Daughter

As they were enjoying their meal, Jun noticed that the atmosphere was somewhat odd. The people inside the teahouse were either tense or quiet… Oddly so.

This made them stick out like a sore thumb, drawing annoyed glances every now and then.

"What's with the atmosphere?"

Hearing Jun's question, the other four nodded. They too had noticed something was wrong.

"I too am confused, degozaru. This is the first time that yours truly has seen the teahouse in such a state."

Flustered, Yamanoue called for the waitress once again, asking for her to sit. Looking at her, he asked what was going on.

Sighing, the waitress spoke in a desolate voice.

"Yamanoue-sama, while you weren't here, the city has suffered too much… Just yesterday, mysterious kidnappings started occurring all around the city… The odd thing was that it was only young women disappearing..."

"What?! Continue!"

Yamanoue's face paled. He couldn't believe what he was hearing… In a peaceful country like theirs? There was just no way.

Startled by Yamanoue's sudden outburst, the girl reluctantly continued as the four ninja paid extra attention.

"Well, at this point, there are almost no girls under the age of thirteen and over the age of ten left in the city… The lords of the noble families are investigating the matter, but nothing has been found yet. It's as if the girls just vanished... As for your daughter..."

Yamanoue looked like he'd seen a ghost. Because of the shock, he started falling backward, getting stopped by Minato, who caught him and helped him up.

"Are you alright, Yamanoue-san?"

"Fude… My dear Fude… My daughter..."

Hearing his words, Jiraiya immediately understood. Yamanoue's daughter was probably around that age and thus got kidnapped.

Gauging the severity of the matter, he bit his thumb and pressed his hand on the table.

With a puff of smoke, a small, blue toad appeared on it. On its back, it carried a brush and scroll. Taking both, Jiraiya got to writing.

"If I'm not wrong, this might be a ninja's doing... This mission is no longer a C-rank."

"What?!"

Both Nozomi and Yamanoue had their eyes wide open. Other ninja were involved?

Finishing up with the message, Jiraiya rolled the scroll back up and reverse-summoned the toad, ordering it to head for Konoha as soon as it got back. He knew they couldn't just leave the city as it was.

They had to do something about it, or it would weigh on his conscience...

Then again, there was a glaring issue… And it was pay. The old man would surely get mad if he took action without a reward.

Seeing things escalate, Jun rejoiced. Finally, he would get some long-awaited action.

"Jiraiya-dono, Minato-dono, Nozomi-dono, and Jun-dono…. Please… Yours truly begs of you… Please find my daughter! She's the only thing I have left… I shall pay, degozaru!"

Suddenly, Yamanoue got into the deepest Dogeza[1] he could muster, forcing his forehead against the ground so hard that he felt it burn.

"Of course we will! There's no way I'm going to sit here and watch you lose your daughter, Yamanoue-san!"

"Yeah!"

Nozomi and Minato immediately agreed, helping the man up. Seeing this, Jiraiya sighed… At least, Yamanoue had offered them pay, so they could take action without repercussion.

"Thank you! Yours truly is eternally grateful!"

Resisting the urge to cry, Yamanoue tightly gripped the genin's hands, worried to death. His daughter truly was the only thing he had left after his wife died in a tragic accident...

'Fude... Please be safe...'

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[1] Dogeza is an element of traditional Japanese etiquette which involves kneeling directly on the ground and bowing to prostrate oneself while touching one's head to the floor. It is used to show deference to a person of higher status, as a deep apology or to express the desire for a favor from said person.

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