For Konoha's northwest defense line, another transfer order was sent from Konoha Village.
"Shintaro, it looks like we're heading to the southeast defense line again."
Minato opened the transfer order, and not only was he transferred to the southeast, but Shintaro was as well.
Minato had initially been transferred from the southeast defense line to support the northwest defense line, and Shintaro had also been on the southeast defense line before coming to the Land of Rain.
Ninjas are very quick. Minato organized his troops and immediately set off. Everyone arrived at the southeast defense line.
The Southeast Defense Line has undergone some changes compared to last year.
Most importantly, the eastern defense line no longer requires too much ninja defense.
This is because all the fortresses and bases attacked by Kirigakure from the eastern front had been dismantled earlier. Therefore, the current battlefield is essentially the southern front.
In Minato's absence, Shikaku was responsible for coordinating and leading the southeast defense line.
Minato and Shikaku completed a simple handover. Both were smart people, so the handover was naturally straightforward and efficient.
Shikaku informed Minato of all the changes and details of the current battle situation.
Minato quickly understood the situation.
"It seems like Kirigakure can't hold out much longer."
According to intelligence, Kirigakure's attacks had significantly weakened. Combined with other intelligence, Kirigakure should no longer have the strength to fight against Konoha.
Shikaku nodded but expressed his concern.
"But Kirigakure and Sunagakure have stopped. If these two enemies of Konoha join forces, they can still cause us a lot of trouble. After all, Konoha has also expended a lot of energy now."
Minato nodded, agreeing with the concern.
"Yes, although Kirigakure and Sunagakure might not have the strength to attack each other, we cannot rule out the possibility you mentioned. To be cautious, someone still needs to gather information."
Shikaku smiled upon hearing this and said, "I have a suitable candidate."
So Shintaro was called to the camp.
"Shikaku-sensei, I knew it was you who called me."
Shintaro waved his hand helplessly and walked in.
"No choice, who else is more suitable than you? Those who can do more work." Shikaku stroked his beard and handed over the task.
"This time, we're going to the mainland of the Land of Water, Kirigakure Village, to gather information and see if there are any signs of Kirigakure and Sunagakure uniting."
Shintaro complained: "Gathering information again."
The last time Shikaku came to him, he asked him to gather information about Kirigakure's fortress. This time, he went a step further and asked him to go directly to Kirigakure Village.
"I'm giving you the opportunity to do a good deed."
Shikaku explained, and Shintaro reluctantly accepted.
He and the senior management of Konoha were just two extremes.
The senior officials of Konoha were very afraid that Shintaro would make a meritorious service on the battlefield and become full, thus threatening the power of Konoha's senior officials.
Shikaku was just the opposite. He regarded Shintaro as a jack-of-all-trades.
Although this reflected Shikaku's trust in him, Shintaro still felt like a brick that needed to be moved wherever necessary.
Shikaku explained: "I really don't mean to embarrass you. You also know that espionage missions are inherently dangerous, and now that we are at war, it becomes even more difficult."
"Once discovered in enemy territory during wartime, it's almost impossible for an ordinary ninja to survive. The only suitable and energetic person I think is you."
Shintaro nodded. He only had a slight objection, but it wasn't because he really didn't want to go.
"Okay, okay, then I'll treat it as a vacation."
Shikaku smiled and said, "Right, you can think of it as a trip on public expenses."
"Then how do I get there? Directly cross the sea and sneak across?"
Shintaro asked again about the specific details of his mission.
Shikaku shook his head and answered: "Of course not. Such a spy mission requires you to have a clear identity so you can easily gather information."
He handed a document to Shintaro.
"And this identity can't be linked to Konoha, otherwise Kirigakure will definitely be alert, and they might alert others."
Shintaro opened the file and looked through it while Shikaku also explained.
"This is a fisherman from the Land of Sea. He was bitten by a shark while fishing. He happened to be rescued by a passing Konoha ninja and sent to Konoha for treatment. He is still in the village now."
"No one knows about this except us and the involved ninja. You will pretend to be him this time. First, go to the shore and board his fishing boat, then return to the outer waters of the Land of Sea to fish, and take the caught fish to Kirigakure Village to sell."
"This will provide enough reason and won't arouse suspicion."
Shintaro listened to Shikaku's introduction and read the information at the same time. Then he formed a seal and performed [Henge no Jutsu].
He then transformed into a tall, muscular man with dark skin, ordinary features, and determined eyes.
