Chương 3: Undercurrents Beneath the Lantern Light

Shirakawa Village lay quietly beside the trade road in the gathering dusk. Neat wooden fences encircled the settlement, its heavy gates left wide open for the evening. A few villagers sat chatting on stone benches by the entrance. At first, they paid little mind to the approaching figures, but as they caught sight of the Leaf Village forehead protectors and shinobi attire, their expressions stiffened into immediate formality. The man leading them stepped forward bowing respectfully.

"Shinobi-sama, welcome to our village. May I ask what brings you here?" Shuji swept a calm gaze over the crowd, taking out a scroll from his robes and unrolling it.

"Leaf shinobi, here on official orders from the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers." His voice was not loud, yet it carried a tone of strict business. The villagers flinched slightly, exchanging glances before the man took a step back. Itachi immediately picked up on the change in Shuji's demeanor, so different from his easygoing attitude in the Koizumi Town restaurant. Keeping his composure, the boy maintained the same steady, unreadable look as Shuji, observing everything in silence.

"Where is the village chief?" Shuji asked directly.

"He's... at home," the villager answered hurriedly, pointing out the direction. The two stepped into the village. Though night had just fallen, Shirakawa Village was already illuminated by warm lantern light casting soft silhouettes through paper windows, projecting a carefully maintained image of peaceful comfort. The grand inn standing at the center of the village stood out.

Its wide eaves and detailed roof beams were clearly visible under the lanterns, though the porch remained eerily quiet, unlike the warm, lively homes around it. As they walked down the central path, Itachi could feel eyes peering from behind paper windows and wooden fences. He kept himself relaxed on the outside while remaining vigilant on the inside, keeping a close eye on their surroundings with his peripheral vision.

Shuji, meanwhile, walked with a steady walk, heading straight toward the village chief's residence. An elderly man with white hair, a hunched back, and a thin beard was already waiting within his doorway. Seeing the two approach, he hurried forward a few steps and respectfully lead them inside. Once seated in the simple main hall, the old man spoke up cautiously, his hands clasping together involuntarily.

"This old man is Shirakawa Takasuke, the chief of this village. May I ask what honorable matters bring you two here to investigate?"

"I assumed you would have an idea, Chief," Shuji said, leaning forward slightly. His gaze fixed on the old man's face, a faint, cold curve touching his lips.

"You can't be unfamiliar with the bandits raiding near the trade route."

"T-This..." Fine beads of sweat glistened on Takasuke's forehead under the oil lamp.

"People from the Daimyo's estate did come asking questions before... but this old man truly..."

"Oh?" Shuji tapped his index finger against the tabletop, making a sharp, clear click.

"Let me rephrase the question. Are all registered residents of Shirakawa Village currently present in the village?"

"Ever since..." Takasuke started to explain.

"Senpai," Itachi's clear, youthful voice chimed in, breaking the brief silence.

"When we entered the village, I noticed that several houses had completely dark windows, looking entirely uninhabited." The old chief's body tensed slightly. He quickly added, "A few families... went elsewhere to make a living..." Shuji's gaze slowly drifted across the furniture in the room. Though not luxurious, the pieces were made of solid, high-quality wood with fine craftsmanship.

"From what I see, your village seems quite prosperous," Shuji said calmly, pausing before adding with subtle intent, "In a home so stable and wealthy, it must be rare for young people to abandon their roots and leave." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Y-Yes..." Takasuke wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"It's just that the trade road is busy, and traveling merchants often stop at our village inn." He worked hard to keep his voice steady.

"The young people saw the outside world, and their minds... naturally became restless and wanted to leave."

"Those bandits must have caused quite a blow to your village's livelihood," Shuji remarked, his eyes seeming to pierce through the paper windows toward the quiet inn outside.

"Such a fine inn, yet business is so dead right now." The old man lowered his gaze, his voice dropping.

"Indeed. That is why this old man prays day and night that you noble shinobi will clear away this thieves from the trade road as soon as possible." Shuji suddenly eased the invisible pressure in his tone, reverting to a calm voice.

