thefictionvixens Chapter 107 Temptation
Chapter 107 Temptation
Chapter 107 Temptation
"Famous?" The Chunin was speechless. He might indeed become famous in the future. He had only ever heard of assigning Jonin to complete missions, but he had never seen a team of Genin specifically assigned to complete missions.
Yangping then opened the scroll, and the three of them huddled together, heads close together, to read the mission details.
"Another escort mission, and to Daming Prefecture no less? Wow! The mission has a time limit of twenty days?" Yang Ping was a little puzzled and turned to Taiyi, wanting to hear Taiyi's opinion.
What could Taiyi possibly be thinking? He had just received his mission—to escort visiting officials from the Daimyo Prefecture back to Kyoto.
Seriously, shouldn't the same group of people escort him on both the way there and back for this kind of mission? How come all the ninjas who escorted him to Konoha have disappeared? And they even specifically found this genin squad, who don't have a jonin leader at the moment, to carry out the mission.
This seemed rather strange, and thinking back to the mission he had carried out in Daming Prefecture some time ago, Taiyi had a vague idea in his mind, but he couldn't quite grasp this fleeting thought.
"And also, Matsushita Taichi," the Chunin continued, "the Hokage has ordered that after reviewing the mission briefing, you proceed to the Hokage's office to await an audience."
Yangping and Saori immediately shifted their thoughts from the mission back to Taiichi. Their two pairs of curious eyes stared at Taiichi, conveying the message: "What good thing have you been doing behind our backs again?"
Taiyi shook his head to indicate that he knew nothing about the situation and was equally unaware of what was going on.
The Chunin didn't wait for Taiichi to ask any further questions. After conveying the order, he left on his own. Judging from his hurried steps, he was obviously a very busy person.
"Then I'll go to the Hokage's office. You two should go back and prepare the supplies. We'll meet up here again at noon." Taiichi didn't hesitate and went to report to the Hokage after making the agreement with the two of them.
"Knock knock knock"
Taiichi knocked on the Hokage's office door. A voice called out, "Come in!"
Taichi took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the Hokage's office. The morning sunlight streamed through the window onto the desk, where Hiruzen Sarutobi was bent over, reviewing documents. Aside from the occasional rustling of pages turning and the clicking of a pipe, the only other sound in the room was the soft clatter of paper.
With so many documents to review so early in the morning, how much time is left for cultivation? I wonder how much of the Third Hokage's strength is left.
Taiichi's mind raced with wild thoughts, but what he said aloud was, "Lord Hokage, you should smoke less; it's bad for your health. Master Tsunade specifically instructed me to remind you."
"puff"
"Cough cough"
"Tsunade?" Hiruzen Sarutobi dispersed the swirling smoke and looked at Taichi with interest, saying, "She's not that kind of person, you know~"
Taiichi seemed to have his thoughts read, and scratched his head sheepishly: "Tsunade-sensei still cares about you."
Taiichi himself didn't believe what he said, but Hiruzen Sarutobi still smiled.
"By the way, Hokage-sama, is there something you need from me?"
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi also withdrew his smile, scrutinizing the boy before him with piercing eyes. Truly an outstanding child; both his strength and his Will of Fire were remarkable. This mission was indeed most suitable for him. "Taiichi, have you noticed anything amiss with this mission?"
Taiichi's heart skipped a beat as several important pieces of information came together in his mind: the daimyo's subtle attempts to win him over during the last mission, the officials escorting the daimyo's residence this time, and the Hokage's special instructions.
He carefully considered his words before speaking: "The people we are escorting are officials from the Daimyo Prefecture, but the mission specifically targets our squad, which doesn't have any Jonin—this is very illogical."
"Not bad." Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and took out a confidential document from his drawer. "According to the Anbu's intelligence, this official is the confidant of the Finance Minister from your last banquet." He looked at Taiichi meaningfully. "The Daimyo is very interested in you and specifically requested that you complete this mission."