Suddenly, the image of a tough man who had been fishing at sea all year round appeared.
Shintaro said angrily: "Hello, I am Tanaka Kenji from the Land of Sea. Do you want to buy fish? They are all fresh fish caught directly from the sea."
Shikaku gave a thumbs up and said, "Yes, I think you're suitable."
Shintaro used his Six Eyes to maintain [Henge no Jutsu] very subtly, enough to make it look real.
He memorized all the relevant information about Tanaka Kenji in just a few glances, plus his appearance and voice looked genuine.
It could be said that he was truly the second Tanaka Kenji in the world. Shintaro was confident that even Tanaka Kenji's wife wouldn't recognize him.
Shintaro immediately set off and first came to the shore and found Kenji's boat.
The boat was not large and was damaged and repaired. As stated in the information, the Tanaka family was not wealthy.
Kenji had an eldest brother. When the family property was divided, he was only given a broken boat and an old house by the sea.
Therefore, Kenji, who had made a living from farming since childhood, was forced to start making a living as a fisherman.
Shintaro steered the boat south and reached the sea between the Land of Fire and the Land of Sea.
The Land of Sea is located south of the Ninja World continent, an island nation consisting of many islands of varying sizes.
Shintaro first caught enough fish in the sea, then made a dirty disguise on the boat and his body, and then rowed the boat towards the Land of Sea.
At sea, a fishing boat came towards him.
"Kenji! Where have you been? There are so many fish!"
On the fishing boat, an old man with white hair greeted him warmly and couldn't help but ask when he saw the fish on Shintaro's boat.
Shintaro replied loudly: "In the north, there is a school of fish further away!"
"Okay! Then I have to hurry over there!"
Upon hearing this, the old fisherman immediately began to row towards the designated position.
Shintaro hid his smile, turned around, and continued rowing towards the Land of Sea.
It seemed that there was no flaw in this disguise.
However, he still couldn't head directly to the Land of Water, as going to the Land of Water still required customs documents.
Kenji's customs documents had to be left at home, so Shintaro still had to return to Kenji's home.
Shintaro sailed north to Dalang Island in the Land of Water. The Tanaka house was located by the shore.
He moored his boat at the beach and tied it to a wooden post to prevent it from drifting away with the waves.
Then, he walked towards the Tanaka house, which was a shabby hut with a small farm plot in a walled yard where some vegetables were planted.
Arable land was as scarce as clean water on this small island. Therefore, Kenji could only cultivate the small plot in the yard.
Shintaro approached the door, and a woman emerged from inside.
The woman had a healthy wheat-colored complexion, dressed simply, and her hair was tied back. She looked gentle and had a simple, rustic beauty.
This was Ogura Ai, Tanaka Kenji wife.
"Hubby, you're back!"
Fishing was quite a dangerous activity, so Ogura Ai would worry and pray for her husband.
Shintaro saw that Ogura Ai didn't seem to notice anything unusual, so he felt relieved.
"I'm back, I had a good haul this time!"
Spending several days at sea while fishing was normal, so Ogura Ai believed him after hearing the explanation.
According to the intel, Kenji would always hug Ogura Ai whenever he returned home.
Shintaro thought to himself, 'Sorry, I'll just act it out.'
Then he stepped forward and hugged Ogura Ai. The scent of a mature woman wafted into Shintaro's nose.
However, to Shintaro's surprise, Ogura Ai suddenly pushed him away.
"What's wrong?" Shintaro asked.
Ogura Ai replied cautiously, "You... You're not Hubby..."
Shintaro was slightly taken aback and planned to continue pretending, "What are you talking about? Ai, it's me, Kenji."
He pondered what might have gone wrong. There shouldn't be any issues with his appearance and voice, and his behavior matched the intel.
Ogura Ai asked, "What happened to him?!"
Seeing her so sure, Shintaro dropped his disguise and curiously asked, "How did you know?"
Ogura Ai said, "At first, I didn't notice, but something felt off... You didn't even glance at the vegetable garden when you walked in... So, you're not him."
Shintaro shook his head and smiled, not expecting to be exposed by such a detail.
Kenji himself didn't realize he would always glance at the vegetable garden when entering the door, so it wasn't in the intel.
Shintaro stopped pretending, released [Henge no Jutsu], and revealed his true appearance.
"A kid? You're... a ninja!"
Ogura Ai was initially shocked to discover that Shintaro was just a thirteen-year-old boy and then exclaimed upon seeing the Konoha forehead protector on Shintaro's forehead.
