radicalducati Chapter 125 The enemy's suffering is not as great as Taiyi's suffering.
Chapter 125 The enemy's suffering is not as great as Taiyi's suffering.
Chapter 125 The enemy's suffering is not as great as Taiichi's suffering.
The New Year holiday passed by in a flurry of activity. On the first day after the holiday, Class 8 reunited in the mission hall.
Yangping, who couldn't wait any longer, grabbed Captain Yamaguchi and dragged him into the hall, as if if they were a step too late, all the good missions would be snatched away by others.
In reality, ninjas are also human beings, and it's a job for them; not everyone wants to come out and work at this time.
The mission hall was deserted, with only a few ninjas coming to accept missions.
Captain Yamaguchi took the mission list, glanced at it briefly, and handed it to Taichi. Clearly, this mission was entirely as compensation for Taichi and the others, so the choice was left to the three of them.
Yangping and Saori understood what the captain meant, and they both gathered around to look at the list together.
After some searching, the three of them first eliminated the D-level and C-level missions. They had been doing these missions every day for the past few months and were almost sick of them. Now that their captain had returned, they were eager to do some higher-level missions.
Soon, a Rank B guard mission came into their view: to protect the safe production of the mining area in the Land of Rivers before February 15th, Konoha 45.
On the first day after the New Year, there were already few high-level missions, and even fewer suitable for Class 8. This guardian mission was just the most suitable one.
Leaving the mission hall, Yang Ping eagerly waved the mission scroll, grinning, "Finally, I can carry out a high-level mission! During the holidays, I honed my Sharingan to a new level, and I'm sure I can unleash my full power in this mission!"
As he spoke, he imitated Taiichi's sword-wielding motion, nearly crashing into a roadside stall. Taiichi sighed in exasperation, while Saori silently took two steps to the side.
"If you don't watch where you're going and crash into the stall, your Uchiha security force will probably be coming to invite you for tea. Then, forget about showing off your prowess; you'll even have trouble going on missions!"
Captain Yamaguchi timely poured cold water on Yangping, and Yangping, who obviously knew the style of the guard team, immediately became obedient.
None of them noticed that their actions had been observed by a customer in a brown haori at the corner teahouse. He subtly curled his lip and muttered under his breath, "Are all Konoha ninjas this impulsive now?"
Especially that older, dark-haired kid, so loud and boisterous, he had none of the composure of a ninja.
Meanwhile, Captain Yamaguchi stopped in front of the teahouse, looking around as if searching for something. When he spotted the distinctive brown haori in the corner, he beckoned Taichi and the other two to come forward.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Tokugawa?" Captain Yamaguchi stopped next to the man and stared at him to make a final confirmation.
The guest who was drinking tea with his head down looked up when he heard the voice and saw that the speaker was the group of Konoha ninjas he had just looked down on. A bad feeling rose in his heart.
"I am Tokugawa Seki." He made no attempt to hide his distrust, glancing at Yohei's headband. "Konoha wouldn't just send you to complete this mission, would they? Given the bond between the Tokugawa family and Konoha, this seems far too dismissive!"
"Hey! I am—" Yangping was clearly angered by Tokugawa Seki's contemptuous look. He was about to argue when Taiichi grabbed his sleeve.
Captain Yamaguchi calmly handed over his ninja certificate, which clearly recorded his completed missions, including seven S-rank missions, directly demonstrating his and his team's strength.
Tokugawa Seki's expression softened slightly, but he still stared at Yangping: "What about this kid? I think he's the most unreliable. He was just jumping around like that."
"Uchiha Yohei, you should know the Uchiha surname, right?" Captain Yamaguchi emphasized. "Don't let his young age fool you, he already has experience fighting Jonin. Besides, my team is an elite team that has completed A-rank missions multiple times."
Tokugawa Hiroshi's teacup visibly trembled, clearly indicating that as someone who frequently dealt with Konoha, he was aware of the Uchiha's formidable reputation.
The saying that one-on-one combat is a sure way to escape is not only circulating in the ninja world, but also among the employers who frequently hire ninjas.
"In that case—" Tokugawa Sekiya became serious and reluctantly accepted their statement. "Then, everyone, let's hurry up and set off. The latest news I've received is that the Kawada clan has also hired ninjas, and I heard that some of them are from Sunagakure."
The midday sun couldn't ward off the February chill. The Eighth Guardian, Tokugawa Seki, was walking along the road leading to the Land of Rivers, explaining the details of the mission to everyone as he went.
"Matsudaira Castle has a high-quality iron ore area, which is usually mined by my Tokugawa family. A large portion of the mined iron ore is sold to your Konoha."
