"Kaito Fujiwara, what do you want him for?"
Hearing this, Shenda smiled flatteringly.
"Master Hanzo, I believe this child is exceptionally smart and quick-witted, making him a great candidate for infiltration.
If we assign him the mission to infiltrate the Iwagakure, which poses the greatest threat to us, he'll be able to quickly establish an intelligence network."
In reality, what Shenda wanted was to send Rinto far away, ensuring no one would compete with him for Hanzo's favor. Driving Rinto away would kill two birds with one stone.
If Rinto performed well, he would be allowed to stay on the mission, as long as he didn't linger around Hanzo-sama.
However, if Rinto was exposed and captured, Shenda would use Iwagakure to eliminate him, getting rid of this annoying brat once and for all.
Even if Rinto somehow escaped and returned to Rain Shinobi Village, Hanzo would despise and look down on him for his failure.
At this moment, Hanzō of the Salamander, who was extremely irritated, didn't notice Shenda's hidden thoughts at all.
After pondering briefly, Hanzo realized that Rinto was indeed a good candidate for being a spy. The boy had little talent for cultivation, so it would be best to use him for espionage, where his talents could still contribute to the village.
Thinking of this, Hanzō nodded slightly and ordered, "Call Kaito Fujiwara and Shun to me!"
---
After a long while, Rinto and Shun, who had just parted ways, gathered in Hanzo's office, eyeing each other warily.
By now, Shun was no longer drunk. His serious expression returned, and his body posture became tense, a far cry from his earlier wild antics.
Rinto stared at Shun in disbelief, struggling to reconcile this composed figure with the one who had been loudly celebrating his sister's birthday at the "Amei Information Center" not long ago.
Perhaps because Rinto's intense gaze made him uncomfortable, Shun slowly raised his head and forced a smile—a grimace that was worse than crying—and gestured with his eyes: "This is Hanzo-sama's office. Stop staring at me! If you keep doing it, I'll break into a sweat!"
Rinto understood the message. He blinked, signaling that he had gotten the hint, and stopped staring at Shun.
Hanzo, who was watching them exchange glances, felt an overwhelming sense of exasperation. Shun had once been so serious and composed, but after spending less than half a month with Rinto, he had already started acting like a child.
As Hanzo reflected on this, he became more determined to send this mischievous kid far away.
"Cough..." Hanzo cleared his throat, catching their attention. Both Shun and Rinto straightened up immediately.
"It's like this," Hanzo began, "the village has decided to send a group of clever and agile children to the five major countries as undercover agents. Kaito Fujiwara, as my disciple, you will take on this dangerous mission."
After a brief pause, Hanzo continued, "Iwagakure, the Land of Earth, which poses the greatest threat to us, will be your destination."
Rinto's face fell.
"You want me to be an informant? A traitor?" Rinto thought to himself. "And in such a godforsaken place like the Land of Earth?"
Instinctively, Rinto wanted to refuse, but when he met Hanzo's piercing gaze, he bit back his words and instead said cautiously, "Um… Lord Hanzo." He shrank slightly and spoke tentatively. Seeing that Hanzo didn't stop him, Rinto plucked up the courage to continue, "I fully accept the organization's arrangements, but… could I make a small request?"
"Explain."
"Um... can we change it to Konoha? I... I still… uh… hate Konoha!"
Rinto had originally planned to say that he liked Konoha, but then changed his mind, realizing that he was a spy for Rain Shinobi Village. How could he claim to like Konoha?
Shun, who was beside him, was about to say something but was immediately silenced by Shenda's icy stare.
"Yes!" Hanzo's voice was cold as he made his decision.
Rinto and Shenda both breathed sighs of relief.
Rinto was relieved that he was going to Konoha, while Shenda thought about the Yamanaka clan of Konoha.
For a spy, Wood Style, Sharingan, Byakugan—these were not as dangerous as the Yamanaka clan, which controlled Konoha's counterintelligence operations. The Yamanaka family was notorious for detecting and exposing traitors, which meant that operating in Konoha was incredibly dangerous, especially if one wanted to reach high positions.
However, this was good news for Shenda. If not for Hanzo suspecting him, Shenda would have sent Rinto to Konoha immediately.
"Kaito Fujiwara, I wish you good luck. The village will remember your contributions!" Hanzo said, dismissing him with a wave.
