"This mission…"
On the way to Kubisaki Castle, Natsuhiko found himself reflecting on the assignment.
Naturally, he had no intention of refusing it.
Although it was somewhat complicated and required investigation into what exactly was going on, strictly speaking, it was far easier than assassination missions, hunting operations, or interception assignments.
Most importantly—
The time limit for this mission was half a month.
Half a month was more than enough time for Natsuhiko to significantly advance his seed's growth.
After two weeks, he estimated it would likely reach fifty or even sixty percent maturity.
Aside from that, he felt a strange sense of familiarity about this mission.
It was as if he had seen it somewhere before.
"Was it in the manga… or the anime?"
Natsuhiko pondered carefully.
After all, it had been thirteen or fourteen years since he transmigrated into this world.
It was impossible for him to remember every single detail perfectly.
Even though he had started keeping a diary early on—reviewing it from time to time to avoid missing anything crucial—
His diary mostly recorded major events.
Things like the Land of Sky were important enough to note.
But smaller incidents like this? He couldn't possibly write down everything.
Wait... Kubisaki Castle. Could it be...
Natsuhiko's expression turned slightly strange.
After some deep thought, fragments of memory surfaced.
If it's that, then this mission is going to be quite a ride, he thought.
They traveled quickly.
Within a single day, the two of them had already arrived at a small town near the capital of the Land of Fire.
After briefly contacting the local ANBU stationed there, they found an inn to stay in.
They had time.
There was no need to rush the mission.
However, what Natsuhiko didn't expect was that later that night, just as he was about to rest, Kakashi knocked on his door.
"What's up?" After opening the door and letting him in, Natsuhiko asked curiously,
"Can't sleep? Want to go out for a drink?"
"Don't joke around, Captain. We're not allowed to drink."
Kakashi shook his head seriously.
Natsuhiko pursed his lips.
He had no idea which idiot had come up with that rule.
In the shinobi world, those under eighteen were forbidden from drinking alcohol.
Even if you were a battlefield veteran who had killed countless enemies—if you weren't eighteen yet, it was still prohibited.
In other words—
Killing people was fine.
Drinking alcohol was not.
Shaking his head, Natsuhiko dismissed the thought.
Closing the door, he smiled warmly.
"Is it about the mission? Something bothering you?"
"Yes, Captain."
Kakashi nodded and took a seat.
"This mission doesn't clearly state who the enemy is. But I have a feeling something isn't right."
"Oh?"
Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow.
Kakashi's analytical ability was top-tier.
He wanted to see what the boy had noticed.
"The disappearances," Kakashi said calmly. "People have been vanishing from that castle for a hundred years. There are records, and if you look closely, there's a pattern. It isn't random. Not everyone who enters disappears."
Not everyone disappears?
Looking at Kakashi's serious expression, Natsuhiko couldn't help nodding inwardly.
The boy's analytical skills were sharp.
It was simple logic.
If there was a pattern, then many possibilities could be ruled out.
And according to Kakashi's reasoning—
There were only two likely conclusions.
"If we follow that pattern…"
Natsuhiko stroked his chin. Although he already had a rough idea of what was going on, he couldn't reveal that. Instead, he followed Kakashi's line of reasoning and spoke:
"Then we can conclude there are two possibilities. One is that some unknown organization—or another village, possibly even our own—is abducting people."
"Human experimentation?" Kakashi frowned deeply. "If that's the case, then this is a serious problem."
"There's another possibility."
Natsuhiko interrupted Kakashi's speculation, his expression turning slightly mysterious.
"That the castle itself has a major problem. Or rather, it isn't a castle at all—but a beast. Maybe even something worse."
"A monster?" Kakashi immediately caught on. "Captain, do you mean… hunting for food?"
Natsuhiko nodded lightly.
In his memory, there weren't many people bold enough to conduct human experimentation.
Of course, caution was still necessary. Who knew whether some organization not mentioned in the original story might exist?
But knowing the original plot, he was aware that most of those shadowy groups didn't operate within the Land of Fire.
Konoha's deterrent power was still strong.
No one would casually risk their life—unless they had backing.
Like Danzō and Orochimaru's human experiments.
If they hadn't been shielded by Hiruzen Sarutobi and covered by Root, they would have been exposed long ago.
Moreover—
This time, they really were facing a massive monster.
"If it's a monster, that's actually better," Natsuhiko said with a smile, patting Kakashi's shoulder.
"Because humans are always harder to deal with than monsters."
"You mean… the human heart is unpredictable?" Kakashi seemed to grasp his meaning and nodded slightly. "Then we…"
"Prepare for both possibilities," Natsuhiko cut him off before he could finish.
"Whether it's a monster or some organization, we gather intelligence first. And at the same time, we stay ready to fight."
After saying that, Natsuhiko didn't add anything further.
He believed Kakashi understood what needed to be done.
In any case, there wouldn't actually be an organization involved in this mission.
They just needed to deal with the monster.
Although Natsuhiko couldn't clearly remember the creature's appearance—aside from knowing it was some kind of giant lizard—he also didn't recall how strong it was.
Still, as he had said—
Humans were always more troublesome than monsters.
If I remember correctly, the summoning scroll should be inside that thing's stomach. As long as we're careful and retrieve it…
Natsuhiko was cautious by nature.
But caution didn't mean a lack of confidence.
In this era, the Mangekyō Sharingan hadn't yet become widespread.
Nagato was crippled and still forging the Six Paths bodies.
The ceiling of the world's power was probably limited to the various Kage and figures like Kakuzu.
The fact that he and Kakashi had escaped from Kakuzu—despite Kakuzu's carelessness—was proof enough that Natsuhiko wasn't weak.
He was confident that even in his current state, he could contend with an ordinary jōnin—or even a relatively average elite jōnin.
And if he truly couldn't win—
Escaping wasn't difficult.
With Sage Mode, even if the duration isn't long, it's more than enough for retreat.
Watching Kakashi leave, Natsuhiko didn't see him out.
Instead, he sat at the edge of his bed, deep in thought.
Besides, some of the techniques I'm best at are mobility-based. When it comes to using Body Flicker to escape… I'm actually quite skilled.