Chapter 28 : Easy mission

The murmur of the surrounding market was almost soothing. The Land of Stone had a vibe all its own—buzzing with craftsmen and traders, each selling something rare, something unique. Stalls were stacked with metals, slabs of hard stone, sage wood, and fine threads of spider silk.

Being in Root, I had access to things most people didn't, information so buried it barely existed. Especially information like Sakumo Hatake's last mission. It helped me find a chain of clues I'd followed straight to the Land of Stone.

If you know the right people in the underworld and know a lot of things that shinobi can't fathom to find [clues from Canon knowledge], it becomes easy to find where Sasori escaped to after killing the third Kazakage. Like the fact, Sasori plans to remake Third Kazakage's body into a top-notch Puppet that can use his magnetic release.

Still, I realized I am unstable. It is a fact. I had been happy-go-lucky before joining the root that I can barely imagine it now. In fact, even felt sad for Sakumo's death when I just knew him as Kakashi's dad.

But me right now-

SIGH

"Dear sir, no need to worry so much. A visit to our springs will turn you into a handsome lad like this."

Feeling my disguise covered with pimples and warts, I felt I might have overdone it. I disregarded the advertisement and went back to my thoughts.

Of course, Dan's death made me sad, but when you compare Dan and Sakumo's relation to me, you will realize how messed up I am right now.

Fuck, this world broke me, and it took time for me to realize even that.

Shifting my gaze from the bustling crowd to the shadows, I scanned the surrounding faces, piecing together the puzzle. Sasori would move under a false identity, bidding his time till he completed his creation. The difference between us was that I couldn't afford to wait. Not when I have little time, especially when official peace talks are to be scheduled by the end of the month. Not when I had a faint thread of a trail, one I could tug on to draw him out.

I walked forward, casually making my way past stalls and vendors, blending in with the other travelers and merchants from across the world. Though I noticed the smell of blood from some of them. With every step, I was reminded of the layers this world had. The Land of Stone might be neutral territory, but it was crawling with bounty hunters, shinobi, bandits, samurai, and even fucking nobles.

I entered the biggest store for wares in the land of stones, displaying an array of chakra-infused stones with a glint that was almost mesmerizing.

"Good Stuff!"

 "Only the finest in all five nations," he boasted, his eyes narrowing as he sized me up. I nodded, feigning interest, knowing full well Sasori would have made similar rounds, perhaps even at this very stall. No, he must have done it. Or I am out of luck. Sasori must have spent his savings on preserving the Kazekage's body rather than remaking into a puppet. Though, considering he is strong enough to ambush and kill the weakened Kazekage, I am leaning on my theory that he immediately started on puppet making, which will improve his strength.

"I hear the Land of Stone has materials fit for even the finest craftsmen," I said, casually inspecting one of the stones.

The vendor nodded eagerly. "You're right, stranger. Chakra-conducting metal, spider silk—enough to build something indestructible if you know how."

"I need a massive amount of Chakra metal."

The vendor immediately signaled for snacks and drinks while the owner arrived and took me to his private chamber for the expensive sales.

"Sir, we have the best chakra metals series. Whatever you want, we have had it. Be it durability, sharpness, and even weight. Especially if you are looking for elemental chakra."

I scoffed and said, "I want it all."

The owner froze up at my words.

Before he can enquire, I cleared his doubts by showing him my stamp, issued by Konoha's bank of commerce. The moment he saw the inscribed fuin seal that acts as my identity as a bank account holder, he got to his feet like a pig on steroids.

"Wait a minute, sir. Your order will be ready."

I had ordered for the purest chakra metal and in a quantity that can make my armour for me.

The Armour I have is made from an alloy based on chakra metal, made for mass production. The one ordered is on par with Asuma's knuckle blades.

Rolling the stamp in my hands around, I realized that I have underestimated its influence. Especially when dealing with Shinobi and merchants who casually use it back in Konoha. People who can afford the stamps are rich merchants or strong shinobi that can see money as none issue. While I am no elite jonin or S-rank, the pizza business in Konoha, with its halo as the founder and inventor of pizza, made earn money on their level.

