"That's the full mission briefing. Alright, head back and make your preparations. We'll gather at the village gates in two hours!"
After announcing the details of the mission, Tsunade waved the three students away and disappeared first.
The three members of Team Ten also split up to prepare for the upcoming assignment.
The mission had officially been classified as A-rank, but the task itself was quite straightforward.
They were to travel to Takumi Village in the Land of Artisans and receive a shipment of important standardized weapons and special ninja tools that Konohagakure had commissioned some time ago.
At the same time, they would represent Konohagakure in placing a new and even larger order for weapons and ninja tools.
Although Konoha possessed its own complete research and production departments for ninja tools, along with specialized shinobi and craftsmen, more than half a year of high-intensity warfare on two fronts had consumed supplies at an alarming rate. Stocks of swords, kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, and countless other necessities were dwindling rapidly.
Furthermore, according to the latest projections from the Intelligence Division—
Sunagakure, to the southwest, had spent the past few months recuperating and was highly likely to launch another offensive within the next one to two months, possibly on an even greater scale, in an attempt to break the stalemate that had followed the Battle of Kikyō Pass.
Meanwhile, Kirigakure in the southeast was showing increasingly obvious signs of unrest. Its large-scale entry into the war seemed to be only a matter of time.
To prepare for what might become an even harsher and more intense situation, strengthen strategic reserves, and ensure that frontline shinobi would not suffer equipment shortages, Konoha's leadership had decided, after careful evaluation, to place a massive additional order with Takumi Village to compensate for the short-term gap in its own production capacity.
As a result, this mission involved an enormous quantity of supplies, important diplomatic matters, and major financial transactions. Although it had been classified as A-rank to emphasize its importance, there was theoretically little chance of complications or combat.
Its primary purpose was routine diplomatic handover procedures, quality inspection, and commercial negotiations.
At least, that was the theory.
Because the moment Tsunade had announced the destination as the "Takumi Village of the Land of Artisans," Shinichi suddenly felt an extremely faint but peculiar stir within himself.
It was Avoiding Misfortune!
The blue Entry that allowed him to sense impending danger and steer clear of ill fortune was silently warning him.
It was telling him that this seemingly ordinary trip to the Land of Artisans probably wouldn't go as smoothly as it appeared.
'What could it be? Problems within Takumi Village itself? An accident on the road? Another force setting its sights on this shipment of valuable supplies? Or perhaps on the Land of Artisans itself?'
As he walked home, Shinichi rapidly ran through various possibilities in his mind.
The sensation wasn't particularly strong. It lacked the sharp edge of a life-or-death warning. It felt more like a reminder:
There's a hole ahead. Watch your step.
Judging from the intensity of the feeling, whatever happened during this mission would amount to nothing more than a minor trouble or unexpected incident that required some effort to resolve. It was nowhere near a threat to his life.
'Heh... I'm starting to feel more and more like one of those protagonists from stories. No matter where I go, trouble follows right behind.'
Shinichi thought to himself. By now, he had gained a much deeper understanding of the fortune-related Entries Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune.
Seeking Fortune made it easier for him to encounter opportunities, fortunate events, valuable clues, and noteworthy people.
Avoiding Misfortune, on the other hand, seemed to turn him into a magnet for incidents and the center of every whirlpool, making him more likely to become entangled in unexpected events, troublesome situations, and even hidden dangers.
But based on his previous experience with Ominous Sign, overcoming those troubles often brought corresponding rewards afterward.
In a sense, Shinichi had become much like those protagonists whom fate constantly pushed forward—opportunities and trouble always arriving hand in hand.
'So what kind of trouble is waiting for me in the Land of Artisans this time? And what kind of benefits will come after I get through it?'
His curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.
'Will it be Takumi Village's secret top-tier forging techniques or rare materials? Some uniquely designed ninja tool with incredible power? Or maybe I'll meet some interesting people?'
Carrying that curiosity with him, two hours later, he arrived at the gates of Konohagakure.
"Everyone's here? Good!"
"Move out! Destination—the Land of Artisans, Takumi Village!"
After more than half a year apart and tempered by the fires of war, Team Ten had finally reunited.
Together, they set out once again on a mission of their own.
...
Meanwhile, at Takumi Village in the Land of Artisans.
Inside a hidden chamber, Seimei slowly opened his eyes.
The strange sense of foreboding in his heart had grown stronger and stronger.
He could wait no longer.
Tonight.
It had to be tonight.
He sprang to his feet, pushed open the chamber door, and issued a solemn command to the trusted subordinate waiting outside.
"Contact our people immediately! Notify every companion who supports the new path. Gather here at midnight tonight!"
"Yes, Seimei-sama!"
A fanatical gleam flashed through the subordinate's eyes as he acknowledged the order and vanished at once.
After giving the command, Seimei closed the door again and returned to the deepest part of the chamber.
His gaze settled upon a specially crafted weapon rack standing at its center.
Four ninja tools of entirely different designs rested there in silence.
These were the Four Great Ninja Tools he had secretly forged over nearly ten years, combining Takumi Village's secret techniques with his own genius ideas.
One of them was a strangely shaped longsword.
Its entire body was a deep sapphire-blue, resembling polished crystal. The blade consisted of an unusual three-pronged structure, possessing an eerie yet captivating beauty.
Under the dim light, it reflected a cold blue glow.
Garian Sword!
This special ninja tool could not only extend and retract freely like a living creature, changing its length at will, but could also transform from a sword into a chakra dragon.