"In that case, do you have any clues to offer, Chief? Our goals are aligned on this matter." He met the old man's eyes.

"Even the smallest detail might be valuable."

"Y-Yes, of course... it's just that... this old man genuinely knows nothing useful..." Takasuke said with a helpless sigh. Shuji's face remained impassive. He asked a few standard routine questions about the village population and recent outsiders before standing up to leave.

"We'll be staying at the village inn for now. If you discover anything, feel free to inform us at any time." Inside their room at the inn, steady lantern light illuminated the space. Itachi carefully checked that the doors and windows were closed tight and confirmed the surroundings were quiet before turning to Shuji.

"Senpai, did you discover something off with the village chief?" Shuji had already returned to his gentle demeanor, sitting on the tatami mats with a smile.

"What do you think, Itachi?" The eight-year-old Genin paused briefly, organizing his thoughts before answering clearly.

"You believe the bandits are connected to this village, and that the village leadership is aware of that, perhaps even involved. That explains why your posture changed at the entrance and in front of the chief."

"Since we already had that suspicion, why didn't we act completely oblivious upon entering, instead of acting so serious right away?" Shuji looked at him with interest.

"Wouldn't a low-profile investigation make it easier to gather clues?" That was precisely the question lingering in Itachi's mind. Back at the restaurant in Koizumi Town, Shuji had laid out two possibilities: either the bandits stayed behind for an important item, or they were locals. Now, it was clear Shuji leaned heavily toward the second option.

"Putting on a tough stance at the start was a setup," Shuji explained.

"Being too easygoing sometimes invites unnecessary probes and trouble. Upon entering, the villagers paid far more attention to us than to ordinary merchants, that itself was an answer. A village with such a lavish inn clearly sees frequent travelers, so a village used to guests shouldn't react to unfamiliar shinobi with such tension."

"That's why I decided to put pressure on the chief, acting as if we already knew something. If we were too gentle, a man of his age and experience would have brushed us off with smooth excuses, leaving no opening at all." He paused.

"And judging by his reaction, the village can't completely distance itself from those departed youths or the sudden appearance of these bandits." Itachi nodded thoughtfully. These nuances of observation and tactical deduction were not taught at the Ninja Academy.

"So, what is your next step, senpai?" he asked. Instead of answering directly, Shuji turned the question back onto him.

"If you were in charge, Itachi, what would you do?" The young Uchiha pondered carefully for a moment before responding, "If it were me, I would attempt to use Genjutsu on the village chief to extract informations, such as the bandits' hiding place. Once we have their location, we can move in and eliminate them."

"A solid tactical approach," Shuji nodded in approval, then shifted his tone.

"However, after using Genjutsu, what outcomes might we face?" He held up his fingers.

"First, the chief truly knows nothing critical, which means limited results. Second, the bandits are hidden somewhere within the village. Third, they're lurking in the surrounding mountains."

"The second and third scenarios are particularly tricky," Shuji sat up straight, his expression calm and serious.

"Without solid evidence, and without the other party showing active hostility, those so-called 'bandits' are likely just ordinary neighbors or family members in the eyes of the villagers. As the mission briefing emphasized, even the Land of Rivers pursuit team failed to secure their exact descriptions. That means even if we find their location, what we see will likely be ordinary villagers working at sunrise and resting at sunset." He looked into Itachi's clear yet unusually deep eyes.

"At that point, how do you plan to act? Moving against them directly will almost certainly trigger a fierce backlash from the local villagers. When hard evidence is lacking, people naturally choose to protect those they know. How they might question, defend, or even interfere with us are unpredictable variables." Silence fell over the room, broken only by the faint crackle of the oil lamp wick. The young Uchiha prodigy knit his brows slightly, sinking into deep thought.

This problem involving human nature and political reality clearly exceeded his past experience of executing missions purely through force. The lantern light cast his focused profile long against the paper wall. To be continued...