Chapter 596: Izakaya
Nidus Town was situated along a vital transport artery in the northern part of the continent. Though the town was small, it was highly prosperous.
There was an izakaya in town that was famous far and wide for its excellent sake and superb food. Even ninjas—provided they were not currently on an active mission—would wander in. Some came for a few casual cups, others for a wild night of drinking, some spoke in hushed whispers, and others conversed loudly, making the establishment exceptionally rowdy.
The New Year had just passed. On this particular day in deep winter, a heavy snow with flakes as large as goose feathers drifted over the town.
The harsh weather made people exceptionally reluctant to leave the comfort of the indoors. Even ninjas hurrying on their way couldn't resist the temptation of a warm fire. On this day, the town's izakaya was packed to the gills with customers. The main hall hummed with a chaotic din of voices, bustling and packed, creating a fiery atmosphere.
Seated at a table right next to the entrance were four middle-aged men dressed as Hidden Cloud ninjas. As they contentedly sipped hot drinks, they quietly discussed the latest developments in the ninja world.
"…Hey, have you guys heard? Last month, that 'Akatsuki' group managed to seize the Tailed Beast from the Land of Water!" The shortest ninja among them, huddled in his seat like a monkey, said in a low voice.
"No way?" Seated next to him was a man with an ordinary appearance but a long, ugly scar running down his face. He subconsciously leaned in low as well, whispering, "Wasn't it said that Konoha dispatched people to support them? Combined, the strength of two major villages still failed to successfully intercept Akatsuki?"
"I know a guy high up in management, and he said that Akatsuki's leader personally took the field this time," a burly man sitting across the table said in a booming, muffled voice. "I heard Konoha also deployed their top-tier combat power. They had a massive, brutal clash with Akatsuki in the sea area of the Land of Water. They fought so hard they even triggered a tsunami."
Hearing this, the last member of the group—a lean, wiry man who had been silently burying his head in his food and drink the entire time—piqued up, raising his head to listen with interest.
The scarred man spoke again: "Konoha's top-tier combat power… Could it be they dragged Jiraiya of the Sannin out there? Tsk tsk, wouldn't that mean heaven and earth were turned upside down?"
The burly man laughed contemptuously: "What does Jiraiya count for? My friend said that the ninja Konoha sent out possessed strength at least ten times greater than Jiraiya's!"
"Ten times?"
The other three uniformly stared at the burly ninja. Their gazes held not only shock, but also a healthy dose of suspicion and disdain.
"Well, if not ten times, then at least seven or eight times! At least five times, I won't go any lower!" The burly ninja let out a dry laugh. Realizing he had blown his horn a bit too hard and no one believed him, he hurriedly amended his statement.
However, because he changed his tune so quickly, the others believed him even less, and they immediately began to heckle and tease him.
"Five times is absolutely impossible, I know you love to brag!" the lean ninja chimed in. He downed the warm sake in his cup, squinting his eyes as he savored the aftertaste. "But it's a cold fact that Konoha has an expert whose strength surpasses Jiraiya's."
"Really?" "Who is it?" "Could it be Kakashi?" The three immediately crowded closer.
The lean man poured himself another cup of sake without rushing, looking slightly smugly at the three leaning in. Having sufficiently whetted their appetites, he finally said, "Heh, haven't you all seen her before? The Konoha envoy who came to our Hidden Cloud Village not too long ago. The disciple of the Fifth Hokage, the really beautiful one! Don't be fooled by that person's appearance and age—she is unbelievably strong!"
"Let me think… Her name was Haruno Sakura, right?" The scarred ninja knit his brows in thought before suddenly snapping out of it. "Isn't she only sixteen years old? Stronger than the Sannin? Are you pulling my leg!"
The scarred ninja looked completely incredulous. But looking left and right, the burly man and the monkey-like ninja both wore expressions of deep contemplation, which made him falter in alarm: "Hey, hey, you guys don't actually believe this, do you?"
