Konoha's Mission Master

With a thud, a purple toad appeared on the rock next to Jiraiya. To Yakumo's surprise, the purple toad's mouth rapidly expanded, eventually spitting out a cake and two scrolls.

The familiar slime… Yakumo suddenly realized…

"This is for you..."

Jiraiya picked up the scroll and tossed it to Yakumo.

Yakumo opened the scroll and began to read…

"Happy birthday, Yakumo - Sakumo Hatake."

"Happy birthday. My swordsmanship has improved recently. I will challenge you when you come back—Kakashi Hatake."

"Happy birthday, my good brother! Uncle Sakumo has been guiding my training lately, and my strength has improved a lot. I'll give you a surprise when you come back—Uchiha Obito."

"Happy birthday, Yakumo. Be careful while you're with Jiraiya-sama. — Nohara Rin"

"Happy birthday to you, mua~, hehe, I'll steal a kiss while I'm at it. Oh, and one more thing, Milk Ball has wrecked the house again. It's destroyed the sofa and bed. I guess it needs a boyfriend—Mori Masako."

This is a letter written to him by his friends, which mainly contains birthday wishes from Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi, Masako Mori, Obito, Rin Nohara, and others.

This world... isn't so bad after all.

At least his friends remembered his birthday.

At the end of the letter, Sakumo Hatake vaguely mentioned that the steward of the daimyo's mansion was killed by assassins while protecting the daimyo.

Did Chenyu's weakness get discovered by Zhenyi?

Yakumo showed an expression of interest…

On the other hand, Jiraiya's expression turned somewhat grim after reading the scroll, while Yakumo unwrapped a cake and sat by the stream to eat it. He barely ate any of the previous cake, as most of it became cannonballs for his attacks...

Jiraiya also started eating cake.

"The Third Hokage has canceled the mission and ordered us to return the way we came, while I plan to go to the Land of Rain to search for my missing disciple."

A dozen minutes later, Jiraiya spoke.

"why?"

Yakumo was immediately shocked. A commission of 300 million yen, an S-rank mission. If he gave up this mission, it would definitely have a strong impact on Konoha's reputation. Most importantly, the Sumeru Thirteen Ninjas were related to his quarterly mission.

"The Anbu has investigated and found out that the Thirteen Ninja of Sumeru is actually an organization secretly cultivated by the Grass Village. The two Jonin leaders are actually the heads of two departments, namely the Guard Department, the Development Department, the Medical Department, and the Research Department, who take turns serving as heads. The remaining eleven members are drawn from the four departments."

Dark area, YYDS.

Yakumo was slightly taken aback. Initially, he had only thought that the Thirteen Ninja of Sumeru were related to some high-ranking member of Kusagakure, which explained their ability to move freely in and out of the Land of Grass. He never expected that the so-called Thirteen Ninja of Sumeru were actually established by Kusagakure.

That makes sense, since most people would choose Konoha or Iwagakure when issuing missions. If accepting missions is not enough to support the village's expenses, Kusagakure needs other means to earn extra money.

"We stormed into Kusagakure and took down the four department heads... so the mission is already complete?" Yakumo asked, somewhat puzzled.

Jiraiya was silent for a few seconds... then spoke.

"In that case, the Land of Grass might completely side with the Land of Earth, so based on the friendship between the two countries, the Third Hokage ordered us to abandon the mission."

"Ah, friendship between our two countries..."

"The Thirteen Ninjas of Sumeru have wreaked havoc on the border for ten years, slaughtering no fewer than five thousand innocent people. Killing them is equivalent to ridding the Land of Fire of a great scourge. Now that we have finally found their trail, we are going to give up? There is no such logic in this world."

Yakumo was somewhat agitated. Even if Jiraiya abandoned him, he would still use assassination to deal with these scumbags, partly because of his conscience, but more importantly because of the mission.

"This is the Third Hokage's order..."

