Bang!
A loud slap against the desk echoed through the entire room. A fair, delicate hand pressed hard against the surface. If one looked closely, they could see it trembling slightly—whether from the force of the impact or something else entirely.
"Matsushita Taiichi, that bastard! Why the hell did he run off again?! Does Konoha not have any other jonin?! Why does it always have to be a thirteen-year-old brat sent out on missions?!"
Tsunade's furious roar echoed down the corridor. Several medical-nin who had been heading toward her office immediately turned around and walked away with remarkable decisiveness.
Compared to being scolded by an enraged Tsunade, whatever reports they needed to submit could wait a little longer.
They could leave. But Shizune, stuck inside the office facing Tsunade's wrath, wasn't so lucky.
Fortunately, years of traveling with Tsunade had taught her that the woman's anger was mostly bluster at this point.
Just listen to what she was saying.
"Sending a thirteen-year-old brat out on a mission."
As if the Hokage not sending Taiichi would mean Tsunade would actually let him rest.
If he stayed in the village, Tsunade would just drag him over to cover for her anyway. Going out on a mission was probably better.
Of course, Shizune only dared to grumble about this in her heart. She would never say it out loud.
Not only could she not say it—she had to find a way to calm Tsunade down.
"Lady Tsunade, Taiichi told me before he left that the situation in the Land of Hot Water was urgent. The village couldn't find anyone suitable right away, so they assigned the mission to him."
The explanation only made things worse.
"What? He even had time to talk to you but couldn't come tell me directly? Does he look down on me?!"
Shizune wisely shut her mouth. A menopausal woman was not reasonable. By her count, Tsunade was nearly forty.
After venting for a long while, Tsunade finally calmed herself down. She looked at the stack of documents piled on her desk and let out a helpless sigh. She reached out, pulled one free, and began reviewing it seriously.
Anger was anger. Yelling was yelling. But the work still had to be done. The moment Taiichi returned, however, she was going to dump all of it back on him—double.
Tsunade signed her name with heavy strokes, as if the paper beneath her pen was Taiichi's skin, and she jabbed the brush down hard for good measure.
Poor Taiichi. He had only been gone from Konoha for a single day, and someone was already thinking about him this much.
At that moment, he was traveling across the Land of Hot Water, investigating the traces of the missing people.
Unfortunately, the mastermind behind everything had already learned of his arrival. The next four days became a complete deadlock for Taiichi.
He and his shadow clones had nearly combed through every suspicious area in the country, especially the northeastern mountain region, conducting a carpet search.
The results were frustrating.
The Jashin cult had vanished as if they had never existed.
All activity had completely stopped. There were no new disappearance reports, nor any signs of anything unusual. The remaining traces were like kites with their strings cut—impossible to trace back to their source.
Taiichi had tried following the tracks he found at the merchant caravan site, but once he entered the mountains, the trail disappeared completely amid the complex terrain and countless natural hot spring caves. It was as if some force had deliberately erased or interfered with it.
What irritated Taiichi even more were the "assistance" personnel sent by the Land of Hot Water's officials. Whether they were providing intelligence or handling local security, their attitudes were respectful, but the information they gave was either irrelevant old news or pointed toward already-disproven bandits or wild beasts.
In short, they kept feeding him misleading or useless information. And he couldn't even call them out on it, because they would just claim they couldn't confirm anything themselves.
Whenever Taiichi requested investigation in certain specific directions, he encountered either open or subtle obstruction and resistance.
This kind of deliberate misdirection from a minority within the official channels was even more troublesome than the mastermind's own attempts at hiding.
On the evening of the fourth day, Taiichi stood on a cliff overlooking the capital. The setting sun stretched his shadow long across the ground. He gazed at the distant city shrouded in hot spring mist, his eyes cold and sharp.
"Official cover-ups, even deliberate misdirection… combined with the mastermind going completely to ground…" Taiichi muttered to himself as mountain wind tugged at his clothes. "Continuing like this won't get me anywhere."
Scenes from the past few days flashed through his mind. All the clues, like scattered beads, were being connected by an invisible thread.
Taiichi's gaze grew completely certain, like a drawn blade pointing straight at the heart of the Land of Hot Water's power structure.
"There's definitely someone in the upper echelons of the Land of Hot Water colluding with the mastermind. And this person's position… is extremely high! The question is—who?"
---
Night fell like ink. The capital was wrapped in silence, the only light coming from the pale glow of steam rising from the hot springs under the moonlight.
