Malphegor
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Ch. 176: Team 7: C-rank Mission
🕑 Added 2024-12-10 11:09:17 +0000 UTCSeeing this scene, Kagami was somewhat surprised. After a brief moment of hesitation, he still nodded in response.
"Yes, I did team up with Itachi in the past. However, he wasn't very talkative, so I might not know the things you want to learn about him. But if I do know, I'll tell you."
Hearing his agreement, Sasuke immediately smiled.
"What kind of person is Itachi?"
In truth, although Kagami and Itachi had been teammates in the same squad, their conversations were few and far between. As mentioned earlier, Itachi was a reserved person, somewhat distant, and not particularly proactive in interactions with others.
Kagami, for his part, wasn't interested in initiating conversations with Itachi either. As a result, their exchanges were mostly limited to a "you ask, I answer" dynamic.
However, based on his understanding of Itachi's character, Kagami could still share quite a bit.
"Itachi, huh… He was very kind to his teammates. Although he didn't often express it, he was always mindful of his companions' needs."
"For instance, during a mission to find a ninja cat, I discovered that the cat's whiskers were a rare medicinal ingredient I needed. He noticed this keenly and 'accidentally' clipped the whiskers during the mission. He handed them to me after it was over."
"Back then, he claimed it was just an accident, but I knew he did it intentionally for me."
As Kagami recounted this, a nostalgic expression appeared on his face, as if recalling fond memories.
Instead of directly describing Itachi's personality, he believed a vivid story could better reveal who he was—even if this story belonged to a parallel-world version of him.
Afterward, Sasuke asked Kagami numerous questions, such as what Itachi did in his free time, whether he made any enemies during missions, and especially whether he had crossed paths with a red-armored samurai.
Kagami's answers were measured, staying within the scope of what an ordinary teammate would know.
As for the red-armored samurai—well, he could only guess at their identity, so he kept quiet about it.
When Sasuke rose to leave, Kagami placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you believe Itachi was truly the one who massacred the Uchiha clan?"
This sensitive question caused Sasuke's eyes to widen instantly. He lowered his head, and after two seconds of silence, he replied in a soft voice, "My brother… isn't the culprit."
"But everyone else in the village believes he is the murderer. Even the top brass of Konoha thinks so."
"No! My brother isn't the culprit! Someone else is!" Sasuke suddenly raised his head, loudly denying Kagami's words.
Kagami smiled faintly and said, "Honestly, I don't believe Itachi is the culprit either. Someone as gentle and considerate as Itachi could never be a murderer."
"There must be more to the story. The real culprit is definitely someone else. Itachi has been unjustly accused."
Hearing someone affirm his long-held belief, Sasuke's eyes welled up a bit with tears.
"So, Sasuke, I'm entrusting you with the task of finding the real perpetrator of that night. You must uncover the truth and clear Itachi's name."
"That way, he can return to the village and live with you again."
"Mm!" Sasuke nodded firmly.
"So, what will you do next?" Kagami asked again.
"I'll find my brother and ask him what really happened that night."
"Good. Since you have a plan, go for it. Don't fear the challenges ahead. Keep going! You can do it."
Kagami's earnest encouragement greatly inspired Sasuke.
Since the night of the clan's destruction, his heart had never felt so relieved. No matter how much he tried to explain that his brother wasn't the culprit, no one believed him.
Gradually, he gave up trying to explain it to the villagers.
But today, he finally found someone who shared his belief—that his brother was not the murderer. This reaffirmed his conviction, strengthening his belief that his brother wasn't the one responsible for the massacre.
As Kagami personally escorted the Uchiha to the door and watched him leave with a satisfied smile, he couldn't help but smirk to himself.
---
Time flew by, and over a month had passed.
During this time, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, having successfully passed Kakashi's test to officially become genin, had been carrying out various missions daily.
However, the tasks were all very simple—either finding lost cats or helping villagers with chores.
One day, after completing yet another mission to find a cat for a noblewoman, the trio returned to the mission hall to report their success.
It was then that Naruto's dissatisfaction finally erupted.
"No more! Don't give me these kinds of missions! I want tougher assignments! Give me something more challenging!"
His sudden outburst of frustration left Kakashi sweating nervously.
This was because Naruto wasn't confronting the mild-mannered Hiruzen but rather the hardliner Danzō, who had taken on the role of Hokage.
Not only Kakashi, but even Sakura and Sasuke dared not speak. All they could do was scream silently in their minds, "Idiot!"
At this point, Naruto might be the only fool in the village bold enough to raise his voice in front of Danzō.
Danzō, seated behind the long desk with his Hokage hat on, didn't show much reaction to Naruto's rudeness. He simply cast a dispassionate glance at him before looking down at the stack of mission requests on the table.
"Here's a C-rank mission. I'll assign it to your team."
Hearing that they were assigned a C-rank mission, Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. However, Danzō's decision immediately drew opposition from Hiruzen, standing nearby.
"Assigning a C-rank mission to a newly-formed genin team—isn't that inappropriate?"
Danzō replied impassively, "They requested a more challenging mission, and I simply agreed to their demand."
"Besides, Kakashi will be with them. Or are you suggesting that even an elite former ANBU like Kakashi can't handle this?"
Faced with his cold logic, Hiruzen could only fall silent, and the decision was finalized.
"Your mission is to escort someone to a specific location. Come in," Danzō said.
At his words, the door to an adjacent room opened, and an older man stepped in.
The man appeared quite advanced in years, with graying hair and a beard, yet his face was ruddy with health. He held a sake bottle in his hand.
"This is the client for your mission. A master builder—Gin."
---
"Alright, let's go!"
Naruto, walking at the front of the group, was brimming with excitement.
