Is jinx a thing ?

Hours later, both Team 7 and Team 10 arrived at the site, greeting the workers.

Tenzo addressed the head of the site

"Shiba-san. We're here to assist with the work and deliver supplies, as requested per lord Yamagi "

" Ah, Konoha shinobi! Thank you for coming. Your assistance is much appreciated.we were almost done,and in deer need of supply. I'm Shiba Haruki. What's your name? "

Tenzo, maintaining a polite demeanor, introduces the entire team, providing their names and roles.

" I'm Yamato, the team leader. This is Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, all konoha genin " 

"Hello " (X6) 

Shikamaru, with a bored face, casually watches the workers, keenly looking for any subtle inconsistencies or behaviors that might betray the spies' true identity.

The head of the site warmly welcomes them, expressing sincere appreciation for the assistance they've brought to the construction site.

"Welcome to all of you ! I'm truly thankful for your coming. It's not every day we get the support of skilled shinobi. "

As the man led Team 7 and Team 10 into the construction site, he gestured towards a group of managers overseeing the workers,all waiting for them.

"These are our project managers, responsible for different aspects of the construction. Allow me to introduce them "

The head of the site went on to present the team to the managers. Three men, two young individuals, and a middle-aged-looking figure composed the management team.

"The cold looking is Hiroshi, the bald one is Tanaka, and the elder one is Matsuda." 

"Hello "

"young ones, welcome "

"..Hey "

"Nice to meet you, Im yamato, and those are my teams. "

Done with the greeting, and recognizing the importance of blending in, Tenzo decided to divide the teams strategically.

"Alright, Team 7 and Team 10, we'll split into three groups of two. Each group will be assigned to assist and protect one of the managers. 

- Choji and Sasuke, you'll be with mr.matsuda.

- Ino and Naruto, your assignment is with mr.tanaka group.

- Sakura and Shikamaru, you'll be working alongside mr.hiroshi.

The teams nodded in understanding as they prepared to engage with the construction tasks.

With their assignments in place, the teams seamlessly approached their respective managers, ready to integrate into the worker environment and carry out their mission discreetly.

Shikamaru uses the opportunity to gather intel and assess the workers' behavior by watching sakura talking with some of them

"Hi ! do you want some help ? " 

"Help ? from a little girl ? Hahahaha, Omoi, did you hear here ? Hahaha "

at this, Sakura only gave a polite smile, and slowly lifted the metal beam over her head, using her chakra control to strenghten her body. 

"If its only to this degree, Im sure i could help you a bit. "

"Whooaaa ! Holyshit ! Mr.Hiroshi ! where did you get someone like that ! "

"is that the power of shinobi? amazing..."

"Hahaha ! hey Jiro ! Guess you can't be laughing now Hahahaha, She could probably crush you with her small hands ! "

"...Im sorry little lady, I sure didn't expect this kind of strengh. Guess you shinobi folk are of a different breed "

As Sakura engaged in conversation with some of the workers under the supervision of Mr.Hiroshi, Shikamaru strategically positioned himself nearby, appearing to be focused on his assigned tasks of helping around. In reality, his observant mind was at work, analyzing the workers' behavior and interactions.

He watched Sakura converse effortlessly with the workers, noting the dynamics and gauging the overall atmosphere. Shikamaru paid attention to subtle details: the workers' body language, their reactions to Sakura's presence, and any indications of tension or discomfort.

Sakura, in her friendly and approachable manner, elicited open responses from the workers. Shikamaru, hidden behind a facade of casual engagement, observed how the workers reacted to her questions and presence.

--------------------------------

On Ino side, As she moved about the construction site, helping by distributing water, she subtly activated her chakra sensing abilities. Ino's keen perception allowed her to gauge the workers' energy levels and, more importantly, to detect any anomalies in chakra signatures that might indicate hidden shinobi.

'Let's see if there's anything unusual in their chakra signatures '

"Heyaa people, Need any help ?! "

"Boyo, is there anything you could do ? you look a bit too short to lift heavy weight..." 

"Why you----, " seeing into menacing stare, he changed his speech "Hum, lemme show you ! Kagebunshin no jutsu ! "

At the same time, Naruto, using his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, created multiple clones to assist the workers in lifting heavy woods and supplying materials. The workers, surprised and impressed by Naruto's skillful jutsu use, couldn't help but express their admiration.

" Wow, that kid is incredible! Look at him go! where did he get so many twin ! " 

"Never seen anything like it! That's some weird shinobi art ! " 

Naruto, basking in the attention, grinned and waved to the cheering workers.

"No big deal, just doing my best to help out! "

Ino, while monitoring the workers'chakra, almost lost her focus sensing naruto use of the kagebunshin 

"Such chakra reaction..is that naruto !? amazing…and is that physicall clones ? " 

"Wait, i can't lose my focus now ! "

She then continued to focus on her chakra sensing, searching for any irregularities that might suggest the presence of hidden shinobi,keeping the matter of naruto jutsu to latter 

"It doesn't matter, now They're distracted by Naruto's show. I can concentrate on my task without drawing attention. " 

Ino discreetly moved through the crowd, her chakra sensing abilities finely tuned to detect any disturbances in the workers' energy patterns. 

---------------------------------------

 Choji, the big ball of kindness, raised as much reaction with the workers by cusualy lifting giant stones just as easy as he eat.

leaving sasuke to engage with the old man 

As Sasuke engaged in conversation with mr.Matsuda, he subtly probed for information about the origin of the construction workers, carefully watching their greetings and movements.