Taiichi's pupils contracted slightly as he finally grasped that fleeting thought—so this was creating an opportunity for the Daimyo to make contact! He instinctively clenched his fist: "So this is—"
"An opportunity to turn the tables." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice suddenly deepened. "We also need to know the Daimyo's true intentions towards Konoha." He rose and walked to Taiichi, placing his aged hand on Taiichi's shoulder. "Are you willing to accept this special mission?"
Taiyi's breath hitched slightly. Sure enough, it was a spy.
Espionage missions are far more dangerous than imagined. Take Nono, for example. Since she left Root, she no longer hides her past from Taiichi, allowing Taiichi to truly understand the hardships of being a spy.
The scheming and intrigue with the enemy, the anxiety and fear during the infiltration, the terror of being surrounded by enemies on all sides—Nonoyu had described all these experiences to her in detail.
But considering the recent soaring prices and the possibility of war, Taichi somewhat understood Nono's mindset in protecting the orphanage. He took a deep breath and said with the utmost seriousness, "Please give your instructions, Hokage-sama."
"Very good." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled with satisfaction. "Remember, you just need to remain natural. If a daimyo extends an olive branch—" He tapped his pipe lightly on the table, "let it land on the branch we've prepared."
As Taiichi walked out of the office, he squinted at the direction of the mission hall. The smiling faces of Yohei and Saori appeared before his eyes. His clenched fist slowly relaxed. Some burdens, in the end, he still had to bear them himself.
Back home, after preparing various ninja tools and supplies, it was already close to noon. Taiichi didn't wait any longer, closed the door and went straight to the mission hall to meet up with his teammates.
Taiyi was already mentally prepared. This mission might not involve much fighting, but for him, the danger would be no less than that of a fierce battle, and perhaps even greater.
In front of the mission hall, Yangping and Saori were already waiting. After Taichi joined the two, they did not delay any longer and went directly to the post station to find the official from the Daimyo's residence, Noda Mune, according to the instructions in the mission scroll.
Konoha truly lives up to its reputation as the most powerful and prosperous ninja village; even its inn is built in such a unique style.
Upon arriving at the building, Taiichi looked left and right, but couldn't find a single sign indicating that it was an inn. If it weren't for the same sign on the door frame that matched the one on the mission manual, Taiichi would have thought it was just a large hotel.
Indeed, Taiyi had passed through this place countless times during his training. If there was anything special about it, he should have discovered it long ago.
So, even in such a large place as Konoha, there wasn't a single place to receive visiting envoys. Indeed, one shouldn't overestimate this political organization, which had only been established for a little over forty years; everything was so immature. But even within this immaturity, a sense of decay was already evident.
Noda Mune was a very shrewd and capable man. When Taiichi and the others arrived, he had already led his men to tidy up everything and wait in the house.
Upon meeting Taiichi and his two companions, Noda Mune was exceptionally warm and showed no disdain for their young age, nor any arrogance due to his status as an official of the Daimyo Prefecture.
He stepped forward and bowed to Taiyi and the other two, saying, "Please take good care of me on the journey ahead, sirs."
The whole process seemed so natural and peaceful, as if he had always been this approachable.
At that moment, Taiichi realized that Noda Mune was no pushover, and that the journey ahead would likely not be peaceful.
The delegation from the Daimyo Prefecture that visited Konoha consisted of 10 people in total. In addition to Noda Mune, there were two scribes, four servants, and three guards.
Taiyi's gaze swept quickly over the crowd, assessing their combat strength. Apart from the three guards who had some skill, the others were only slightly better than weaklings. It seemed this was going to be a long escort journey.
The group followed Noda Mune out of the house, where an elegantly decorated carriage was already waiting. Noda Mune didn't stand on ceremony and got into the carriage, while the others had to follow on foot.
The group left Konoha and traveled leisurely along the official road through the forest towards Kyoto.
"Taiyi, at this pace, how long will it take us?" Yangping, unable to bear the slow pace any longer, came to complain to Taiyi after only half a day's journey.
"Don't you remember the duration of this mission?" Taiyi glanced at Yangping. "You didn't think that all that time was just for you to play around, did you?"