As he spoke, Tokugawa Seki gave a meaningful look to Captain Yamaguchi, who was leading the group. The implication was clear: this mission was not only for the Tokugawa family, but also for Konoha.
"But this year is different. Our rival, the Kawada family, suddenly started doing iron ore business before the Lunar New Year. They also have their eyes on the iron ore in this mining area, so they bribed officials in the city lord's mansion to compete for the mining rights this year."
"Then let's fight for it! The Tokugawa family has been managing this mine for so many years, surely they have some tricks up their sleeves?" Yohei asked, puzzled. "Could it be that the Kawata family has used some underhanded methods?"
"Yes, in the early stages of the mining rights competition in previous years, the castle lord's mansion would send people to inspect the production and safety of the mining area to assess whether the Tokugawa family had the ability to continue the competition for mining rights in the next round. There is room for manipulation in this process."
Tokugawa Seki finally got to the heart of the matter: "If an accident occurs in the mine during this period, or if the task assigned by the lord of the castle cannot be completed in time, and if the Kawada family is pulling strings behind the scenes, the Tokugawa family will basically lose the competition for the mining rights."
"So, all we need to do is ensure that the mining area is not disturbed by the outside world and can continue to operate during this period," Captain Yamaguchi concluded.
"That's right, the fate of the Tokugawa family is in your hands!"
As he spoke, Tokugawa Seki, disregarding that they were on the road, immediately bowed 90 degrees to everyone, leaving Taiichi and the others flustered.
Time is tight. According to the mission requirements, everyone must arrive at the Tokugawa family on February 1st. Including today, there are only 5 days left. If it were just ninjas traveling, that would be more than enough time. The key is that Tokugawa Seki is just a commoner with some martial arts skills.
In order to speed up their journey, the group of five could only make the most of every moment, and it took them two days to finally set foot in the land of rivers.
The night was as dark as ink. Class 8 and Tokugawa Seki traveled through the dense forests of the Land of Rivers. Since leaving the Land of Fire yesterday, the wide roads had gradually disappeared, and more and more forest paths had appeared on the road. This made the members of Class 8 more vigilant.
The bright moonlight was cut into scattered fragments by the dense canopy of trees, dappling the hurried footsteps of the group. Tokugawa Seki, panting heavily, spoke intermittently.
"In one more day—we'll be able to reach the Tokugawa clan—I haven't let the patriarch down—I've managed to bring you all back in time."
"Mr. Tokugawa, you should talk less and save your energy!" Saori, walking beside him, couldn't help but say, "If it weren't for Taiichi using medical ninjutsu to help you recover these past few days, you would have died from exhaustion at this rate."
"Yes—I really have to thank you, young friend Taiichi!" As soon as he finished speaking, Tokugawa Seki coughed violently, clearly having caught a stitch in his side again, and this wasn't the first time.
"Alright, let's rest here tonight. It won't make a difference if we're in a hurry." Captain Yamaguchi spoke up, genuinely worried that if they continued walking, his client would be exhausted first.
Taiichi and Saori set up their tents in an open space as planned, leaving only Captain Yamaguchi and Yohei to guard Tokugawa Seki on either side.
A dark cloud drifted by, obscuring the bright moon, and the once bright night sky suddenly darkened.
Just then, six dark figures suddenly swooped down from the treetops, the sound of swords slicing through the air breaking the silence of the night.
"Ding ding ding"
Captain Yamaguchi had already drawn his kunai and parried the incoming shuriken with a few swings, but at this moment, four of them...
The figure had already entangled with them, clearly indicating that the enemy knew there was only one person present.
On the other side, Yohei also effortlessly dodged the shuriken's sneak attack, and his three-tomoe Sharingan burst forth with a scarlet light in the darkness.
He abruptly pulled Tokugawa Seki away from the side, and a kunai grazed past his ear, severing a few strands of hair from his ear.
Fire Release: Great Fireball.
The blazing fireball forced one of the attackers back, but as he retreated, he didn't forget to throw a few kunai at Yangping's direction.
The angle of the kunai was very tricky. It seemed to be aimed at Yohei, but it was actually aimed at Tokugawa Seki, who was protecting him behind him, forcing Yohei to take the kunai head-on.
However, at this moment, another attacker took the opportunity to attack Tokugawa Seki, who had stumbled and fallen, from the other side of Yohei.
They talked a lot, but in reality, it's only been less than 10 seconds since the attack started. Taichi and Saori were still camping in the distance and had just heard the commotion and were rushing over.
