Konoha: You're letting me build up my bonds, but you're offending the entire ninja world.

Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't continue the conversation with Gengetsu Shimura, fearing he might get angry and die if they kept talking. He immediately changed the subject, his expression turning serious.

"Hizashi, I called you here because I have a task for you."

"This mission is extremely important. Most of the Jonin in the village are away, so you are the most suitable candidates."

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Spy from Kirigakure Arrives in Tanabata Town

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained the details of the mission.

This is a tentatively classified B-level intelligence mission, but it is very likely to be classified A-level.

Konoha received information that Kirigakure's intelligence agents were infiltrating Wildfire Town on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, but what they were doing was still unknown.

The mission objective is to capture the target alive and bring him back to Konoha for interrogation by the village's ninjas.

The reason for initially classifying them as Rank B is that ninjas who gather intelligence are generally not very strong in combat, and may even be ordinary people who have undergone training.

One Jonin plus three Chunin are enough to handle it; even if the calculation is wrong, there is room for error.

After hearing this, Hyuga Hizashi agreed without hesitation, and a smile returned to Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.

The main reason he specifically chose the Hizashi squad to complete the mission was to observe Shimura Gengetsu's qualities and potential during the mission.

If he is satisfied, he can swing the hoe more diligently and try to dig the person over.

Although the geniuses of the Uchiha clan are also part of the village's fighting force, they still need to be suppressed appropriately due to their special status.

The village produced two geniuses, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, and no other ninja clan in the village could compare to them.

The only hope is Shimura Gengetsu.

However, his identity is equally complicated; Danzo is much more troublesome than the Uchiha.

"Lao Deng."

Gengetsu Shimura frowned. "We just accepted a mission. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"That kind of mission is fine."

Hyuga Hizashi quickly tried to defend Gengetsu: "Assassinating a merchant is something many small teams in Konoha can do. Catching the spy from Kirigakure is more important."

"What about my extra income?" Shimura Gengetsu sighed. "Ever since I became a ninja, my old man hasn't even given me any pocket money. Now I only have a few thousand explosive tags on me, and I really don't feel safe..."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe to his lips but hesitated to put it in, his eyes looking somewhat blank.

Thousands of explosive tags... Are you planning a small-scale battle?

"Can we accept both missions at the same time?" Shimura Gengetsu asked. "The mission we need is in Tanabata Town, which is on our way there."

"What mission did you take on?" After Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, Hizashi Hyuga gave him a general overview of the mission.

The old man said with some difficulty, "There is no precedent in the village for carrying out two tasks at the same time."

"It's all just a matter of you saying a word." Shimura Gengetsu waved his hand dismissively: "Hizashi-sensei writes the report, you approve the note, and the matter is settled, isn't it?"

“Yeah, Hiruzen.” Koharu Utatane chimed in, “It’s on the way, so it won’t take much time, and it saves manpower. I think it’s a good thing.”

"We should have faith in Hizashi's strength. Although he is from a branch family, his strength is undeniable."

“I think it’s a good idea.” Mitomon Yan nodded seriously. “Their squad is highly skilled and shouldn’t be wasted. The village is currently short-handed.”

"Ok."

After being persuaded by the two, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to agree, but he still warned, "If the mission fails, I'll have Danzo spank you when we get back."

Upon hearing this, Hijiri's lips twitched.

If you don't complete the task, you just get a spanking... Sure enough, connections are everything in this world.

.....

Holding the two letters of authorization, the Hizashi team left the Hokage Building. They had all their packages with them and were ready to leave the village, so they headed straight for the gates of Konoha.

The gatekeepers now are not those two guardians—Izumo and Tsuyoshi Tetsuya.

Strictly speaking, these two are Shimura Gengetsu's classmates. They both graduated a few months ago and are currently on a mission with their supervising teacher, so they are not qualified to guard the gate.

After completing the registration, Hyuga Hizashi said to Gengetsu and the other two, "Smuggler Fujimoto Keisuke is currently living in Tanabata Street, which is not too far from Konoha. If we travel at full speed, we should arrive this afternoon."

The group nodded without any objection, and then quickly disappeared into the forest, leaping from tree to tree.

Hyuga Hizashi's "going all out" doesn't mean exhausting all of his physical strength, but rather finding a balance between recovery and depletion, maintaining himself at over 80% of his capacity to cope with unexpected situations.

Therefore... the speed of progress does not depend on the fastest person, but on the slowest person.

