"We need intelligence from Amegakure—specifically, information on the movements of Iwagakure and Sand Village," Orochimaru said in a mild tone.
Hiruko fell silent in thought. As the temporary commander here, he immediately understood what the three of them were planning.
There were naturally spies from Konoha embedded in Iwa and Suna. Learning their movements wasn't difficult—but the information those spies sent back always had a delay.
And in the current tense situation, even a small time gap could lead to serious consequences.
The Land of Rain was the focal point contested by all three sides, making it the easiest place to observe the movements of both powers. Moreover, the Land of Rain itself was Amegakure's territory—Amegakure would inevitably be watching the three great villages closely.
The intelligence in their hands was crucial, and more importantly, it wouldn't be delayed.
"Amegakure has completely gone into hiding. Finding them won't be easy," Hiruko said.
After all, Amegakure was a small village. They wouldn't dare confront three great ninja villages head-on.
"That's why we need a spy to infiltrate Amegakure," Orochimaru stated, laying out the plan directly.
The gazes of all three shifted to Hiruko.
The meaning was obvious.
Hiruko's gentle expression didn't change, but inside, he was already cursing them out.
These three had just arrived and stripped him of his command authority, and now they wanted him to go undercover as a spy?
Could you people at least try to be human?
At the very least—
Hiruko paused, then said slowly, "Since it's only reconnaissance, someone too strong would easily attract attention. The best choice would be a ninja with solid self-preservation ability and strong reconnaissance skills, making it easier to gather intelligence."
He deliberately guided the direction of their thinking.
Whoever wanted to go be a spy could go—he certainly wouldn't.
Not him.
Strength not too high, capable of self-defense, strong reconnaissance ability.
Standing behind Hiruko, Hyuga Arin fell into deep thought.
Why did this description sound so familiar?
"Hyuga Arin," Tsunade suddenly asked in a flat tone, "how's your Transformation Technique?"
Hyuga Arin glanced at his lv2 Transformation Technique and replied honestly, "Average."
Wait—
Hold on?!
Hyuga Arin suddenly looked up at the four people present.
All four pairs of eyes were focused squarely on him.
"Eh?!" Hyuga Arin pointed at himself in disbelief. "You're not seriously thinking of sending me, are you?"
And Hiruko too!
He'd only just become his instructor, and the first thing he did was send him off as an undercover agent?
Is that how a guidance jōnin is supposed to work?!
Hyuga Arin stared at Hiruko in disbelief.
Hiruko unconsciously turned his head away.
He did feel a little guilty—but Hyuga Arin had only been temporarily entrusted to him by Tsunade. They weren't close to begin with.
Better him than me.
Hiruko was definitely not going.
Hyuga Arin really wanted to curse out loud.
Yes, he had his eye on Amegakure—but not like this.
If he went undercover, how was he supposed to farm Amegakure ninja?
He was after loot drops.
Not intel drops.
"If it's only average, then as long as you're careful, it should still work," Tsunade said after some thought. "Amegakure doesn't have sensory-type ninja. If you're cautious, you won't be exposed so easily."
Sensory-type ninja weren't easy to cultivate. Only the Five Great Villages actively trained them; smaller villages rarely did.
Small villages mainly focused on raw combat strength when training ninja.
Hyuga Arin: Wow, thank you so much. Thanks to your whole family for telling me to 'just be careful'.
…
In the end, despite Hyuga Arin's silent resistance, he was still chosen as the undercover operative.
The four of them were completely heartless—no one even gave him a chance to argue.
Hyuga Arin cursed under his breath as he followed behind Hiruko.
"I'm just a fresh Academy graduate. What virtue or ability do I have that four grown adults would gang up and assign me, a kid, to be a spy…?"
Listening to Hyuga Arin behind him, Hiruko rolled his eyes.
The kid wasn't even swearing, but somehow it still felt filthy.
"We're not asking you to steal any core secrets," Hiruko said, trying to placate him. "Just some peripheral intelligence."
"Then where exactly are you taking me, Sensei?" Hyuga Arin stopped complaining and looked at Hiruko curiously.
The two of them had arrived at the southeastern corner of the camp. There were very few tents here—only four or five.
"Don't say I didn't take care of you," Hiruko said, pulling open the flap of one tent. "Take whatever you want inside."
Hyuga Arin looked at the tent interior.
Stacks of shuriken, kunai, explosive tags, and all kinds of ninja tools and weapons were piled up inside.
"Really?" Hyuga Arin's eyes lit up.
"Yes," Hiruko nodded. "You're leaving today, and there's no time to teach you any ninTechnique. All I can do is let you take more ninja tools."
Hyuga Arin eyed Hiruko suspiciously. "How much am I allowed to take?"
Hiruko waved his hand casually. "As much as you want."
These were the supplies Hyuga Arin and the others had transported anyway. Letting him take some wasn't a problem.
"Then, Sensei, could you step outside for a moment? I'll pack quickly," Hyuga Arin said, putting on an embarrassed expression.
Hiruko shook his head. "That won't do. Whatever you take, I have to record it."
This was to prevent Hyuga Arin from transferring large quantities of supplies.
Techniques like summoning or sealing scrolls could be used to move huge amounts of materials at once.
"Tch." Hyuga Arin clicked his tongue.
Hiruko's face darkened.
This kid definitely had that idea.
Good thing he hadn't fully trusted him—if a large amount went missing, the blame would land squarely on Hiruko.
After all, in name, he was still the highest-ranking officer here.
Damn Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
Hiruko cursed inwardly.
Those three would be leaving soon anyway. When they were gone, authority here would return to him.
Hyuga Arin didn't care what Hiruko was thinking. He stepped forward and started grabbing things.
Explosive tags—he grabbed over ten at once and stuffed them into his ninja pouch, which in reality meant straight into his item inventory.
Explosive Tags (23).
He had never fought such a rich battle in his life.
"Don't take too many explosive tags," Hiruko reminded him. "They're dangerous to carry, and most fights don't even use them."
Explosive tags needed a few seconds to detonate. Against highly mobile ninja, they were easy to dodge—unless used in carefully timed traps.
Hyuga Arin ignored him completely and stuffed in another dozen.
His eyes then landed on the large shuriken beside him.
No doubt about it—that was the one he couldn't afford.
He immediately grabbed three or four and packed them away. Kunai? Another dozen. Steel wire? Needed some. Shuriken? Even more essential.
Hiruko watched as the pile of weapons visibly shrank.
Something was very wrong.
"Wait a second!!"
"What kind of ninja pouch is that of yours?! How can it hold so much?!"
Hearing that, Hyuga Arin hurriedly stuffed in even more shuriken and said innocently, "Sensei, you said I could take as much as I wanted."
He sneakily added a few more explosive tags and another giant shuriken.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!!"
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