Rather than saying mission money as the source of Konoha shinobi, it is better for the mission. Money is a bonus for the shinobi. Instead, the ability to purchase the tightly controlled weapons, knowledge, and power from Konoha in exchange for serving Konoha is the actual income of Shinobi. Without a shinobi status, you just can't purchase them no matter how much money you have. The land of fire nobles can vouch for that.

I was broken from my thoughts by the store owner coming back with the scroll featuring the sale deed and the chakra metal.

"As expected of the best shop in the nation."

"Thank you, sir," the merchant said with a polite bow. His expression was carefully blank, but I could tell he was pleased with the transaction.

I gave him a nod, smiling as I pressed the stamp against the deed, sealing it with my fuinjutsu mark. When he went out to deal with his other employees, I moved quickly, subtly forming a second shadow clone. Just like the one back at camp, I poured most of my chakra into it. The clone took the scroll and materials and walked out of the shop, ensuring that no one would notice I was still inside.

A quick jump, and I was hanging silently from the rafters, my breathing slowed to near nothing, my chakra levels practically depleted, making it all the easier to blend into the background. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I let go of all emotion, focusing on my aim. I wall crawled into the owner's office following the owner, observing the layout, my senses trained on every movement outside.

No wonder Tsunade called the Anbu and Root agents -perverts. The way we snuck into places, hiding ourselves like ghosts, it wasn't exactly the shinobi way she'd been taught to respect. Then again, our methods got things done, as much as they put people on edge.

Two guards stood at the entrance, chakra levels easily chunin-tier, and judging by their faces, young—probably no older than twenty-three. But chakra alone meant nothing in this world. I'd seen tailed beasts fall to humans. Chakra didn't make you invincible; it was just a tool, a resource. And now, with my reserves nearly empty, I was almost invisible to their senses.

I crept forward as the owner left, waiting for the door to click shut before moving toward the safe hidden behind a thick panel in the wall. The combination was simple enough—having watched him input it; I cracked it open without a sound. Inside was the registry, along with various documents detailing sales records, purchases, and more. My prize.

I slipped the registry free and spread the pages open.

[Scanning the data….

Cross-referencing the material sales with the Puppet materials...…..]

My AI whirred into action, cross-referencing every line of information with a list of materials I'd been tracking, specifically those that could absorb chakra or bind human flesh. As I scanned, patterns began to emerge. Certain items appeared more often than others, sold to obscure buyers, marked under innocuous labels.

Bingo. Hidden in these pages was the trail I'd been looking for, buried in plain sight among rows and rows of meaningless data.

Especially the materials for making fuin formula. The last time I saw such amounts was when Root ordered the materials for researching my armour designs as per Danzo's orders.

Fuck this, this is Sasori. Only idiot will question this right now.

Now, I just have to find the delivery points.

AI cross -reference the delivery points across the land of stones and cross reference them with influence of the gangs and bandits. Say what you want about Danzo's paranoid nature. It is really useful like this.

[Cross Referencing …..

Eliminating sub gangs names and going up the pyramid of influence....]

POOF

I felt intense pain in my head as flashes of memories rampaged in my head.

Bandits chasing me

Me killing them.

Erasing the traces.

Saving chakra metal scroll in specific hideout

Then, pushing through extreme emotions of the fact that I am erasing my existence, I dispelled.

Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!

That was intense. To think Naruto makes of thousands of these clones.

It seems I need to train this Jutsu. Most of the information, I felt from the clone is useless. What the fuck do I do with smell of a dog's shit?

No, this won't do. I need to train this jutsu so that it consumes less chakra and sends more information. Especially the chakra loss in transmission needs to be cut heavily.

AI, make an estimated mastery for Shadow clone, according to the requirements I have.

[Shadow clone- 78/1000]

SIGH

Now, I need to master this and then go for the multi clone Jutsu that doesn't have a single limiter placed on this shadow clone jutsu model.

According to what I know, Multi clone jutsu completely removes the limiters that Tobirama set on shadow clone allowing as much information, chakra usage as the user wants.

Thinking of the bright future where each clone sends the data of the fields that I want and my AI using that to find better ways to increase my strength-

"Damn, my dick hardened."

-

-

-

-

----------Jakuen town, base of desert bandits-----------------

I am a scary guy.

