I'm retrieving corpses in Konoha.

The young men escorting the caravan were no match for them, and their goods were looted.

The mission is to help the caravan recover its goods and, incidentally, eliminate the bandits.

The four bandits were ordinary people with some martial arts skills, but they couldn't be considered ninjas.

Therefore, the task was classified as a C-level task, and the reward was 40,000 taels.

Four bandits—this mission was perfect for Uchiha Natsumi. Since Uzuki Yugao had no mission experience, it was a good opportunity to practice with ordinary people.

In a few more days, Uchiha Natsu will take her on B-rank missions. With Big Gray around, even if the two of them can't defeat the enemy, Big Gray can handle it.

Rank B missions may involve encountering Chunin enemies, which could result in obtaining a large number of Chunin corpses.

After explaining the mission details, the staff invited the employer to the lobby to meet with Uchiha Natsu.

The employer was a middle-aged businessman with a goatee and a somewhat plump build. He glanced at Uchiha Natsumi and Uzuki Yugao with his triangular eyes.

Upon learning that it was a team of Chunin leading Genin, the merchant immediately denied it.

"I need to change the personnel. It needs to be at least a four-person team, or a team of two Chunin! These two ninjas won't do."

[A book-reading app recommended to me by a friend I've known for ten years, Wild Fruit Reading! It's damn good! I use it to read aloud and listen to books while driving or before bed to pass the time. You can download it here.]

Hearing the businessman speak ill of Uchiha Natsu, the staff member was somewhat displeased, but she couldn't offend her employer, so she calmly said:

"Sir, these two are both outstanding ninjas of our Konoha. The captain, in particular, has experience with an S-rank mission and will definitely be able to complete this mission perfectly."

He blurted it out without hesitation, and even the staff member felt a little guilty afterward. Because Uchiha Natsu's performance was far from excellent.

Upon hearing about the S-rank mission experience, the merchant still wanted to refute it.

But then he suddenly noticed the fan-shaped symbol on Uchiha Natsu's clothes.

A member of the Uchiha clan?

The merchant's heart skipped a beat. He subtly looked away and nodded, saying, "So you're a ninja who has completed S-rank missions. I can rest assured then."

The mission was finally finalized. The businessman paid the deposit to the staff and then led the Uchiha Natsu team out of the mission center.

A horse-drawn carriage was parked in the alley next to the mission center.

The merchant led Uchiha Natsumi and Uzuki Yugao into the carriage, gave a signal, and the driver immediately set off.

Uchiha Natsu didn't notice the merchant's previous expression, but out of caution, he still asked the merchant many details about what had happened.

The merchant answered fluently, and his words did not seem fabricated.

Uchiha Natsu casually took out a pair of sunglasses, put them on, and then activated his Sharingan to carefully observe the businessman's every move.

Judging from every subtle movement, this businessman was indeed an ordinary person.

Uchiha Natsu was slightly relieved, but still took advantage of the merchant's inattention to use Shadow Clone Technique and Body Flicker Technique.

He left the shadow clone inside the carriage, while his main body teleported outside and secretly followed behind.

On the way, Uchiha Natsumi's shadow clone left in the car told Uzuki Yugao a lot of things to pay attention to, especially how to deal with enemies.

Uzuki Yugao carefully took notes, and neither of them showed any unusual behavior.

The journey was uneventful until the sun began to set, when the carriage finally approached the location where the caravan had been attacked.

"Mr. Ninja, after those four bandits stole the goods, they headed northwest. I sent men to follow them and discovered their hideout. You must not let those bandits get away, or they will definitely come back to retaliate against me later."

Inside the carriage, the merchant spoke with a worried expression.

Uchiha Natsu nodded: "Don't worry, those bandits are just ordinary people, while we are ninjas. Just stay far away when the time comes."

The businessman's expression relaxed slightly.

Not long after, the carriage stopped, and the driver turned back to the carriage and said, "Boss, the bandits' hideout is just ahead."

Upon hearing this, the merchant's expression brightened, and he glanced at the round fan logo seemingly casually.

Then he said to Uchiha Natsu, "Mr. Ninja, the bandit's hideout is just ahead. If the carriage goes any further, we'll be discovered. Let's get off and walk."

Chapter 9 Ambush

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Natsumi got out of the car with Uzuki Yugao.

The three walked forward, with Uchiha Natsu's shadow clone in the middle.

This way, both people can be protected at the same time to prevent accidents.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Natsu, who was secretly following behind, activated his Sharingan again to check the situation ahead.

.

In the northern part of the Land of Fire, in the forest.

Three burly men sat around under the tree.

"Captain, isn't what we're doing a bit inappropriate? What if we ruin Lord Raikage's plans..."

One of the young men looked at the captain, who was the most muscular, and couldn't help but say something.

