The Land of Hot Water sat nestled between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. The entire country was dotted with hot springs, making it one of the shinobi world's most famous destinations for tourism and relaxation.
After the Second Great Ninja War, the country's own ninja village had steadily shrunk as the daimyo cut military spending. It had long since become little more than a scenic town. As a result, most of its mission requests were split between Konoha and Kumogakure.
That arrangement lasted until the later stages of the Third Great Ninja War. Once Konoha decisively repelled Kumogakure, the Land of Hot Water's official commissions all went to Konoha as the victor. That was why Taiichi was now sitting in the Hokage's office, facing this man from the daimyo's mansion.
"I never expected the legendary White Reaper to be so young. I am Fukuyama Akira, advisor to the daimyo's mansion. It is an honor."
Fukuyama Akira was extremely polite—almost deferential. He didn't even wait for the Hokage to introduce him. He stood up on his own and bowed respectfully to Taiichi.
The gesture caught Taiichi slightly off guard. He had always believed in returning respect with respect. Since the man was being so courteous, he wouldn't be rude in return.
Taiichi returned a slight bow. "Advisor Fukuyama, you're too kind. 'White Reaper' is just something my peers call me. You can just call me Taiichi."
He straightened and looked toward the Fourth Hokage, waiting for instructions.
Minato didn't waste time. He took out the mission scroll and handed it over.
"This is a direct request from the daimyo of the Land of Hot Water. Over the past period, multiple cases of missing persons have occurred across the country. At first it was just scattered individuals. Then the scale kept growing. Now entire villages of civilians are disappearing at once.
As of now, at least two villages have been completely wiped out—more than five hundred people have vanished. The situation is critical. The daimyo is extremely anxious. After thinking it over, you're the most suitable person in Konoha right now. You can complete the mission in the shortest possible time."
Taiichi opened the scroll and read while listening to Minato's explanation. By the time Minato finished, Taiichi had also finished reading. He closed the scroll again.
"Understood. No problem. Leave it to me."
Clean. Direct. No unnecessary words. Just I'll handle it, don't worry. That was the confidence that came with real strength.
Minato smiled and nodded. "Good. Your mission is to uncover the truth and completely eliminate the hidden culprits."
He then turned to Fukuyama Akira. "Advisor Fukuyama, do you have any additional instructions?"
"No, nothing else. If possible, please depart as soon as you can. The Land of Hot Water can no longer afford these losses."
Fukuyama Akira stepped forward and gave Taiichi a full ninety-degree bow, his face filled with earnest pleading.
"Got it. I'll pack my supplies and leave immediately."
Since the client had gone this far, Taiichi didn't hold back. After agreeing, he gave a brief nod to the three Konoha leaders and turned to leave the office. Before the door even closed behind him, he used Flying Thunder God and vanished straight back to his house.
"Don't worry, Advisor Fukuyama. With Taiichi's speed, he'll reach your daimyo's mansion today."
Seeing that Fukuyama Akira still looked deeply worried, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke up to reassure him.
"Then I won't take up any more of your time. Since Taiichi can arrive today, I should return as quickly as possible. I hope that by the time I get back, he will have already resolved everything. Farewell."
After Fukuyama Akira left the office, Hiruzen's brows furrowed slightly.
"Minato, what do you make of these disappearances in the Land of Hot Water? Could they be connected to Uchiha Madara?"
"Probably not. Based on how they've operated so far, they're still focused on staying hidden. This kind of blatant, large-scale abduction of civilians doesn't match their usual style."
"Let's hope so," Hiruzen sighed. These were truly troubled times.
While the two Hokage discussed the possible mastermind, Taiichi had already finished packing and crossed into the Land of Hot Water.
As someone who had fought across every major battlefield during the Third War, Taiichi naturally had several Flying Thunder God markers scattered throughout the country. He chose the one closest to the daimyo's mansion, warped there in an instant, then spread his light wings and shot toward the capital at high speed.
Clouds blurred beneath him. Mountains and rivers turned into streaks of color.
Taiichi pushed his sensory abilities to the limit, carefully reading the terrain below. Speed was his greatest advantage right now. In less than half an hour, the misty capital of the Land of Hot Water—wrapped in the steam of countless hot springs—came into view.
He retracted his wings and descended as a streak of blue light, landing precisely in front of the heavily guarded main gate of the daimyo's mansion.
The guards instantly went on high alert. Spears were leveled at the sudden intruder from the sky.
But when Taiichi calmly showed his Konoha forehead protector and the mission scroll, shock quickly replaced their wariness.
