After departing from the Hidden Leaf Village, the group headed south. Before setting out, Rorin had already investigated the location of the Land of Mountain Streams—it lay to the south of the Land of Fire. Once they left the borders of the Land of Fire, the neighboring country would be their destination.
At the same time, the Land of Mountain Streams also bordered the Land of Wind, though Rorin wasn't entirely clear on the country's specific characteristics.
"What do you think about this mission?" Rorin asked Nara Shikamaru beside him as they traveled.
"It's troublesome," Nara Shikamaru replied lazily.
Rorin felt a bit speechless. Seriously, could you be any more perfunctory? Looks like I can't count on this guy.
He recalled the mission details from the scroll. Their primary objective in going to the Land of Mountain Streams was to protect the soon-to-be-appointed daimyo.
The Land of Mountain Streams didn't have an independent ninja village, so its daimyo had no choice but to seek help from its neighboring "big guy," the Land of Fire. Due to the close economic ties between the two countries, the Land of Mountain Streams served as one of the major transit hubs for domestic and international trade, providing convenient transportation routes between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
However, the scroll didn't specify what kind of threat the new daimyo was facing that required ninja assistance. Everything would only become clear after they arrived.
Although the enemy hadn't been identified, Rorin was confident. If he went all out, his combat strength was already close to that of an elite jonin. As long as he didn't face a Kage-level opponent, it shouldn't be a problem.
And in the current ninja world, Kage-level fighters were still quite rare, so the danger of this mission wasn't high. That was one of the reasons Rorin was willing to accept it.
After three days and two nights of relentless travel, the four of them finally reached the border of the Land of Fire. Next, they had to cross the sea to reach the Land of Mountain Streams. After boarding the ship, they each went to their cabins to rest. Several days of nonstop travel had already worn them out.
When they woke up, the ship had docked. Covered in dust from the journey, they had finally arrived at their destination—the Land of Mountain Streams.
...
Daimyo Residence of the Land of Mountain Streams.
When Rorin and his group arrived, they were surprised to see familiar faces.
Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were also there. Gaara leaned against a corner wall, and when he saw Rorin's group appear, he was clearly surprised. His gaze shifted to the forehead protector on Rorin's head.
"Gaara, long time no see!" Rorin greeted him.
Gaara gave a slight nod. "Looks like you joined the Hidden Leaf Village."
"Yeah." Rorin nodded.
Meanwhile, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio who had come with Rorin were astonished. They hadn't expected Rorin to know Gaara—and judging by their interaction, they seemed to be on good terms.
Not only them, but even Temari and Kankuro were shocked. Gaara had indeed changed recently—he wasn't as closed off as before—but they never imagined he had secretly made friends outside.
Rorin and Gaara paid no attention to the others' surprised looks. Instead, both realized the same thing—this mission was probably not as simple as it seemed.
Nara Shikamaru also sensed it. He rubbed the back of his head in annoyance. What a drag.
Moments later, a middle-aged man wearing a fan-shaped hat entered the room. He was the soon-to-be-appointed daimyo of the Land of Mountain Streams. When he saw that all those present were young ninja, he felt somewhat displeased, but he still spoke politely.
"Ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Sand Village, welcome. Please, have a seat."
After everyone sat down, Nara Shikamaru spoke first.
"Daimyo, why was the Hidden Sand Village also invited for this mission? This wasn't in our intelligence. Of course, I don't mean any disrespect—I just want to understand the situation. Is it really so severe that it requires the forces of two ninja villages?"
Originally, he had thought they would only be dealing with some samurai within the Land of Mountain Streams, or at worst a few rogue ninja. But judging by the current situation, the involvement of two squads raised the stakes significantly.
The daimyo nodded slightly and explained,
"If my enemy hadn't involved another village, I wouldn't have contacted both sides. According to my intelligence, my opponent has colluded with the Village Hidden in the Mist of the Land of Water, along with some rogue ninja. That's why I had no choice but to request aid from both the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind."
The Village Hidden in the Mist?
Rorin's eyes lit up at the mention. Nara Shikamaru, sitting beside him, noticed the subtle change in his expression.
"Could you explain the details of this mission in more detail?" Gaara asked softly, resting his chin on his hands.
The daimyo scanned the room before speaking in a deep voice.
"Half a month ago, the previous daimyo of the Land of Mountain Streams died of illness. To maintain stability, another candidate and I competed for the position. In the end, I won and became the new daimyo. I thought that would be the end of it.
Ten days ago, I was assassinated. I suspected that he intended to seize the position by force, so I requested support from the Land of Wind. After learning this, he established contact with the Village Hidden in the Mist. To ensure my safety, I secretly reached out to the Land of Fire as well."
He paused briefly before continuing,
"There are five days left until my official inauguration. Your mission is to protect me during these five days."
"Understood," Nara Shikamaru replied, standing up.
Everyone left the daimyo residence together. Rorin's expression was serious as he followed behind Nara Shikamaru. Gaara walked beside him, with the others trailing behind.
"Shikamaru, do you think what that daimyo said is reliable?" Rorin broke the silence.
Nara Shikamaru stopped and turned around.
"You think something's off too?"
Rorin nodded. "He said we need to protect him for five days—but how can he be sure he'll be safe after we leave? And if he was already targeted for assassination before, why does he believe the enemy won't try again after he officially takes office?"
Nara Shikamaru shook his head.
"No idea. Something definitely feels wrong… but whatever. We're just ninja. As long as we complete the mission, that's enough. No need to overthink it." With that, he turned and continued walking.
Rorin rubbed his chin for a moment, then said lightly,
"Yeah… finishing the mission is all that matters. No point overthinking it."
He raised his head slightly, thinking to himself: Village Hidden in the Mist… didn't expect to cross paths with them so soon. I wonder if I'll run into Ao this time—but unfortunately, I'm not completely confident yet.