Seeing this, Yasumasa Kurokawa sensibly dropped the subject, his tone softening slightly.
"Elder Takahashi, I've already investigated thoroughly. The reward those villagers pooled together will be classified, at most, as a C-rank mission within Konoha's system. According to Konoha's standard practices, such missions are typically assigned to Genin, led by a single Chunin at best. These individuals have limited capabilities and are hardly insurmountable obstacles, but they do represent Konoha."
He deliberately slowed his speech, making his words sound more persuasive:
"We have absolutely no need to clash with them and needlessly increase our risk. Since they are here to complete a mission, we simply allow them to complete their so-called 'mission'. Afterward, they will naturally return to Konoha to report back, and the entire matter will no longer have anything to do with us."
From the shadows, Elder Takahashi remained silent for a moment. His hood twitched slightly before his icy voice drifted out. "In that case, when you meet with the Konoha shinobi, I must be present to observe."
Yasumasa frowned slightly, quickly weighing the pros and cons, before nodding in agreement. "Acceptable. When the time comes, you will disguise yourself as my butler and stand by my side. But you are absolutely forbidden from taking any rash actions! Everything must proceed according to my arrangements."
"The end approaches; only through devotion to our God and the descent of the Holy Son shall His divine grace bless and shelter all living beings."
Elder Takahashi didn't offer a direct reply. He simply muttered a low doctrinal chant, and his figure slowly melted back into the shadows, disappearing completely.
The hidden room returned to silence.
A thoroughly undisguised sneer curled the corners of Yasumasa's mouth.
A bunch of completely brainwashed idiots!
It wasn't that he hadn't read their so-called Gospel of the Holy God. It was no different from the scriptures of any other charlatan cult. The entire text was filled with nonsensical ravings: "Decades from now, the apocalypse will descend"; "Only through devout faith in the Holy God and welcoming the birth of the Holy Son, allowing our God's true form to descend upon the world, can believers be guided through the catastrophe and reach the new world".
Decades from now, the apocalypse will descend?
Absolute bullshit!
Even if there was a shred of truth to that ghost story, and some bullshit apocalypse actually happened decades from now...
...what did it matter?
With his body being gnawed away day and night by disease, Yasumasa seriously doubted he could even survive another two years.
Catastrophe? A new world? What did any of that have to do with him?
The only reason he turned a blind eye to the Church's activities in his territory, and even half-heartedly joined their ranks, was for an entirely practical, realistic reason:
The substance they provided—the blood-red liquid derived from the so-called "Divine Grace of the Holy God"—actually worked. It genuinely suppressed the agonizing, living-hell pain of his bone cancer and slowed the progression of the disease.
And... hidden in the deepest recesses of his heart was a tiny, fragile sliver of hope that perhaps, just perhaps, it could completely cure his terminal illness.
---
Three days later, at the edge of a dense forest near the northeastern border of the Land of Fire.
Two figures emerged from the tree line, stepping lightly on the soft humus of the forest floor, one leading the other.
The view suddenly opened up, revealing a landscape of gently rolling hills. In the distance, the faint outlines of curling cooking smoke and terraced fields were visible.
"That's Narumi Town ahead," Kosuke Maruboshi, walking in front, stopped and introduced the area with his usual mild tone. "This place is located on the northeastern edge of the Land of Fire. The climate is a bit cooler than back at the village. There are plenty of forests and mountains, and while the arable land isn't particularly fertile, the mineral and timber resources are decent. The local culture... is somewhat more rugged compared to the inland regions, which makes sense given its proximity to the border."
He stepped aside to give Shinichi a clearer view and continued, "If you keep heading northeast past Narumi and cross that relatively low border mountain range, you'll reach the Land of Hot Water. It's a very interesting country. The scenery is beautiful, but more importantly, hot springs are scattered across the entire nation. It's known as the 'Country of Rejuvenation,' which is where its name comes from. Many nobles and wealthy merchants love going there for vacations and recuperation."
Throughout their journey, Kosuke hadn't merely focused on teaching Shinichi the standard, essential shinobi skills—mission reconnaissance, tracking, and wilderness survival.
Every time they passed a new area, he would casually rattle off the local geography, customs, and even rumors and anecdotes, as if recounting family treasures.
This seemingly trivial knowledge was, in reality, the most direct, practical understanding of the ninja world accumulated by a highly experienced veteran. Right now, he was passing it all down without reservation to the young man behind him, subtly broadening the boy's horizons.
Following Kosuke's gaze, Shinichi looked toward the mist-shrouded border mountains in the distance.
The Land of Hot Water...
Not only was it the sacred gathering ground where Jiraiya frequently lost himself in "research," but in the original timeline, it was also the birthplace of Hidan from the Akatsuki.
A guy who worshipped an evil god, possessed an immortal body, and utilized bizarre, curse-based killing techniques.
However, based on the timeline, Hidan shouldn't even be born yet.
As for the "Way of Jashin" and the "Evil God" he constantly babbled about, Shinichi had no idea what their true origins were.
Pulling his gaze back from the distance, Shinichi brought his thoughts back to the present.
"Senior, once we arrive, should we meet with the clients first, or head to the Narumi Town security office to exchange intel with the local guards?"
Kosuke pondered for a moment before answering, "The clients are scattered across several villages outside the town, while the security office is inside. Since it's on the way, let's head into town first. Official records and details from on-site investigations are sometimes much clearer than the panicked accounts of villagers. It'll also save us from having to backtrack later."
Without further delay, the two quickened their pace and soon arrived at the entrance of Narumi Town.
The walls of this border town weren't particularly high, but the guards' inspections appeared quite strict.
Kosuke stepped forward and calmly presented their official Konoha mission credentials.
The captain of the Ashigaru (foot soldiers) guarding the gate inspected the documents carefully, then glanced at their forehead protectors. He turned and whispered something to a subordinate before speaking politely to the two shinobi: "You two must be the Konoha shinobi sent to investigate the child disappearance case, correct? The City Lord has explicitly ordered that upon your arrival, you are to be invited to his manor for a discussion. Please, follow me."
Kosuke and Shinichi rapidly exchanged a glance, both seeing the same flicker of suspicion in the other's eyes.
Konoha indeed held a transcendent status within the Land of Fire, and the Hokage was nominally the nation's supreme military commander.
But when it came to specific local affairs—especially investigations regarding civil cases like this—there was no explicit, hierarchical chain of command between Konoha shinobi and local administrative officials.
The standard procedure was for shinobi to interface directly with the mission clients or collaborate with local security forces for intel. It was incredibly rare for the highest-ranking local official to proactively and directly intervene—unless the case involved matters of exceptionally high national security.
Furthermore, on paper, they were just two lowly Genin.
For a City Lord—a man governing an entire region and holding significant status—to so swiftly and formally invite two low-ranking shinobi into his manor... logically and practically, it felt slightly... overly accommodating.
Their original plan had simply been to visit the security office, review the case files, question the officers in charge, gather the official preliminary clues, and leave.
"Thank you for leading the way," Kosuke replied. He offered a mild, almost rustic smile, perfectly playing the part of an ordinary, aging shinobi accepting a kind invitation, showing absolutely zero signs of suspicion.
He turned slightly, signaling Shinichi to follow.
Shinichi nodded. Maintaining his silence, he fell into step exactly half a pace behind and to the side of Kosuke. The two followed the guard, their pace steady as they passed through the city gates and headed toward the most prominent manor in the center of the town.