Ch-30 Are you hiding something?

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...

Just after Michikatsu had burned the bodies of all the ninjas he had killed, Nawaki and Matsuda arrived at the center of the cave. Michikatsu stood before the charred ninja corpses.

As they both arrived, Nakamura followed behind them.

Upon seeing signs of the battle and the charred corpses, Nawaki asked Michikatsu, "Were you able to kill all of them?"

Michikatsu responded, "Do you see anyone else here?"

When Nakamura saw the charred ninja bodies, he inquired, "Why did you burn the bodies of all the ninjas? For someone as intelligent as you, you must know that a ninja's body can be a valuable resource, as information can be extracted from their brains even after their death."

Michikatsu replied, "You are correct, but I thought that since they were rebels of Konoha, the best punishment for them would be death. So, I killed them and burned their bodies."

Nakamura pressed further, "I understand your reasoning for killing them, but why did you burn their bodies? This makes me suspicious. Is there something you want to hide from everyone in Konoha?"

Michikatsu explained, "Of course, I want to keep many things hidden from the people in Konoha because secrecy about a ninja's abilities is their most powerful weapon. As for burning their bodies, I'm deeply sorry; this is my first mission, and I made a mistake. I'll keep that in mind for the next mission." Michikatsu spoke calmly.

"It's good that you've learned from your mistake. Keep this in mind for the next mission," Nakamura said.

Nakamura simply nodded, but Michikatsu asked him something that made him nervous. "I'd like to ask you, Jonin Nakamura, why were there so many ninjas on a simple bandit suppression mission? Furthermore, they happened to be rebels of Konoha, war deserters who had been evading Konoha. If my assumption is correct, this mission was at least an A-level mission, correct? And the mission's name must have been 'Hunt for the Rebels,' am I right, Jonin Nakamura?"

"Yes, that's correct," Nakamura admitted truthfully because he knew that once Michikatsu returned to Konoha, he would definitely verify the mission's rank and details.

"Concealing the true information about the mission is also unacceptable, Mr. Nakamura, so you will have to answer to the Hokage for your actions," said Michikatsu.

Nakamura didn't say anything further and replied, "I will explain everything to the Hokage regarding what happened here and also inform him of your accomplishments."

"Hmm," Michikatsu nodded in acknowledgment.

"Now, collect all the bodies of these ninjas in a sealing scroll, and gather the bodies of the ordinary bandits who were with them. Burn those bodies, as it was also a task mentioned in the mission. I will go and search for any hidden information," Nakamura said before leaving immediately.

The next morning, everything was completed by Michikatsu and his team with ease.

"By the way, Michikatsu, why do you think Teacher Nakamura hid the real mission information?" asked Nawaki.

"If my guess is correct, he was planning to capture all the ninjas in one fell swoop and use this opportunity to test our strength, assess our progress, and guide us for improvement," explained Michikatsu.

"Bringing us on this mission isn't wrong, but concealing the real mission information is. At the very least, we should have been mentally prepared," said Michikatsu.

Matsuda remained silent throughout the entire conversation, not uttering a word.

After Nakamura found nothing, he returned and saw the bodies burning. He nodded and said, "Now that our mission here is completed, we should leave."

Everyone nodded, and Nawaki added, "Yeah, I'm tired. I haven't slept the whole night."

Nakamura nodded and left, with Michikatsu and the others following behind. Within half a day, they returned to Konoha.

"Okay, you all may leave and rest. I will report about the mission to the Hokage, and tomorrow the mission fees will be distributed according to that of an A-level mission," said Nakamura.

Everyone nodded and headed to their respective homes.

----

In the Hokage's office, within the Hokage Building, Nakamura knelt in front of Hiruzen.

"Hokage-Sama, the mission has been completed, and all the mission information is inside this scroll," Nakamura said, handing over the scroll.

Hiruzen accepted the scroll and read it carefully. When he finished reading, he was shocked and asked Nakamura, "Did you witness Michikatsu perform all these deeds?"

"No, Hokage-Sama. Michikatsu was overly confident in his abilities, so I thought allowing him to face so many ninjas and potentially be defeated would be a valuable lesson for him. After all, overconfidence is more perilous for a ninja than poison. However, I am certain it was him. Both Nawaki and Matsuda were outside the cave, and I was positioned outside as well. I would have intervened if Michikatsu were in trouble," Nakamura explained.

"It seems that Michikatsu needs to be promoted to Chunin as soon as possible," Hiruzen stated. He wasn't making this decision lightly, considering the ongoing war and the continuous need to deploy ninjas. Konoha had a shortage of Jonin capable of handling all missions, so promoting Chunin to team captains was necessary.

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