Chapter 24 - Identity revealed

Daisuke furrowed his brow, pausing at the end of the corridor. "Wait a second... Why does that name sound familiar?" he muttered to himself. Ryu, startled by Daisuke's sudden halt, looked at him with concern. "Daisuke? Is everything alright?" he asked.

Daisuke stared intently at Ryu through his mask, a sense of recognition dawning on him. "That name... Kajiya... It rings a bell. Ryu, what does your father do for a living?"

Ryu hesitated, anxiety creeping in as he anticipated the implications of his response. "He's a blacksmith," he finally replied, hoping that revealing his father's occupation might lead to some news about his well-being.

Daisuke's eyes widened, and he could barely contain his shock. "Wait... You're part of 𝐓𝐇𝐄 Kajiya clan?!" He raised his voice, prompting Ryu to caution him, "Calm down! Why are you yelling? You'll scare the patients!"

Daisuke ignored Ryu's concern, his mind racing with the revelation. "Forget the patients! I can't believe it. I thought your family had gone extinct! Did you train in blacksmithing?"

Ryu nodded, his voice steady despite his unease. "I'm a master smith."

Daisuke shook his head in disbelief. "No wonder... I guess you're part of the Kajiya clan. But I don't understand - they put a 150 million bounty on a master smith from your clan? Is the Mist running out of resources?"

Ryu frowned, defensive. "What do you mean 'running out of resources'? That's a significant bounty, especially considering they have my father!"

Daisuke sighed, trying to make Ryu understand. "Yes, it's a large sum, but it's still far too low for someone of your skill and lineage, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 since they have your father. You don't seem to grasp your true worth. A billion Ryo wouldn't even come close. My guess is that the Mist wants to avoid drawing attention to you, so they intentionally undervalued the bounty. If other villages knew about you, it could lead to conflict."

As the implications of Daisuke's words settled in, Ryu's eyes widened. He had never considered the consequences of his identity being revealed to the world. Daisuke continued, "Placing a high bounty on you would certainly attract the attention of top bounty hunters, but it might not provoke a significant reaction from the major players."

"So... what happens now?" Ryu asked, his voice tinged with concern. Daisuke chuckled, sensing Ryu's unease. "Worried I might turn you in? Didn't I mention earlier that we're all about keeping secrets here? Relax, I won't tell anyone. In fact, I'll make finding information on your father a top priority. Hopefully, our network will pick up something soon."

Ryu hesitated before posing another question. "That's it, then? You won't ask me to make things for the clinic like weapons or medical equipment?"

Daisuke shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Here's a life lesson for you, kid: don't volunteer more information than necessary. If I were someone else, I might have taken advantage of that offer and caused you more trouble. But that's not who I am. Besides, we already struggle to import the essentials, so bringing in additional materials wouldn't be feasible. And since you're a Kajiya, you'll eventually move on, leaving us to deal with the aftermath."

Ryu absorbed Daisuke's words, nodding in understanding. "Lesson learned. So just to clarify, nothing will change?"

Daisuke affirmed Ryu's question. "That's right. While we could profit from turning you in, it wouldn't be worth it. Having you indebted to us is far more valuable than a mere 150 million."

Ryu found some comfort in Daisuke's words. "That makes sense. How long do you think it will take for your network to find any information about my dad?"

Daisuke rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "It's hard to say... Your father is likely being held under top-notch security measures. That means the location is classified, and only a select few high-ranking individuals would know about it. I can't give you an exact timeframe, but I still don't think it should take more than two weeks."

"That's incredible!" Ryu exclaimed, amazed at Daisuke's confidence. Daisuke grinned, his eyes gleaming with pride. "Underestimating us, are you? The Mist may have tight security, but loyalty isn't their strong suit. We have spies in various positions within their ranks. Breaking through their security might be difficult, but it's far from impossible. I'll assign our top agents to the task, and I can even reach out to some old Anbu friends in the Mist for assistance. They might be able to give us the information we need."

Ryu was incredulous. "How is it possible that the Mist hasn't discovered this infiltration?" Daisuke shrugged nonchalantly. "It's simple. We have plenty of insiders who help cover our tracks, whether that means destroying evidence or making problematic individuals 'disappear.'"

Ryu found this disheartening. "How can one of the five great villages be so vulnerable?" Daisuke sighed, his expression turning serious. "Their education system is flawed. They prioritize results over everything else, pushing their shinobi to strive for perfection. Unfortunately, this leads to brutal training and a merciless approach that fosters resentment rather than loyalty. Many of their shinobi stay out of necessity rather than a sense of duty. And the poor pay doesn't help matters either. The village often sacrifices its workforce without a second thought, struggling to keep up with the demands of its missions. On the other hand, we offer better pay, which encourages shinobi to remain loyal to us instead of the Mist." He smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I guess it does makes things easy for you. Is that also how you manage to keep this place hidden?" Ryu inquired, his curiosity piqued. Daisuke nodded. "The camouflage plays a big part, but we also ensure that none of the Mist's patrol units get anywhere near this location. We can't afford to take any chances. Now, why don't we go and share this whole situation with Arakan and Akina? I can't wait to see their reactions, especially Akina. She went through a phase where she was fascinated by the Seven Swords, like many kids. She'll be thrilled!" Daisuke laughed, eagerly anticipating their surprise, while Ryu looked a bit uneasy.

Just then, an Anbu appeared in front of them, breathing heavily. "Captain! Ryu! Akina is in danger!" The urgency in the Anbu's voice made Ryu's heart race. "What happened?!" he demanded.

"We're not sure what triggered it, but her chakra reserves have suddenly multiplied several times over. The spiritual energy can be stored without any issues, but the massive influx of physical energy accompanying the chakra is attempting to forcibly reconstruct her body. She's essentially tearing herself apart, and Arakan can't figure out how to stop it," the Anbu reported.

Ryu's mind raced, realizing he needed to undo the Jutsu he had cast on her immediately. He just hoped that they wouldn't ask too many questions about it. With a focused effort, he willed the Jutsu to dissipate.

================================================================

Things are beginning to heat up! I feel bad that I can't release these chapters at a higher frequency but I really don't have the time. But I think that my schedule will be wide open in July so maybe I'll be able to do daily releases in the summer before I enter the military. Then it'll be back to weekly I assume. But the OP build is nearly completed! I have some very specific Mangekyou abilities I plan to give him, they aren't broken by themselves, but... Well, you'll see.