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"This should be the place," the ninja from the Konoha Anbu finally found the town hidden on the border of the Land of Fire.
Perhaps "hidden" wasn't quite accurate, as the town's location wasn't chosen intentionally. And its lack of interaction with the outside world wasn't deliberate either, it was just a natural consequence.
This town, less than ten years old, was located in a remote area. All its inhabitants were migrants from other countries, and they lived a self-sufficient life. That's why it appeared so isolated.
The buildings were all ordinary wooden houses, looking no different from other places in the Land of Fire. Only the attire of the residents walking around the streets had a slightly different feel, a remnant of their original customs.
According to the information Konoha received, the person had been staying in this place for months.
The Anbu ninja thought for a moment and decided to enter directly, presenting himself openly. He still needed to observe further to confirm the accuracy of the information.
However, this was just a normal town. Acting properly was better than sneaking around.
He was wearing the Konoha ninja symbol on his head. When he appeared in the sight of the townspeople, he caused them enough vigilance… In a town where everyone knew each other, outsiders were always noticeable, let alone someone in ninja attire.
And ninjas were definitely not welcome by them… But because he was a Konoha ninja, the men in the town could only stare at him from afar, not daring to approach.
As expected, there was still a gap between ninjas and ordinary people, besides ninja villages. The Anbu ninja sighed. Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, ninjas were emotionless killing machines hidden in the shadows.
Just as he was looking around, a little girl with red hair suddenly appeared in his field of vision. She seemed completely unafraid and walked straight up to him.
"Are you a ninja from Konoha too?" The girl asked directly, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Four to five years old, a girl, and red hair. In an instant, the Anbu ninja linked these characteristics to a certain identity… Was this the person they were looking for?
That meant the person was really here.
Although this child was young, her identity was extraordinary. Even a veteran Anbu ninja should use honorifics.
"Yes, I'm a Konoha ninja. Please… is Upper白石 Haori here? I've been sent by the Third Hokage to deliver a message." The Anbu ninja spoke directly to the little girl, even using a rather serious tone.
In a way, this was considered a leak, to reveal the mission without confirming the other party's identity. But… the little girl's features probably didn't need further confirmation, right? Considering the information he received, this was a very certain matter.
The little girl was one of the people he was looking for. So, it was okay to tell her.
As for his question… a child this big should have no problem understanding what he said, right?
"Looking for Haori? I know where they are!"
After hearing the Anbu ninja's words, the little girl's tone immediately became much more cheerful. This person knew Haori. In her eyes, it already felt like a "friend." It was so easy to close the distance with this child.
"Come with me!"
As she spoke, the little girl had already run ahead.
The Anbu ninja smiled under his mask. As a girl of this age, she was indeed cute. But as a young ninja, she was a little too careless. Although you couldn't strictly require a ninja of this age to do anything, she should have some basic vigilance.
The White Fang's education didn't seem to be in place.
Led by the little girl, the Anbu ninja quickly arrived at the outskirts of a relatively isolated house on the other side of the town. Then, he saw two children, about seven or eight years old, engaged in taijutsu combat on the flat grass outside.
With just one glance, he could tell that the white-haired child's attacks were more fierce and corrosive, while the black-haired child with long hair was more conservative and inclined towards defense… But no matter what, for their age, this was a very skilled taijutsu exchange.
Then, he also saw Haori giving instructions from the side.
He had found the person. The mission was complete. This made him breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thank you very much, Uzumaki Mirai-sama."
So, he thanked the girl.
"Mirai?" The little girl made a confused expression. Then, her little head seemed to think for a while before she said, "No, ninja uncle, you got the wrong person. I'm not Mirai."
Whether or not she had been "made into an uncle," one disappointing fact was certain. The Anbu ninja had indeed gotten the wrong person.
The Uzumaki clan were all red-haired, but red hair didn't necessarily mean they were Uzumaki. In any case, this couldn't be considered a sufficient and necessary condition for confirming identity.
This town was called "Loulan."
And this little girl with red hair was the daughter of the former Loulan queen, so it wasn't strange that she had this feature. It was a matter of genetics.
