"Ren, you are the junior I trust the most. Therefore, I plan to entrust this important mission to you. Do you have confidence in completing it?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen held a smoking pipe in his mouth, looking seriously at Hayato Ren sitting across from him.
Opposite him, Hayato Ren sat sprawled casually in his chair, fiddling with his fingers.
Only after a long while did he respond in a nonchalant tone:
"Let me see what the mission is first."
Watching Hayato Ren's ruffian-like demeanor, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a bitter emotion rise in his heart.
How polite Hayato Ren used to be, what a good kid he was. Now he had become like this - he'd definitely been corrupted by Tsunade.
Moreover, Tsunade actually used my name on her previous IOU. It's simply too outrageous. Debt collectors even came to my house.
After silently grumbling about Tsunade in his heart for a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen handed a document to Hayato Ren and slowly said:
"The Hidden Mist Village has been restless recently, and they didn't participate in the last Great Shinobi War. I suspect the Mist ninja are brewing some conspiracy, so I want to ask you to investigate the situation. This is an S-rank mission."
"I heard you've mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique. You truly are the pride of our Leaf Village. Only you, Ren, can complete this difficult mission."
Hayato Ren ignored Sarutobi Hiruzen's flattery and fell into deep thought.
If he remembered correctly, the Hidden Mist Village was also a group of unlucky souls. They should currently be under Uchiha Madara's control, which is why they're isolated from the world.
Then during the Third Great Shinobi War, Uchiha Obito took up Uchiha Madara's mantle and began wreaking havoc on the Hidden Mist Village, even creating the Village of Blood Mist.
After thinking for a while, Hayato Ren accepted the mission.
Anyway, he was quite curious about the Hidden Mist Village, and this would be a good opportunity to test his new partner's strength.
Just then, Hayato Ren's shadow behind him quivered slightly, as if something was hiding within it.
After bidding farewell to Kushina and the other women, Hayato Ren set off on his journey to the Hidden Mist Village.
Unlike the other four great shinobi villages, the Hidden Mist Village was located on a small island at the edge of the continent.
The high-EQ way to describe it was: easily defended but hard to attack.
The low-EQ description was: a godforsaken place where even birds don't shit.
After some disguise work, Hayato Ren boarded a small boat heading toward the Hidden Mist Village.
This time, his identity was that of an author gathering material everywhere.
It wasn't entirely false - after all, an adult content author is still an author.
After drifting on the water for two days, the small boat finally docked.
The moment the boat reached shore, two Mist ninja came to check everyone's identities.
"Yamashita Ren, author? What do you write?"
A Mist ninja looked at Hayato Ren's identification documents and asked somewhat suspiciously.
After all, the Hidden Mist Village was perpetually shrouded in mist.
Anyone could guess that ordinary people wouldn't come here to gather material.
At that moment, Hayato Ren suddenly leaned close to the mist ninja's ear and whispered something.
The expression on the mist ninja's face instantly changed.
"So you're the Darkness of the Ninja World, sensei! I'm a huge fan of your books - could I please have your autograph?"
After saying this, the mist ninja took out a hardcover copy of "Young Ah Bin" and handed it to Hayato Ren.
Hayato Ren accepted the book, then pulled out a fountain pen and flamboyantly signed the four characters for "Darkness of the Ninja World".
This was truly unbelievable - to encounter one of his fans even in a place like the Hidden Mist Village.
Moreover, this guy looked completely honest and simple.
Who would have thought he'd be carrying such books? You really can't judge a book by its cover.
During their conversation, Hayato Ren learned that this fan was named Kojiro, and his teammate beside him was his younger brother Nijiro.
Hearing this, Hayato Ren really wanted to ask if they had a third brother named Sanjiro.
After discussing the book's plot with Kojiro for a while, Hayato Ren bid farewell under Kojiro's reluctant gaze.
If not for his mission, Kojiro would have volunteered to serve as Hayato Ren's guide.
Then, Hayato Ren rented a young and strong horse and set off toward the Hidden Mist Village.
After riding for half a day, a massive village appeared before Hayato Ren's eyes.
Just then, a mist ninja suddenly appeared in front of Hayato Ren, asking warily:
"Who are you? Why have you come to the Hidden Mist Village?"
Drawing from his previous experience with Kojiro, Hayato Ren smoothly explained his background.
After some questioning, the mist ninja eventually allowed Hayato Ren to pass.
Although the Hidden Mist Village maintained an image of isolation from the world, most of its inhabitants were ordinary people.
Just like in the Leaf, ninjas only made up a small portion of the village's population.
Hayato Ren led his horse forward slowly while observing his surroundings.
Compared to the prosperous Leaf, the Hidden Mist Village appeared much more desolate.
Most villagers here wore gloomy expressions, as if dissatisfied with their lives.
Moreover, an persistent mist enveloped the entire Hidden Mist Village.
Visibility was limited to about ten meters - beyond that distance, people's faces became indistinguishable.
Additionally, the people here seemed somewhat xenophobic.
Within less than half an hour of walking, Hayato Ren had sensed no fewer than twenty hostile gazes.
The sources of these hostile stares weren't even mist ninjas, but ordinary villagers.
This showed that compared to the Leaf, the Hidden Mist Village could be considered... rustic in its customs.
After touring the Hidden Mist Village, Hayato Ren settled in at an inn.
Why choose this particular inn instead of the more luxurious-looking one next door?
This absolutely wasn't because this inn's signboard girl was particularly pleasing to the eye, but because Hayato Ren felt a connection with this establishment.
Since he booked the best room, the entire space was very clean and tidy, and it even came with daily meal delivery service.
After confirming there were no surveillance devices in the room, Hayato Ren looked at his own shadow and said:
"Haunter, come out."
Hayato Ren's shadow on the wall suddenly began to twist, and within moments, a mass of mist emerged from the shadow, taking the shape of a ghostly figure with two claws.
Indeed, Hayato Ren's third Pokémon was the renowned ghost-type Haunter.