"A Konoha shinobi? Already?"
Even the captain's voice cracked. Normally, a standard Konoha team would take several days to reach the Land of Hot Water. This man had arrived in less than half a day.
Word spread quickly inside the mansion.
Moments later, the heavy gates slowly opened.
A middle-aged official in fine robes hurried out, his face filled with disbelief. His eyes swept left and right before locking onto Taiichi.
"Shinobi-sama, you—you're incredibly fast! Please, come in! His Excellency the Daimyo has been waiting!"
Under the official's guidance, Taiichi passed through heavily guarded corridors and entered the heart of the daimyo's residence. The mansion was lavishly decorated. Water from the hot springs flowed through elegant stone channels, filling the air with faint sulfur mist. Yet the atmosphere felt heavy and tense. Servants moved quickly, faces etched with worry.
In the reception hall, the daimyo of the Land of Hot Water—an elderly man with white hair and beard, his body slightly hunched—sat with the help of attendants. Deep wrinkles lined his face. His eyes were filled with exhaustion and worry, and every breath seemed labored.
When he saw Taiichi enter, he forced a faint smile and spoke in a hoarse voice. "Such speed… Konoha is as reliable as ever. This old man… on behalf of the people of the Land of Hot Water… thanks you."
Taiichi returned a slight bow. "Your Excellency, you're too kind. Konoha shinobi Matsushita Taiichi, here on orders to investigate the missing persons cases."
"Oh, so you're the White Reaper. Good, good… please, have a seat."
The daimyo gestured weakly. An attendant immediately prepared the seat of honor directly to the daimyo's right for Taiichi.
Taiichi sat down and quickly scanned the people present.
On the left side, in the first seat, sat a young man around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He had a refined face with a hint of the daimyo's elegance in his brows, but his eyes were filled with anxiety and urgency. This was the Crown Prince—the legitimate heir.
At the moment, he was staring at Taiichi with undisguised hope.
Directly across from the Crown Prince sat another young man, slightly younger, around twenty-five or twenty-six. He was handsome, dressed even more extravagantly, and wore a perfectly polite, gentle smile. This was the Second Prince.
Yet beneath Taiichi's sharp sensory perception, that smile was nothing more than an exquisite mask. A faint but extremely well-hidden current of rejection and hostility lurked beneath it, like a venomous snake coiled in the dark.
Even though the Second Prince hid it masterfully and even offered Taiichi a friendly look, the hostility was crystal clear to Taiichi's senses.
Taiichi didn't understand the reason, but he assumed it was just the usual noble family infighting. He didn't particularly care.
Several high-ranking ministers of the Land of Hot Water were also present. All of them looked grim and spoke little. The atmosphere was heavy.
The banquet began. Exquisite dishes were served one after another—mostly local hot spring cuisine and seafood.
The Crown Prince clearly took on the main hosting duties. He actively introduced the dishes to Taiichi and quickly moved to the main topic, his voice urgent.
"Lord Taiichi, the situation is extremely critical. At first, it was only scattered travelers going missing. We thought it was bandits or wild beasts and sent troops to clear the forests. But then the scale kept growing—from a few people, to over a dozen, and now entire villages!"
The Crown Prince's voice trembled with emotion. "Last month, in the Moonview Village near the northern hot spring zone, all one hundred and seventy-three residents vanished overnight. There were only a few signs of battle, and almost no other traces left behind."
He downed a cup of sake and continued. "We immediately sealed off the information and sent elite samurai and ninja teams to investigate. We even locked down the surrounding area. But—"
A look of fear mixed with rage appeared on his face. "The people we sent disappeared as well, like stones sinking into the sea!
Even worse, the enemy seems to know every move we make at the daimyo's mansion. No matter how secretly we mobilize, they always evade us in advance—or even ambush our isolated teams. It's as if there's a pair of eyes inside this very mansion watching our every move!"
The daimyo listened to his son's account with his eyes tightly closed, letting out a heavy, pained sigh. He looked even older and more frail.
Taiichi listened quietly while picking up a piece of tender fish and placing it in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed without changing expression, his gaze casually sweeping across everyone at the table.
The Crown Prince was completely focused on his explanation, clearly worried sick. The daimyo kept his eyes closed, breathing heavily, looking exhausted. The ministers sat with their heads lowered in silence, but their body language showed clear anxiety.
Only the Second Prince had been glancing at Taiichi ever since he introduced himself. His expression seemed to go beyond simple curiosity.