Kurenai has the worst stamina in the team, so we should take her condition as the standard.

Kurenai realized she was the weakest one, so she kept her mouth shut the whole way, not daring to waste a single bit of energy.

Secretly, he resolved to go back and train hard in physical skills, at least to improve his travel speed.

Shimura Gengetsu and Uzuki Yugao, standing to the side, looked relaxed. During their journey, Uzuki Yugao even asked Shimura Gengetsu for advice on swordsmanship.

When they arrived at Tanabata Street, Uzuki Yugao still looked like she hadn't had enough.

Having received guidance from numerous swordsmanship teachers and possessing various swordsmanship scrolls from Shimura Danzo, Shimura Gengetsu's theoretical foundation far surpassed that of Uzuki Yugao.

The exchanges along the way have already benefited her greatly, and she has discovered many of her own problems.

If she could, she really wanted to find a place to have a good chat with Shimura Gengetsu, but unfortunately they were on a mission. They could chat while traveling, but not once they arrived at their destination.

The three found a hotel, checked into their rooms, and finally met up in Hyuga Hizashi's room to share information about the mission objective:

"Fujimoto Keisuke's house is in the mansion district of Tanabata, where many wealthy merchants and nobles live. Our actions must be discreet and not cause any disturbances, otherwise it will be very detrimental to the image of Konoha Village."

Despite its name, Tanbata Street is actually a bustling commercial town. Casinos, brothels, and taverns line the entire street, and it's most lively at night, brightly lit, which also affects assassination missions.

"Everyone, let's rest first, and we'll start the operation after midnight," Hyuga Hizashi decided.

"..."

After a brief discussion, Shimura Gengetsu and the other two left Hyuga Hizashi's room.

"Oh, right, Yugao." Shimura Gengetsu called out to Uzuki Yugao, who was walking in another direction. He suddenly remembered a question he had wanted to ask when the team first assembled that day, but he was so focused on tricking Hyuga Hizashi that he forgot about it.

It's not too late to ask now.

"What's wrong?" Uzuki Yugao asked curiously.

Do you know someone named Uzuki Sekijo?

Uzuki Yugao's expression changed.

Chapter Thirty-Three: You actually picked up two girls? You've already laid a path to your death!

"Where did you hear this name?" Uzuki Yugao asked him anxiously.

"Is he/she a relative?" Shimura Gengetsu didn't answer, but continued to ask.

After glancing at Kurenai Yuhi, who was looking on with a gossipy expression, Uzuki Yugao picked up Gengetsu Shimura and went into his room.

Genzuki Shimura: "......"

When he grows up, I'll definitely get my revenge. You think you can bully him just because he's young?

"Xuan Yue, could you tell me where you got the news about Mao Yue Pass? It's really important to me."

Back in the house, Uzuki Yugao asked again in an almost pleading tone.

Gengetsu Shimura nodded. "I can tell you, but you must also tell me about your relationship and what happened in the story."

He wanted to watch the drama unfold too.

"it is good."

Uzuki Yugao agreed and began to talk about her relationship with Uzuki Sekijo.

Uzuki Sekijo is her uncle, her father's younger brother, and once the most talented genius in the Uzuki family, becoming a special Jonin at the age of thirteen.

However, during the Third Shinobi World War, he 'died' on the battlefield against Iwagakure, and his body was never found; there was only a cold record of him on the list of the dead.

In Uzuki Yugao's memory, her second uncle had been dead for almost ten years. It's no wonder she was so agitated to hear that name from the mouth of the child Shimura Gengetsu.

"That's it..."

After thinking for a moment, Shimura Gengetsu decided to reveal some information about Uzuki Castle.

"He's still alive, still in the Roots?" Uzuki Yugao stood up excitedly. "Then why hasn't he come home all these years, not even a letter?"

"Maybe it's some kind of agreement with my old man," Shimura Gengetsu habitually blamed Danzo.

"Let me clarify one point: the dark area is the dark area, and the root is the root; the two are completely different."

Uzuki Yugao looked confused.

Root... isn't that just the name of a small squad in the Dark Division?

Xuan Yue sighed. Right now, Uzuki Yugao was still a rookie and had no idea about the true power structure of Konoha. He could only explain the difference between Root and Anbu to her again.

After learning that even the Hokage couldn't interfere with Root's actions, Uzuki Yugao's eyes changed.

With such immense power, Danzo Shimura was practically another Hokage in the village, and in many ways, he even enjoyed a greater degree of freedom than the Hokage.