Upon first completion of a mission, the quality of the mission reward will be upgraded by one tier.
Mission Tip 2: A B-Rank Shinobi Combat Mission against the same target can be completed once per month.
Mission Tip 3: It's just a lazy shinobi's mission! You can choose to instantly complete a triggered mission (panel-limited) at the cost of lowering the mission reward quality by one tier. Accept/Decline?
'I see! So this is the correct way to use the [Shinobi Secret Scroll]? Obtaining scrolls to get random rewards!'
Nara Keisuke quickly scanned the mission information on the panel, his mood slightly fluctuating.
'Since there are dedicated shinobi combat missions, then there should be other types of missions as well, right?'
'Although I can speedrun it, if it's limited to the panel, it doesn't seem to have much meaning, since the real-world task still needs to be done... No, wait!'
'Actually, even if I don't do the mission, or perhaps in the instant before I fail the real-world mission, it seems I can use this function to end the mission early and claim the reward? Could this be...'
'The Lazy Shinobi's Subsistence Plan?'
(End of Chapter)