"Alright."
He took the mission scroll. On it was a drawing of a little cat, and the reward was only 100 ryo!
It seemed they no longer wanted to trouble themselves with such tasks, but also didn't want to make things too easy for him.
So they gave him such a lousy mission!
Genya didn't care. It was just about finding a cat. All three of them were skilled at investigation. As long as the cat was still in Konoha, they could find it!
They were even happy to take it easy!
After accepting the mission, Genya and the others left the mission hall and went to find a place to rest.
Only Shino Aburame, already exhausted, was still sending out insects to track the cat's trail.
During lunch, Shino was still searching. Genya took a nap, but Shino kept looking!
By evening, Shino's voice brightened as he said, "Found it. It's on a tree about 500 meters ahead."
They immediately took action.
The next few days were mostly routine missions—mostly just searching for cats and dogs. Someone even asked them to find a cricket.
It was all kinds of weird tasks!
For three days straight, no serious missions came up.
When Genya and his group went to submit the missions again, he saw the troublesome duo once more.
Their eyes were dark and tired-looking; it was clear they hadn't slept well these past few days.
But when they saw Genya, they instantly perked up. Their burning, fiery gazes made it clear: Genya was the cause of their suffering!
"Genya." They gritted their teeth as they said his name.
"Oh! Finally seeing you guys. So, have you got your money ready?" Genya teased as he looked at them. "If you're not prepared, I might just have to report you!"
"Already got it!" One of the two spat through clenched teeth, staring at Genya. "But we'll only pay - 360,000 ryo. Don't know if your half is ready."
Genya smiled gently as he pulled out a thick stack of money from his bosom.
"I've long been prepared for this," he said calmly.
The two Sarutobi clan members standing beside him exchanged glances.
"Well then," one of them said with a smirk, "let's settle this quickly before it drags on any longer."
Genya, Hinata, and Shino turned to glance at Kurenai behind them.
"The day is still young," Kurenai nodded. "After handing over the mission, we can make a visit."
Together, the group set off in a grand procession toward the livestock farm outside Konoha.
Upon arrival, they saw that the old man's pigsty was once again full of pigs. In the back pen, a herd was calmly grazing.
The elderly man carefully tended to his piglets, his eyes filled with relief and gratitude.
"Lord Genya, why have you come again?" the old man called out happily upon seeing them.
Genya smiled warmly. "I've come to compensate you for the lost livestock. I feel responsible for the delay last time."
The two Sarutobi members snorted coldly. "You lost 180 pigs and 18 cows. That's a total value of 720,000 ryō. Uchiha Genya will bear half the responsibility."
They threw 360,000 ryō into the old man's trembling hands.
It was the first time the old man had ever held so much money.
He looked at Genya for reassurance. Only after Genya nodded did he begin to count carefully.
He counted once. Then counted again, meticulously examining every bill, afraid to make a mistake.
"Hmph," one Sarutobi member sneered, "country bumpkin."
"Rest assured, it's 360,000 ryō. Not a ryo less, not a ryo more."
Finally, the old man nodded, relieved. "Yes, it is 360,000 ryō."
The two troublemakers finally turned their gaze toward Genya.
"Uchiha Genya, with you as witness, that settles everything between us!" one of them declared.
"Old man, here's another 360,000 ryō," Genya said, handing over his own money to the old man.
The old man trembled as he accepted the money. This time, he didn't even bother to verify the amount — he simply took it.
"Hmph. Since it's settled, we're leaving."
The two men snorted coldly, clearly eager to be gone. Without another word, they turned and disappeared from view.
Watching them leave, Genya finally looked back at the old man.
"Old man, we'll be leaving too. Take good care of Toraki from now on."
"Toraki has great talent. He's well-suited to be a ninja. You don't need to let him join the village just yet. Once he's fully trained, he should join the Uchiha Police Force."
The Merchant Association had grown steadily stronger. More and more ninjas from other clans were joining, forming a brand-new Police Force squad.
Their benefits and bonuses were even better than those offered to ninjas in Konoha.
"Can he really join the Uchiha Police Force?" Hope flickered in the old man's eyes.
If that were true, then his grandson's future suddenly held promise.
Besides, the Uchiha clan wasn't like Konoha—they treated their ninjas much better.
"Of course," Genya replied with certainty. "Toraki has exceptional talent. Let him study at the Uchiha Civilian School. There, he will become an elite ninja."
The Uchiha Civilian School was a special academy for gifted children from ordinary families.
"Thank you, Lord Genya! Thank you so much!" The old man's voice trembled with emotion.
But seeing Genya ready to leave, he suddenly stopped him.
"Lord Genya… please, keep this money. I can't accept it."
The old man knew the money was hard-earned by Genya, and he felt he couldn't take it.
Genya had already done too much for the old man and his grandson. The old man refused to let himself be a burden.
"Keep it," Genya said with a gentle smile, pushing the money back toward him. "Consider it compensation for your son and daughter-in-law."
Genya hadn't even minded the money himself.
"No… I can't." The old man hesitated.
"Will you not listen to me?" Genya's eyes sharpened.
"Don't refuse. This money belongs to you. Take it — it's just enough to raise Toraki well."
The old man hesitated for a moment, then carefully put away 360,000 ryō, handing over the other half.
"I will accept this 360,000 ryō," he said softly, "but you should take back the remaining 360,000 ryō, Lord Genya."
Genya opened his mouth to refuse, but the old man stopped him.
"You have already helped me so much, Lord Genya. I cannot accept more than this. If you do not take back this half, then I will have nothing left for myself."
Genya was about to protest again, but there was no need.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk as a masked Anbu approached.
"Hokage-sama, there is an escort mission in the Land of Lightning," the Anbu reported, handing over a file. "How should we classify its difficulty level?"
Hiruzen furrowed his brow as he examined the document.
"The person being escorted, an elder named Hideki Moku, might be a spy from the Land of Lightning," the Anbu explained, pointing to a photo of the old man.
"We suspect he carries secrets from Konoha. If something goes wrong during the escort, the consequences could be severe. I suggest rating this mission as S-rank."
Hiruzen took a thoughtful puff of his pipe.
"This is merely a simple escort mission," he replied calmly. "Even if he is a spy, the enemy would be unlikely to attack their own escort. We must not raise alarm unnecessarily."
With that, he stamped the document with a large 'C'.
****
Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/AniScout