svetikya Chapter 126 Testing Each Other
Chapter 126 Testing Each Other
Chapter 126 Testing Each Other
The rest of the journey was smooth sailing. Perhaps the enemy's probing was just to find out the true strength of the Tokugawa clan. After figuring out that they had invited a team of Jonin from Konoha, they stopped making moves.
After all, the real struggle takes place in the mining area, and even if Tokugawa Seki were killed, it would be of no use.
And so, the Yamaguchi Squad arrived at the Tokugawa family residence in Matsudaira Castle on the evening of the fourth day.
Dressed in magnificent family head attire, Tokugawa Yasushi personally led his family members to greet the Yamaguchi squad at the mansion gate. Such elaborate etiquette surprised the squad members, and at the same time made them realize how much importance the Tokugawa family attached to this mission.
Tokugawa Yasushi greeted everyone with a warm smile and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect: "It is truly an honor for the Tokugawa family that the elites of Konoha have come from afar."
When his gaze swept over the young faces of Taiyi and the other two, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. However, when his eyes fell on Tokugawa Seki and he saw the other man nod almost imperceptibly, that surprise was quickly replaced by a seasoned composure.
To welcome the Konoha ninja, the Tokugawa clan held a grand banquet in the most spacious main hall of the Tokugawa residence, where twelve gilded lamps illuminated the hall.
The maids served up a variety of high-end dishes, delicacies that were rarely seen even in Konoha. The group toasted and drank, with Captain Yamaguchi mainly dealing with the Tokugawa patriarch, while Taichi and the other two listened and ate.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Tokugawa Yasushi gently tapped his wine cup to signal everyone to be quiet. "I'm troubling you all this time because the Kawada clan has colluded with Sunagakure to try and sever the lifeline of my Tokugawa family."
He pointed to the mining map hanging on the wall, "The hematite in the Matsudaira mine has a purity of up to 70%, making it an excellent ore for forging weapons. The trace elements it contains can make the forged weapons even sharper."
The waiter promptly presented a sample of a bluish-black ore. Captain Yamaguchi immediately noticed its unusual weight upon receiving it. Tokugawa Yasushi then lowered his voice and said, "This is a by-product of hematite, called black ore. Metals forged from it have high ductility."
"What the Sunagakure puppet forces lack most is this kind of highly malleable iron ore. According to reports from spies, the Kawata family promised that if they obtain the mining rights, 70% of the ore production will be directly traded with Sunagakure, not to mention other iron mines."
Upon hearing this, Taiichi looked at Captain Yamaguchi. Both of them had witnessed the terror of the Sunagakure puppet troops; on the battlefield, they were nothing short of human killing machines.
Tokugawa Yasushi truly lived up to his reputation as a clan head; his eloquence was impeccable.
"Thirty percent of the iron used in the Land of Fire's ninja tools comes from here." Tokugawa Yasushi vigorously waved his arm to make his words more convincing. "If the Kawata clan succeeds, the kunai that will be shot at Konoha on the battlefield next time might be made from here."
Saori's chopsticks hovered over the eel rice for a moment, clearly moved by Tokugawa Yasushi's words, and her gaze unconsciously turned to Captain Yamaguchi.
"Lord Tokugawa, now that we have accepted this mission, we will do our utmost to complete it, even if it costs us our lives." Captain Yamaguchi remained calm as always, but his tone revealed his determination.
As the banquet drew to a close, the Tokugawa patriarch sat solemnly, looking at the Konoha members at the table: "Gentlemen, the lifeline of the Tokugawa clan is entrusted to your protection. This is not only a mission, but also a testament to the long-standing friendship between the Tokugawa clan and Konoha. I hope you will all give it your all!"
With that, the head of the Tokugawa family solemnly bowed to the people of Konoha, and the Yamaguchi squad, led by their captain, also solemnly returned the bow.
Nighttime, a guest room in the Tokugawa residence.
Yangping was frowning, pacing back and forth, glancing at Captain Yamaguchi for a moment, then lost in thought by himself.
Finally, Saori couldn't stand it anymore. "Yohei, stop spinning it. You're making my head spin."
You've looked preoccupied ever since we left the banquet. Is something wrong?
Upon hearing this, Yangping stopped in his tracks, looking at this person and then at that person.
"Speak up if you have something to say, get to the point. Stop dawdling, it's not manly at all," Taiyi finally snapped.
"Do you think we should call for reinforcements? This iron mine seems extremely important," Yangping finally voiced his lingering doubts. "Such a vital resource—if it falls into the hands of Sunagakure, wouldn't we suffer a huge loss?"
When Captain Yamaguchi heard Yangping's question, he couldn't help but smile slightly. "Yangping, it's good that you thought of asking the village for help. You can assess the situation and are not arrogant."
"Captain, why are you so calm? Doesn't this mining area matter to Konoha?" Yangping asked, puzzled.
"Important, absolutely important." Captain Yamaguchi looked at Taichi and Saori. "Which of you can figure out the problem?"