The captain's body was a size larger than the others, and his exposed muscles seemed to be full of explosive power.

Upon hearing this, his face immediately darkened.

"Dorui, are you questioning my decision?"

"I wouldn't dare," the man named Dorui quickly waved his hand.

Their captain is one of the young geniuses of the Yotsuki clan in Kumogakure.

At only eighteen years old, he was already a highly experienced Jonin leading a team and held a very high position in Kumogakure.

He himself was merely a Chunin, and had no right to point fingers at a captain like that.

Captain Yoruichi snorted coldly and said, "Three years ago, my brother was killed by those guys from Konoha's Anbu. I've always remembered that grudge!"

"This time, Lord Raikage arranged for so many people to infiltrate the Land of Fire, making thorough preparations. Who knew that the Hokage would actually send the Hyuga clan leader's corpse here."

Thinking of this, Ye Yueqi was filled with anger.

The plan devised by the high-ranking officials of Kumogakure was to have the ninja leader who went to negotiate kidnap a child from the Hyuga clan in order to gain the Byakugan.

Prior to this, they had already deployed a large number of Cloud Ninja troops throughout the Land of Fire.

Once they succeed, these hidden ninjas will appear to hinder the people of Konoha and cover the retreat of the ninja leader.

But unexpectedly, the ninja leader was discovered and killed on the spot.

Therefore, the higher-ups had no choice but to temporarily change their plans, demanding that Konoha hand over the body of the Hyuga clan leader, or else they would declare war.

If it were their Hidden Cloud Village, they would never agree to this condition, and the Raikage doesn't believe Konoha would agree to it either.

Therefore, Kumogakure contacted Iwagakure and Sunagakure in advance.

Using hidden forces that have been secretly infiltrated within the Land of Fire, they plan to launch a war under the pretext that Konoha refuses to negotiate.

This plan has been in the works since three years ago, when the genius of the Night Moon Clan was killed.

But to everyone's surprise, the Hokage actually agreed.

They actually handed over the corpse of the Hyuga clan leader.

Having lost its reason to attack, the Hidden Cloud Village had no choice but to issue a retreat order.

After all, such a large number of ninjas cannot be away from the village for too long.

Now, the ninjas hidden throughout the Land of Fire by the Hidden Cloud Village have begun to withdraw one after another.

However, he had not yet avenged his great grudge against Ye Yueqi, and he simply could not swallow this insult.

Before leaving, he insisted on killing a squad of Konoha ninjas.

Ye Yueqi said in a deep voice, "Three years ago, my elder brother had just been promoted to Jonin and was on his first top-secret mission with the Jonin team. Unexpectedly, he was betrayed by the Anbu team, including Kakashi with Sharingan, and died tragically on the border of the Land of Fire."

Honestly, I've been using Wildfruit Reading to read and follow my favorite books lately. It has easy source switching, multiple reading voice options, and works on both Android and Apple devices.

"Afterwards, the village sent spies hidden in Konoha to investigate in secret, but they found no trace of the elder brother's body. It was as if he had evaporated into thin air, and there was no trace of the place where the battle took place either."

"But I know that my brother's body must have been taken away by Konoha! It's just that they did it too secretly, otherwise they would have had a reason to formally declare war three years ago to avenge my brother!"

Ye Yueqi grew angrier as she spoke, her teeth grinding together.

The other team members remained silent; Yunyin had indeed been having a very difficult time these past few days.

It was like punching cotton, one punch after another.

It's understandable that the captain was so frustrated.

"Captain, that merchant has arrived with two men, but they are both Konoha ninjas guarding him!"

Just then, another team member sitting on the tree trunk whispered a reminder.

"Two? Only two?" Ye Yueqi frowned, then immediately said, "Hide first!"

Swish swish.

The four used ninjutsu to conceal themselves under pre-prepared cover. Each person took charge of a direction, forming a four-corner encirclement.

The air fell silent, and soon footsteps sounded, approaching from afar.

Uchiha Natsu's shadow clone was halfway there when it suddenly sensed something.

It is a signal sent to him by the main body.

Although the shadow clones cannot use the Sharingan, they can still tell from the main body's warning that there must be an ambush.

The shadow clone moved slightly forward, with its rear half blocking Uzuki Yugao's path, its left hand gripping the katana at its waist.

The katana was specially prepared by Uchiha Natsumi to teach Uzuki Yugao swordsmanship.

Uzuki Yugao immediately noticed and realized that her teacher was reminding her that something was wrong, so she also became alert.

The merchant, however, continued walking as if he knew nothing.

Sudden.

The shadow clone paused for a moment.

Uzuki Yugao's vigilance reached its peak, while the merchant was startled.

The shadow clone accurately captured this expression and instantly understood.