"In your request, you didn't mention shinobi pursuing you," Hyuga began slowly, arms crossed. "Kindly explain. Mission rank may rise to B-rank at least."
The pupil-less gray eyes scared Tazuna to shivers. This seemingly quiet boy killed two mercenaries without hesitation. Better not anger him. Tazuna was about to spill everything he'd hidden, but…
"Surely client-san had reasons to withhold info, right?" a cheery voice sounded. The architect nodded vigorously.
Gai approached the genin and architect with a log. Without looking down, he stepped right on one Mist ninja's body.
"Kheh," came from underfoot.
Gai stared down surprised.
"My apologies, shinobi-san," his face lit with a wide smile.
Neji activated Byakugan, scanning the body:
"Hm… still alive. My mistake. Need to finish him…"
Neji stepped forward confidently.
"No need," Maito frowned, raising palm. Smile faded as fast as it appeared. "We're ninja, not hired killers. Besides, you beat one to death," he eyed the chunin corpse by the tree disapprovingly. "Second needed for intel."
"We already know their target." Neji's cold Byakugan gaze scanned the architect. Seeing bulging veins around the genin's eyes, he broke cold sweat.
"I… I… I'll tell all," Tazuna whispered hoarsely…
"So that's how it is," Gai drawled, tossing the log.
As it turned out, the mission wasn't as simple as it seemed.
The architect decided to build a bridge linking Land of Waves to mainland, to help restore the country's economic stability—and boost his own finances. But these actions weren't in the interests of one Gato—a shipping magnate, one of the richest in the elemental countries. This individual built his fortune on underground schemes, particularly drug and contraband sales.
Tazuna knew Gato would try to eliminate him, as the bridge would cut his main business income. But Tazuna couldn't afford proper protection due to lack of funds. So the architect asked the Sandaime for help, submitting a standard escort/guard request from petty bandits. And he got Team Three.
"This is undoubtedly regrettable," Neji said coldly. He'd deactivated Byakugan, earning Tazuna's sigh of relief. "But you'll pay B-rank fee anyway. Best case."
In Neji's opinion, the mission stank of setup from a mile away. Full of inconsistencies puzzling the genin. For example, if hunters after Tazuna, why eliminate now? Why not at Land of Waves exit? Or does Gato have poor intel network and just learned of Bridge? Unclear.
Anyway, not the point now. Not main issue. Very likely one of richest men won't skimp on high-rank mercenaries. Then mission could become A-rank or even S.
"B-but," the architect stammered, "we can't afford that sum. Land of Waves is poor…"
"You could take a bank loan," the genin interrupted. "Or pay in installments. Sure village administration can make exception for you. Bet after successful bridge build, you'll have funds soon."
Tazuna deflated. Genin spoke true, but man hated paying extra. Plus hefty Bridge income percentage already owed to Konoha—or Sarutobi clan. They'd agreed with Hokage. The pipe-smoking old man likely knew mission background beforehand. So hinted at protection fee from Hidden Leaf Village in future…
"What to do with the Mist ninja?" Tenten asked, eyeing the Kiri shinobi body.
Neji shrugged, questioningly eyeing sensei. Rock Lee trained by river meanwhile—squatting on one leg with log on shoulders—so mission rank or enemy fate didn't interest him much.
"Intel source must go to Konoha," Gai began, scanning wounded chunin. "But no time. Must finish mission in week."
Neji stayed silent on teacher's last statement. He thought finishing in a week unrealistic, but arguing with sensei pointless.
"Doubt he knows much," Hyuga said. "Easier to kill."
Tenten winced:
"Maybe just leave here?"
Girl wanted to avoid extra kills.
"His may come for him," genin shook head. "And get clash details from Mist ninja with our team. Don't know how many mercenaries sent for architect, so better dispose."
"Got it!" Gai yelled, good-guy pose. "I know how to solve!"
Jonin, still grinning wide, did seal series, bit finger, slammed hand to ground:
"Summoning Technique!"
With pop in smoke cloud, unknown monster outline appeared. Smoke cleared, revealing huge red turtle with Leaf protector on neck and orange band on right foreleg.
"Why'd you call, Gai?" the summon asked relaxedly, finding no threat. Not counting half-dead chunin?
Jonin, continuing to flash his white-toothed smile, grabbed the mist ninja by the scruff of the neck and placed him on the shell of the ninja turtle.
"Eh?" Ningame didn't understand.
Might ignored the question from his summon, merely pulling some ropes out of somewhere and starting to tie the shinobi to the turtle. A couple of minutes later, the chunin was tied to Ningame's shell; the last knot was tied into a bow.
"I'm counting on you!" Gai declared. "Deliver the prisoner to Konoha, to the interrogation division."
