thefictionvixens Chapter 49: White Teeth Replace Thinking
Chapter 49: White Teeth Replace Thinking
"Miss Qingya, I am the Jonin who accepted this mission, Hatake Sakumo. Your safety is now my responsibility."
Sakumo handed the mission assignment letter in his hand to the samurai attendant beside Amamiya Haruaki for inspection.
He then introduced Fu Heiyao and the others, saying, "These are my subordinates."
"Lord Sakumo, I entrust my safety to you from now on."
Harumi Amamiya is beautiful and has a sweet voice. She looks soft and gentle and is a white-haired girl who looks about the same age as Nawaki.
Her words and actions lacked the rigid etiquette of aristocrats and possessed more of the liveliness of a young girl.
However, the girl was somewhat troubled because three of the people protecting her were about the same age as her, or even younger.
Seeing this, a samurai whispered, "Miss Qingya, these are the real elite ninjas who lead teams of students."
This is counterintuitive, but also reasonable. After all, without elite ninjas leading the team, how can the survival rate of new ninjas be guaranteed?
The samurai was clearly aware of some of the unspoken rules of the ninja village.
Haruaki Amamiya nodded, half believing and half doubting.
Soon, the attendants prepared the carriage, and the group officially set off.
........
In addition to the Hatake squad, Amamiya Haruaki's bodyguards also accompanied them on this mission.
However, most of them only know some simple chakra techniques, which can be easily killed even by newly graduated genin, so their usefulness is negligible.
Compared to the efficiency of ninjas, samurai are like relics of an old era, their survival only due to the distorted system of the ninja world.
As the leader of the Jonin team, Sakumo took the initiative to patrol and guard the perimeter of the carriage to prevent any possible accidents.
His personality has always been like this; he's more like a dutiful samurai than a ruthless ninja.
The three smaller creatures went inside the carriage to protect Amamiya Haruya closely.
Fukuyo and Minato sat side by side.
In contrast to Fukuyo's nonchalant attitude, Minato embodied the spirit of a ninja, silently observing every detail around him that might affect the carriage's operation, and constantly paying attention to his employer's health.
Fukuyo was used to this; Minato was just like that, born to be a ninja—calm, decisive, and patient.
As for Rope Tree, perhaps because of his gentle and kind appearance and temperament, which made people feel at ease, he even started talking to the employer.
The two even got along quite well.
The girl also showed a lively side, occasionally sharing some interesting things with Rope Tree.
Especially after learning that Nawaki's parents were also in the Land of Fire, she invited Nawaki to visit her mansion in the Land of Fire sometime.
From their conversation, Fukuko and Minato learned more about the mission.
The former lord of Tsuru-no-cho, who was also Amamiya Haruaki's father, passed away due to illness, and his older brother, who had been frail since childhood, succeeded him as the new lord.
Against this backdrop, the entire town of Tsuru was in turmoil, and it was not surprising that a series of disappearances occurred.
Then Amamiya Haruaki's mother also disappeared.
This is the primary objective of the mission; the other missing persons are merely incidental.
After all, ordinary people are like weeds; once they're cut down, they quickly grow back. So what if they disappear?
Such things are commonplace in the ninja world, and even the kindest Nawaki considers them normal.
The disappearance of their mother caused the brother and sister immense grief.
According to Haruhisa Amamiya.
Upon learning of this, his brother, Amamiya Seimei, immediately offered three times the reward to the nearest Konoha hired ninja to investigate.
This is the background and context of their mission.
"After you solve the missing person case in Tsuru-no-cho and find my mother, I'd like to give you another task: help me move."
Because of the frequent disappearances and his brother's increasingly strange behavior after taking over.
Sensing something was wrong, Amamiya Haruya planned to take her mother with him to seek refuge with her uncle in the capital of the Land of Fire after finding her mother.
Rope Tree patted his chest and agreed.
Fukuyo and Minato didn't object; making money by doing missions wasn't shameful.
Moreover, that's the capital of the Land of Fire, one of the most prosperous cities in the entire ninja world. Minato had only seen it in textbooks, so naturally he wanted to see it for himself.
"It's a promise then. Once I'm settled in the Land of Fire, remember to come visit me, Brother Nawaki~"
Haruaki Amamiya smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
No matter how much we hope, it's highly likely that our missing mother will never come back.
After all, even if a ninja kidnaps a nobleman, they will specifically send someone to deliver the ransom message.
Anyone with a brain knows what happens to those who kidnap people in Tsurugi Town and then remain silent.
Fu Heiyao had no interest in hearing any more details and chose to close his eyes and rest.
On the contrary, Rope Tree chatted with the girl all the way, making Fu Heiyao deeply suspect that he had been impersonated by Xiao Tou.
Turbid Town
Located in a distinctive town ruled by nobles around Konoha, it is remote and highly autonomous.
As dusk approached the next day, the carriage entered the town and, with the help of samurai, stopped in front of the only noble mansion in Tsuru-no-cho.
"You must be an elite ninja from Konoha." A man dressed as a samurai, with a gloomy appearance, strode up to the carriage in front of the mansion.