Captain Yamaguchi was entangled by four ninjas whose fighting style, which only sought to avoid mistakes and not to gain merit, made it difficult for the captain to break free for the time being.
Seeing that Tokugawa Seki was on the verge of death.
"Don't look down on me!" Yangping roared, his Sharingan spinning rapidly, accurately predicting the trajectory of the kunai's attack.
He sidestepped the first kunai that blocked his movement, knocked away the second kunai that was aimed at Tokugawa Seki with his own kunai, and then used his headband to block the last kunai that was aimed at him.
The movements were fluid and seamless, and in the end, he threw the kunai in his hand at the ninja who was attacking Tokugawa Seki.
Taking advantage of this delay, Yangping instantly rushed forward and blocked Tokugawa Seki's path. With the enhancement of his Sharingan, he quickly pinned the enemy to the tree trunk.
It was only then that Tokugawa Seki realized that he had just been in mortal danger, but fortunately the young man in front of him intervened in time and pulled him back from the brink of death.
When he looked back at the battlefield, the ninja who had just been forced back by Yangping had fallen to Taiyi's blade, and the four ninjas who had previously besieged Captain Yamaguchi had fled in panic after leaving behind two corpses.
"Should we give chase?" Taiichi, who had walked over with his sword, asked coldly, looking in the direction the two ninjas had fled.
"No need. They're just cannon fodder for testing the waters. They definitely have backup in the rear, so there's no point in killing them."
"Six Chunin were used as cannon fodder. It seems the Kawata clan is determined to take them!" Taichi sheathed his short sword and examined the corpses on the ground. "They're all bounty hunters. I didn't find any Sunagakure members."
At this moment, Yangping accompanied Tokugawa Sekiya over, and Taiichi immediately noticed Yangping's right arm, where there was a clear scratch.
Are you injured?
Yangping followed Taiyi's gaze to his right arm, where there was a wound about 10 centimeters long. It wasn't deep and had already stopped bleeding, so he said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, it's just a small wound. If I had found it later, it might have been fine."
Seeing that he was still in the mood to joke, everyone relaxed. However, Taiyi's words immediately froze Yangping's smug smile on his face.
"poisonous!"
"No way, Taiichi, I don't feel anything!" As he spoke, Yangping raised his arm again to examine it carefully.
Sure enough, the area around the wound had begun to turn black, accompanied by waves of numbness.
"Taiichi, is Yohei alright?" Tokugawa Seki, who had previously looked down on Yohei, now showed concern for his health. Clearly, Yohei's previous act of saving his life had deeply moved him.
Taiyi didn't answer. He searched around the place where Yangping had fought before and found the poisoned kunai. He took it in front of him and sniffed it, and a fishy stench wafted over.
Nodding in understanding, Taichi took out several bottles and jars from his ninja tool bag and began to tinker with them.
Tokugawa Seki was completely bewildered.
Yangping's lips twitched as he watched.
Saori and the captain turned around and chuckled.
As Tai's teammates, they knew his pharmaceutical style all too well. It was indeed effective, but the taste was truly beyond words.
"Taiichi, won't the village's standard antidote pills work?" Yangping asked Taiichi, who was preparing the medicine, clinging to his last hope, his hands rubbing together as if he were quite embarrassed.
Taiyi didn't even look up, and with a single, casual remark, he silenced Yangping.
"I have no objection, as long as you're not afraid of any aftereffects."
Five minutes later, a hastily made pill was handed to Yangping. "It was made quickly, so the taste might not be very good!"
After hearing this, Yang Ping's face turned even more bitter. If the specially made version was already so bad, then this makeshift one would be even worse.
Looking at the pill in his hand, which he knew he would have to take sooner or later, Yangping closed his eyes, shoved it down his throat without even chewing, and swallowed it whole. The pill, about the size of a longan, slid down his throat with difficulty, causing Yangping to choke and roll his eyes back. He quickly grabbed the water bottle and poured water into his mouth.
After finally managing to swallow the medicine, Yangping immediately stuck out his tongue and breathed heavily, as if that would dispel the lingering bitterness in his mouth.
At this moment, Tokugawa Seki realized that his strong reaction was simply due to his fear of taking medicine, which made him have a new perspective on Yangping, who had just been so brave.
Seemingly sensing his thoughts, Captain Yamaguchi patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "If you have the chance in the future, you'll know why Yohei has that expression."
1
After a bit of commotion, everyone cleaned up the scene, set up the tents, arranged for night watch, and then went to rest.
The dark clouds drifted by silently, and the bright moon reappeared, its light filtering through the leaves and illuminating the dim forest once more.