13 - Mercy's Price

After a quick chat with Fugaku, Masashi wrapped up his team formation.

Forming teams within the shinobi clans was quite flexible; everyone knew each other well, so just letting others know was enough. The Hokage office didn't interfere in these matters—if you wanted to team up, they would just assign you a team mission.

However, Masashi's goal was not to teach others; he was after an S-Rank mission.

As everyone knew, Shisui has considerable influence in the Hokage office.

And it worked out very well, meeting his expectations entirely. The notification from the Hokage office came quickly.

Unlike A, B, C, and D-rank missions, S-rank missions are only assigned directly in the Hokage's office.

When the two Uchiha arrived at the Hokage's office, the Fourth Hokage was sitting on a sofa, chatting with an emissary from the daimyō's mansion.

Due to his skillset, Minato often handled missions related to escorting national confidential documents or items, resulting in frequent dealings with the daimyō's office, far more than any other Konoha jonin.

Over time, he made many friends there.

The emissary from the daimyō's mansion was well-acquainted with Minato.

"Hokage-sama, are these the candidates you recommended?" The emissary looked at the two Uchiha. "Come to think of it, when we first met, you were around their age."

"Time flies."

"Indeed," Minato replied with a smile. "Back then, I had just become a jonin, and it was your first time visiting Konoha as well. But don't underestimate these two—they're both elite shinobi of Konoha."

"The border situation is delicate. That's why I recommended them specifically."

Using nostalgia to build trust—clever, Minato, Masashi noted.

"Oh, you must be joking," the emissary replied with a modest smile. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I still need to brief these two before heading back to Kyoto."

"Of course. Just a moment." Minato nodded, then walked over to Masashi and Shisui, placing a hand on their shoulders.

"I won't say much more; your mission this time is to escort a shipment of supplies for the daimyō's mansion. The destination is near the border of the Land of Rain. The area has been unstable recently, so be cautious."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the two Uchiha replied.

"Very well then, Hokage-sama, I must take my leave now." After Minato finished his instructions, the emissary rose and left.

Masashi and Shisui followed him out of the Hokage building.

A large carriage was waiting at the entrance. A guard opened the door, and the emissary climbed in, but the guard didn't immediately close the door.

"This way, please," the guard gestured formally.

"Please join me inside. There are matters requiring... discretion," the emissary said with a smile from inside the carriage.

So the real briefing begins, Masashi thought, noting the careful choice of words.

Naturally, the two Uchiha complied, entering the carriage and sitting opposite the emissary.

The guard closed the door, muffling the noises outside. The interior was plush but not ostentatious—exactly what one would expect from a careful courtier.

"What instructions do you have for us, my lord?" Masashi asked, maintaining the proper etiquette.

"There's no need for such formality; I'm merely a humble servant. I'm only here to relay messages." The emissary first looked at Shisui, who showed no reaction, so he addressed Masashi, confirming him as the leader for this mission.

He took out a scroll from the carriage and handed it to Masashi.

"This mission is commissioned by the daimyō himself. Recently, there has been unrest in the Land of Rain, and our country has received a letter from him requesting aid. After discussions, he and the ministers have decided to reject their request for military support, opting instead for material aid."

"Here's the list of supplies."

Masashi opened the scroll for a brief glance.

The list didn't contain anything unusual; it was mostly food and basic supplies, with a small amount of weaponry.

However, one item was not a material good but a service.

An escort team would remain to protect the daimyō of the Land of Rain, requiring Masashi and Shisui to stay for approximately three months.

"The mission is clear," Masashi said, handing back the scroll. "But with only the two of us, it will be challenging to escort such a large shipment. Could you tell us more about the strength of the escort team?"

"There are ten monks and 150 samurai, all of whom were originally from the Land of Rain and are highly familiar with the terrain."

"And what about those handling the transport itself?" Masashi continued.

"The supplies have already been transported to the territory neighboring the Land of Rain. The regional officials will arrange the manpower," the emissary explained calmly. "Rest assured, our magistrates are known for their reliability."

"What about the route and schedule?"

"Our responsibility ends at the border. The Land of Rain will provide transport from there. Rumor has it that a group called 'Akatsuki' has emerged recently, collecting supplies around the area. Ame is also conducting similar activities, and both pose potential threats to the safety of the supplies."

"I see. If Ame's shinobi attack, it could indeed be troublesome."

"Oh?" For the first time, the emissary's expression changed. "You seem certain that Ame, rather than Akatsuki, would be more likely to strike."

"Our clan has its own sources of intelligence," Masashi replied earnestly. "Akatsuki is a complex organization, but for now, they follow rules better than Ame."

Shisui glanced at Masashi but stayed silent.

Observing the shift in their expressions, the emissary smiled slightly without saying more. Instead, he took out a map and handed it to Masashi.

"Then, I wish you both a successful mission."

"Thank you," they replied, accepting the map and disembarking.

As they exited, the guard closed the carriage door and directed the convoy to move.

Watching it leave, Shisui turned to Masashi. "Why didn't I know we had that intel?"

"Because I made it up."

"What? Isn't that lying?" Shisui was shocked, his moral compass clearly troubled.

"Only if they believe it. He didn't, so it's fine," Masashi replied with a smirk.

"But what if this means the emissary won't trust us anymore?" Shisui worried, considering going after them.

"No need to worry. Didn't you see he wasn't really concerned? Besides, he probably thought the same thing."