You could also see the inheritance relationship in her name. The daughter of Loulan Queen Sara was called Rewo.
Although he had just gotten the wrong child, it was quite embarrassing for a ninja.
Sure enough, if you looked again, you could see another girl with red hair walking out of the house with something in her hands. Then, she seemed to raise her hand high and hand a water cup to the White Fang.
"Mirai! There's a Konoha ninja looking for Haori!"
After seeing that girl, the girl here immediately shouted loudly. Fortunately, the other girl didn't mind being mistaken. She ran off to play with Mirai.
Haori, the Anbu ninja, had already noticed. He motioned for Haku and Kimimaro to continue, then walked towards her.
"Upper白石 Haori, a Konoha jōnin, the Third Hokage's messenger."
Seeming to realize that he wasn't good at making friends, the Anbu ninja, who had grown up in embarrassment, decided to get down to business. So, he directly handed the Hokage's letter to Haori.
After seeing the other party, Haori's expression didn't change noticeably. He took the letter and immediately began to read it.
After leaving the Daimyō's castle, he had wandered around the Land of Fire with the children for a while. As expected, he came up empty-handed.
Considering that Mirai seemed a little listless about the long trip, and since he was in this location, Haori remembered that he had an acquaintance in this town. So, he chose to stay here temporarily.
Then, Mirai finally found a real playmate. After all, it was the first time she had seen someone with the same hair color… But no matter what, the world of ordinary people and the world of ninjas were ultimately different.
"I understand the Hokage's meaning. Is this urgent?" Haori's gaze swept over the two red-haired girls who were playing, then he asked the Anbu ninja.
"If possible, as soon as possible." The other party replied.
Actually, he should have said "immediately."
"You are… I mean, your codename?"
"Me? The captain of the Third Division of the Hokage's direct Anbu. My codename is Tenzo."
"Then, Tenzo, wait a moment. We can leave." Haori correctly understood the other party's intentions. He called out to Mirai, Haku, and Kimimaro, signaling for them to start packing.
Haori didn't want to return to Konoha at this time. There were some things he really didn't want to get involved in. But now, because of the "order," he had to go back.
The Third Hokage ordered Konoha jōnin Haori to return to Konoha. Maybe he should have added words like "strictly" and "must"… because Konoha needed to suppress the Uchiha's power.
So, the "White Fang" had to return to the village.
...
After a tearful farewell, Mirai's small, short-lived friendship had to come to an end. Haori and the four of them left Loulan and followed Tenzo back to Konoha.
Although it couldn't be called surveillance, Tenzo was indeed following them to urge Haori to hurry up.
But the situation wasn't that urgent, was it?
Then, as soon as they returned to Konoha, before they could get involved with the Uchiha, Haori got into trouble again.
"Why are there ninjas from other villages in Konoha now?"
Because they were in a hurry, Haori returned to Konoha at night. But because of that, they happened to run into something.
Why were ninjas from other countries sneaking around in Konoha? Konoha's defenses hadn't become so lax that they could be invaded without anyone noticing, right?
Tenzo thought for a moment, then said, "They should be Kumogakure ninjas. There was information before that they would send an envoy to Konoha to discuss signing a peace treaty."
"Really?"
Haori looked at the Kumogakure ninja in front of him, who was carrying something and trying to escape Konoha overnight. Then, he patted Mirai's head and said, "Mirai, I taught you. What should you do at this time?"
"I understand."
Mirai even gave a sly "I understand" look. Then, she took a deep breath, put her hands in a trumpet shape around her mouth, and shouted as loudly as she could:
"Oh my god! Someone's kidnapping women and children!"
Her eyes were still quite useful. You could tell that the Kumogakure ninja was carrying a little girl about her age on his shoulders… As mentioned before, kidnapping women and children was a common tactic of Kumogakure. They had used the peace talks to enter Konoha openly. So, you could imagine Kumogakure's so-called "peaceful" intentions.
In short, Mirai's shout was the most effective attack in this situation. Her childish voice instantly woke up half of Konoha.
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