Ningame stared at the jonin in shock, who had struck a pose like a good guy.
Tenten's hand met her own face. Neji's hand reached for his face, but he caught himself in time and merely adjusted his forehead protector.
"Hm, sensei," Neji cleared his throat, "I think Ningame isn't quite suited for this task."
"Come on, Neji," Gai folded his arms across his chest, "who else can deliver the prisoner to Konoha? I trust Ningame like myself..."
"Th-that's..." Tenten, recovering from her momentary daze, said. "Sensei, I don't doubt the abilities of your summon, but..."
The girl's gaze lingered for a couple of moments on the groaning chunin.
"Um... I'm afraid he won't make it to Konoha."
"Nonsense," Gai grinned again, "the Power of Youth burns in Ningame, just like in all of us! He'll make it. It's only seventy-eighty kilometers!"
The turtle swallowed and turned his head toward Might. At first, Ningame thought Gai was joking, but he was serious despite the wide smile. A bead of sweat appeared on the turtle's face. Ningame didn't want to haul some weirdo on his back. Especially eighty kilometers.
"Sensei," Neji spoke up, "Tenten isn't talking about the summon right now, but about the chunin from Kiri. He won't make it to Konoha because of his injury. I broke his spine. How fast can your turtle move?"
"I couldn't cover that distance in a week," Ningame answered for Gai. "Especially with cargo."
"Hm..." Might thought hard.
The situation was at a deadlock. They needed to complete the mission as quickly as possible, but they also needed to get information from the Mist shinobi. They couldn't kill the chunin, couldn't abort the mission, and sending one of the genin to Konoha made no sense.
"Got it!" inspiration struck the jonin. "In the name of the Power of Youth, I'll do it! I'll carry the Mist spy to Konoha myself!"
Gai bent down to the turtle and lifted her above his head.
"What the hell, Gai? Put me down!" Ningame protested, flailing his legs in the air.
"Um, sensei," Tenten skeptically eyed her teacher, "where did you find the spy?"
"Probably referring to the chunin from Kiri," Neji assumed, "sensei, we might get attacked without you. I think splitting up is a bad idea."
"Don't worry, Neji!" Holding the turtle overhead with one hand, Gai gave a thumbs-up with the other. "I'll be back in a flash. You won't even have time to turn around!"
The jonin's thick eyebrows furrowed into a single black line. He gripped Ningame's yellow belly firmly with both hands.
"Eight Gates! Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit—open!"
The jonin's skin turned crimson, and his body began emitting a greenish aura. The pressure of power, accompanied by sharp gusts of wind, forced the genin and the architect to retreat. The turtle began cursing Might out, but he just grinned.
"In the name of the Power of Youth!" Gai roared and dashed off toward Konoha.
A crater formed at the jonin's starting point, and the bystanders were showered with chunks of soil and small stones. One larger stone hit Tazuna right in the forehead, and the architect fell, losing consciousness.
"Uh... why did he run off with the turtle?" Tenten wondered, watching the dust cloud thoughtfully. Neither genin nor kunoichi paid the fallen architect the slightest attention. "He just needed to deliver the mist ninja, right?"
"Well," Neji pondered, brushing off his clothes, "that's Gai-sensei. Maybe it's some kind of training," Hyuga suggested.
"For the turtle?" Tenten smirked.
Neji snorted.
"For the mist ninja. Personally, it'd be more humane to finish him off..."
***
"So tell me, buddy, doesn't it bug you working in the archives or standing at the gates like now? It's just so..." The shaggy shinobi with a white cloth over his face and a mark on his chin tried to express his thought, but his partner interrupted.
"No, Kotetsu. There's duty, and as shinobi of the village, we're obligated to fulfill it," Izumo said, taking a swig from his flask. "Besides, this job has its perks."
"Come on," Kotetsu adjusted the light cloth on his face and skeptically eyed his friend. "What perks in gate guard duty? You won't even let me nap."
Izumo pondered for a moment, glancing at the open Konoha Gates, and vaguely waved his flask hand, nearly spilling the contents.
"Maybe," Kotetsu sighed languidly, "the perk is that I'm always close by." The shinobi pursed his lips into a duck face and jokingly leaned in to kiss his friend.
Izumo snorted and stuffed the flask into the chunin's mouth like a pacifier for a baby. He latched on, but after finishing the contents, started listening to something.
"What's up?" the shinobi asked, seeing his friend tense.
"Shh! Quiet," Kotetsu shushed, handing back the flask. "Hear that?"
Izumo scratched the back of his head. He first thought it was his imagination, but the noise grew closer with each moment.
"Hm. Yeah. What is it?"