Jiraiya shook his head.

"Don't forget... Jiraiya-sama, it was you who told me to hold fast to the flame in my heart and ignite the darkness."

The atmosphere between the two became tense. Jiraiya lit the scroll with flames, and as time passed, Jiraiya's expression became complicated.

If he were young, he would naturally not have let those beasts from Kusagakure go unpunished. But he has grown up, completed hundreds of S-rank missions, and experienced the Second Shinobi World War. He understands the value of peace even more and has developed a broader perspective.

"Sacrificing the interests of a small number of people to promote overall stability...isn't that unfair?"

After a silence of more than ten minutes, Jiraiya finally spoke up and asked.

"It's unfair. A small number of people lose their lives instead of their interests, and this ignores the wishes of that small number of people. Perhaps they are unwilling to sacrifice themselves for the so-called greater good? No one's life should be used as a bargaining chip or an exchangeable benefit."

Yakumo immediately retorted that the essence of the ninja world is that the strong are respected, but Yakumo's words were a rebuttal from another perspective, showing that everyone's wishes and choices matter.

"As the strong, shouldn't we guarantee the safety and basic human rights of the weak?"

Jiraiya was taken aback. He suddenly realized that Yakumo's words made a lot of sense, leaving him unsure how to refute them.

Those who died because of the Thirteen Ninja of Sumeru were also residents of the Land of Fire, and were people they needed to protect.

"If this sacrifice stems from their own free will, such as taking the lead in covering the rear on the battlefield or choosing to perish together with the enemy when wounded, then it is an honor they chose themselves."

"Even if those people are weak, we should not deprive them of their will and force them to sacrifice for the greater good."

“If we allow evil to grow without stopping it, then we ourselves lose justice.”

Yakumo spoke patiently and persuasively, his sincere voice filled with a power that convinced Jiraiya. Most importantly, the flame in Jiraiya's heart had never been extinguished.

"Let's go, target: Kusagakure Village."

Jiraiya suddenly stood up, his blood boiling.

“Okay.” Yakumo immediately stood up.

On the surface, he was passionate and eloquent, but in his heart he was very uneasy. In a world where the strong are respected, advocating human rights is an extremely heretical thing.

However, Yakumo's assertion that this statement could convince Jiraiya, who was originally an orphan and lived at the very bottom of the world, was true.

When Yakumo passionately recounts the need to protect the lives of the weak, he inevitably reflects on his own past as a weak and helpless individual.

Perhaps... he subconsciously wanted to continue the mission.

Kusagakure Village is located in the central part of the Land of Grass.

Compared to Konoha, it was much smaller. The guards at the gate simply asked Jiraiya and Yakumo about their identities, collected the entrance fee, and let the two into Kusagakure.

From the outside, there is only one main road leading to Kusagakure, which then branches into four forks. At the end of each fork are the buildings of the Medical Department, the Development Department, the Guard Department, and the Research Department.

Although the streets were not as wide as those in Konoha, they were still relatively clean. There were some dilapidated streetlights on both sides of the road, covered with various small advertisements. Most of the pedestrians on the street were carrying weapons... looking fierce and menacing.

When they occasionally encountered ordinary people, they would carefully make way for the two of them, their eyes filled with fear and worry. Yakumo also saw a drunk grass ninja beating up a civilian in the street.

Yakumo withdrew his gaze. Kusagakure had a basic order, but it was more inclined to respect the strong. Although the common people living here had a very low status, at least their lives were not in danger.

Jiraiya led Yakumo to the entrance of the inn, where the inn's rules were posted: conflicts were allowed, but anyone who broke a table or chair had to pay for it, or face death.

It's possible to cause a death, but even if blood stains the floor, you still have to pay compensation; if you don't pay, you die.

You can pay money to get the shop owner's protection, but how much to pay and whether or not you get protection is up to the shop owner.