"So, Lord Taiichi," the Crown Prince finished, looking at him earnestly, "we don't believe this is the work of ordinary bandits or missing-nin. There must be a massive conspiracy behind it—possibly even some kind of evil secret technique or organization. The Land of Hot Water's own strength is stretched thin. We can only rely on Konoha. We can only rely on you."
Taiichi nodded and set down his chopsticks. His voice was calm and steady. "I understand everything you've described. The enemy's actions are secretive and cruel, and they have an unusually clear grasp of the daimyo's mansion's movements. This is definitely not normal.
The most urgent matter right now is to obtain more detailed records—disappearance locations, times, and all the investigation materials you've gathered so far. I'll begin on-site investigation immediately after this."
"Fujiwara!" the daimyo called out weakly.
"Yes, Your Excellency!" The middle-aged official who had welcomed Taiichi earlier stood up at once. "All the files and maps have been prepared in the side hall. Lord Taiichi can review them after the banquet."
"Good…" The daimyo waved his hand tiredly. "Then… please enjoy the food of the Land of Hot Water…" His voice grew weaker and weaker. With the help of attendants, he slowly stood and left the table.
Once the daimyo departed, the atmosphere at the banquet became even more delicate.
The Crown Prince immediately leaned closer to Taiichi and lowered his voice. "Lord Taiichi, my father is unwell. Please forgive his rudeness. I'll personally take you to see the files. There are some details I need to explain in person." His attitude was extremely proactive—almost overly enthusiastic.
The Second Prince also stood gracefully, holding a wine cup as he walked over. A flawless smile remained on his face. "The arrival of Konoha's White Reaper is truly a blessing for the Land of Hot Water. My elder brother is right—my father worries deeply for his people. The investigation will rely heavily on you, my lord. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask."
He raised his cup in a toast, his eyes sincere, as if the earlier hostility had been nothing more than Taiichi's imagination.
Taiichi calmly raised his own cup in return. "It's my duty. You're too kind, Second Prince."
Inside, however, he grew even more wary. This Second Prince had an extremely deep mind. His performance was flawless.
That hostility had not been an illusion. It came from something deeper.
After the banquet ended, the brightly lit side hall smelled faintly of sandalwood incense.
The Crown Prince dismissed the attendants and personally spread out a thick stack of files and a detailed map of the Land of Hot Water in front of Taiichi.
"Please look, Lord Taiichi."
The Crown Prince's finger traced across the map, pointing to several locations circled in vermilion. "These are the areas where the first scattered disappearances occurred—mostly along remote hot spring routes or near mountain forests. Then—"
His finger moved north and stopped on a larger red circle. "This is Creekstone Village. Seventy-eight people went missing a month ago. And finally—"
He tapped heavily on a spot near the northern mountains, marked with a glaring blood-red X.
"Moonview Village. One hundred and seventy-three people. All gone. That was ten days ago."
He pushed the stack of files toward Taiichi. "These are all the investigation records. You can review them in detail. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Taiichi didn't stand on ceremony. He sat cross-legged on the floor and immediately picked up the first file to read.
Time passed quietly. Taiichi finished one file, then another, until he had gone through the entire stack.
"About what you mentioned during the banquet—the fact that the enemy seems to know every move the daimyo's mansion makes—what's your opinion on that?"
Taiichi's fingers tapped lightly on the map at the location of Moonview Village. He was already certain there was a mole inside the daimyo's mansion, and a high-ranking one at that—someone with access to core military deployments and investigation plans.
Yet throughout the entire explanation, the Crown Prince had never once mentioned anything about an internal traitor.
"We've suspected the same thing," the Crown Prince replied. "But after multiple investigations, we couldn't find anyone. To avoid causing panic, we had to stop looking."
Taiichi's brows furrowed. He hadn't expected the mole to be hidden this deeply. It was surprising.
Remembering the flash of hostility he had sensed from the Second Prince earlier, Taiichi decided to ask one more question.
"What position does the Second Prince hold in the mansion? He doesn't seem particularly concerned about this matter."
"Oh, my younger brother serves as the National Secretary. He was the one who first received and reported the initial disappearance cases before handing them over to me."
Taiichi nodded slightly. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then turned to look at the Crown Prince.
"I have all the information I need."
He gathered the duplicate files and the map copy. "I'll begin the investigation immediately. Crown Prince, please restrict the movements of everyone in the mansion. Unless absolutely necessary, reduce外出 and strengthen security around the residence. As for my whereabouts—do not reveal them to anyone except yourself."
The Crown Prince nodded solemnly. "I understand. I'm counting on you, my lord."