Chương 143

I woke up fresh and surprisingly in an excellent mood. Camping in the woods was great, who knew? I was definitely going to do this every chance I got. Sleeping out in nature really did energize and refresh the soul. I walked out of my tent, stretching under the dark but faintly illuminated sky. Shisui was seated nearby, eyes closed. He wasn't asleep. He was meditating, though somehow his senses still felt sharp, like he could notice anything approaching. I needed to ask him to teach me that.

Normally when I meditate, I just get lost inside my head. Focusing inward left little room for noticing the outside world.

"Good morning, sensei," I said in a cheerful tone.

"Good morning, Noa. Get ready quickly, the others are almost finished," he replied calmly. I glanced to the side and found Sena stepping out of her tent. She looked like she hadn't even slept, clothes perfect, hair smooth, smile polished, tools ready. It was like she had a whole team of assistants hiding inside her tent. I shook my head and wandered into the forest to answer nature's call and freshen up. After a few minutes, I came back ready and found Kaen already waiting.

His gear was packed, but his eyes looked puffy. Clearly, he hadn't slept well. Once everything was sealed away and our camp broken down, we started moving again toward our mission location. The closer we drew to our destination, the more the tone shifted. The forest thinned, and dirt paths widened into roads scarred by light traffic. Ahead, small clusters of buildings appeared, their fresh timber pale and sharp-edged, not yet weathered by years of rain.

Smoke curled lazily from chimneys, carrying the smell of rice mixed with the harsher tang of burning coal. This was no village built for comfort. It was a place built for work. Shisui slowed, his sharp eyes sweeping the area as the hum of human life reached us. Farmers and laborers moved in and out of houses, while the distant clang of hammers and the scrape of picks echoed from the hills. Mines. That explained why people would settle this far from Konoha.

Iron, coal, something worth dragging families away from the heart of Fire Country. Where there was ore, there were supplies. And where there were supplies, there was profit. And profit always attracted thieves. The warehouse came into view not long after. It stood apart from the homes, larger and sturdier than anything around it, reinforced with timber far too solid for a simple farming community.

It looked like the hub of the whole place, with one broad road stretching toward Konoha and another branching off into the distance, splitting into paths that likely led toward smaller scattered villages. Carts creaked along the packed dirt, pulled by oxen and piled high with lumber, sacks of grain, and crates of ore. A few workers lingered near roadside stalls, trading goods and shouting at each other as they hauled supplies.

The warehouse loomed at the center of it all, sturdier than the rest, a natural hub where supplies from Konoha were gathered before being sent deeper into the Land of Fire, or where resources from the settlement were stored before being hauled back toward the village. Sena's eyes flicked across the building, analyzing every angle like she was already writing a report in her head. Kaen crossed his arms, his scowl deepening as if the whole place reeked.

I kept walking, but the cheerful mood I had woken up with was gone. The forest had felt alive. This place felt like trouble. And of course, that was exactly what it was. The moment we stepped closer, a tall, thin man with glasses hurried toward us. His smile stretched wide, but I could smell the falseness from a mile away.

"Hello, respected shinobi," he said with stiff politeness.

"I am Tamon, the administrator of this warehouse. I welcome you to our humble settlement." Sena answered with a perfect smile of her own.

"An honor to meet you, Tamon-san. Thank you for the warm welcome. Could you escort us around the warehouse and tell us about your settlement, as well as the previous attacks on the neighboring villages?" The moment the word "attacks" left her lips, Tamon stiffened. His smile faltered for half a second before he forced it back and began leading us toward the wide doors. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"In the beginning," he said, "it was only a raid on a passing caravan. But soon after, they began to strike the smaller villages on the outskirts of this settlement. Sometimes the attacks came close together, sometimes weeks apart. They have something most bandits lack."

"Patience," Sena said softly.

"Indeed," Tamon replied, nodding quickly.

"They are careful. Extremely careful. They have been witnessed scouting multiple villages just to mask their true target." After a brief tour of the vast storage halls, stacked high with crates and supplies, we entered Tamon's office. It was a quiet room, lined with shelves of books, scrolls, and records. Everything was arranged with obsessive care.