"Dunno," Kotetsu shook his head, pulling a club from a fuin-scroll that appeared on the ground. "But better stay alert."
Izumo nodded and prepared to form seals for a water technique. Though Konoha had plenty of patrols and ANBU posts, who knows. Maybe someone slipped through unnoticed. Better safe than sorry. And ready to raise the alarm.
After a few breaths, with the chunin nerves stretched to the limit, they heard loud cursing, and then a green blur landed heavily before them.
"In the name of the Power of Youth!" something red-skinned and emanating green aura roared. "I've delivered the spy to Konoha! Take him!"
The green monster tossed the turtle with the tied shinobi to the ground. The turtle herself, judging by everything, wasn't thrilled with the treatment, and her cursing echoed through all of Konoha's outskirts.
Then the green thing flashed a smile, showed the gate guards a thumbs-up, and vanished in a cloud of dust.
"What the hell was that?" Kotetsu asked, glancing between his friend and the turtle.
"Well," Izumo scratched his head, "probably Gai. His summon," the chunin explained, pointing at the turtle.
Kotetsu shook his head, stowing the club with the spiked shell tip on his back. Izumo visibly relaxed and smiled too.
"Hello... ugh..." Ningame responded. He barely held back the urge to vomit. Might Gai's "Youth Attraction" ride wasn't for everyone. The Mist shinobi, for example, got lucky. He just passed out.
Ningame's red face took on a noticeable bluish tint after the jonin's run. The turtle swayed side to side. He was thoroughly seasick.
"Get this... off me. He's heavy!..."
The chunin quickly started untying the masked shinobi with the Kiri forehead protector.
"Damn Gai," Ningame grumbled, "hurry up, I'm gonna puke!..."
***
"Hurry up, Saitama!" Anko stared sternly at her student. "Read aloud what you wrote."
Saitama shook his head again. Anko rolled her eyes.
"Why are you acting like a girl before her first kiss?"
"Anko, the last time I read aloud was in elementary school."
"Come on," Mitarashi insisted. "Don't slack on studying."
The bald shinobi looked dejected. The last time he felt this bad was after the fight with Kabuto's Asura, when he mixed up Friday and Saturday and nearly missed supermarket discounts.
Saitama sighed heavily and began rereading in a quiet, monotonous voice...
Today he'd spent hours taking notes from the kunoichi's lectures, but on autopilot. The hero's mind kept zoning out. Mitarashi gave him preventive whacks with a thick geography textbook when she noticed Saitama dozing and his hand scribbling on the table instead of paper. The bald guy's reaction to the whacks was barely there: he just yawned and stretched lazily in his chair.
"Loud and expressive," Anko instructed. "You need to really think about what you're reading."
"Yeah," Saitama looked out the window with a resigned expression.
Behind rooftops and treetops, sunset glowed pinkish haze. Dinner time had long passed, and Saitama was still suffering through useless subjects.
The bald hero's stomach growled demandingly, and Anko just snorted.
*Knock-knock-knock*
Someone knocked loudly on the front door.
"Expecting someone?" Mitarashi asked.
"Uh..." Saitama scratched his bald head. "Nah, I don't think so..."
"Alright, stay put, I'll get it," Anko frowned. Late visits usually meant trouble. Especially since neither she nor Saitama expected anyone.
The kunoichi opened the door and squinted at the ANBU shinobi on the porch.
"Mitarashi Anko," the masked man began, "the Hokage summons you."
"Who's that?" Saitama asked lazily, peeking from the corner.
The guy was already chewing something. He held a mug with "Oppai" written on it and a drawing of two semicircles. He'd carved and painted the drawing and inscription himself a couple days ago.
"Take a break," Anko waved. "I'm off to the Hokage. Be back soon..."
*Ahem,* the ANBU cleared his throat, interrupting the kunoichi. "Actually, Hokage-sama wanted to see Saitama-san too. He's waiting for both of you."
"Something happen?" Mitarashi asked.
"Can't say," the shinobi shrugged.
"Let's go, Saitama," Anko said, stepping over the threshold.
"Can I finish eating?"
Anko rolled her eyes, then started massaging her bridge of nose tiredly.
"Fine-fine," Saitama said, sipping juice from the mug. "I'll grab a sandwich..."
***
Gato was furious. He thought eliminating the architect would be a piece of cake, especially with his wealth and influence. But Gato realized too late. If he'd paid attention to Tazuna earlier, his business wouldn't be threatened now.
At first, when the shipping magnate learned someone was building a bridge from the Land of Waves to the mainland, he just laughed. Such a project needed people and money—lots of money. And who'd dare ruin His business, both legal and underground.
