The secretary made a quick trip back to the office.
When he returned, he brought a more detailed map of the Land of Artisans, specifically for internal use by their group. Various production and operational sites were clearly marked on it.
In the lower right corner of the map, a legend explained the meaning of each marker.
It was indeed far more detailed than the one Yagura had brought from the Land of Water.
Yagura accepted it. "Alright. Let's talk about the price. Which mine is the one you placed a twenty-million-ryō bounty on?"
The secretary took a marker, reached out, and circled a location on the map. "Here."
"Good. I'll start there."
Yagura then pointed at a few nearby locations. "Then I'll head to these places next. Calculate the approximate bounties."
"This..."
The secretary hesitated for a moment at Yagura's question.
He knew for certain that a team led by a Jōnin was stationed at the first mine, so he had set the bounty based on market rates. However, he wasn't entirely sure about the ninja distribution at the other locations.
If intelligence on ninja movements were so easily accessible to ordinary people, he might as well switch careers and apply as an intelligence officer for a ninja village.
Realizing the secretary's predicament, Yagura nodded and adjusted his approach. "I'll bring back the headbands and identification cards of the Village of Artisans ninja. You can price them accordingly when the time comes. Market rate—one Jōnin is worth ten million ryō."
"Understood! I'll handle this properly. Thank you, sir!"
His straightforwardness was surprising.
The secretary had dealt with ninja before, and most were arrogant beyond belief—especially when it came to ninja from Village of Artisans, who had longstanding conflicts with them.
But this kid... Did he really have the confidence to eliminate that many ninja from Village of Artisans?
Regardless, Yagura's proactive attitude and unexpectedly cooperative demeanor left the secretary grateful.
He watched as Yagura set off toward the first mine, then returned to his office with the documents and reported the situation to the boss.
For once, he managed to complete a report without the boss taking his anger out on him. That alone was rare.
Settling into his seat, he sent out an internal email to notify personnel in other ninja villages to retract the bounties on the locations Yagura had just chosen.
If that Mist ninja could actually pull it off...
Then it would be better to leave all those jobs to him.
...
The Tsuchimikado Group's mine was located at the center of the Land of Artisans' main island.
According to the secretary, this iron mine was their largest, accounting for sixty percent of their total mining output.
Naturally, Village of Artisans valued it highly as well, stationing a team led by a Jōnin to guard the site.
It took Yagura two hours to reach his destination.
Knowing there was a Jōnin among the enemies, he remained cautious, concealing himself throughout the journey.
If he had taken out a few smaller outposts along the way, the Artisansmen ninja would have relayed the attack to the Jōnin here, making things far more complicated.
Now, he could see the northern entrance of the mine.
From atop a mountain opposite the mining site, he hid behind a crane stationed on a trestle bridge, using its massive frame as cover while observing the scene below.
As expected of the largest mine, the primary mining tunnel alone was far larger than any Yagura had seen before.
The map also indicated two additional sub-mines on the eastern and northeastern sides of the mountain.
"If a Jōnin is leading, then he should be here, at the main tunnel."
Yagura's priority was eliminating the Jōnin first. Once that was done, dealing with the rest of the ninja would be much easier.
He scanned the area.
The Artisansmen ninja were engaged in the same activities as those at the previous mines—transporting tools, equipment, and freshly mined iron ore waiting to be stored in the warehouse.
Space-time scrolls were truly a brilliant invention, saving a great deal of effort in loading and transportation.
"Quite a lot of people here."
Just counting those outside the mine, there were already five or six Artisansmen ninja. Add in those moving in and out, plus those stationed in the sub-mines, and the total number would be even higher.
Surprisingly, locating the Jōnin wasn't difficult.
Among the workers, a particularly burly man was hauling an enormous piece of machinery. There was a high chance he was the one.
Yagura crept closer.
His Coral Water Gun technique maintained maximum lethality within a fifty-meter range. The further the distance, the weaker the penetration.
To ensure a one-shot kill on the Jōnin, he needed to close the gap.
Circling to the far side of the mountain, he made a powerful leap, landing on the rocky slope. Running and hopping down the incline, he grabbed onto the lowest level of a wooden scaffold, using it to absorb the force of his rapid descent.
Swinging once, he released his grip and dropped toward a crooked tree at the base of the mountain.
Catching hold of the tree trunk, he swung once more and let go, landing lightly and steadily on the ground.
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique."
Mist engulfed the area.
As Yagura moved toward the other side of the mountain, dense fog rapidly spread out, covering the main tunnel of the mine.
Like a massive net, the mist shrouded the Artisansmen ninja.
Two Artisansmen ninja had just wheeled a piece of equipment out of the tunnel.
Suddenly, thick mist blanketed the area, obscuring everything around them.
One of them let go of the cart and looked up. "What the hell? Why did it suddenly get foggy?"
"It was clear just a moment ago when we entered the tunnel."
"Let's hurry up and finish moving this stuff, then take a break."
"Yeah, I'm exhausted. Seriously, why do we always get stuck with the worst jobs inside the tunnels? My face is covered in grime."
The two Genin squinted into the mist, trying to spot the Chūnin team leader responsible for managing the space-time scrolls. They needed him to store the equipment away before they could rest.
But as the mist grew denser, they could only see each other. Beyond that, not even a shadow was visible.
Pushing a handcart, the two followed the direction they had taken last time, searching for their missing teammate.
A Genin shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey! Captain! Where are you?!"
Suddenly, the cart's wheel seemed to hit something.
It jammed, refusing to move forward.
"Just my luck. Here, hold this."
One of the Genin cursed under his breath, letting go of the handle and stepping forward to remove whatever was blocking their way.
But as he approached and got a closer look through the fog, he jumped back in shock.
It was the very Chunin they had been searching for—lying on the ground, a Water Blade dagger stabbed straight into his heart.
His eyes were wide open, staring lifelessly at the sky.
Clang!
The back end of the handcart slammed heavily onto the ground.
Right after that, the unmistakable sound of a body collapsing echoed through the mist.
Enemy attack!
Even the slowest-witted ninja would have realized what was happening by now.
Their squad leader had been killed! His companion, too!
And the attacker was still nearby!
The Genin from Takumi Village panicked, dropping to the ground as his pupils contracted in fear. The swirling mist around him suddenly felt suffocating, as if it could steal his life at any moment.
There was no one else nearby.
The next target... was him!
...
Against these untrained Takumi Village ninjas, Yagura found it all too easy.
Within the fog.
A small Water Blade twirled effortlessly between the fingers of a Mist-nin masked shinobi. Lightning Release chakra crackled along its edge as he flicked his wrist, sending the blade flying straight toward the Genin's forehead.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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