Saori shook her head helplessly. She didn't know either, and Yangping's problem was exactly what she was worried about.
When Taiichi saw Saori shake her head, he offered his guess: "It's probably because this is still a normal mission competition, and neither Sunagakure nor Konoha wants to start a war over this."
"That's right!" Captain Yamaguchi chimed in. "Iron ore is available in many places. If you can't buy it here, you can buy it elsewhere. If you can't buy it yourself, you can buy it by reselling it. It's just a matter of spending more money."
"But if the two villages keep sending more ninjas because of a mission, it will break the tacit understanding between the villages on missions. You should know that what the villages are fighting for is not only the iron ore here, but also various other resources."
Seeing that Yohei and Saori both nodded as if they understood, Captain Yamaguchi gave his final summary.
"So, at least during this relatively peaceful period, everyone can only compete according to the mission rules. Nobody wants to be the first to break the balance, or they might become the first unlucky one to be attacked by other ninja villages."
"I see!" Yang Ping punched the air, feigning sudden realization. "Then I'm not worried anymore. In a mission competition, who's afraid of who!"
"Alright, but don't let your guard down. Judging from the previous attacks, the Kawata clan not only hired Sunagakure ninjas, but also bounty hunters. So they must outnumber us. Everyone, be careful from now on."
Captain Yamaguchi gave Taichi and the other two his final instructions and urged them to go and rest, as they would officially begin their garrison duty the next day.
At the same time, on the other side of Matsudaira Castle, at the Kawata family mansion, a fierce argument was taking place.
"Head of the Kawata Clan, don't you understand that if you've already hired us from Sunagakure for the same mission, it's a big taboo to hire other ninjas?" A Sunagakure Jonin suppressed his anger and spoke in a deep voice to the richly dressed man at the head of the hall.
"Head of the Kawata Clan, don't blame the Wind Wolf Jonin for making such a fuss." Another thin Jonin spoke up at this moment, but his tone was much gentler. "This matter concerns the reputation of Sunagakure. If other ninja villages find out, they will think that the ninjas of Sunagakure are not capable enough and need to ask for outside help."
The members of the Kawada family exchanged bewildered glances. This was the first time they had ever heard of such a thing. They had simply wanted to spend more money to hire more ninjas so that they could feel more at ease.
With a team of Sand Village members as a source of confidence, hiring cheap and convenient bounty hunters is naturally a better choice, since hiring ninjas from major ninja villages is indeed expensive.
"My lords of Sunagakure, this was indeed a matter of oversight on my part; I hadn't considered such a taboo. So, what do you think we should do next?"
The head of the Kawada family at the lower end glanced at his patriarch, then stepped forward and took responsibility for the mistake.
"I don't care, that's your business. Anyway, we will not cooperate with bounty hunters." The leader, Fenglang, showed no respect to the Kawada family and then led the others back to their residence.
"Wind Wolf, didn't you go too far just now? We didn't need to offend our employer like that."
"Shakui, you don't know this, but before we went on the mission, Fengying gave me some instructions."
The Kawada family is not a peaceful family; they only approached us out of desperation this time.
In previous years, their family would directly hire bounty hunters for their missions.
If I take this opportunity to give them a good talking-to, future collaborations will be fraught with trouble!
At this moment, Fenglang remembered the instructions given by the Kazekage before the mission. This mining area was too important to Sunagakure. Therefore, he not only had to help the Kawada family seize the mining rights, but also had to take the initiative in the mission to facilitate future cooperation.
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Kawata family, watching the departing Sand Village ninja, the atmosphere was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The Kawata family head's hands were clenched so tightly they turned white, showing how furious he was.
"My lord, what should we do now—" The steward looked at his patriarch and asked cautiously.
Taking a deep breath, the head of the Kawata family suppressed his anger and said, "What else can we do? This is the daimyo's order, and we can only obey. Now is the most important time to compete for the daimyo position, and the daimyo cannot do without the support of Sunagakure."
"Well, over there with the bounty ninjas—"
"You guys figure something out. As long as the Sand Village ninjas and bounty hunters don't meet, just pretend you don't know anything else." With that, the head of the Kawata family waved his hand and left the main hall, leaving a group of retainers looking at each other in bewilderment.
The next day, the Yamaguchi Squad, accompanied by Tokugawa Seki, arrived at the mining area, which was a rather large mining area, but what really needed protection were the work areas and living areas near the mine pit.
This greatly reduced the difficulty of guarding the Yamaguchi Squad; otherwise, with just a few of them, they simply wouldn't have been able to protect that seemingly endless mining area.
The squad patrolled the entire defensive area. Captain Yamaguchi divided the entire mining area into three fan-shaped zones. Taichi, Yohei, and Saori were each responsible for a 180-degree defensive zone, while he himself was stationed in the center, ready to provide support at any time.
The first day was calm and peaceful, with only the busy figures of miners and the roar of the smelting furnace.