Matsushita Taiichi's figure landed silently on a remote rooftop within the daimyo's mansion like a ghost. He concealed his presence completely and quickly locked onto the direction of the Crown Prince's chambers.
Four consecutive days of fruitless searching had worn away his patience.
The mastermind had vanished like smoke. Every clue had been shattered or deliberately led astray under the officials' so-called "assistance."
Continuing the investigation this way was a waste of time. It was better to prepare something big.
Candlelight flickered inside the room, illuminating the Crown Prince's slightly haggard face. He clearly hadn't gone to sleep yet and was frowning over a stack of documents.
Taiichi's sudden appearance startled him. His hand immediately went for the short blade hidden beneath the desk. Only after recognizing who it was did he relax slightly, though the suspicion in his eyes remained.
"Lord Taiichi?" The Crown Prince lowered his voice, disbelief clear in his tone. "You—how did you get in? The guards outside are extremely tight—"
"Those are only good for stopping ordinary shinobi. They're useless against me." Taiichi's voice was calm and direct. "I apologize for the late visit. I had no choice. Crown Prince, our investigation has hit a dead end."
The Crown Prince's expression sharpened. He gestured for Taiichi to sit and straightened his own posture. "Please, speak."
"Four days. I've covered nearly every suspicious location in the Land of Hot Water, especially the northeastern mountains." Taiichi's gaze was intense. "But the enemy seemed to know we were coming. They've gone completely to ground. All activity has stopped. More importantly—"
He emphasized his next words and explained everything he had encountered over the past few days.
The Crown Prince's face darkened instantly. His fingers unconsciously tightened around his robes. "You're saying… someone inside the mansion, or even higher up—"
"Exactly." Taiichi's voice was firm. "Someone—or some force—is feeding information to the mastermind and using their authority to obstruct both their hiding and our investigation.
This person holds an extremely high position. They can easily access and influence every stage of the investigation. Otherwise, there's no way to explain how the enemy has been able to avoid every search so precisely, or why the official channels have been so 'inefficient'—even outright wrong."
He paused, looking straight at the Crown Prince. "Do you have any suspects in mind? If we keep going like this, we won't find anything. Or… if you allow me to use some unconventional methods—"
"Absolutely not!"
The Crown Prince cut him off before he could finish.
As a noble, there were certain basic rules that still had to be followed.
Without evidence, allowing a shinobi to use special methods based on nothing but suspicion would give political enemies the perfect weapon to destroy the Crown Prince's reputation.
Still, Taiichi's reminder had some effect. Following the principle that whoever stood to gain the most was the most suspicious, the Crown Prince did have some guesses.
But again—there was no evidence.
He wasn't the daimyo yet. His elderly father was still alive. He couldn't act with complete authority.
Seeing the change in the Crown Prince's expression, Taiichi knew the man already had someone in mind. That made the next part easier.
"With an insider feeding information, conventional investigation methods are useless. No matter how secretly we move, we'll only come up empty."
The Crown Prince took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. "Lord Taiichi, you risked coming here in the middle of the night. You must already have a plan? Please tell me. As long as we can catch the mastermind and save the Land of Hot Water, I will cooperate fully!"
Taiichi nodded slightly, feeling a trace of approval for the future daimyo's sense of responsibility and trust. He lowered his voice and laid out his plan. "We need to put on a show. A performance convincing enough to fool the mole and make the mastermind lower their guard."
"Tomorrow, I'll openly return to the daimyo's mansion and submit an 'investigation report.' At that time—"
Taiichi explained the plan in detail. The Crown Prince's eyes went from confusion to understanding, and finally to excitement.
"Understood. Lord Taiichi, I will cooperate fully tomorrow."
---
The next morning, the capital bathed in cool morning light as Taiichi walked with steady steps toward the grand main gate of the daimyo's mansion once again.
His expression was calm. In his hand was a scroll—the carefully prepared "investigation report."
After being announced, Taiichi was led to the reception hall.
To his surprise, everyone was already present. The elderly daimyo sat in the main seat, supported by attendants. The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and several high ministers had all gathered.
Clearly, word of Taiichi "submitting his report" had spread. The Second Prince wore a faint, almost imperceptible smile, his eyes carrying a trace of scrutiny and subtle relief.
The Crown Prince looked grim, his sharp gaze sweeping over the scroll in Taiichi's hands.