Sure, I may not be that strong yet, but I am damn sure that I could be scary because I tracked down Sasori so fast.

Why I am so sure that Sasori is here?

It was because I found out from the bandits who were drunk here that the place event through massive changes right about the time Sakumo's death, the Kazekage's disappearance and the war started.

Of course, I dug up the dead bodies from that time and checked the remains to confirm the cause of death.

Puppet attacks and poisons.

As expected of "Sasori of Red Sand."

It is a moniker he is being hailed as nowadays. Yep, the killer of the third Kazekage is hailed as the genius of Suna right now, as a response to Kakashi's name. He also is one of the prime candidates for the fourth kazekage's position.

SIGH

The shinobi world always proves me it is more twisted than my wildest imagination. Come on, the dude killed his kage and is making a puppet out of him. Instead of having the decency to vanish or hide, he is happily earning himself fame as a Suna Shinobi. What?

{Author's note: The previous statement was sarcasm! Hence, no comments asking for clarification allowed. Though, I wonder if it feels like sarcasm to readers? I mean, I am weak at that.]

SNORT

At the end of the day, It meant I didn't have to cross paths with a guy who'd killed an S-rank shinobi like the Third Kazekage. My life? Not something I was ready to gamble on that encounter just yet. Sasori could make his name as loudly as he wanted to—far away from me.

Now, with the reassurance that he was otherwise occupied, I set about scouting this hideout. Jakuen Town was quiet at this time of day, its dusty streets populated by bandits, a few wandering mercenaries, and drunks lounging in the sun, not much of a crowd at all. But what caught my eye was the brawler partying in the central building.

This guy had Jonin-level chakra reserves, standing out like a sore thumb among the others. Broad-shouldered, rough-looking, and obviously not your average thug, he looked like a former samurai—maybe a turned bandit leader or hired muscle. But even with his chakra level, I could tell he was no elite. He was just… a brute. No refined technique, no precision in his stance, just a hulk relying on strength and size.

I crouched low behind a wall, narrowing my gaze as I sized him up. He had that oblivious swagger that told me he'd never been trained to actually sense chakra. Perfect. He was just a muscle head who'd gotten by on raw power and intimidation. Even better for me.

Moving slowly, I slipped into the shadows, my steps silent on the dry ground.

CRACK

One drunked guy going for piss is enough for me to infiltrate the place with his identity.

Blending into the sparse crowd which is getting more drunk by the minute, It took some time and two changes of disguises in the washroom and a knocked idiot in one of the bedroom to search through the entire building.

Despite it feeling like a cliche, I went to the basement room.

Inside, the place was more rundown than I expected, with old wooden walls and dusty floors. I quickly scanned for any signs of hidden doors or chakra residue, my eyes flicking to every shadow and crevice. The walls had faint traces of chakra, but nothing overt—Sasori had clearly been careful about leaving trails, which meant I'd need to be even more meticulous.

The building was the obvious hiding spot for secret lab, if it existed. After some exploring, I finally found a faint, chakra-protected seal on the floorboards near a back room. Of course, my skin that is growing purplish patches of blood is enough to show the poison trap.

Classic Sasori.

It didn't take much of an effort for me to clear the poison.

As much as I regret not being a Fuinjutsu master, I am capable enough to slip past such an easy lock. I released the tiniest sliver of my own chakra to slip past the seal without triggering any alarm, lifting a loose floorboard.

And there it was—a small, concealed stairway spiraling down into the dim depths.

It didn't take long before I reached a cold, stone-walled lab. Rows of shelves held containers and scrolls, materials for poisons, and what I could only assume were spare puppet parts. Sasori's lab was quiet, meticulously arranged with tools and parts that spoke of his infamous puppet mastery.

Moving swiftly, I scanned the tables and scrolls. I couldn't afford to take much time or leave any trace I'd been here. As much as I wanted to stay and learn what I could from his designs, I took only what I needed: scans of all the knowledge in the room.

Taking a deep breath, I finally looked towards the room ahead, my senses instantly assaulted by a smell that twisted my stomach. And that's saying something—considering what Sekai put the rookies through in training, I thought I had a strong gut. But whatever was in there? It was beyond rancid, a stench so thick and vile it felt like it could choke me on the spot.

