Watching Mamoru's performance, Hiruzen sighed silently in his heart. He then said to the still-shaken client, "Komatsu-san, with ninjas of this caliber escorting you, you should be able to rest easy, right?"
"Ah... um... y-yes!" Komatsu answered hesitantly, subconsciously touching his throat where the cold sensation seemed to linger.
He nodded quickly. "T-them then. I trust Konoha's arrangements."
"Then, I'll leave the rest to you, Kurenai." Hiruzen looked at Kurenai with a solemn tone.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. We will definitely complete the mission and deliver the client safely." Kurenai straightened her body and nodded solemnly in acceptance.
Kurenai led Komatsu, whose face was still somewhat pale, and her three students as they turned to walk out of the assignment hall.
Just as Mamoru was about to walk out the door, Hiruzen's deep and warning-filled voice came from behind him again. "Mamoru, if you mess around again, I'll send you back to the Ninja Academy."
Mamoru's foot stumbled, and he nearly fell on the spot. He immediately turned his head, forcing an awkward yet polite smile onto his face. "Hehe, you're quite the joker, old man."
"Hmph."
Hiruzen put his pipe in his mouth and took a deep puff, the white smoke blurring the slight smile on his face.
Several people followed Kurenai out of the Mission Assignment Office hall. Bright light slanted through the windows beside the corridor, lengthening the shadows of the five figures and projecting them onto the scratched floor.
"My name is Nishimura Komatsu."
Komatsu seemed to have recovered from his earlier embarrassment. He straightened his back, his tone much steadier, carrying a bit of the reserve typical of a noble family's son.
"The head of the Nishimura Trading Company in the Land of Grass, Okawara, is my father. You can just call me Komatsu."
Having said that, he bowed slightly. "For the upcoming journey back to my country, I'll be in your care."
Mamoru crossed his arms, his gaze calmly falling on Komatsu's hands, which were still trembling uncontrollably. He thought to himself, 'As expected, he's a pampered young master.'
His family runs a trading company, so they must be quite wealthy. But why would a young master of a successful trading company leave the comfort of the Land of Grass to come to the Land of Fire?
As he was thinking, he suddenly felt a gaze on him. Looking up, he saw Kurenai watching him. Her red eyes were slightly narrowed, conveying a clear and silent message: Learn from him, look how polite he is.
Mamoru rolled his eyes and turned his head to the side.
"Komatsu-san, there's no need to be so formal." Kurenai responded graciously, a gentle and professional smile appearing on her face.
"Ensuring the safety of our client is our duty. I am Yuhi Kurenai, the leader of this team."
She introduced the team members behind her in turn, "These three are my students, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata..."
When her gaze turned to the last black-haired boy, her tone had a hint of helplessness, "...and the most troublesome one, Uchiha Mamoru."
"Hey, what do you mean by 'most troublesome'?" Mamoru immediately protested.
"Uchiha... Mamoru?"
Hearing this, a look of admiration mixed with curiosity appeared on Komatsu's face, and he looked at Mamoru with burning eyes.
"Mamoru-kun's skills just now were impressive. How on earth did you do it?"
"Want to know?" A playful arc curved at the corner of Mamoru's lips.
With a flick of his wrist, a Kunai quietly appeared between his fingers, its sharp tip glinting with a cold light in the sunshine from the window.
"Want to experience it personally again? I promise, the movement will be fast and precise, and it definitely won't hurt."
"I-I think I'll pass." Komatsu said, looking at the bright, sharp weapon and instinctively taking half a step back, waving his hands repeatedly. "That sounds quite terrifying."
"Alright, let's get down to business." Kurenai interrupted them at the right time, clapping her hands lightly to draw everyone's attention.
"First, the meeting time. We'll meet at the village gate in two hours. Komatsu-san, does that arrangement work for you?"
"No problem." Komatsu nodded in agreement. "My carriage will be waiting for you there ahead of time."
"Eh? A carriage?" Mamoru raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised.
"Yes." Komatsu confirmed with a smile.
"Not bad, Komatsu." Mamoru smiled and nudged him lightly with his elbow, a mischievous grin on his face.
"So you're part of the 'car-owning class'. As expected of a rich guy."
He deliberately emphasized the words "rich guy," his eyes full of teasing.
"'Car-owning class'?" Komatsu blinked in confusion.
But he could feel that the teasing in Mamoru's words was not malicious, so he explained with a smile, "If I don't use a carriage, I won't be able to take my goods back with me on this trip."
After agreeing on the time, everyone went home to prepare.
—
Mamoru returned to his home on the edge of the village and began to pack his luggage efficiently. There wasn't much to take, just a few changes of clothes and simple toiletries.
Shino had mentioned earlier that he would prepare the tents and tools needed for camping.
Thinking of this, Mamoru couldn't help but praise him in his heart.
As expected of the man known for a '100% win rate,' he is indeed meticulous and considers everything.
Stuffing the packed items into his backpack, Mamoru got up to leave the room. Just as he passed the living room and walked out the door, preparing to close it behind him, he suddenly stopped as if he had remembered something important he hadn't done. He turned and walked quickly back to the living room.
He rummaged through the drawers of the cabinet against the wall to find paper and a pen. Leaning over the table, he scribbled a line of text, stating that he was leaving the village for an escort mission and that his return date was uncertain.
He pressed the note down with a cup and placed it in a conspicuous spot on the table before heading out again.
Just as he stepped out of the house, he saw Shino waiting nearby with a bulging backpack.
"So fast?" Mamoru raised a hand in greeting.
"I'm always prepared, so it was quick to pack." Shino's voice was as steady as ever.
He raised his hand to push up the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.
"So you've been looking forward to going out of the village for a mission this much?" Mamoru teased.
"Yes, I am a little bit expectant." Shino admitted briefly.
His sunglasses obscured his eyes, but they couldn't hide the slight, almost imperceptible excitement in his tone.
While chatting, the two of them arrived in front of the Hyuga Main Family mansion.
This was the second time Mamoru had come here. He instinctively slowed his pace, thinking to himself, 'Surely that old fogey Hiashi won't rush out to cause me trouble just because I stood at the door for a bit longer, right?'
Speaking of which, he had been in a hurry last time and hadn't looked closely. Looking at it carefully now, he couldn't help but marvel.
The mansion might not be considered extremely luxurious, but just from the long, high external walls, one could imagine how vast the interior grounds were. The overall atmosphere was magnificent, exuding the heritage and solemnity of an ancient clan.