Next was an unusual weapon that looked like two longswords skillfully fused into one. Its overall design was elegant and ornate, with a vibrant emerald-like gem embedded in the pommel.
Weaknessless Soaring Shortswords!
These were highly specialized twin swords. They could be used either as a single blade or as dual swords, and they possessed the ability to reduce the chakra consumption of Wind Release techniques while greatly amplifying their power.
(These swords were far superior to Temari's Three-Star Fan.)
The third was a massive greatsword, entirely black, with a heavy and ancient design.
Fire Sword!
Its effects were similar to those of the Weaknessless Soaring Shortswords, except that it specialized in Fire Release. It reduced chakra consumption while making Fire Release techniques far more violent and significantly more powerful.
The last item was a suit of blue armor that appeared simple, almost plain, in design.
Infinite Armor!
The true wonder of this armor was not only its ability to absorb and disperse physical impacts, reducing injuries sustained by its wearer.
Its most important ability was that it could even absorb chakra from other people and from ninjutsu to a certain extent!
This was the foundation of Seimei's confidence in launching a coup and purging opposition within the village.
It was also the source of his conviction that he could one day lead the Artisan Ninja Village out of its shackles and negotiate with the Five Great Nations as an equal.
...
At the same time that Team Ten of Konoha was setting out for the Land of Artisans, and Seimei was planning his coup—
Sunagakure, Kazekage's Office.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had also received an invitation delivered through a special channel from Kirigakure.
Kirigakure proposed forming a secret military alliance with Sunagakure against Konoha.
They invited Sunagakure to launch a coordinated offensive against the Land of Fire, attacking simultaneously from east and west to encircle Konoha. After the war, the two villages would divide the Land of Fire's fertile lands and immense wealth between them.
The letter concluded by stating that, if Sunagakure was interested, it could send an envoy to Kirigakure for detailed discussions. Alternatively, Kirigakure could dispatch a representative to Sunagakure in secret to work out the operational plans and timetable together.
To Rasa, this invitation was nothing less than timely rain after a drought.
His original plan had been to spend half a year rebuilding and replenishing Sunagakure's strength before launching a decisive offensive against Konoha while Kumogakure remained heavily engaged with Konoha on the northeastern front.
The goal was to shatter the stalemate at Kikyō Pass, drive the front lines deep into the Land of Fire, seize tangible gains, reverse Sunagakure's declining fortunes in the war, and secure stronger bargaining chips for future negotiations.
However, events had unfolded far beyond Rasa's expectations.
Not only had Kumogakure failed to cripple Konoha or pin down its main forces as anticipated, but it had instead suffered a crushing defeat on the northeastern front. Its logistics and medical systems had been devastated, and its losses were even greater than Sunagakure's.
Then, Iwagakure had suddenly declared war on Kumogakure, completely tying down most of Kumogakure's remaining strength in the north.
This meant that the pressure on Konoha's northeastern border had been drastically reduced.
Large numbers of Konoha elites previously occupied by Kumogakure could now be redeployed elsewhere—including the southwestern front.
As a result, Sunagakure's position had become extremely awkward and passive.
If it followed the original plan and launched a major offensive alone, it would likely run headfirst into Konoha's newly freed elite forces, plunging itself into another brutal campaign with an uncertain outcome and potentially suffering even heavier losses than before.
That was a risk Rasa absolutely could not afford.
The overall strength of Sunagakure had always been inferior to Konoha's. That was an undeniable fact.
The only reason Sunagakure had dared initiate the war in the first place was because Konoha was surrounded by enemies and forced to contend with multiple threats simultaneously, preventing it from concentrating all of its strength against a single opponent.
Once that assumption was shaken, Sunagakure's offensive could very well end in disaster.
But now, Kirigakure's invitation was like a ray of light piercing through the darkness.
"So Kirigakure has finally run out of patience and is ready to enter the war in earnest?"
Rasa muttered to himself as his mind rapidly worked through every possibility.
If Sunagakure and Kirigakure could coordinate their efforts and attack from east and west simultaneously, Konoha would truly find itself facing the most severe multi-front war since the conflict began.
No—perhaps even pressure from three or four directions.
Konoha would still need to remain wary of potential developments from Iwagakure and Kumogakure in the northwest and northeast.
This was completely different from the previous situation, where Sunagakure and Kumogakure had entered the war at different times, allowing Konoha to rotate forces and deal with them one by one.
Facing the full pressure of two Great Shinobi Villages at the same time, while remaining vigilant against unexpected moves from the others—
Even Konoha would inevitably be stretched thin and expose major weaknesses.
This time, the opportunity was enormous.
Rasa pondered for a long while before issuing an order to the attendant standing quietly nearby.
"Go inform Pakura-jōnin. Tell her to put aside all current duties and come see me immediately."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama!"
A short while later, Pakura appeared in the Kazekage's office.
Tall and graceful, with a cool and composed demeanor, she stepped inside.
"Kazekage-sama, you wished to see me?"
Rasa looked at the female jōnin before him, a woman who possessed both Scorch Release and Swift Release and enjoyed considerable prestige within the village.
Suppressing the trace of complicated emotion in his heart, he handed her a document.
"Pakura, I want you to travel to Kirigakure as my envoy."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
Accepting the order without hesitation, Pakura turned and departed.
Silence returned to the Kazekage's office.
Rasa raised his head and looked toward the enormous map of the shinobi world hanging on the wall.
His eyes grew colder and colder.