The room was lit up at night, and Uchiha Itachi and Senju Chakama sat inside, saying nothing.
The room was unusually quiet, with only the sound of the shower running in the bathroom.
The bathroom door was frosted glass, and through it, the two of them could vaguely see Naraku's slender figure.
"Naraku is almost done showering. Let's go out and wait for a bit. What are you looking at? Come on, let's go."
Uchiha Itachi pulled a reluctant Senju Chakama out of the room.
(Looking at my wife? You dare.)
A few minutes earlier, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, after using a genjutsu to obtain some information from the captive's mind, brought him to the third floor of the inn.
When he opened a certain door, the old man and several servants in the room stood up.
"How is it? Have you repelled them? Excellent! Truly worthy of the Sarutobi clan's ninja."
"So reliable."
The old man was flushed with excitement, lavishing praise on Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
However, Shinnosuke's expression was ashen. After coldly throwing the captive onto the ground, he lit a cigarette.
"Don't play coy with me. You're not Sakata Yuzo at all. You're the chairman of the Land of Hot Water Merchant Association, aren't you? A regular person with no real strength, yet you managed to get a 3 million bounty in the Black Market by exploiting the common people. Truly remarkable!"
Hearing Sarutobi Shinnosuke's mocking tone, the old man sneered twice, his smile disappearing.
He showed no embarrassment or fear after being exposed. Instead, he tidied his clothes and sat casually on a bench.
"So what? Do you need to register your name to post a mission in Konohagakure? Since you accepted the mission, you have to protect my safety, you understand?"
The servant next to him quickly took out a pipe and lit it for the old man.
After taking a puff, the old man's expression became even more arrogant, and he didn't bother to continue acting with Shinnosuke.
He put on an act like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water.
"Is that so? However, since you're a wanted criminal with a bounty of 3 million, there's a possibility of encountering ninjas during your escort. Therefore, this is a B-rank mission, but you only paid for a C-rank mission."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke smiled and stood up, then walked out while continuing,
"So according to the contract, I have the right to abandon the mission. If a few more Bounty Hunter show up, then you're on your own, old man. By the way, we won't refund the mission deposit. Goodbye."
This time, the old man panicked. He quickly stood up and hastily blocked Sarutobi Shinnosuke's path. With a thud, he knelt on the ground, then prostrated himself and wailed, saying:
"Waaah, waah, Sarutobi-sama, I was just kidding! I'll pay more, I'll pay more! I'll pay for an A-rank mission, please don't leave me!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke sneered. This was hilarious. Now he was scared? Wasn't it a bit too late?
"I... no, I don't need your money. Keep it, maybe you can buy a decent burial plot."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke didn't bother listening to the old man's curses behind him, just walked out of the room, smoking with a swagger.
(Ah... how should I tell Naraku and the others tomorrow? They seem to really want to go to the Land of Hot Water... Sigh.)
In the blink of an eye, it was dawn. Naraku, Itachi, and Chakama went downstairs to the first floor of the inn.
They saw the innkeeper wiping away tears while directing a few carpenters to repair the door.
Seeing this scene, Naraku felt somewhat guilty...
"Come on, everyone, let's eat breakfast together."
At Shinnosuke's invitation, the three of them came to the table and sat down.
"Well, classmates, before we eat, I have some big good news to announce."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke coughed a little awkwardly after seeing the three were ready, and then continued to announce:
"What good news, Teacher?"
Senju Chakama asked impatiently.
"This mission is over! Yesterday..."
After Sarutobi Shinnosuke roughly recounted the events of last night to the students:
"So, we can pack up and head back to Konohagakure now."
The three students: …
Sarutobi Shinnosuke scratched his head, Don't look so unhappy…
"Alright, it's not far to the Land of Hot Water anyway. We'll go there and soak in the hot springs, then head back to Konohagakure. Of course, the teacher is treating!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke sighed, ultimately unable to bear seeing the three children so sad.
"Hooray, long live Teacher!"
"Hahaha!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke watched the children's smiling faces, feeling that the money he spent was worth it.
So, being a guiding Jonin is quite interesting.
At this moment.
A tragedy was unfolding within the Land of Hot Water.
This was an open space in a small grove. In the center of the clearing stood a tent, and the campfire beside it hadn't yet gone out.
A man wearing a tight-fitting outfit and a Yugakure forehead protector lay on the ground near the tent. His chest was soaked in blood, and his mouth was agape in disbelief, as if he had seen something unbelievable before he died.
Not far from this Yugakure corpse, another person was lying on the ground.
In the spot where he was lying, there was also a bizarre magic array drawn in blood.
The man was lying in the array with a grim expression, his body covered in black and white stripes.
A black iron spear was impaled in the left side of his chest, and he was muttering, as if making some kind of prayer.
After a few seconds, the black and white stripes on the man's body quickly faded, and finally turned into the yellow skin of a normal human.
(ps: Not Hidan.)
After a while...
Another person emerged from a nearby tent and said to the man lying on the ground:
"Yamazaki-sama, the Heretics in the tent have also been killed,"
"Sigh… this missionary work was a complete failure. Those guys still refused to join our Evil God Cult. The Elder even ordered us to find six children to join the cult, but where are we supposed to find them?"
The man on the ground struggled to pull the black gun out of himself.
"Ah… it hurts. Damn it, if the research in the cult had succeeded, just transplanting the heart to the right side… it still won't work."
"What the hell are you standing around for? Hurry up and stop the bleeding! You want to watch me bleed out?"
The man who had come out of the tent quickly ran to Yamazaki and wrapped his chest in bandages like a mummy.
"Where can we find six children to recruit? It's so annoying! If we can't find them, we should try our luck around Yugakure."
Yamazaki scratched his head, thinking dejectedly.
........................
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(End of Chapter)