As much as I wanted to dive in, instinct held me back. My sensory scan picked up chakra signatures channeled into specific spots around the room—traps, most likely. It was clear Sasori had set them up with intruders in mind. No surprise there; I wouldn't have expected less from him. But the traps themselves weren't much of a problem. Not when I had the right tools.

"Alright, AI. Start analyzing the sensory data. Use it to find the weak points in those traps and calculate a safe route to bypass them."

[Analyzing incoming data… Scanning chakra patterns… Constructing trap blueprint based on sensory data…]

I waited, every nerve on high alert as I kept my senses on the room, hoping there were no detection-based seals among the traps. The AI ran through its processes, dissecting each chakra-charged point and generating a map of their locations and functions.

[Traps identified: total of four. Primary trigger point at the entrance, chakra wire latticed along the walls, and additional defensive seals near the central workbench.

Probability of explosive tag activation at any tampering attempt: 87%.

Calculating optimal path…]

I watched as the AI laid out a route, marking areas on my mental map where the traps could be avoided. It even highlighted where I could step without setting anything off. Sasori's layout was sophisticated, sure, but it was nothing a little analysis couldn't outwit.

[Path calculated. Move forward two steps, then right at a 45-degree angle for four steps. Keep chakra output below the detectable range.

Caution: Maintain distance from secondary tags to avoid any risk of collateral activation.]

Carefully, I stepped forward, precisely as directed, inching into the room with as little chakra presence as possible. Each step felt like a dance with danger, the stakes high enough to keep every sense razor-sharp. I stayed close to the path, making my way around the traps until I finally reached the center.

There, set on the workbench, were remnants of Sasori's projects—half-finished puppet parts, jars of preserved organs, and a handful of finely crafted mechanisms that looked like they'd come straight out of a nightmare. This was the core of his work.

[Remaining obstacles analyzed. Defensive seals protecting the central area. Deactivation recommended ensuring safe retrieval of data.]

"Deactivate it," I whispered.

[Processing seal override protocol… Deconstructing pattern… Manufacturing the counter-seal…]

The AI's counter-seal was showed by the AI. The next steps were obvious, the counter seal pulsed through my fingers, overlaying Sasori's own chakra matrix with a neutralizing field that slowly dulled the seal's energy. Within moments, the defenses were down.

With the traps neutralized and seals disabled, I quickly scanned the workbench for anything useful. Among the chaotic assembly of parts, I spotted a set of sketches detailing Sasori's changed puppetry techniques. They were complex, annotated with notes on chakra channeling and body modification. These could be valuable.

AI, scan them.

[Command accepted.]

"Got it."

Looking at the dead bodies stored in corpse preservation fluid, I stuck gold.

FLASH

FLASH

FLASH

My camera didn't stop for a second as I kept taking the proof of Sasori's deeds. Especially the dead body of the third Kazekage that is half made into puppet.

As much as I want to seal them away in my storage scroll, I don't want to risk any hidden traps he left. Just the normal traps he left in the room took me too much time to solve.

Another thing to remind of the fact that I regret not mastering Fuinjutsu yet. Unfortunately, there has not been enough time.

SIGH!

I am starting to understand the meaning of words : "A single human's energy is limited."

I stepped back, retracing my path with the AI's guidance, careful to leave no trace that I'd been there at all.

As I emerged from the room and back into the main corridor, I took a deep breath of less-toxic air. Another step forward in figuring out Sasori's methods without risking my neck in the process.

One step closer to having an advantage against him, and he'd never even know I was here.

The soft creak of footsteps overhead jolted me. With a silent breath, I stashed the notes and tucked myself into a shadowed corner, barely breathing. The footsteps faded away, but it was enough of a reminder: I needed to be out of here, now.

I retraced my steps with the same care, passing the brawler again, who still did not know I'd slipped in and out right under his nose.

Once back on the main road, I breathed in the open air. No sign of pursuit. No alarms. And I had exactly what I needed.

 Now, I just need to explain this bullshit and manage to endure Danzo's stupid shouts as why I didn't risk my life to bring back Sasori's research materials.