Chapter 54: Killing with a Borrowed Knife
Jade, a man who had dedicated his entire life to the Hidden Hot Water Village, was, in his final days, still most concerned about the home he had built from scratch. By all accounts, he had already done more than enough. But a dark cloud of suspicion always lingered in his heart.
Of the three Jonin in the village besides himself, he had personally recruited all of them. Watanabe Musashi had been with him the longest, over a decade, and was as close as a brother, equally devoted to the village. The female Jonin had been with them for eight years and, as far as Jade could tell, had fully integrated herself.
Only one other person made him wary.
Jonin Saiki.
Just then, a Hidden Hot Water ninja knocked softly on his door and entered.
"Lord Leader, I've confirmed that besides the Keyaki Squad and the Yoru Squad, who accepted missions at the Mission Hall today, the only other person to enter was Saiki-jonin. He was the one who issued the escort mission to Watanabe Toneri and Tanabe Kaze. He left the village immediately after."
Jade's brow furrowed tightly. He stared at the shinobi and asked, his voice low and steady, "Where is he now?"
The ninja, unnerved by his gaze, replied quickly, "He was seen leaving the village..."
Jade's fist clenched, and he slowly closed his eyes. Seeing their leader's dark expression, the guard couldn't help but ask, "My lord, is something wrong?"
Jade shook his head wearily. But these two were his most trusted men; there was no need to hide anything from them. "I'm afraid," he said, his voice laced with bitterness, "that Saiki thinks I'm planning to pass the leadership to Watanabe Musashi, and he's making a move against him."
Both ninja paled in shock. "How is that possible? Saiki-jonin is such a straightforward person! Why would he attack a comrade?"
"Exactly! And that's Watanabe-jonin we're talking about! With his strength, Saiki couldn't possibly take him down alone!"
Jade shook his head slowly. "You don't understand. He has only been in the village for two years, but his behavior has been... flawless. He's extremely popular. But it's that very perfection that makes me believe his ambitions are vast. And what could our tiny village possibly offer him?"
Jade's expression grew darker. "Nothing, except for my position as Leader."
Seeing the disbelief still on his men's faces, Jade felt a tightness in his chest. "Sometimes, to kill someone, you don't need to do it yourself..."
Land of Fire, Southern Region.
Outside Dusk Blade City.
It was almost midnight, but Kael's team and the caravan were still pushing forward. Just ten miles ahead lay Dusk Blade City. In the moonlight, they could just make out the dark, dense silhouette of the city.
"We're finally almost there! Half a month of this... I've had it," Kael muttered, his face numb. He could smell the musty, sour scent clinging to his own clothes and felt like he was going to die. Half a month without a bath or a change of clothes was pure torture for a man from the modern world. All he wanted was to check into an inn, take a long bath, change into clean clothes, and sleep for a week.
Just then, Kael received a sudden, sharp mental ping from one of his Explosive Flies up ahead.
"Enem—"
The thought was cut off in a single word as the connection severed.
"Over there!" He instantly pinpointed a location two miles ahead. One of his scouts had just vanished. It was too sudden, too brief. It was almost as if... he had imagined it.
But the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. I definitely felt a fly's connection break. But...
He stared into the dark forest ahead. The world was utterly silent, save for the dull thud of horse hooves and the rumble of wagon wheels behind him. There was no flash of an explosion, no sound.
The Explosive Flies are simple-minded. If they encounter danger, they'll self-destruct. Even if the blast is small, there should have been some light or sound. The fact that there was nothing... that's what's wrong!
He immediately turned and barked, "We've got trouble!"
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Three figures were by his side in an instant: Watanabe Musashi, Toneri, and Tanabe Kaze.
"What is it?" Watanabe Musashi asked, his brow furrowed. He immediately turned and raised his hand.
The lead driver of the caravan, though clearly annoyed, didn't dare disobey the ninja. He yanked on the reins, bringing the horses to a halt. The entire caravan slowly ground to a stop.
A moment later, a portly figure bustled from the middle of the caravan to the front. The man conferred with the driver, and his angry shouts quickly followed.
"Dammit! We're almost there! Who told you to stop?!"
"You good-for-nothing! You don't want your money, is that it?! Huh?! Fine, disturb my rest, but if you delay this delivery, can you afford to pay for my losses?!"
After being thoroughly cursed out, the driver's voice was filled with a misery that could make a killer weep. "It wasn't me, boss! It was the honorable ninja up front who gave the order..."
The merchant froze, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed his irritation. His plump figure hurried forward, becoming clearer in the dim moonlight as he approached Kael's group.
"Watanabe-sama, is something wrong? Why the sudden stop?" Facing the shinobi, Mr. Kawabe didn't dare show any of his displeasure, despite his boiling frustration. This was the last day of his deadline, and his client in Dusk Blade City was waiting! And it was already almost midnight.
Kael and Watanabe Musashi were in a low, urgent discussion, ignoring the fat merchant completely.
Only Watanabe Toneri turned and said flatly, "There's trouble up ahead. We don't know if they're after your caravan."
"Ah!" Mr. Kawabe gasped, his fat face turning ghost-white in the moonlight.
"What's the plan?" Kael asked in a low voice. This was different from facing Jashinists in the wild, where the only choice was to fight or not. He had no experience with this kind of scenario during an escort mission.
Watanabe Musashi made an instant decision. "Have the caravan pull back," he ordered. "First, we need to confirm if they're really here for the caravan."
"Right!"
Even now, it hadn't occurred to Watanabe Musashi that he might be the target.
"Get the caravan to move back, quickly!" Kael called out to Mr. Kawabe.
"Yes, yes, of course!" Kawabe nodded, trembling, and hurried back. He was terrified of Kael now. He had been arrogant before, knowing the Hidden Hot Water Village was poor and needed his business. He'd felt he could push around any of them except the well-known Jonin.
But Kael was different. Kawabe had seen the ice in his eyes. He had the distinct feeling that Kael wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he stepped out of line.