It was so refreshing it could intoxicate anyone.
Yet the woman standing beside him looked deeply worried.
Her light yellow dress fluttered gently in the breeze, blending with the sea of green fields around them.
But it did nothing to soften her slightly furrowed expression.
Shiki Uzumaki knew persuasion would be useless, so he decided to bring up the main topic as they walked.
"Onee-san, what exactly is the mission this time? You mentioned before that differing opinions within the village led to a conflict between Harada and Duy Ni. But what happened after that?"
Ka Natsuko looked into Shiki Uzumaki's eyes, her gaze filled with sorrow.
"Later, Harada lost. He was placed under house arrest by Duy Ni, and a public announcement was made in the village—he will be executed on August 7th."
Setting a specific time?
Shiki was taken aback again. A public execution of one's rival didn't seem like a typical move from a ruthless person.
Such a method was too open—it felt like declaring something to everyone.
Shiki fell silent for a moment, his past-life memories instantly giving him a sense of grasping something crucial.
Why would Duy Ni choose to publicly execute his opponent?
Could it be that—
"He wants to make an example out of Yuan Ye to flush out anyone else in your village still against him—and wipe them all out at once!"
This kid...
Ka Natsuko was momentarily stunned. She had never expected the Red-haired Child to draw such an analysis from just her few words.
In fact, this very thought had been collectively speculated by the elders of Nikamura Village—including the village headman—when they gathered with others who opposed Duy Ni.
Unexpectedly, the boy here had deduced Duy Ni's intentions from only a fragment of information.
Noticing the surprise on Ka Natsuko's face, Shiki understood she was amazed at his analysis.
Which meant one thing—he had guessed correctly.
"It seems having past-life memories really does come in handy. Also, many people in this Naruto world, living through endless war and scraping by at the bottom of society, lack deep insight—this might actually be my advantage."
He silently mused within himself.
"So what you're trying to tell me is, the task you want to entrust me with this time is to rescue Yuan Ye?"
Ka Natsuko nodded. "Yes. Yuan Ye has done nothing wrong and shouldn't be killed like this."
"What are the villagers' current opinions regarding Yuan Ye and Duy Ni then?"
"When Duy Ni first began taking action, the villagers were frightened day after day. But later, as more money flowed into the village, we poor folk became crazed over the wealth.
Almost everyone threw their full support behind Duy Ni back then. Seeing no way to change things, Yuan Ye left the village. But as more and more people died, the villagers' consciences slowly began to awaken, burdened with guilt."
"And even in our conflicts against other factions in the Land of Rain, even if we hold the advantage, we can't avoid more and more deaths. Seeing their loved ones die one by one, the villagers have finally realized something. To obtain this unjust wealth that burdens us with guilt, one must pay with their life. Therefore, even the greediest people in the village now regret their actions. Still, only those about my age continue to support Duy Ni."
Hearing this, Shiki Uzumaki already had a general understanding.
In Nikamura, the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled all supported Harada, while the warriors chose Duy Ni — the one who wields power from the shadows.
How truly ironic.
Just as he was thinking, he suddenly noticed they had already reached the mission request office.
"Onee-san Natsuko, we're here. Let's go inside together."
"Yeah."
Without another word, the two stepped into the clean, imposing-looking building.
Once inside, only a few ninjas were nearby, picking up missions.
As for those posting missions, there were very few.
But this was perfectly natural, as posting a mission was usually quite straightforward — simply explain the details and state the reward, and the process was complete.
However, as ninja, they needed to verify the details of the mission, choose suitable ones, and arrange the distribution of rewards.
"Oh! So it's Shiki again? Here to take another mission?"
The chunin at the mission hall spotted Shiki Uzumaki and greeted him warmly.
"Not this time. I'm here accompanying this lady to post a mission."
"Posting a mission?"
The chunin's brows slightly furrowed.
Ka Natsuko tightened her lips and asked, "Is there a problem?"
The chunin shook his head. "No, just tell me about your mission."
Upon hearing this from the man wearing the Konoha chunin vest, Ka Natsuko quickly explained the mission she wanted to post.
After hearing the general outline of the mission, the chunin asked again,
"What will your reward be?"
Ka Natsuko answered, "It's an A-ranked technique from our Land of Rain, and its origins are completely legitimate. As someone from Nikamura Village, I am willing to offer this A-rank technique to Konoha."
[A-Rank Ninjutsu Technique]
"A-rank ninjutsu?" Surprise finally appeared on the chunin's face.
"Yes," she nodded. "It's an A-ranked technique from our Land of Rain, and its origins are completely legitimate. As someone from Nikamura Village, I am willing to offer this A-rank technique to Konoha."
Seeming to make a decision, the chunin paused for a moment before finally saying, "Alright, we'll accept this mission. However, due to its special nature and lack of prior notice, this mission might be delayed a few days before it can be assigned."
"Delayed a few days?" Ka Natsuko's face instantly turned pale.
"Because only jonin can ensure the safety of this mission. We've classified it as a B-rank mission. Normally, B-rank missions require prior arrangement."
Hearing this, Shiki seemed to understand something. Almost all the jonin and chunin in the village had left for missions over the past couple of days.
To prevent other nations from realizing Konoha's damages in this war.
However, the prior missions must be completed on schedule and as planned. Still, these missions can be postponed under different pretexts.
"Fine, fine. If that's how it is, I'll take the mission."
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