The next morning, Kei Yamanaka, having spent his first night in Kumogakure without a care, openly strolled into the mission center wearing an old man's face.
After submitting a C-rank mission previously completed by the original owner of this body,
he bought a few calla lilies from a flower shop to honor the departed and walked all the way to Kumogakure's cemetery.
Ninjas who constantly walk on the edge of life and death usually hold an instinctive fear of death. That's why, aside from important anniversaries, not many willingly visit graveyards.
He placed one calla lily in front of the gravestone where he had made an appointment with Nonou Yakushi.
Then, searching through the memories of this current body's former owner, Kei found a good friend who had died before and walked over to that person's tombstone as well.
According to the scroll's instructions, after placing down the calla lily to deliver the message that the mission was completed, he was supposed to leave already.
Then wait for the next meeting time and location to receive the next assassination target information.
But honestly, this was way too much hassle!
In that spare time, wouldn't it be better to spend it hanging out with some cute kids... Ahem, I mean, enjoying the innocence of childhood with some adorable children? Isn't that more pleasant?
After mourning his so-called "good friend" in front of the gravestone for more than half an hour,
Nonou Yakushi finally arrived—late, as expected—wearing black-framed glasses and carrying a bouquet of chrysanthemums.
Spotting the single calla lily placed in front of the arranged gravestone from afar, a small weight lifted from her chest.
Last night, when she learned Raidai had been assassinated by a ninja using the Hydrification Technique, she'd briefly wondered if Kiri had truly made its move.
If that were really the case, the plans she had made in advance might encounter many unexpected obstacles.
Seeing the flower eased her mind slightly...
Huh?
When she saw the figure standing silently in front of the gravestone nearby, Nonou instinctively blinked in disbelief.
This...
Greasy… pervy… messy… fake—nope, definitely didn't misidentify him.
"Good morning~"
A sudden voice abruptly echoing inside her mind caused the unprepared Nonou Yakushi to shiver violently.
Feigning a look of innocent confusion as she glanced around, she then confirmed the voice must be related to that member of the Yamanaka Clan!
[Mind Body Transmission Technique]?
His voice sounded unexpectedly young?
"I don't turn twenty for another two months. Of course I'm still young."
Kei Yamanaka's voice echoed again in Nonou Yakushi's mind.
This time, prepared already, Nonou's expression didn't change at all. She simply walked forward on her own, reached the gravestone of the 'friend,' and gently placed the chrysanthemums in her hand.
She waited over ten seconds before finally reaching out through the mental link.
"What is it?"
Suppressing your emotions so quickly, keeping your thoughts to yourself—that's truly fitting of the Wandering Shrine Maiden.
"Let's get straight to business."
"Just give me the mission details directly. All this back-and-forth is too much of a hassle."
"…I'll consider it."
Nonou Yakushi fell silent for a moment, carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages in her mind.
Firstly, entrusting a single operative with multiple assassination missions at once was a privilege reserved for elite Root squad leaders. This violated standard protocol.
Secondly, killing them off one by one would inflict ongoing psychological pressure on Kumogakure's leadership, forcing them to shift their focus away from Konoha out of fear for their lives.
Lastly, gradual dissemination of intelligence ensured its highest level of security.
Of course, every advantage came with drawbacks.
Mist shinobi raised under Kiri's Bloody Mist regime usually refrained from action unless absolutely necessary, but when they did strike, their attacks were brutal and swift.
If an assassination order was issued, given the great distance between targets, they couldn't pull off an assassination every few days.
If multiple consecutive assassinations occurred every few days,
Kumogakure might launch widespread counterintelligence operations, significantly increasing the risk of exposure.
Last night's attack led by Kei Yamanaka had gone extremely smoothly. The blame squarely fell on Kiri, and no amount of denial could undo that now.
But Kumogakure's leadership had grown more cautious today.
They clearly understood how Mist shinobi operated—acting too soon would increase the danger level of the assassination mission manifold.
If Kei Yamanaka were captured alive and broke under torture...
"You're worried about the mission becoming dangerous. Big bro is happy about that, but he doesn't like your later concerns."
"...How can you still hear my thoughts?"
Nonou Yakushi frowned deeply.
As a spy, suppressing stray thoughts, concealing emotions, and resisting genjutsu inducement were all fundamental skills.
She was certain she had contained her wandering thoughts just now. The [Mind Body Transmission Technique] used by the Yamanaka Clan shouldn't have the effect of [Memory Reading Jutsu]—at least theoretically speaking. So why could he still hear her?
"If I say it's mind-to-mind chemistry… fine, fine. You actually guessed correctly. For easier communication with summoned beasts, my [Mind Body Transmission Technique] has a little added touch from the [Memory Reading Jutsu]."
Seeing Nonou Yakushi thinking about leaving, Kei Yamanaka immediately stopped his helpless shrimp routine.
"Ranze, thirty-four years old, Jonin, specializes in Lightning Release and taijutsu, always trains daily at the training grounds beneath the twenty-second rocky pillar..."
Nonou Yakushi quickly recited information about nine high-ranking and mid-level figures within Kumogakure.
Some required clean cuts similar to Raidei, some demanded simulated failed attempts, and others even specified avoiding Water Release entirely and opting instead for Fire or Wind Release techniques.
After transmitting all the intelligence, she immediately began recalling countless random memories. Then she turned around and left the cemetery without delay.
Her hurried footsteps made it seem like she was running from something filthy.
"Whoa~ Someone from Kumogakure is chasing you? Tsk~ A dark-skinned athlete-type guy, no wait, a dark-skinned taijutsu ninja? And a white-skinned genjutsu user? Are all genjutsu users just frail pushovers? What kind of ridiculous logic is that!"
While mentally exclaiming with fascination, Kei Yamanaka watched Nonou Yakushi flee the scene completely overwhelmed.
Watching her disappear into the cemetery grounds,
worrying it could leave her traumatized, he bade her farewell and immediately released the [Mind Body Transmission Technique].
Honestly, he never meant to invade Nonou Yakushi's thoughts in the first place.
He had practically sprinted all the way to the Land of Lightning. Along the journey, he got used to chatting with Bi Diao—the summoned eagle—and naturally picked up some basic applications of the Memory Reading Jutsu.
After all, when facing a summoned beast that only chirps "scree-scree-scree," one must think of extra tricks.
But he hadn't expected it to work so well on humans.
Even someone like Nonou Yakushi, a professional spy, couldn't properly deal with it on first use.
She could only try to force out useless memories as interference.
And this was already after Kei Yamanaka had explained the effect of the jutsu to Nonou Yakushi.
If he hadn't told her beforehand...
Just asking a few more questions today might have even gotten him to figure out what color underwear this girl wore this week.
"Not too shabby～!"
Kei Yamanaka planned his timing carefully and stayed an extra half hour longer in the cemetery, mentally going over methods, techniques, timing, and the sequence for the assassination.
It was almost ten in the morning, so he took his time walking back home.
His original form had been a fringe member of Toroi's Magnet Release squad, holding little status within Kumogakure.
Unless Toroi specially summoned him for missions, given the current scarcity of mission resources among hidden villages, completing two missions every three months was considered fortunate.
Just recently he'd completed a C-rank mission.
For quite some time ahead, he could legitimately remain inside Kumogakure.
As for the upcoming days of Kumogakure's leadership...
Hehehe~~
Kei Yamanaka leisurely walked all the way home.
He saw Yugito Nii crouched beside a rocky pillar near the entrance, hugging her knees, looking small and delicate.
He stepped closer.
"Juice or milk? Have you had breakfast yet?"
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