Only then did Yang Ping remember that he had indeed been surprised by the mission's time limit when he accepted the mission. It turned out that it was because the mission group was moving too slowly.
At this moment, Saori, who had heard the commotion, came over and comforted Yohei, who was frowning, saying, "Judging from the speed of their journey, I estimate that they will reach Kyoto in seven or eight days at most, and it won't take that long."
"I hope so!" Yang Ping thought dejectedly. He had originally planned to go out on a mission to gain some combat experience, but he had been assigned such a boring task. He might as well stay home and cultivate. Yang Ping could only complain to himself at this moment.
"You two have already learned Shadow Clone Technique, right? Create a Shadow Clone and your main body, one for cultivation and one for guard duty. That way, you won't waste time," Taiyi suggested. "But you can only create one at a time; you won't be able to handle more than that."
"Oh right, how could I forget!" Yang Ping said, quickly forming a hand seal to create a shadow clone. Then, pointing at the shadow clone triumphantly, he instructed, "You go and keep watch, I'll cultivate!"
To everyone's surprise, the shadow clone ignored Yang Ping completely, running straight into the nearby woods, its voice drifting back as it said, "Only an idiot would go on guard duty. I'm off to train. Go ahead and dismiss me if you dare!"
Not only was Yohei stunned, but Taiichi and Saori were also somewhat taken aback.
"Taiichi, can shadow clones be used like this?" Saori asked Taiichi in confusion. After all, Taiichi was the first of the three to learn shadow clones and often used them for training and other tasks, so he should know more about this technique.
"Well—" Taiichi scratched his head. He had never seen anything like this before. "Shadow clones naturally have the same thought patterns as the original body. I guess Yohei himself really hates being on guard, which is why the shadow clones are reacting like this!"
Taiyi could only explain it this way: his own shadow clones were very obedient. It was probably only someone with Yangping's personality who would have such unreliable shadow clones.
Yangping watched the shadow clone run away, his forehead throbbing wildly. Several times he saw him trying to form hand seals to cancel the ninjutsu, but he always managed to hold back.
After all, he didn't have Taiyi's chakra control, which allowed him to manage the amount of chakra contained in his shadow clones. This shadow clone had used half of his chakra, so dissolving it like this would be a huge loss.
The commotion attracted the attention of the delegation. They saw the ninja conjure up a person and rush into the forest, then conjure up another person and walk around reading a book. They were all amazed and their eyes revealed a look of envy.
"Taiichi, why don't you create shadow clones to cultivate?" Saori asked, seeing that Taiichi hadn't moved for a long time.
"Haha, I already created a clone to cultivate, but none of you noticed." Taiichi winked strangely at Saori: "Guess, am I the real body or a shadow clone?"
The minor incident did not affect the mission's progress. After all, it was only a C-rank mission, and it took them two days to travel safely along the main road between Kyoto and Konoha, the heart of the Land of Fire.
These past two days, Noda Mune has been intentionally or unintentionally getting close to Taiichi, sometimes chatting about everyday things, sometimes discussing the current situation in the Land of Fire. Just like now.
That night, when the group was encamped, Noda Mune came to Taiichi's side and casually asked, "Taiichi-kun, how are you doing in Konoha? I heard you were an orphan?"
Taiichi poked at the fire without turning his head, but his chakra perception was fully unleashed. In his mind, Noda Munemasa was staring intently at his face, as if trying to see every expression on his face.
"Konoha is great. Everyone is like family to me. My teachers, captain, and comrades all take good care of me." Taichi deliberately showed a sincere smile, but in his heart he was secretly on guard. This was the third time Noda Mune had mentioned his orphan status in the past two days.
I'm an orphan and I didn't eat your rice. You always use this excuse, it's so unoriginal.
Taiyi thought to himself with disdain.
As the journey continued, Noda Mune's probing became increasingly obvious.
On the third day, during the afternoon break, when Yohei and Saori went out on patrol, Noda Mune came to Taiichi's side again. He pointed to the wildflowers by the roadside and sighed, "These flowers are beautiful, but they can only grow and die in the wild. If they were in the garden of the daimyo's mansion, they would definitely receive better care."