He looked at Sakumo on the side of the carriage, his face full of smiles.
Sakumo responded with a smile.
However, when he saw Amamiya Haruaki getting off the carriage and Nawaki standing very close to her, the man frowned.
"Who is he?" Nawaki noticed the samurai's unfriendly gaze and looked at Amamiya Haruya.
"Sato Hideyoshi, captain of the samurai in Tsurugino-cho." Amamiya Haruaki looked at Sato Hideyoshi with disgust. "Captain Sato, where is my brother?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Haruya, Lord Seimei is unwell and unable to receive guests," Sato Hideyoshi said humbly, but a hint of superiority, as he looked at Amamiya Haruya, was hidden in his eyes.
"Eh~" Amamiya Haruya sighed, his tone full of helplessness.
Since his brother succeeded to the throne, Sato Hideyoshi has become the captain of the samurai, and his power has grown increasingly. Moreover, the relationship between the master and servant is very close in private.
Her brother, Haruaki Amamiya, had repeatedly hinted at arranging a marriage between her and Sato. It was this invisible pressure that made her decide to run away.
Her mother used to tell her that the world was too chaotic and that girls should not try to tough it out when they encounter problems. She should run to the Land of Fire to find her uncle immediately if anything happens.
How could Haruaki Amamiya abandon her mother and leave this place alone? Even if her mother really died, she wanted to see her one last time.
Upon arriving in Tsuru-no-cho, the four immediately sensed the intense grudges and entanglements between them.
For the village children like Shengshu and Shuimen, this was the first time they had ever tasted this kind of melon, and they found it novel.
Having experienced the internet, Fu Heiyao didn't care much. He just wanted to skip the complicated task process and fast-forward to the exciting battle!
"I know the reputation of the Konoha ninja. With you here, we will definitely be able to find out the recent series of disappearances in Tsurugi Town and find Lord Seimei's mother."
Sato Hideyoshi continued:
"However, it's getting dark. How about I host a welcome dinner for you on behalf of Lord Seimei?"
"We appreciate Captain Sato's kindness, but the sooner we find out the truth, the greater the chance of survival for the missing persons." Sakumo politely declined Sato Hideyoshi's invitation to dinner.
"In that case, I'll leave the safety of Tsurugi Town to Jonin Hatake." Sato Hideyoshi did not try to persuade him to stay any longer.
"Take Jonin Hatake to see the files on those missing persons," Sato Hideyoshi ordered the samurai accompanying him, though he himself had no intention of going.
"I am busy with official business and cannot accompany you. Please understand."
After Sato Hideyoshi left, Amamiya Haruya felt a sudden sense of relief, both physically and emotionally.
He even personally arranged the best rooms for them to rest.
Her lively and adorable appearance captivated Rope Tree.
Having grown accustomed to the interactions between Fushiko and Kushina, Nawaki was longing for romance.
So much so that when Fukuyo and the others followed Sakumo to check the missing persons files, Nawaki was still a little reluctant to leave.
He acted as if tasks were nothing to him, but beautiful women were his lifeblood.
Upon seeing this, Fu Heiyao immediately used electric shock therapy to treat Rope Tree's love-struck brain without saying a word.
.........
The four followed the samurai to a small room on one side of the library.
After instructing the library's steward to organize the files on the missing persons and hand them over to the four men, the samurai was dismissed by Fukuyo.
"There are about twenty-two missing persons, including nobles, commoners, blacksmiths, and teachers, among other professions. It doesn't seem like a premeditated kidnapping." Sakumo flipped through the files, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Minato, what do you think?" Nawaki, sitting on the cushion, spread the dossier out on the floor and rested his chin on his hand.
"I feel there's something fishy about this." Minato smiled in perfect agreement.
Meanwhile, Shuimen was skimming through the files, carefully examining all the information recorded, trying to summarize the commonalities among the missing persons.
"Yo, what do you think?" Nawaki, realizing that Minato was trying hard, looked at Fushiko Yo.
"I'll just sit and read it," Fu Heiyao said, throwing away the file in his hand with a headache.
Such random disappearances are complete unsolved cases in places without surveillance cameras.
At this moment, Minato, holding the dossier, said again, "It might have been done by the bandits in the nearby mountains. I have seen records that seem to indicate it was done by bandits."
"Since that's the case, then I'll show you some blood tonight." Sakumo put down the dossier and picked up the White Fang short sword.
It seems they want white teeth to replace brain thinking.
"Teacher Sakumo, please don't rush. Let me first assess the situation in the town of Tsurunocho, in case anyone tries to play a trick on us."
Fu Heiyao believed that his intelligence was still above average, and he wouldn't let his bug-like perception go to waste.
Sakumo paused for a moment, but still agreed to Fukuko's suggestion.
Because Fukuko's perception was certified by the Hokage, they were even summoned by the Hokage and asked to keep it a secret.
"Malicious perception, and the ability to perceive chakra over a wide area—what's the difference between that and cheating?" Sakumo exclaimed.
However, as Fuko used his magical powers to sense things, he discovered that the seemingly peaceful and serene Amamiya mansion was anything but simple in reality.