Rinto nodded and quickly left the office.
After dealing with Rinto, Hanzo turned to Shun.
"Shun!" Hanzo said sternly.
"Yes, Hanzo-sama!" Shun responded.
"I have a task for you," Hanzo continued. "For the next week, you'll be responsible for training twelve children, including Kaito Fujiwara. The training will focus on infiltration techniques for secret agents."
"Yes!" Shun replied with utmost seriousness.
Seeing that Shun was still reliable, Hanzo nodded in satisfaction and waved him off.
But Shun remained rooted to the spot.
"Is there something else?" Hanzo raised an eyebrow.
Shun hesitated, his face shifting from solemn to hesitant. He glanced up at Hanzo before speaking cautiously, "Lord Hanzo, you said we should protect the village and its children…" His voice trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
"Go on," Hanzo prompted.
"I don't think children have the ability to handle such missions. Not only are they immature and easily manipulated, but the most important trait of a spy is strong mental resilience. Most adults can't manage this, let alone children."
Shun's words came out with genuine concern, his face filled with conflict.
Hanzo, initially surprised, was briefly taken aback. Shun had once been a terrified child, and now here he was, speaking so boldly. Hanzo realized just how much Shun had grown in his time at the village.
For a moment, Hanzo felt a pang of nostalgia, but quickly shook it off. As a leader, he needed to focus.
"Look at this," Hanzo said, throwing a bundle of scrolls at Shun.
Shun stepped forward, picked up the scroll, and began reading it swiftly. His expression grew darker with every line.
"Damn those attackers! How dare they openly infiltrate the intelligence department and sell our village's secrets so arrogantly? We should tie them to rocks and drown them in the lake!"
Hanzo nodded in agreement, watching Shun with pride.
"If it were you, and all the hidden pieces were sacrificed, what would you do?"
Shun paused, his face momentarily shifting with indecision.
"My Lord, I… I don't know," Shun admitted.
Hanzo's gaze softened for a brief moment, before he took the scroll back and waved his hand, signaling that Shun should leave.
After Shun had left, Rinto was led into a dark room by Kanda.
The room was cramped, resembling the underground laboratories of a sinister cult. A stone platform, roughly the size of a single bed, stood in the center. Researchers scurried about, their hurried footsteps echoing through the chamber.
Chains stained with dark red rust were draped around the platform, indicating that inhumane experiments had been conducted here.
On the stone platform lay a boy, eyes closed and mouth ajar, as two men dressed as ninjas touched his tongue with strange instruments.
"Do you know what that is?" Shenda's teasing voice came from behind.
Rinto shook his head, a look of curiosity on his face.
Shenda led him toward the stone platform with a sinister grin. "This is a curse seal—the most powerful curse seal in our village!"
Rinto said nothing, though he kept his eyes fixed on the actions of the two operators. This was clearly meant to intimidate him, but he wasn't scared.
Shenda, growing increasingly frustrated that Rinto wasn't reacting the way he'd hoped, continued. "This is called the Curse Seal Brain Insertion Technique. If you ever spill information about Rain Shinobi Village, this curse will activate, and your brain will be shattered instantly."
Rinto rolled his eyes secretly but kept up the façade of fear.
"You're going to mess up my brain, not my heart," Rinto muttered to himself, though he pretended to be terrified.
"Sorry, sorry," Rinto quickly apologized when he saw Shenda glaring at him.
As the boy was carried away, Rinto stood by and was about to be restrained by the operators.
But suddenly, Rinto raised his hand, stopping them. "Master Shenda, may I make a small request?"
Shenda, remembering Rinto's earlier request, nodded. "Go ahead."
"I just need a bucket of water and a glass of water."
Shenda and the operators exchanged confused glances, but they complied. Soon, a bucket of water and a glass of water were brought in.
Rinto gestured toward the water. "You two, wash your hands."
The operators exchanged looks before reluctantly agreeing to wash their hands.
Once done, Rinto snatched the syringe, filled it with anesthesia, and jabbed it into Shenda's leg.
"You stinky—" Shenda's words cut off as his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Rinto, now looking mildly horrified, whispered, "This stuff really packs a punch."
With Shenda out of the way, the curse seal was successfully planted on Rinto's tongue.
Looking at the two operators, Rinto sheepishly apologized. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to say you were dirty. I meant everyone here is dirty!"
---