Taiichi pretended not to understand the implication and simply echoed, "While the care is good, it comes at the cost of freedom!"
On the fifth day, the delegation was to stay in a small town for rest, so Noda Mune arranged for a guard to go to the town in advance to inform them to make preparations.
When the lord of the small town learned that it was an envoy from the daimyo who had come to visit, the entire town was immediately alarmed. This place was already close to the capital city, and it was the place where the daimyo's prestige was most intense.
The city lord led all the city officials out of the city to welcome the delegation. When the delegation slowly arrived at the city gate, they had been waiting there for a long time.
Surrounded by the lord and his entourage, Noda Mune, unlike his usual amiable self, became smug and confident. He enjoyed the lord's flattery and even discreetly accepted the gifts the lord secretly offered. All of this happened right before Taiichi's eyes.
As the group entered the city, the city lord led the way, with Noda Mune sitting on the edge of the carriage, flanked by Taiichi and two other guards. Suddenly, he said to the three of them, "I'm only borrowing the prestige of a daimyo, yet the city lord of this small city is so attentive to me. When I truly have such power, won't they be fawning over me every day?"
Yangping and Saori, not understanding what Noda Mune was up to, simply smiled awkwardly upon hearing this.
Taiyi, however, understood perfectly that this was a demonstration of the subtle uses of power, so he deliberately put on a thoughtful expression.
Noda Mune, who was watching Taiichi's expression closely, was delighted: This kid has finally come to his senses; it wasn't for nothing that he played the villain for a while.
Inside the city lord's mansion, the lights were bright, the music was melodious, and all kinds of delicacies were served one after another. Graceful maids moved among the tables, serving everyone their meals.
This time, Taichi and the other two were also able to sit to the left of Noda Mune and personally experience this "thoughtful" service.
After several rounds of drinks, as the banquet reached its climax, the guests became increasingly unrestrained. Taiyi and his companions clearly saw that Noda Munechika had revealed his ugly side, even his hands and feet becoming increasingly brazen, constantly taking advantage of the maidservants beside him. The maidservant in his arms was also teased by him until her face turned ashen, and she kept panting softly.
All of this was clearly too much for Yangping and Saori, let alone Taiichi. All three of them blushed deeply, unsure whether to leave or stay. Yangping kept stealing glances at the maid beside him, feeling a flutter in his heart.
"Haha, it seems we three ninja masters are still children after all, not used to our colorful world!" Noda Mune teased, looking at Taichi and the others' awkwardness. His words caused everyone present to burst into unrestrained laughter.
The laughter was like sharp knives, particularly jarring, leaving Taiyi and his companions bewildered, as they had never encountered such a situation in their ninja careers.
"What are you laughing at? These three are Konoha ninja masters! How dare you mock them like this!" Noda Mune abruptly interrupted the laughter with a loud shout.
The scene was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even the girl in his arms, whose face had been flushed, was now trembling and pale, clearly terrified by the sudden turn of events.
Looking at the crowd who had fallen silent because of his imposing presence, Noda Mune smiled smugly, then suddenly became polite and bowed to Taichi and the other two to apologize.
Seeing his behavior, everyone in the room stood up and solemnly apologized to Taiyi and the other two. This made Taiyi and the other two feel embarrassed, and they quickly stood up and returned the courtesy: "It's all because of our ignorance that we disturbed everyone's enjoyment."
After some polite exchanges, the banquet returned to its original lively atmosphere. Some people drank, while others flirted with the beautiful maids. However, everyone centered their attention around Noda Mune, making him appear exceptionally powerful.
Taiyi sat quietly at the table, picked up his cup and sipped his drink, using the cup to conceal his interest.
Power, beauty, money—Noda Munechika, or even a daimyo, would stop at nothing to win him over.
only----
Looking at the increasingly uneasy Yangping and Saori beside him, Taiichi secretly shook his head. He would have to remind them later not to let these temptations affect their mindset.
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