Sakura, following behind, looked unimpressed and said, "What are you so excited about?"
"Because I've never left this village since I was a kid!" Naruto exclaimed.
He eagerly scanned the scenery beyond the gates. Though it was just ordinary woods and roads, for him, it was an entirely new experience.
In Konoha, only ninjas were allowed to leave the village freely. Ordinary people needed prior approval. Being an orphan, he had never had anyone to take him beyond the village.
Sasuke, who remained silent in the back, kept his usual stoic expression, but his eyes also darted around curiously.
Since that fateful event, he hadn't left the village either.
Seeing Naruto's over-the-top behavior and hearing his confession about never leaving the village, Gin began to have some doubts.
"Hey, is it really okay to rely on a kid like this?"
"Haha," Kakashi chuckled awkwardly. "Don't worry. With me, a jonin, accompanying you, there's nothing to be concerned about."
As they walked, Gin introduced himself to the group.
He was a master builder from the Land of Crafts, renowned for his expertise in construction. His current trip to the Land of Fire was to assist the Fire Daimyō with palace renovations. Now that the repairs were complete, the daimyō had arranged for Konoha ninjas to escort Gin back to the Land of Crafts as a gesture of gratitude.
However, Gin himself felt the extra caution was unnecessary. After all, his entire wealth lay in his craftsmanship, and he hadn't made any enemies. But he couldn't refuse the daimyō's generous offer.
"The Land of Crafts? Kakashi-sensei, do they have ninjas too?" Sakura asked curiously.
"They do, but the ninjas there are quite unique," Kakashi explained. "Rather than focusing on missions, they specialize in crafting ninja tools. Most of the ninja tools used by the Five Great Nations' ninja villages come from the ninja village of the Land of Crafts."
Kakashi continued, "By the way, each country, based on its culture and traditions, has its own ninja village. However, only the villages of the Land of Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water are recognized as the Five Great Ninja Villages. Only their leaders are titled Kage."
"Of course, some smaller ninja villages' leaders also call themselves Kage," he added, slipping into teaching mode.
Then he turned to Gin. "I didn't expect that, besides the village being skilled in making ninja tools, even the craftsmen of the Land of Crafts are so impressive."
Hearing this, Gin proudly rubbed his nose. "Of course! Everyone born in the Land of Crafts is a natural craftsman!"
"I'm not bragging when I say my construction skills are absolutely top-notch. And my younger brother, Tazuna, is also an excellent bridge builder. It's just that..."
At the mention of his brother, his tone abruptly changed, and he fell silent.
"Just what?" Kakashi, ever perceptive, noticed the shift.
After a pause, Gin spoke. "My younger brother learned bridge construction. To make something of himself, he left the Land of Crafts when he was young and moved to the coastal areas in the south."
"Ten years ago, I completely lost contact with him after going to the Land of Waves. I don't know how he's doing now."
"If you want to see your brother so much, why not go look for him?" A voice suddenly broke the silence.
Everyone turned, surprised, to the source of the voice. Even Gin was taken aback.
It was Sasuke who hadn't said a word since they left.
For him to speak up, especially about something seemingly unnecessary, stunned both Kakashi and Sakura.
Sasuke-kun actually spoke! But why wasn't it to me? Ugh, so frustrating! Sakura thought.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Sasuke's words weren't entirely directed at Gin. They were, in fact, meant for his brother, Itachi.
Realizing that his comment was out of character, he immediately turned his head to the side, embarrassed. "Forget what I just said," he muttered.
---
The road to the Land of Crafts was long, and since there was no rush to complete the mission, it felt more like a leisurely outing than an assignment.
Kakashi took the opportunity to teach the group more about ninjas and their history as they traveled.
On the evening before they reached the Land of Crafts, the group stumbled upon a small village. It wasn't a large settlement, but as they approached the village entrance, they were greeted by scenes of destruction—collapsed buildings and villagers trudging mournfully through the ruins.
After some time, an elderly man who appeared to be the village chief approached them.
"As you can see," the old man began, "our village was struck by an earthquake just yesterday. We have no place to host you for the night."
He turned to leave, but a young villager whispered something in his ear. The chief's gaze shifted to the ninja headbands worn by Kakashi and the others.
"Wait!" the elder called out. "You're ninjas, aren't you?"
"Yes, we are. Why?" Kakashi replied.
The old man suddenly dropped to his knees despite his frailty. "Please, save our village!"
Kakashi quickly helped him up. "There's no need for that. Just tell us what's going on."
Instead of explaining right away, the elder led them to the site of a collapsed house. Nearby, a group of villagers sat around a white cloth draped over something rectangular.
"This is..." Kakashi's expression darkened as he realized what was under the cloth—human remains.
"Miho, uncover it for the ninjas," the chief instructed.
A woman with tear-streaked eyes stepped forward, hesitated, and then removed the cloth. What lay beneath was indeed a human corpse, but it wasn't an ordinary one.
The body had been completely drained of all fluids. It was shockingly emaciated, with gray, desiccated skin stretched unnaturally over bones.
The face remained frozen in a look of terror. The mouth, contorted into an "O" shape, seemed caught mid-scream, though it was unclear if this was due to the skin tightening or the victim's final moments.
What was most chilling were the eyes. Lacking moisture, the eyelids could no longer close, leaving the lifeless gaze perpetually wide open.
"Ahhh!" Sakura let out a piercing scream at the sight. Though a trained ninja, she couldn't suppress her visceral reaction to the grotesque scene.
Naruto and Sasuke, while silent, stared wide-eyed at the corpse, their faces pale.
Kakashi turned to the village chief. "Who is this?"
The old man's voice trembled as he replied, "This is my grandson..."
"And it all started a little over a month ago..."