"Matsuda-san, I couldn't help but notice the diversity among the workers here. Where do most of them come from?"

"Oh you noticed ? we've got a mix of people from different regions. Skilled workers from various villages come here seeking employment. It creates a rich environment "

Sasuke, maintaining a pensive expression, continued to observe the workers' interactions and greetings. He analyzed their body language, trying to discern if there were any hints of deception or hidden motives.

"How about you, matsuda-san ? you look like someone from the coast, did you grow in a fishing village ? " 

"...Haha did you notice ? I can only admit. As a kid I was really good at fishing ! i can only admire your deduction skills " 

"..Yes. thank you " 

Meanwhile, Choji, assisting with the heavy lifting, found himself surrounded by workers praising his strength. The shy but appreciative expressions on Choji's face helped build a sense of trust among the construction workers.

"Look at this guy go! He's like a human powerhouse! "

" We're lucky to have such strong helpers today! "

Choji blushing "Oh, well, I just like helping Hahaha. by the way, when are we having dinner ? "

"Haha ! already hungry ? worry not, we already done here ! "

--------------------------------------------------------

In the subsequent days, Team 7 and Team 10 continued their efficient work at the construction site, further ingratiating themselves with the workers. The head of the site continued to express appreciation for their dedication, fostering a positive atmosphere.

As night fell, the team members gathered in a secluded spot to exchange information, maintaining the utmost secrecy.

Shikamaru initiated the collaborative analysis by relaying his initial observations to Ino and Sasuke.

"In my observations, most of the workers seem clean, but I've identified two individuals who are bad at hiding their identity. They're too tense, reacting like shinobi. However, they don't appear stronger than Genin "

On Ino's side, she surprised Naruto by mentioning that she detected two targets. Naruto, somewhat oblivious to the subtleties of chakra sensing, asked when she had tested them, nearly forgetting their original mission. Ino, somewhat exasperated, clarified that she was checking their chakra levels.

"You can do that too!? "

"Hump, what in idiot "

"Why youuuu-- ! "

Sasuke, scoffing, called Naruto an idiot for not knowing such a basic skill, almost sparking a fight that Tenzo barely managed to stop. Ino then revealed that she suspected the two targets to be stronger than newly promoted Chunin.

At Sasuke's turn, he asserted that the old man was undoubtedly one of the spies. Sasuke detected the discrepancy in the man's skin tone and speech patterns, identifying him as not native to Konoha or the Land of Fire.

"His reaction were good, but he can't hide his origine from me "

Sakura questioned whether suspecting him based on his skin tone was fair, suggesting he might be from a sunny region. Sasuke explained that while that could be true, the man lacked the characteristic features of someone native to any specific region of the land of fire. 

"I suspect he's either from the northern region of the Land of rain or from the Hidden Frost. I confirmed it when i subtly threw greetings specific to those lands. He subconciously reacted ! I didn't detect a strong chakra reaction, but what confirmed he's a spy is that he lied about being from a fishing village, showing none of the characteristics of someone living in such a region.

"How can you be sure of that ? "

"His hands and skin…it doesn't have the quality of someone working on the sea. His skin got the quality of someone affected by chakra "

"Affected by chakra ? "

Giving an annoyed click, sasuke added "You don't even know? Chakra possesses great protective abilities. From making you stronger to being able to survive extremely harsh natural condition. thats why you would find fair skinned people living in the desert without getting too tan. Of course that's all based on the power of your chakra "

"Woah thats sooo cool "

"As expected of the uchiha, excellent deduction. Great job teams, it seem like there are more spies than expected "

Tenzo commanding the two Team, he told that they all detected the same group, confirming their suspicion. he told that he snooped around and found them all the targets gathering at different times to share information between themself, probably asking each other if they got detected or not.

As Tenzo shared the new plan with the teams, he emphasized the importance of creating a diversion to isolate and apprehend the targets individually. The primary goal was to ensure the safety of the innocent workers and minimize any potential harm. Additionally, he informed them that he would personally handle the two strongest targets.

"Alright, here's the plan. We need to create a diversion to isolate the targets and ensure the safety of the workers. Take each target individually, and don't let them regroup. The two strongest ones are mine. "

He outlined the need for precision and coordination, stressing the importance of preventing the spies from causing any disruptions.

"Shikamaru, Ino, Choji. your main focus is on the weaker targets. Can you handle them on your own until I'm done with the Chunin? "

Shikamaru, although somewhat resigned, gave a sigh and responded, expressing confidence.

"We can manage. As long as these guys aren't stronger than expected. "

"Naruto, Sasuke, you got the old man. "

Tenzo nodded, trusting in Team 10's capabilities. He then left the old man in the capable hands of Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto, true to his character, complained about getting what he perceived as the weakest target.

"Seriously? Do we get the weakest one? That's not fair! "

"Yamato-sensei ! How about me ? " asked a curious sakura

Tenzo, with a knowing smile, offered a piece of advice to the spirited Naruto

.

"Don't jinx yourself, Naruto. Never underestimate your enemies, no matter how weak they may seem. Be cautious. "

"As for you Sakura, I'm gonna need you to put all the workers under genjutsu, and take them away while I busy myself with the targets. Could I trust you ? " 

"Yes ! " 

With the teams reorganized and aware of their individual responsibilities, Team 7 and Team 10 prepared for the next phase of their mission, fully understanding the potential challenges that lay ahead.