On the first floor, there was a wooden notice board with various bounties and advertisements, clearly indicating that this inn was an information exchange center within Kusagakure.

Behind the counter sat a burly man with a long sword on his back and a considerable amount of chakra. He was the owner of the shop and the one who set its rules.

After ordering some sake and food, the two returned to their room to discuss the assassination plan. Incidentally, the price of this inn was shockingly high; it seemed like a rip-off.

Yakumo was absolutely certain that Jiraiya intended to get it for free...

"We should try our best to avoid conflict between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire. When carrying out assassinations, it's best not to use your true identity, and even if you're recognized, don't admit it..."

"Ha..." Yakumo said with a hint of helplessness.

Even if Jiraiya-sama is recognized... I will never admit... that you are... Jiraiya-sama...

Jiraiya unfolded the messy map in front of him and began to sketch it with charcoal. The first route he planned was Yakumo's escape route and the route the two of them would take to leave the Land of Grass.

They also assigned tasks: Yakumo was mainly responsible for providing cover and escaping, while Jiraiya was responsible for the assassination... The tentative target was the Minister of Medical Affairs...

...Naoki Ishihara.

He is the only medical jonin in Kusagakure, so he can lead the medical department, but his strength is at the bottom among the four department heads.

The second target was the head of the guard, Sada Sotaro. According to Konoha's records, he was cruel, had a womanizing appetite, and especially liked married women...

"We'll split up later and try to gather as much intelligence as possible. Of course, I'll take the lead, and you just need to focus on your own safety."

Jiraiya gave the order.

The two then gripped their ninja swords and left the guest room. Jiraiya quickly disappeared into the crowd after leaving the room, while Yakumo stood there for a moment, thinking, before heading towards the direction of Kusagakure Hospital.

He wanted to conduct a test…

There is very little plot about Kusagakure in the original work; it only appears a few times as background in Karin Uzumaki's story... a village made up of a group of despicable villains.

Besides that, there seems to be a story version, but Yakumo hasn't seen it... He knows absolutely nothing about Kusagakure, but he'll try to find Karin's mother.

After taking a few steps, Yakumo could feel the blatant malice emanating from him. Several pairs of eyes were watching him unabashedly, a feeling that made him very uncomfortable.

Yakumo's face paled slightly. He lowered his head and quickly walked towards Kusagakure Hospital. Within seconds, the observing gazes disappeared.

Yakumo found a corner and quietly began to form hand seals.

"The fluctuations of the heart."

Subtle chakra fluctuations spread outwards, and when they collide with a human body, they reflect subtle ripples, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.

Yakumo closed his eyes, and countless blue dots of light appeared in his mind, along with sixteen Jonin-level chakra fluctuations, two of which were close to Kage-level. These must be the heads of the Development Department and the Research Department; they were the strongest in Kusagakure.

There was also a... Kage-level chakra fluctuation...

It should be Jiraiya-sama.

Yakumo exhaled and began to control the spread of his mental fluctuations, eventually finding the vibrant chakra fluctuations on the second floor of Kusagakure Hospital.

Karin Uzumaki's mother...

Yakumo guessed that the tailed beast chakra could nourish the body and suppress the bloodline disease. In order to save Mori Masako, he had to learn advanced sealing techniques, which meant he couldn't avoid Uzumaki Kushina.

Bringing Kushina's clan back to Konoha would likely greatly increase Yakumo's favor towards her. Then, asking to learn sealing techniques...wouldn't she refuse?

Instead of going to Kusagakure Hospital, Yakumo maintained his mental fluctuations and sat on a treetop gazing at the distant blue sky.

Time passed, and the night gradually deepened.

Yakumo only opened his eyes when that vibrant chakra began to move and leave the area of ​​Kusagakure Hospital.

With a bang, a shadow clone appeared... After taking out a fox mask and putting it on, it quickly blended into the night.

Chapter 120 The War Begins (Please Subscribe!)