Under the leadership of Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi, Team 8 and Team 10 quickly arrived at the mission location.
They first went to Wheat Village to gather information and rest, adjusting their condition before heading to a barren mountain nearby.
"We have to act separately!" Tsubaki said to Itsuki.
Facing Itsuki's doubts, Tsubaki explained:
"They must have obtained some information in Wheat Village just now. This information is very important for the mission, and we must find out.
So, you follow them first and leave marks along the way. I'll go to Wheat Village to learn about the situation.
I think it should be information related to the bandits. I'll catch up with you based on the marks."
Tsubaki was indeed meticulous in her thinking. Itsuki hadn't even considered this detail.
But Itsuki frowned and asked:
"Why not use a clone? Why do you have to go there in person?"
Tsubaki looked embarrassed. "I don't know how to create a physical clone… so I never thought about it."
Since Itsuki suggested using a clone, he clearly could. Tsubaki felt even more ashamed.
Itsuki patted Tsubaki's chest and sighed:
"Chun, Chun, that's why I told you before—you just need to be responsible for yelling. Let me handle the moving part!"
Tsubaki jumped back, clutching her chest. "Captain, say whatever you want, but can you please stop touching me?"
"But I didn't move my feet!" Itsuki spread his hands innocently. "This is my way of expressing affection. If you didn't like it, you should've said it earlier. If I still did it after you told me, then yeah, I'd be wrong. But you never said anything!"
Tsubaki froze. Damn it… it actually sounded reasonable.
Just as she relaxed, Itsuki patted her chest twice more.
"There's armor blocking it. I just tapped it—it won't break. What a stingy woman!"
Before Tsubaki could react, Itsuki turned aside, formed a seal, created a Shadow Clone, and had it perform a Transformation Jutsu, changing into the appearance of Thirty-Five Million Ryo.
Tsubaki wanted to explode. Once or twice she could tolerate, but a third time? That bastard did it on purpose!
Still, when she saw Itsuki's clone disguised, her anger was temporarily distracted.
The "Thirty-Five Million Ryo" version of Itsuki lit a cigarette, blew smoke toward Tsubaki, and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure about some details of what I just asked earlier, so I need to go back and review everything from beginning to end.
I don't want to miss anything. You two go ahead. I'll pass on the information soon."
With that, the clone rushed back toward Wheat Village.
Kurenai wasn't annoyed by Asuma's usual frivolous behavior, but Tsubaki's beautiful eyes lit up.
So intelligence gathering could be done this way?
Tsubaki usually only knew the process of a mission and how to check for omissions, but her methods were stiff.
If it were her, she'd appear as an ANBU, claim she was from the same village as Asuma, and demand information from the villagers. But that risked exposure, and the villagers might not trust her.
Itsuki's method? Almost zero chance of exposure, and it easily won trust.
"Chun, what are you standing around for? Let's go!" he shouted, already chasing in the direction Teams 8 and 10 had gone.
He was secretly amused—distracting Tsubaki was way too easy.
If he ever got the chance to form another team, he'd definitely test this trick again.
Oh wait, the team mission hadn't even officially started. Plenty of opportunities ahead.
Tsubaki, still fuming about Itsuki's reckless touching, could only stamp her feet and chase after him.
She kept her guard up, maintaining a clear distance. No way in hell was she letting that happen again.
"Wuwuwu~!!"
As they entered a valley, ghostly cries echoed in the wind. The sound was eerie, chilling to the bone.
Tsubaki shivered, goosebumps prickling her arms. Without realizing it, she quickened her pace and stuck close to Itsuki.
Then she remembered—damn it, didn't they agree to keep their distance?
Itsuki raised his hand slightly, and Tsubaki instinctively retreated again.
But Itsuki scratched his hair, looking puzzled at her reaction, as if he couldn't figure out why she was acting so tense.
Behind her mask, Tsubaki's face flushed. To cover up, she quickly said:
"The sound of the wind is so weird!"
"Yeah. That's why this place is called Ghost Crying Mountain," Itsuki nodded.
Tsubaki blinked. "How do you know? This should be your first time here."
"This is information sent back by my shadow clone," Itsuki replied calmly.
Tsubaki froze. "The clone already gathered information? Why didn't you tell me?"
"You didn't ask," Itsuki shrugged.
Tsubaki's temper flared. "Captain! We're on a mission—could you please be more serious!"
"Alright, alright," Itsuki chuckled, then finally shared the intel.
There was always a strong wind here. Because of the valley's terrain, the sound turned into ghostly wailing, day and night.
That was why villagers avoided Ghost Crying Mountain, especially at night.
Recently, however, a group of bandits had moved in, using the mountain as their base.
They'd attacked caravans, robbed goods, and killed many. That was why the villagers of Wheat requested help from Konoha.
The bandits numbered around twenty. They weren't shinobi, but they were ruthless.
For fresh genin like Teams 8 and 10, twenty armed killers weren't a small challenge. Once blood was shed, survival would depend on their grit.
"Captain, have you figured out how to approach them?" Tsubaki asked, frowning. "The valley is narrow. If we get too close, we'll be discovered. Too far, and we won't be able to provide support if things go wrong."
Itsuki had already thought about this.
If he were alone, he could use the forest for cover, hiding his chakra with Wood Release.
But with Tsubaki, it was trickier. He couldn't leave her alone in this creepy place—she'd probably break down crying.
At first, it seemed difficult. Then Itsuki noticed a river flowing deep into the valley.
Perfect.
"Let's hide in the water. They won't notice us there."
He checked—the shallowest part was over a meter deep, just enough for them to conceal themselves.
"But… I'm not good at swimming," Tsubaki admitted nervously. "I can't stay underwater for long."
"It's fine. I know Water Style, I can protect you."
Without waiting for her response, Itsuki grabbed Tsubaki and yanked her straight into the river with a loud splash.
...
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