Mission Failure! - Naruto: The Primal Hyuga Pierces the Shinobi World

"Such fast Body Flicker..."

Hyūga Shinichi activated his Byakugan to search the direction the black-robed figure had left, but he found nothing. Even when extending his viewing distance, he saw no trace of the suspicious person. The speed of the opponent's Body Flicker was far beyond Hyūga Shinichi's expectation.

Shinichi sighed softly, feeling that the world was vast. A random ninja encountered during a simple mission possessed such formidable strength.

"The enemy is gone." Hyūga Shinichi reminded Shibi Aburame, who was still on guard. Shibi had been completely focused after the sudden appearance of a strong enemy, and the moment the figure vanished, he worried the enemy might use some other method to attack. It wasn't until Shinichi spoke that Shibi realized the opponent had left.

A little cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but Shibi felt slightly relieved as he looked at Shinichi, who was standing with Guy. The Hyūga's Byakugan was simply too useful in combat. With Shinichi present, he didn't have to worry about a surprise attack from a powerful enemy.

It was supposed to be a simple mission to "eliminate" a group of human traffickers, yet they had encountered such a powerful ninja during the process. The enemy's sudden appearance truly startled Shibi and left him in a cold sweat.

"You're here, Shinichi."

"What's the situation inside?" Shibi quickly adjusted his mindset, put away his kunai, and walked over to Shinichi and Guy, asking about the situation in the dungeon.

"Shisui is rescuing the people. I sensed the fighting and rushed here first."

"What was the deal with that ninja who left?"

For some reason, the black-robed figure gave Shinichi a familiar feeling, yet Shinichi was certain he had never met that ninja. He couldn't explain why the feeling of familiarity was so strong. It was so intense that even after the opponent left, Shinichi couldn't help but want to investigate his identity.

"I don't know. That ninja came with this man."

"Hey, is he your bodyguard?" Shibi first replied to Shinichi, then immediately turned to question the well-dressed middle-aged man controlled by Guy. The man glanced at the Konoha headband Shibi was wearing, swallowed hard, and, upon hearing the question, shook his head repeatedly:

"No... he's not!"

"He's my boss!"

"Please let me go. I don't know anything. I was just following my boss's instructions to transport goods!"

"I'm just an ordinary transport merchant. I don't know anything else!!!"

Seeing the Konoha ninja, the middle-aged man probably guessed he was in trouble. His extravagant employer was likely being targeted by Konoha.

Although the Land of Fire's administration was handled by the Daimyō's office, Konoha Village, as the largest military power in the country, enjoyed significant autonomy. Some matters did not need to be reported to the Daimyō's office; Konoha ninjas had the right of "free discretion." When it involved issues like human trafficking, Konoha ninjas could completely handle the judgment themselves.

The middle-aged man repeatedly claimed to be an ordinary traveling merchant, but in reality, this wasn't his first time working for this employer. He was a merchant, but he clearly knew what the "goods" he was transporting were.

"Do you think we believe you?"

"But don't worry. I believe you will soon confess everything you know."

If this were merely a simple human trafficking case, Shibi wouldn't have been so focused. But once a ninja appeared in the matter, the nature of the situation changed completely.

Shibi Aburame keenly sensed that this matter was not as simple as he had imagined. Although it was unrelated to their original mission, the appearance of a powerful, unidentified ninja involved in human trafficking within the Land of Fire's borders meant Konoha ninjas could not possibly stand idly by.

Regardless of the middle-aged man's identity, taking him back for interrogation was necessary.

Hearing Shibi Aburame's statement, the middle-aged man slumped in terror. Although he begged for mercy repeatedly, none of the people present intended to let him go.

The squad waited in the warehouse for a long time, and no one else came. Shinichi and the others realized it was time to wrap up. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Hyūga Shinichi instantly transported the abducted orphans directly to the temple where they were staying.

Master Wuzhen, the abbot, was woken by his disciples. When he saw the children brought to the temple, his expression was quite complex, a mix of surprise and joy. After reciting a Buddhist mantra, he immediately arranged for the monks to settle the children.

As for Shibi, he, as the captain, had already drafted a report, which he sent back to the Village via a ninja falcon. Besides reporting the existence of the unfamiliar ninja to the Village, he also requested Konoha send personnel to take over the case.

The abducted children needed their identities confirmed. Those who could be returned home would be, and those whose parents couldn't be found or identified would be sent to Konoha's orphanage for care. The subsequent matters were numerous and beyond the scope of Shinichi's squad.

That night, while Shibi's squad was busy with the aftermath, a massive fire broke out in the slums on the west side of Galán City. As the residential area was dense, the fire was only extinguished in the early hours of the morning. Shinichi and the others, however, did not pay attention to the incident.

The next morning, Anbu, dispatched by the Village, arrived in Galán City to take over the mission from Shibi's squad. The traffickers who survived and the middle-aged buyer were handed over to the Anbu, and the abducted children were also taken into Anbu custody. Shinichi and the others, having worked all night, were finally able to rest for a day.

Perhaps the news of Konoha ninjas appearing in Galán City spread quickly, or perhaps the fire alerted certain individuals. Shibi's squad spent several days searching the city for the rogue ninjas but found nothing. The mission had reached a dead end.

Soon after reporting the details to the Village, Shibi and his squad received the order to withdraw.

It wasn't until receiving the final order that Shinichi belatedly realized his first "debut" mission had failed! Such a development was entirely unexpected for Shinichi. Although Shinichi was not an arrogant person, having his first ninja mission end in failure still left him feeling disappointed and stunned.

The perceptive Shisui clearly sensed Shinichi's disappointment. Being slightly older, he approached Shinichi to comfort him:

"Missions are never smooth sailing for ninjas."

"Actually, this result isn't bad, is it?"

"At the very least, our entire squad is returning safely to the Village."

Shisui's words revealed a lot of information. Having been promoted to Chūnin during the Third Great Ninja War, Shisui had clearly executed many missions. Judging by his tone, Shisui had likely experienced mission failures resulting in casualties more than once...

Sensing the hint of sadness in Shisui's heart, Shinichi nodded silently, regaining his composure. After using the Flying Thunder God to transport the squad back to the Village, they went to the Hokage's office and returned the mission scroll.

Minato did not blame anyone for the mission failure. Instead, he offered a few words of comfort before dismissing everyone, only keeping Shibi Aburame behind.

Chapter 60 - Mission Failure!