At night, the birds are quiet.
Mui slept on the floor, but he tossed and turned as he couldn't fall asleep.
'Fake, fake, all fake! What look up at the stars? It's just an unrealistic imagination!'
'The fate of an individual may can be changed, but the future of the Land of Grass is already doomed! No matter how hard we try, we can only struggle to survive in the cracks between the great countries!'
'But...is it really useless? If I can become a powerful expert like Hanzo in the Land of Rain, maybe I can protect the village!'
'Impossible. My talent may be the best in Kusagakure, but these Konoha's three Genins' talents are not weaker than mine. With such an ordinary talent, it is impossible for me to become that kind of expert!'
'What on earth should I do?' Mui was confused, so he looked at the boundless starry sky and said to himself, "Father, if it's you..."
On the other side, Sōseki is resting with his eyes closed.
Suddenly, a voice rang from the bottom of his mind.
"Don't be nervous, I'm Inoichi. I'm currently using Yamanaka Clan's secret technique to communicate with you all."
"Long story short, that Mui seems to have hidden some of his strength. Considering this, he is likely to be Iwagakure's undercover agent!"
Silence, one second, two seconds...
After a while, Inoichi couldn't help but ask, " Why don't you guys speak? By the way, you can speak as long as you recite it in your mind."
Asuma couldn't hold back for much longer, and after knowing the method, he quickly said, "Haha! I already knew he was an undercover agent!"
Hearing this, Inoichi was taken aback, "You knew it long ago?"
He has judged it based on his rich experience. So, he is confused when did Asuma have such eyesight.
Asuma smiled and said, "It's not just me, Sōseki and Kurenai also know about it!"
Outside of the mental consciousness, the corners of Inoichi's body couldn't help but twitch," So, except that he himself didn't know that he was exposed, all of us knew that and were still cooperating with him in acting?"
At this moment, he somehow felt that the youngster named Mui was a bit pitiful.
Asuma smiled and said, "Who told him to try to fool us like idiots! However, Sōseki was the most violent as he tricked him so badly!"
Sōseki sighed softly and said, "As long as it is a lie, it will be exposed one day, so I didn't actually lie to him!"
However, the truth can sometimes be more deceptive than lies!
Kurenai then said worriedly, "Sōseki, then you..."
Sōseki said, "Don't worry, it's precisely because I have wandered in confusion that I cherish the present even more, and I hope that Mui-senpai can walk out of his past."
Asuma murmured, "You are too kind, you'd even do such thing for undercover agents!"
Sōseki smiled and said, "It's still unclear what the current situation in the Land of Grass is. Of course, there is no need to refuse the power that can be attracted."
Asuma then said in shock, "Wait, now that undercover agents have all come out, hasn't the Land of Grass been eroded? "
Inoichi then said, "First of all, it is not ruled out that Iwagakure deliberately created the illusion that Kusagakure's Shinobi were under their control. Secondly, it is also possible that only part of Kusagakure's forces fell to Iwagakure's side. If we make a rash judgment, it is very possible to push the forces that originally favored Konoha toward the enemy."
"So, our main mission is still to inquire the information!"
"I see."
After saying that, Inoichi added, "Also, Sōseki, you can try to get some information from that young man Mui, but you must be careful!"
Hearing this, Sōseki responded, "I know what to do."
...
Two days later, the group finally arrived at Kusagakure.
Different from what Sōseki and the others thought at the beginning, Kusagakure is not desolate, and even has a sense of prosperity.
This scene surprised several people.
"There are obviously so many bandits and robbers in the Land of Grass, so why does Kusagakure seem so harmonious?" Asuma asked while scratching his head.
"Because those great people don't care about the lives of ordinary people at all!" Mui mocked, "The only thing they can do is to use the benefits of Land of Grass to please other surrounding countries, and use the so-called diplomatic means to maintain their own rule!"
After he finished speaking, he shook his head again, "Sorry, I was a little angry just now. By the way, now that you have arrived in Kusagakure, let's separate here."
The group did not ask him to stay, and just asked, "Mui-senpai, where is your home? We want to treat you to a meal before we leave."
"You are the one who save me, so I should be the one treating you." Mui said with a smile, "As for my home, I actually don't have a place to live. After all, Hōzuki Castle is located on a nearby island."
"If you want to find me, you can go to the inn at the north side of the village, I should be resting there."
"Then let's go finish the mission first. Goodbye Mui-senpai."
When the caravan left, Mui put away the smile on his face, "They don't even know about Hōzuki Castle. It seems that they didn't come for that."
...
Under Reiji's lead, Sōseki and the others came to a very luxurious mansion.
"Yamanaka-dono, the one who ordered this batch of supplies from Konoha is the Minister of Finance of our Land of Grass. Sorry for lying to you. In order to avoid the coveting of those bandits, we have to fake the name of our caravan."
Inoichi is not surprised by this, after all, this is something that has been explained before the mission.
After entering the mansion, a middle-aged man was already waiting.
"Friends from Konoha, it's really hard work for you." The middle-aged man invited the group into the living room with great enthusiasm. "My name is Nobuo Ueno, the Minister of Finance of the Land of Grass. I'm also the one who commissioned this mission."
As soon as he started, he started to tell his bitterness.
"Our Land of Grass is suffering, we are really suffering..."
After explaining in turn the "hardship" the Land of Grass's citizens, Shinobi, and officials are having, he changed the subject and mentioned the deep friendship between Konoha and the Land of Grass.
Finally, with tears sublimating his eyes, Ueno said, "For the peace of Shinobi World and the friendship between the two countries, I hereby implore Konoha to help us with another batch of supplies!"
Hearing this, Asuma looked at him with "Admiration", 'Weapons is an extremely important strategic resources reserve.'
'It would already be nice if we could sell it to you. This time, you are planning to beg for it directly?'
Inoichi tapped his finger on the tabletop lightly, "I will truthfully tell Hokage-sama about your request. However, I have a suggestion."
Ueno smiled brightly and said, "Please tell me."
Inoichi smiled and said, "Why don't you directly entrust our Konoha's Shinobi to clean up the bandits? In this way, not only do you not have to worry about the robbing of the supplies, but you can also ensure the safety of your own Shinobi."
Ueno's smile stopped, and he sighed in the next moment, "No, this is our Land of Grass's internal affairs after all. If we ask Konoha's Shinobi to take action, it may be misunderstood by the people of our country! It's okay if we are scolded, but how can we let our allies bear such bad reputation?"
Inoichi didn't force it and said, "Is that so? It seems that I didn't take it into consideration."
Ueno smiled brightly again, "Hahaha, Yamanaka-dono is also saying that for our sake!"
Inoichi then glanced outside the door, "It doesn't seem to be too early now, we should return to Konoha..."
At this time, Asuma shouted according to the previously discussed plan, "Inoichi-sensei, let's go back to Konoha tomorrow. It's rare for us to come out of Konoha, so it's a pity if we go back just like this!"
"This..."
Seeing that Inoichi was a little embarrassed, Ueno also persuaded, "This little Shinobi makes a lot of sense. It's rare for you to come here, so you should feel the atmosphere of our Land of Grass!"
As he said that, he had already arranged, "Although my place is a little "humble", it is no problem to let a few more guests stay here, Yamanaka-dono, you guys can stay here for tonight!"
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