The Land of Water was a small country without a ninja village, and common tasks were entrusted to Kirigakure in the neighboring Land of Water.
Ogura Ai had little interaction with ninjas, so she hesitated upon seeing the forehead protector before reacting.
She covered her mouth and said tearfully, "Has Hubby..."
Seeing that Ogura Ai was overthinking, Shintaro explained, "Don't misunderstand, your husband is alive and will return."
Ogura Ai wanted to ask more, but Shintaro didn't want to waste much time here.
With his Sharingan, a genjutsu took effect.
The impact made her ignore Shintaro's presence and forget what had just happened.
The condition for release was reuniting with her husband.
By the time Kenji was released by Konoha, Shintaro would have completed his mission, so it wouldn't matter if the genjutsu was released then.
After applying the genjutsu, Shintaro entered the house as if nothing had happened and found the customs documents.
Taking the documents and passing by Ogura Ai, who was carrying water to irrigate the vegetables in the yard, he waved his fingers in front of her to confirm the genjutsu's effectiveness.
"If this genjutsu fell into the hands of someone with malicious intent, it could be disastrous."
Seeing his genjutsu so effective, Shintaro could only sigh.
After ensuring Ogura Ai was ignoring him, Shintaro returned to the boat with the documents and sailed to the Land of Water.
At sea, he used [Henge no Jutsu] again to transform back into Kenji.
This time, he headed straight for the customs port in the southern part of the Land of Water.
The Land of Water's port was busier than the Land of Fire's port. After all, the Land of Water was a maritime country, and all foreign trade was conducted by sea.
"Hey! Dock over there, dock over there! Hand over your documents."
A portly customs officer came over arrogantly. After Shintaro docked, he went ashore with the documents and handed them to the officer quietly.
The customs officer took the documents, flipped through them, and then looked at Shintaro.
"Anything else?"
Shintaro knowingly took out a few banknotes and placed them on the documents.
The customs officer smiled and said, "You're quite sensible."
The customs officer pocketed the banknotes and looked back.
Several Kirigakure ninjas were stationed behind them.
Shintaro had long observed with his Six Eyes that their strength was only that of mid-level Genin.
The customs officers and Kirigakure ninjas belonged to two different systems. The customs officers were officials of the Land of Water, while the ninjas were from Kirigakure.
Therefore, the Kirigakure ninjas ignored the customs officers' corruption.
Shintaro then got the clearance, rented a cart at the port, and drove the fish cart to Kirigakure.
That afternoon, Shintaro arrived at Kirigakure.
Unlike Konoha, Kirigakure was shrouded in white mist all year round, hence the name Kirigakure.
Most buildings in the village were made of hard limestone, protecting them from decay and erosion in the humid environment.
Shintaro successfully entered Kirigakure and pulled the cart towards the seafood market.
Fish was the most commonly consumed meat by Kirigakure residents. After all, other meats were more expensive than fish in Kirigakure.
So the seafood market was very large. Shintaro pulled the cart in, and as long as he posted a sign that said "freshly caught from the Land of Water." it quickly sold out.
There were also some other merchants who came to him for wholesale.
He didn't want to stay long at the seafood market, so he sold all the fish in the cart without bargaining.
He then hid in a toilet, created a shadow clone, and had the shadow clone continue pretending to be Kenji.
He escaped through the window and left the seafood market.
Shintaro used [Henge no Jutsu] to transform into an ordinary middle-aged man, took his collar, and sniffed it.
"Hmm, it smells like fish."
He then decided to take a bath to get rid of the smell.
He had just turned off [Infinity] to avoid exposure, so he was stained by the fishy smell.
Shintaro comfortably bathed and then saw the sign of a pub on the street.
Pubs always seemed to be a good source of information.
Entering the pub, he ordered a glass of beer and sat as if nothing had happened, not taking a sip.
After all, he hated drinking. Of course, to avoid attracting attention, he sat in the darkest corner and eavesdropped on the conversation at the table of Kirigakure ninjas.
This table of Kirigakure ninjas was the most valuable target in the pub.
"It's better to be back in the village and feel comfortable. Finally, we don't have to fight with Sunagakure. Those people are just madmen among madmen."
"But these good days won't last long. I think we'll be sent to fight Konoha again."
Shintaro lifted his glass and pretended to drink, but actually poured the wine onto the ground through a false-bottomed layer, listening intently to the conversation of the three Kirigakure ninjas.