Chapter 205:
"We've been expecting you, Lord Daimyō of the Land of Fire, and all the shinobi of Konoha. I am Tetsubaki, disciple of General Mifune of the Land of Iron."
"Nice to meet you. I'm the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. This is my son, Tentō."
"Brr… It's freezing," Tentō muttered, rubbing his arms. Still, he greeted the girl in front of him with a smile. "Hi there, I'm Tentō."
"Please, everyone, come in and have some hot tea." Tetsubaki led the way. "The Daimyō of the Land of Water hasn't arrived yet, so please wait here for now."
"So, what kind of country is the Land of Iron, anyway?"
Tentō slowed his pace and asked quietly beside Sarada and Shuyu.
"I heard it's a country that maintains its unique samurai culture because it has little contact with the outside world. But lately, people have been saying the samurai era is long over."
Sarada whispered back.
"The Land of Iron is a neutral small country founded on the Three Wolf Mountains. It has an independent culture, its own governing authority, and military power. Long ago, the shinobi nations agreed not to invade this country. After all, it has no valuable resources to plunder, and being nestled deep in the mountains makes it a natural fortress. Because of its neutrality, it's often served as the venue for peace talks between conflicting sides. In fact, the Five Kage Summit held before the Fourth Great Ninja War took place here."
Shuyu explained steadily.
"You sure know a lot, Shuyu."
Sarada looked at him in admiration.
"If you want to become Hokage, this is the kind of knowledge you need to have."
"A country built on mountains? Sounds like the boonies to me."
Tentō blurted out carelessly.
"Actually, the Land of Iron has developed significantly under Mifune's leadership."
The Daimyō of the Land of Fire turned back to address the group. Understanding the various powers of the shinobi world isn't just important for a future Hokage—it's also essential for the future Daimyō of the Land of Fire.
"That's right," Tetsubaki added from the front. "Lacking in natural resources, the Land of Iron is currently focusing on developing its tourism industry."
After all, it's a land blanketed in snow year-round. While other regions only see snow for one season, the Land of Iron offers snowy landscapes at any time. The ski resorts here have become especially popular among children.
After leading the group to their respective rooms, Tetsubaki politely excused herself and left.
Following Mifune's instructions, she still had to welcome the Daimyō of the Land of Water.
"Now, we'll split into two teams. One will handle perimeter patrol, and the other will provide close protection. I'll pair each adult with one child. I'll be with Sarada, and the Jar Merchant will team up with Shuyu."
Sasuke said this expressionlessly.
Since Sarada was his daughter, it was only natural that Sasuke would choose to pair up with her.
"Well, since you two picked your teams first, I suppose it's only fair we pick the task."
The Jar Merchant said.
"Fine."
Sasuke nodded.
It was clear that of the two, the perimeter patrol was the more demanding task. Close protection meant staying inside the warm building.
Shuyu glanced at Sarada, then quickly spoke up. "We'll take the patrol."
"What?!"
The Jar Merchant protested loudly.
Sarada blushed—Shuyu's subtle glance hadn't escaped her notice.
Sasuke also nodded. To be honest, he'd already resigned himself to braving the cold with Sarada on patrol.
"Geez, you're way too nice to Sarada," the Jar Merchant grumbled, sticking close to Shuyu since the mission began. "Then again, Sarada is Sasuke's daughter."
"What do you mean by that?"
Uchiha Itachi sensed something was off. He stopped walking and looked back at the Jar Merchant.
The Jar Merchant squinted his eyes and said slowly, "Of course an uncle would take care of his niece, wouldn't he?"
Although he didn't spell it out, it was obvious the Jar Merchant had figured out Shuyu's identity.
Shuyu activated his Mangekyō and stared at the Jar Merchant. "How do you know?"
"The Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was a spy we embedded from Hydra."
"Spy…"
Shuyu's expression turned incredulous.
"What else? Uchiha Itachi, did you really think nobody knew you were secretly feeding intel to Konoha? Let me think… your co-conspirators were SpongeBob, Patrick Star, Mitsuki, and the latest addition—Red Wolf. If it weren't for our comrade Husky covering for you, your operation would've been exposed long ago!"
Seeing the shocked look on Itachi's face, the Jar Merchant nodded in satisfaction.
At this point, including Itachi who had just learned the truth, there were now three people among the S.H.I.E.L.D. infiltrators who knew that Shunhi was also a spy.
"Why are you telling me this? Isn't the fact that Shunhi is a Hydra plant in S.H.I.E.L.D. supposed to be top secret?"
Itachi stared intently at the Jar Merchant.
To clear their name, obviously.
That was Shunhi's thought, who was currently controlling the Jar Merchant's actions from within Konoha.
The whole S.H.I.E.L.D. thing had started as a fun side project after gaining the system, but now it had grown into a tangled mess. If they didn't find a way to clean up their act soon, what if one of the plot-armored protagonists accidentally wiped them all out?
It was also a form of insurance—ensuring someone else knew Shunhi's true identity in case all the insiders died. "You were a spy" wouldn't mean anything if no one lived to verify it.
Shunhi's biggest mistake in life was creating S.H.I.E.L.D.
"I want you to cooperate with Comrade Husky. If something goes wrong, I want you to prioritize protecting him. Surely you understand how important the Deputy Director position is in our struggle against S.H.I.E.L.D."
"…"
Itachi fell silent, deep in thought. S.H.I.E.L.D. really was the greatest threat to the shinobi world right now. But what about afterward?
He kept his gaze fixed on the Jar Merchant. Hydra, once able to rival S.H.I.E.L.D., had long since fallen from power. Yet somehow, they had still managed to plant someone all the way into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s upper ranks as a spy.
Itachi wasn't unfamiliar with the idea of two clams fighting and a fisherman reaping the rewards.
In the end, he said nothing. The conversation concluded in his silence, without a clear stance either way.