Masashi shook his head, realizing Shisui's thinking needed adjusting. Still too straightforward. He needs to learn the art of diplomatic deception.

Seeing Shisui still troubled, he explained more clearly.

"These supplies belong to the daimyō. The ones transporting them are his people, and so are we. If anyone attacks, it will likely be Ame shinobi. Our clan's intelligence is spot-on, so it's justified, right?"

Masashi's conversation with the emissary in the carriage wasn't very long, but with a few key pieces of information, he was already certain of one thing.

"The timing of this aid is interesting," he remarked.

This mission wasn't simply about escorting supplies; it was a military operation, and their task was just one part of the whole.

The daimyō's people definitely had ulterior motives.

Since it was all a front, naturally, they were pretending it was a commercial affair. After all, it was already predetermined that Ame shinobi would come for the supplies.

The daimyō's emissary was quite cooperative, seeing as Masashi was willing to play along. But honestly, if the Land of Fire was genuinely helping the Land of Rain, they'd have to be out of their minds.

The Land of Rain was notorious for its disruptive influence in the world of shinobi and had both the desire and the power to stir up trouble.

Before the Second Great Ninja War, Ame held the top spot among the lesser villages and even initiated the war, challenging both Konoha on one side and Suna on the other.

In the days that followed, Ame's Hanzō, Suna's Chiyo, and Konoha's Tsunade brought the term ninja rivalry to a whole new level.

After watching the emissary's convoy leave, Masashi and Shisui set off toward the marked border territory. On the way, Masashi began to teach Shisui the techniques of Yang Release, all while adhering to the principle of integrity.

"The Sharingan is both our greatest strength and limitation," Masashi explained as they traveled. "We rely too heavily on its power. Yang Release can complement it perfectly."

The Uchiha started with unmatched advantage in the shinobi world; their Sharingan granted them extraordinary Yin Release powers from the outset.

In contrast, mastering the Sage Mode was like hell mode. Even with comprehensive knowledge of Yang Release training, Masashi took from the age of three until sixteen to master the most basic form of the Sage Mode.

This led to an explosive increase in his chakra, making it easier for him to learn, use, and even modify ninjutsu. His physical abilities improved significantly—essentially, his body transformed through the continuous enhancement of Yang Release.

But Masashi never considered himself primarily a Yang Release ninja. He simply aimed to use the benefits of the Sage Mode to overcome the limitations of the Sharingan.

He was open about this goal with Shisui, hoping he wouldn't go astray and miss the main purpose.

Two days later, they reached their destination—a major territory bordering both the Land of Rain and Kusa.

The regional official welcomed them, and they finally met their teammates for the next three months.

While the Land of Fire was primarily filled with shinobi, there were others besides them who could use chakra in combat. Monks, for instance, were organized in scattered temples.

Unlike shinobi, monks were not primarily military personnel. Though some were skilled enough to create large Buddha-like figures, they were primarily cultural workers.

Yet, those Masashi met here had an even broader job description—they had to work as spies under the guise of monks for the daimyō.

"We defer to shinobi expertise in this matter," the lead monk stated formally.

"Let's dispense with the formalities. We all know why we're really here." Spies playing monks playing spies...

After meeting Masashi and Shisui, the monks declared readily that they would defer to the shinobi on the mission.

"Your role isn't just observation," Masashi stated. "What intelligence do you already have?"

"The situation in Ame is... complicated."

In response, Masashi adeptly replied that they were all on the same side and should communicate openly.

With both parties aligned, they departed.

Everything was set, and the vast convoy left the city for the border.

A thousand laborers formed a long line transporting supplies—a significant amount of wealth for the war-torn and impoverished Land of Rain, especially since most of it was food.

The monks led the way, followed by Masashi and Shisui alongside some samurai.

Shisui silently absorbed the Yang Release teachings while Masashi pondered other matters.

That Salamander—he wondered how strong he was now. As a contemporary of Hiruzen, Hanzō was at his peak before the Second Great Ninja War.

Back then, he was a near-mythical figure, a powerful shinobi who valued talent above all else. Yet he never managed to recruit any of the truly talented younger generation. By the time he tried, he ended up making another misstep.

Honestly, Masashi wasn't afraid of the Salamander.

For one thing, Hanzō was not only old but had also lost his fighting spirit after two ninja wars. It wouldn't be a stretch to call him a decaying relic.

And his abilities didn't pose much threat to Masashi.

Over the following days, as the convoy neared the border, the weather grew more like that of the Land of Rain. The skies at the border were always overcast, with occasional rain showers.

But this was nothing compared to the Land of Rain's interior, where rainfall was the highest in the shinobi world.

As they arrived at the border, they encountered people from the Land of Rain.

Ame's people always wore rain gear, and these greeters were no exception.

Behind them was a large crowd of civilians, their eyes filled with hope as they watched the long convoy from the Land of Fire.

Years of conflict had led to a severe food shortage in the Land of Rain. In this country, even the nobles couldn't afford to waste food—not because of any sense of morality, but because of the sheer scarcity.

The only place with a stable food supply was likely Ame, which at times would even plunder its own citizens.

Only the people of the five great nations could live in relative peace. Even the poorest of them, like the Land of Wind, were at peace domestically despite the turmoil in Suna.

"These people have it rough," Shisui said quietly, before instinctively going into combat readiness.

"Some people just have bad luck," Masashi replied, looking ahead. The monks had already begun walking toward the leader of Ame's contingent. "Let's go; the mission begins now."

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