"May I check the records?" Sena asked, her tone polite but steady.

"I'd like to see if there is a connection between the attacks and the movements of goods to the scattered villages." Tamon hesitated, his fingers twitching against the desk, then gave a small nod.

"Of course. Please, go ahead." As Sena moved to the shelves, Tamon turned his gaze on me. For some reason, he lingered too long.

"I hope your team can handle this issue. It has caused plenty of trouble. The missing-nin has even… injured… a previous genin team that was unfortunate enough to be present during one of her raids." Kaen's eyes twitched at the words "your team". His voice came out hard.

"This is not his team. We are here together. How strong is this missing-nin?" Tamon bowed his head slightly, adjusting his glasses.

"Forgive me if I offended you, respected shinobi. Her name is Aoya. She was once a chunin of Konoha, trained in Wind Release. She served during the Third War, earned some merit back then, but her end was far less honorable." He shifted uncomfortably.

"She was caught smuggling something dangerous into the village. I do not know exactly what. Whatever it was, she was caught red-handed. But because of her record, and because the village wished to avoid scandal after all she had contributed, they did not imprison her. They dismissed her quietly instead." Kaen's eyes narrowed, his jaw set tight. Sena's polite smile didn't waver, but she shot me a knowing look before slipping back into the record book in her hands.

Tamon continued, lowering his voice as if sharing something forbidden.

"After that, she vanished. Slowly, news began to spread of her crimes. She turned to theft, to banditry. In recent years she killed the leader of a strong bandit group and took their place. Since then, she has preyed on villages and warehouses like this one." He gestured toward the shelves with a thin hand, his glasses flashing in the light.

"This building is exactly the kind of prize she covets." His smile returned.

"I made sure to delay the outgoing transports from my side, keeping the warehouse stocked longer than usual so it would appear heavy with resources. At the same time, I let it slip to a known drunkard worker that Konoha was late in sending their pick-up teams for the supplies. He spends his nights rambling in taverns, the kind usually filled with travelers and outsiders." Tamon leaned back slightly, adjusting his glasses with deliberate care.

His gaze swept across us, lingering just long enough to make the pause feel heavy. A thin, cunning smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before he went on.

"Of course, to make the story sound believable and not so perfect that it reeks of a trap, I also made sure people heard that I had requested aid from Konoha and that a capable genin team had been dispatched to protect the settlement and the warehouse. That way, it sounds guarded enough to be real, but not untouchable. By now she will have heard it, and I believe she will fall for the bait. So I truly hope you can handle her, respected shinobi. She has caused us more than enough trouble."

"She closed the book and turned with a respectful nod.

'Tamon-san, would you mind giving us a little time? We need to coordinate who handles which tasks so we don't waste your resources or staff later.'""Not at all," Tamon said quickly, standing with a stiff bow.

"Please, treat my office as your home. I will bring you breakfast." Sena dipped her head gracefully.

"Thank you, that would be appreciated." He nodded, relaxing a little, then finally left the office. The moment the door shut, Kaen asked, "Did you find anything?" Sena's smile grew wider.

"There are hints in the records. Not enough to call proof, but enough to raise suspicion. With more time I could be certain. But it looks as though shipments are being tampered with between destinations." I replied, "If you have a doubt, then he's most likely doing something shady. I get a strange feeling from him too. Not just nerves, something deeper." Kaen scowled.

"Great. So now we're relying on your feelings for our next steps?" I shrugged.

"I'm just saying what I sense." Sena looked up from her notes, her tone calm but cutting.

"Don't underestimate his intuition, Kaen. It's unsettling how accurate he usually is." I grinned as Kaen's scowl deepened, but my smile faded when I remembered who was still in the room. Shisui stood silently in the corner, his presence so faint it was like he wasn't even there. He gave off nothing. No sound, no chakra I could feel. He was a true shinobi, and it was unnerving. Remembering what I had promised him, I let the grin slide off my face.

"Alright, Kaen, Sena. What do you think we should do next?"