But time passed, and construction continued. Gato sent his men to intimidate folks; started racketeering, even killed workers staging accidents. But eventually he realized he needed to eliminate the ringleader. He hired pro mercenaries specializing in kills—the rogue ninja group from Hidden Mist led by some Zabuza. But the target was already beyond Land of Waves borders.
"You failed the mission?" Gato spat saliva. "You said you were top-class mercenaries? What am I paying you for?"
"Quit whining," Zabuza grabbed his huge cleaver from his lap and pointed it at the employer's face. "This time I'll handle it myself. My blade will be the last thing he sees."
The mafioso swallowed at the sight of the sword and started sweating profusely. He glanced at his guard. But the big, muscular guy trembled like a small animal before a big predator. The bandaged shinobi seemed to exude murderous aura.
"You sure?" Gato composed himself. "He hired strong ninja for protection. Even the Demon Brothers couldn't take them: one found dead, the other's body never recovered. To eliminate the target and guards, you need someone exceptional..."
"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza. And I'll kill them..."
Bloodlust filled the room; even the trio of chunin nearby tensed noticeably.
"F-fine, it's yours," Gato tried to keep his voice steady, but failed. "Let's go!" he barked at the guard and hurried out the door...
***
"Damn these shinobi," the mafioso hissed quietly amid five burly guards. "No respect for employers..."
He'd left Zabuza's shack in a foul mood. Usually people feared him, respected him, but that mercenary dared shove his cleaver in his face. Even said "Quit whining"...
The gloomy surroundings didn't help: dark forest, fog, and the ninja shack and area lit by mystical pinkish-purple light from the setting sun.
Throwing hostile glances back at the shack, he muttered.
"Usually I do honest deals. But you, bastard, won't get a single ryo..."
"Good evening, Mr. Gato," a calm young voice said.
The guards bristled with weapons, shielding the boss from potential danger.
"Don't worry. I won't harm you."
A young guy about seventeen stepped from the tree shadow. He wore a black cloak with red clouds and a high collar. A forehead protector on his brow marked him as a shinobi.
"Who are you?" Gato tensed. The mafioso wasn't sure the young ninja came in peace.
"I'm here to offer cooperation," the shinobi ignored the question. "Our organization was hired to eliminate a target. And latest intel says that target is highly likely heading to the Land of Waves."
"What's that got to do with me?" the mafioso grimaced. "Eliminate away. What's it to me?"
The young man's face was utterly impassive. Ignoring the man's question, he continued.
"You want Zabuza to take out the architect, but he has no chance against the team Tazuna hired."
"How do you..."
"We know many things," the shinobi pressed on, "but that's not the point."
Gato stared expectantly at the stranger. The sun had fully set, plunging the forest into darkness. Starlight and young moon barely pierced the leaves. Creaking branches, hooting owls, and other sounds didn't bolster the man's courage. He broke the silence first.
"Get to the point. What do you want?"
The stranger smirked faintly, though it was invisible in the dark.
"We need your money."
Gato felt faint at the words. He vaguely knew shinobi capabilities, but even he understood five guards weren't enough for one ninja.
"Get him!" Gato yelled, running back to Zabuza's shack; they hadn't gone far. Maybe the Hidden Mist shinobi could stop the stranger.
The guards—all in black suits with ties—charged the motionless guy. The shinobi's eyes flashed red, and he scanned the men.
The guards froze briefly, then attacked each other. Fists, batons, even knives flew. One guard fell with throat slit. Another took a baton to the temple. Third and fourth rolled on the ground strangling each other. The fifth lunged at the fourth with a garrote...
Gato glanced back to check time, but caught that all his guards were down. The guy had vanished.
"Shit!" he hissed. "Zabuza! Zabuza, help—"
Gato tripped on a root. Glasses flew off. He tried to stand quickly, but looking up, he knew: it was over. Everything inside went cold.
The stranger towered over him like a rock. Eyes burned bright red. For a moment, Gato thought commas spun in the scarlet irises.
"D-demon..." Gato whispered. He felt a warm puddle spread beneath him. "M-mercy..."
The demon crouched and spoke emotionlessly.
"Consider this a test of my suitability," the light in his eyes faded, and the guy eyed the five bodies on the clearing. "I said I wouldn't harm you. Maybe you misunderstood. We need money, but we won't kill you. We're an honest organization. We just want to offer protection and help eliminating your rival... for a fee."
Gato sobbed like a child. Tears mixed with snot streamed down his fat face. Tears of relief.
The guy above him ignored the sniveling magnate. Seemed lost in thought. After a couple minutes, Gato pulled himself together, stood, and wiped snot on his jacket sleeve.
"So, ready to cooperate?" the shinobi asked, straightening to full height.
"Ready. Your terms?.."
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: patreon.com/Granulan