The following evening, Taiyi keenly sensed several figures flashing across the treetops in the distance. He immediately fired a signal flare and simultaneously created a shadow clone to quickly approach, hoping to ascertain the true nature of the figures.
But the other side seemed to be only scouting from a distance, and once they realized they had been discovered, they immediately retreated without any hesitation.
Before Taiyi's shadow clone could return, two signal flares, trailing brilliant flames, rose into the sky almost simultaneously from two other directions.
After confirming that the spying ninja had left, the shadow clone Taichi did not linger and quickly returned to the center to report the situation to Captain Yamajiro.
Just as they finished reporting, Yangping and Saori's shadow clones also came to report one after another. The situation on both sides was the same as on Taiyi's side: they took a quick look and left without making any contact with the team members.
There was nothing anyone could do but increase their vigilance.
Over the next two days, these ninjas appeared repeatedly like ghosts, sometimes approaching the edge of the mining area, sometimes hiding in the dense forest, but always maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far. As soon as the people of Konoha made a move, they would immediately retreat.
On the morning of the fourth day, Saori discovered disturbed soil on her routine patrol route. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a trap set with explosive tags.
She calmly dismantled the trap, but the fire of anger within her had already been completely ignited.
Back at the meeting point, Yang Ping slammed his fist on the table: "These bastards are treating us like monkeys! If this keeps up, even if we're full of energy, the miners will start to panic!"
Saori placed the detonating tag traps she had dismantled that morning on the table and said coldly, "They're no longer satisfied with long-distance surveillance. If this continues, we'll be too passive."
Taiyi narrowed his eyes, looking at the explosive tags on the table, his face darkening. "Captain, since they like playing hide-and-seek with us so much, why don't I go and have some fun with them?"
Captain Yamaguchi pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Take the initiative, but be sure to finish the attack quickly. And remember, don't pursue them too far."
As night fell, Taiichi sneaked into the forest alone and carefully lay in ambush on the path that the enemy ninjas were sure to take.
As the moon rose higher and higher, and the time drew nearer, Taiyi quietly released his chakra. Sure enough, after a short while, relying on his excellent chakra perception, he locked onto the two ninjas who were sneaking over.
Perhaps because they had been toying with the Konoha ninjas for the past few days, the two of them were unusually lax in their guard. When Taichi quietly approached from behind, the two of them were completely unaware.
With a flash of cold light, the short knife made a simple horizontal slash, and two heads flew into the air. From beginning to end, neither of them realized how they died.
Only the sound of two heads hitting the ground remained.
At this moment, Taiyi, having dealt with the enemies on his side, turned around without looking back and quietly entered Yangping's defense zone through the mining area.
Thus, when Taiichi finally returned from Saori's defense zone, the first batch of six enemies tonight had been silently eliminated by Taiichi.
"It'll probably be quiet tonight. They've lost a lot of men; I don't believe they'll dare come back today!"
As expected, the enemy ninjas, unable to figure out what was going on, stopped making any rash moves after the first batch of scout ninjas failed to return on time, and the night passed peacefully.
On the fifth day, the enemy, as expected, did not merely scout from a distance as before. They abandoned their stealthy tactics of the previous days, gathered seven or eight ninjas, led by three or four Chunin, and launched a surprise attack on the mining area.
Before they even entered the attack range, all sorts of miscellaneous escape techniques came from afar, even including kunai with explosive tags attached. After attacking, these ninjas didn't linger and immediately retreated while the Yamaguchi squad was defending.
This happened several times, and while the Yamaguchi team wasn't seriously affected, the daily mining operations in the mining area were impacted.
"Captain, what do we do? They're going to keep going until we're done!" Yang Ping slammed his fist on a nearby rock and growled angrily.
After two days, Team 8 learned the details of these ninjas; they were all bounty ninjas employed by the Kawata family.
These guys didn't engage in a direct confrontation with Taiichi and his group. Instead, they would attack and then move on to a different location. Relying on their high mobility, they assumed that the Konoha ninjas wouldn't dare to pursue them far from the mining area, and so they continued to harass the Konoha ninjas.
This tactic proved effective; the continuous sneak attacks forced the squad to remain constantly on edge, leaving them no peace even for rest. They could hold out for a short time, but if this dragged on for several more days, even Yamaguchi Seisuke and Taichi would feel exhausted.
"Taiichi, Yohei!" Captain Yamaguchi's eyes flashed with a cold light, clearly indicating that he had made up his mind. "You two, set off immediately and ambush them along their retreat route! On the mining side, I will use shadow clones to transform into your appearances to confuse them."
His voice was deep but carried an undeniable ruthlessness: "This time, we must teach them a lesson they'll never forget! Let them know we're not to be trifled with!"
"Yes!" The flame of excitement in Yangping's eyes ignited instantly. The frustration he had been holding back for two days finally found an outlet, and he was eager to try.
Although Taiyi was somewhat composed, the fierce glint in his eyes still revealed the anger in his heart.
Both men were itching for a fight, eager to unleash their pent-up frustration on their enemy.