"I was talking about Haruno Sakura just now," the burly man said with a deadpan, serious expression. "I swear to Lord Raikage, everything I said is the absolute truth—no exaggeration, no fabrications! My friend said Haruno Sakura has clashed with members of Akatsuki several times before. Not only did she retreat unscathed every time, she even personally eliminated a few of them!"
The scarred face and the monkey-like ninja both looked askance at him, their faces practically screaming, You've got to be kidding me.
Even if this guy loved to exaggerate, if you squeezed out the water weight, that Haruno Sakura would still be a ruthless character who had directly squared off against Akatsuki multiple times and taken down at least one member!
"How is that possible? A sixteen-year-old girl… Did she inherit some terrifying Kekkei Genkai?"
"I heard she's a ninja from a civilian background, completely unrelated to those Kekkei Genkai clans."
The two looked at each other in bewilderment.
The lean man gave a mocking laugh and said, "A lot of people had the exact same reaction as you guys at first, but facts are facts. Let me tell you something I witnessed with my own two eyes…"
This Cloud ninja was referring to the minor clash that had occurred when Haruno Sakura delivered the state credentials to the Raikage. Although it hadn't escalated into a full-scale battle, Haruno Sakura had stood her ground directly against the Raikage under the watchful eyes of the public without falling into a disadvantage. That alone spoke volumes.
What he had seen with his own eyes naturally carried a bit more weight than hearsay.
Basking in the undivided attention of the group and thoroughly enjoying the storytelling, he dropped another bombshell, talking about how Haruno Sakura, leading a survivor of the Uchiha clan, fought Akatsuki on the open sea far from the coast. The residual shockwaves of the battle had triggered two tsunamis within a single day.
As expected of a ninja status-high enough to witness a Konoha envoy deliver credentials, the gossip he possessed was far more precise and reliable than the burly man's rumors.
A Cloud ninja sitting alone at an adjacent table found their lively discussion intriguing and casually glanced over. His gaze happened to lock with the lean man who was speaking in a torrent. The latter shivered, abruptly cutting his speech short. His face flushed slightly—whether from the sake or the sudden panic—and he raised his hand respectfully: "Ah… greetings, Lord Urokodaki!"
Urokodaki Ukon had dark skin, a rigid, hardened facial structure, and carried a long sword on his back. He was a textbook example of a Hidden Cloud ninja. As an elite Jonin, he was more than worthy of being addressed as "Lord."
"So it's Anjo…" Urokodaki Ukon knit his brows slightly. "Is your mission complete?"
"Yes, it's complete!" Anjo replied stiffly. "We're on our way back. Because the heavy snow has blocked the mountain passes, we came here to take a temporary rest."
The Cloud Jonin still frowned, reprimanding them, "Once the mission is complete, return early. Do not loiter excessively outside the village."
"…Yes!" The four lowered their heads like reprimanded tortoises.
Urokodaki ignored them, clearing the food from his plate in a few rapid bites before standing up to leave.
When he passed by Anjo, he paused for a brief moment, patted the lean man's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "I will tell you four something, but do not spread it to outsiders."
The expressions of the four straightened into absolute seriousness.
As Urokodaki spoke, he seemed to employ a specific secret technique or subtle genjutsu, filtering his voice to a frequency that only the four of them could hear perfectly. It was on a completely different level from the sneaky, amateur whispering the four had been doing earlier.
"According to reliable intelligence, the Konoha Jonin Kakashi Hatake is leading a team in this vicinity, seemingly executing some mission. Apart from the Copy Ninja, the other ninjas Konoha sent out are all high-level experts. Absolutely do not lower your guard!"
As he spoke, he slowly extended his left arm, revealing a wound wrapped tightly in layers of bandages.
"This is the wound left behind when I spotted that weakest Byakugan girl separated from the group and tried to probe her strength…"