"Lord Taiichi, you've worked hard." The daimyo's voice was weak but carried a hint of expectation. "The investigation—have you found anything?"
Taiichi bowed slightly and presented the scroll with both hands. "Your Excellency, everyone. After several days of detailed investigation, I visited every known disappearance site and surrounding area, and conducted large-scale sensory searches using ninjutsu—"
He paused, his calm gaze sweeping across everyone before continuing. "Unfortunately, I was unable to find any new clues or effective tracking traces. There have also been no new disappearance reports recently.
Based on all available information, I have concluded that the mastermind behind these large-scale disappearances has most likely withdrawn from the Land of Hot Water—either because the pressure became too great or for other unknown reasons.
Therefore, this mission can be declared complete. I will return to Konoha immediately to report to the Hokage."
The moment he finished speaking, the Crown Prince suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up. The loud bang echoed through the hall, startling even the drowsy daimyo.
"End the mission? Return to Konoha?" The Crown Prince's face turned iron-gray, his voice rising with "anger," filled with disbelief and sharp accusation. "Matsushita Taiichi! Is this how Konoha shinobi handle their duties?! We paid a fortune and traveled far to request Konoha's most elite shinobi, and this is the result?!"
"Five days! Only five days! And you're telling me you found no leads, the enemy ran away, and now you're leaving? Hundreds of our people have gone missing! Two entire villages are empty—neither the living nor the dead can be found!
You think saying 'they might have left' is enough to wash your hands of all responsibility? Is this what Konoha's so-called White Reaper amounts to? More like the Useless Reaper!"
The Crown Prince's rebuke came like a barrage of gunfire, every word striking at Taiichi's supposed "negligence and evasion of responsibility."
He pointed at Taiichi, his finger trembling with "emotion." "Tell me—what about those missing people? What about their families? What about the panic spreading through the Land of Hot Water? You're just going to walk away like this? Do you think you've earned the massive reward we paid?!"
The atmosphere in the hall instantly dropped to freezing. The daimyo opened his mouth to speak but only broke into a violent coughing fit.
The ministers looked at one another in silence, not daring to speak.
The Second Prince lowered his eyes slightly, hiding the flash of satisfaction and relief in his gaze. He sneered inwardly. As expected. The so-called "White Reaper" is nothing special. My elder brother's anger is just the rage of the incompetent.
Faced with the Crown Prince's storm of accusations, Taiichi's face appropriately showed "irritation" and "being misunderstood."
He straightened his back, his voice turning cold. "Crown Prince, please watch your words. I, Matsushita Taiichi, have always given my full effort on every mission. In five days, I covered the entire Land of Hot Water and searched every suspicious location. There was no negligence.
The enemy is cunning and left no traces. That is beyond my control! Konoha's reputation is not yours to question! The mission report has been submitted. That is my conclusion. Believe it or don't—your choice. Farewell!"
With that, Taiichi gave the daimyo a brief, perfunctory bow and turned to leave without looking at anyone else. He strode out with large steps, radiating anger, perfectly embodying the image of a top-tier shinobi who had been unreasonably accused by his client and was leaving in fury.
"You—stop right there!" the Crown Prince roared from behind, his voice filled with "unwillingness" and "humiliation."
But Taiichi didn't look back. His figure quickly disappeared beyond the reception hall doors, leaving behind a room full of dead silence and heavy breathing.
The Crown Prince "collapsed" back into his seat, covering his face with both hands. His shoulders shook slightly, as if bearing immense pain and disappointment.
Only then did the Second Prince slowly stand and walk over to his brother, pretending to comfort him while his tone carried a trace of barely concealed lightness. "Brother, calm down. There's no need to get angry over a shinobi. Konoha's shinobi are nothing special after all. It seems we can't rely on them. We'll have to think of another way—"
"Get out!" The Crown Prince suddenly raised his head, bloodshot eyes glaring viciously at the Second Prince. The anger and pain in his gaze were so real that the Second Prince's heart jumped. He instinctively took half a step back.
The Crown Prince ignored him. He bowed to the elderly daimyo, his voice hoarse. "Father, your son is incompetent… I will take my leave."
With that, he also staggered out of the reception hall.
The performance of an "unhappy parting" had ended perfectly.
The Second Prince had personally witnessed the fierce conflict between Konoha's top shinobi and the Crown Prince, along with Taiichi's "angry departure."
The string that had been tightly wound in his chest could finally relax.