"Never mind, just give me 500 pounds of maltose syrup."
"500 pounds?! That much?!"
Kuromaru was stunned but didn't dare question it. He hurried off to prepare the supplies.
In addition, **Umino Yoru ** bought 10 explosive tags and some bladed tools. After settling the bill, he left swiftly with a storage scroll in hand.
This time, Kuromaru had been smart—the four puppets were bought back at maximum premium, and the weapons and supplies Yoru purchased were heavily discounted.
With the boost from his basic Body Flicker Technique, Yoru quickly caught up to the shadow clone leading his team.
Instead of dispelling it, he silently moved ahead, activating Infrasound Radar to scan the area for ambushes and traps.
And wouldn't you know it—luck was on his side.
The wide-range scan actually picked up a squad of Sand ninjas who had infiltrated deep into their territory.
Their condition was far from ideal—two were injured, their wounds already infected. And yet, despite the risk, they were buried in mud, hiding from Konoha patrols.
Looks like they're waiting for nightfall to slip past the defenses and escape back to the Wind Country.
Yoru immediately gorged on food, restoring enough chakra to create eight more shadow clones.
"Even when hunting rabbits, a lion uses its full strength."
Though these were just four Sand chunin, and he could've taken on twice as many under the cover of his Hiding in Mist Technique, caution was key.
Soon, his clones had the Sand ninjas surrounded. Trapped in the mud, their senses dulled, they didn't even realize death was closing in.
Hiding in sludge had its perks—harder to detect.
But the downside? Once found, you're a sitting duck.
The ambush went off without a hitch. Between his eight clones and his real body, a barrage of kunai and shuriken took out three of the Sand ninjas instantly.
The sole survivor only lived a second longer—not because he was strong, but because his comrades had been human shields.
Another storm of blades, and the last enemy fell. No silent assassination was even needed—just brutal efficiency.
This fight drove home two truths:
In conventional warfare, intel and perception are everything. More ninjas die to simple kunai than flashy jutsu.
After a quick cleanup, Yoru pocketed the B-rank mission merits and moved on. Within an hour, Team Umino was back at the allied forces' base.
The so-called "base" was actually Shinano City, a major settlement in western Rice Country with a population of over 10,000.
In the Land of Fire, that would be a mid-sized town. But in Rice Country? A metropolis. (Even the Daimyo's capital barely had 50,000 people.)
Most civilians had already fled, leaving behind only war profiteers, gamblers, and desperate merchants.
"Ahhh, finally back! I can take a hot bath now—I feel so gross!"
Kosuzu was practically vibrating with joy before they even entered the gates.
Shukutō was just as relieved—money from home meant he could finally spend some of it. The front lines were hell—what good was cash if you couldn't use it?
"Woof woof!"
Even the ninja dog, Akitarō, wagged his tail wildly.
"Yo, Yoru ! Back already?"
The sharp-eyed gate guard, Kamizuki Hayate, waved them over. His partner, Hagane Genseki, chimed in with some small talk.
After six months of deliberate networking, Yoru had these two wrapped around his finger.
No grand gestures—just letting them ramble and indulging their need to gossip.
Gate guards might seem unimportant, but they're intel goldmines.
Within minutes, he'd learned:
Frontline commander Koharu Utatane was returning to Konoha. Danzo Shimura would be taking over. And, of course, the juicier stuff—who was cheating on whom, which officers frequented the brothels, etc.
"Catch you later."
Once he had enough intel, Yoru led his team straight to logistics HQ.
Before they could even report their mission, Nara Shikazo, the overworked logistics strategist, intercepted them.
Clearly, he'd ordered his men to track Yoru 's movements.
"Yoru , I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Putting you in Chōji Torifu's patrol unit was the right call."
His tone was all praise and political charm, a far cry from his usual aloof superiority. He made sure to **subtly remind Yoru ** of the "favor" he'd done him.
"Remember who got you this cushy assignment."
"All thanks to your leadership, Lord Shikazo."
Yoru laid on the flattery thick, channeling the same bootlicking energy he'd used on Wind Country's petty bureaucrats.
(Not that he was ungrateful—Shikazo's political maneuvering had kept him off suicide missions. That was a debt worth acknowledging.)
"Yoru , you just completed an S-rank mission a few days ago, and now you've wrapped up an A-rank? At this rate, you'll make jonin in no time."
Shikazo clapped him on the shoulder, his words dripping with recruitment subtext.
After more mutual ego-stroking, Yoru finally submitted his mission report—enemy forehead protectors, even the corpses.
"What?! You ran into a Sand squad trying to retreat on your way back… and wiped them out?!"
Shikazo double-checked the evidence, then straight-faced, declared:
"Yoru , you just saved our supply lines. Those Sand-nin were hiding in mud—clearly planning to ambush our food convoys! If you hadn't caught them, we'd be in deep trouble. This absolutely counts as an A-rank mission."
Yoru : "…???"
This… works?
Nara-level IQ indeed—twisting facts like a pro.
Guess this is what it's like to be Konoha's favored elite before even making jonin.
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