"Welcome!"
Noticing the wooden door being pushed open, the boss who was wiping the table turned around and came forward with a smile.
"Hello, boss, are you open?"
Ren looked at the empty shop in front of him and asked with some confusion. After all, it was rare for a store to insist on opening when business was so bad.
"Hahaha, please take a seat, sir. Of course we're open. What can I order?"
The boss was a middle-aged man with a strong build. Even in autumn he was still wearing a short-sleeved shirt with a white towel tied around his forehead. It was hard to associate such a man with a meatball shop.
More like... a fishmonger?
"That's good. Give me five skewers of three-colored meatballs and three cups of hot tea. If possible, one serving of tempura. Thank you."
"Um?"
Hearing Ren's strange request, the boss's eyes moved slightly, but he quickly reacted and said in a deep voice.
"May I ask what else the guest would like to order?"
Ren looked up and met the boss's gaze, then continued with a smile.
"Please buy me another pack of cigarettes, thank you."
If it were someone with a bad temper, he might have kicked Ren out long ago. Who would come to the meatball shop to buy tempura and ask the boss to help buy cigarettes?
But the boss was not angry. Instead, he walked out of the door and returned to the store after seeing that there was no one around, closing the door.
Looking at Ren in front of him, he was about to speak when he saw Ren take out something from his arms, wave it in front of his eyes, and then put it away.
After seeing this thing, the boss no longer had any doubts in his mind. He said "Follow me" and walked straight to the counter.
Ren followed closely behind, following the boss around the counter and into the kitchen. The two did not stop, and the boss stopped only after passing through another wooden door.
As the boss turned on the light, the room became brighter. This was a small bedroom of about 20 to 30 square meters. Two quilts were placed on the ground not far away. It seemed that this was where the boss and his family rested.
"What is the mission of the village?"
The boss turned his head and his expression became serious, no longer as honest and simple as he had been outside before.
"Cooperate with me to complete the mission. I'm looking for you to gather some intelligence. The actual action will begin tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
"That..."
The boss was about to speak when he was interrupted by a knock on the door outside. He swallowed his words, nodded to Ren and walked out.
"Wait a moment, I'll take care of it."
"Go ahead."
Ren shrugged, took the small chair handed to him by the boss and sat down.
The boss came to the front and opened the closed door. What caught his eye was a Kirigakure Anbu man wearing a black uniform and a mask on his face. He was tall and it was impossible to tell whether he was a man or a woman.
"Are you back?"
The boss's expression softened, and he closed the door again after the latter entered the house.
"Honey, what's going on? Why is it closed during the day?"
A gentle female voice came from under the mask. As the mask was removed, a female face was revealed. There was no beauty or graceful figure. She looked no different from an ordinary woman, but the boss looked at her with a hint of love in his eyes.
"Shina, someone is coming from the village."
As the boss whispered, Shina's hand, which was about to put down the mask, stopped in the air, and her expression became a little solemn.
"Where?"
The boss didn't say anything, but just looked behind the counter. Shina immediately understood what her husband meant and walked in. The boss took two quick steps without saying a word and walked side by side with his wife.
As soon as the two of them arrived at the back, they saw Ren sitting on a chair, throwing a kunai with boredom. After noticing the two people coming back, Ren's eyes lit up, and he paused his movements and asked with some anticipation.
"This must be the third one."
"Hello, let's hurry up, because I may not have much time."
Shina said it directly, and Ren had no complaints. After all, the other party's current identity was a Kirigakure Anbu, and he might be sent out to perform missions at any time, so he had no time to chat here.
"Get me a map of the Hidden Mist Village."
The boss didn't waste any time. He rummaged through the cabinet next to him for a while, then took out a huge map and spread it out on the ground. Then Ren continued.
"Your mission this time is to provide intelligence and cover me while I get the tailed beasts from Kirigakure!"
"Um?!"
Ren's words immediately caused the expressions of the two people opposite to change drastically, and a storm of shock surged in their hearts.
"Tailed Beast, is the village going to take action against the tailed beasts of the Hidden Mist Village?!"
The boss said with some surprise, and Shina next to him also looked at Ren with wide eyes, wondering if they had heard it wrong.
"That's right, shina-san, as an Anbu, you should have some knowledge of the situation of the two tailed beasts in the Hidden Mist Village."
Noticing Ren's gaze, Shina quickly suppressed the shock in her heart, then quickly organized her words with a slight fluctuation in her tone.
"The two tailed beasts of Kirigakure currently have no Jinchuriki and are sealed in two different containers. The Vulpix is here, and it is also our headquarters."
As shina spoke, she pointed to a place on the map. After thinking for a moment, Ren figured out the specific location.
After all, he didn't wander around for half a day in vain. Apart from the Mizukage Building, he looked around most of the surroundings. The place Mizue pointed to was about 200 meters behind the Mizukage Building. With such a close distance and the strict guard of the Anbu, there was no chance of catching the Vulpix.
"As for the Three-Tailed Fox, it's located at the edge of the village, far away from the city, in a forest. The security here is also very strict, but it is much more feasible than the Six-Tailed Fox."
"Is that so..."
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the location of Sanwei on the map, and fell into deep thought.
The purpose of my visit this time was actually to target the Three-Tailed Fox. After all, the Six-Tailed Fox and I were not particularly compatible. In addition, given the current situation, the target of the action could be determined.
"This time, our target is Sanwei, Shina-san. Let's talk about the situation near Sanwei later."
"good"
Shina nodded, picked up a pen and began to draw on the map.
"The Hidden Mist Village uses a shift system for guarding the tailed beasts. The Anbu on duty are rotated every other day. There are two teams guarding the tailed beasts together. There are also various traps in the nearby forest. Once triggered, the Anbu on duty will get the news. Calculating the time, tomorrow is the day when my team will go on duty."
"oh?"
Ren's eyes lit up and his expression immediately looked much better.
It seems that it is not all bad news, but the plan still needs to be polished. After all, it is a major matter concerning the tailed beasts, and we cannot be careless at all. If we are not careful, we might even lose our lives.