"What are you daydreaming about? I'm asking you a question!"
In an unknown forest in the Land of Fire, Minato patted Nawaki's shoulder.
"Huh?"
"Sorry, I was daydreaming," Nawaki admitted as he snapped back to reality. It had only been less than a week since he left the village, but he already missed Misaki.
"You're so weak, always thinking about girls," Minato said with a look of disdain.
"Senior Brother Minato, you were just talking about Sister Kushina," Konan remarked, unwilling to let the situation slide without stirring things up.
"No, you heard wrong," Minato said, his expression stiff as black lines seemed to form on his face. He attempted to brush off her remark.
"I heard it too," Nagato added in a calm, leisurely voice, easily dismantling Minato's excuse.
"Oh, that's not important," Minato quickly interjected, eager to shift the focus. "The target of the mission is in the town ahead. When are we going to do it?"
"I'll go in first and check it out, see if there's any chance," Nonō Yakushi volunteered in a pleasant voice, sitting beside Nagato.
The mission's target group was large, prompting Sakumo to assign an extra team to Nawaki and his group. There were now three teams, totaling twelve people.
"Are you sure you can handle it alone?" Nawaki asked, wanting to ensure her safety. "Send someone else with you."
"Then let Pain go with me," Nonō suggested, directly requesting Nagato as her partner.
"Okay," Minato agreed without hesitation. With Nagato's strength, even if they were discovered, they could retreat safely.
"Aren't you going to ask my opinion?" Nagato looked at Minato with a hint of helplessness. He hadn't even gathered the information himself.
"It's fine. You're being accompanied by a senior, aren't you?" Minato replied, gesturing towards Nonō, who was skilled at gathering intelligence.
"Don't worry. I'm here, so it'll be fine," Nonō said confidently, patting her chest.
"Okay," Nagato finally agreed after being persuaded.
"Be careful. Don't fight in town," Nawaki reminded them, emphasizing the importance of protecting civilians. Any battle in town could endanger innocent lives. Their goal was to find out when the mission's target would leave the town. It was clear they wouldn't stay there forever; they would eventually leave the country.
"Yes," Nonō and Nagato replied before getting up and hurrying toward the town.
"Nonō seems to be very impressed by Pain," Nonō's team leader remarked with an amused tone. He had witnessed the events during the Intelligence Division selection and remembered what had transpired between Nonō and Nagato.
"Really? I didn't notice at all," Minato said with a laugh, realizing how Nagato's actions could be wildly misinterpreted.
To someone who didn't know him, it might look like he was some kind of pervert—who just goes around touching a woman's chest like that?
But in reality, it was no different from saving a drowning woman, performing CPR, and even giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
"Let's not talk about this."
"Now we just have to wait for them to come back and decide on the next plan." Nawaki used his authority as leader to end the discussion.
As he watched Nagato and Nonō walk away, a faint smile appeared on his lips. If those two could make it work, he'd at least get some credit.
"Are we just going in like this?" Nonō stopped Nagato as they approached the town.
"Sorry, I forgot," Nagato admitted, blushing slightly. Their current appearances would make it impossible to gather information without arousing suspicion. Charging in headfirst had always been his way of doing things, and strategy wasn't something he often considered.
"Let's decide on an identity first," Nonō suggested. "Are we a couple or siblings?"
The teasing smile beneath Nonō's mask was impossible to miss.
"Ah... then, siblings," Nagato replied honestly, choosing the most proper option. Ideas like posing as a couple were outside his comfort zone.
If he were someone like Kawakaze, he might have come up with a third option on his own—perhaps husband and wife, or even boss and mistress. But Nagato wasn't the type for such theatrics.
"Okay," Nonō agreed and used the Transformation Technique. A tall, plump woman with delicate features appeared before Nagato.
Nagato observed her carefully, showing no hint of impropriety in his gaze. He then used Nonō's transformed image as a guide and performed the Transformation Technique himself.
The result was impressive. Judging by their appearances, the two looked convincingly like siblings. Nagato had even captured the small details accurately.
"Very good. Let's go," Nonō said, clearly pleased with his performance.
It seemed Nagato's lack of reaction wasn't about her appearance—it was simply that he genuinely didn't understand women.
Nagato followed her every step, and together they entered the town, blending in perfectly as ordinary siblings.
"Can you sense where people are?"
Nonō was well aware of Nagato's exceptional sensing abilities. Knowing the strengths of teammates was a fundamental skill.
"Yes." Nagato closed his eyes briefly, extending his senses. He quickly pinpointed three locations where a large number of mission targets had gathered.
"What do you think?" Nonō asked softly. They kept walking, neither of them spotting anything unusual yet.
"There are three places. Shall we check them all out and decide?" Nagato didn't take the lead in decision-making, knowing Nonō was better suited for such tasks.
"Well, let's go to the nearest one first," Nonō decided quickly. Since they couldn't split up, it was best to start with the most accessible location.
"Okay." Nagato took the lead, moving ahead of Nonō toward the first place.
It turned out to be a restaurant, apparently rented out by their mission target. Big, burly men with sharp, watchful eyes loitered around the entrance and inside.
"This isn't going to work," Nonō said decisively, dismissing the idea of entering.
"Hmm," Nagato agreed. They moved on to the next location.
The second place was a gambling den, and the third wasn't far away. Nagato gestured discreetly toward it.
Nonō glanced in that direction, her expression turning sour when she realized it was a sex shop. With a faint look of disgust, she immediately ruled it out.
They entered the gambling den instead, though it was hard to avoid drawing attention. After all, what kind of person brings someone along to such a place?
"Let's just go to the gambling parlor and take a look," Nonō decided, leading Nagato inside.
The gambling parlor was noisy, filled with smoke and chaos, as one might expect in such a place. People were scattered everywhere, engrossed in their games.
The two entered without drawing any attention. Nonō skillfully exchanged chips, while Nagato trailed silently behind her.
Nagato had heard that Sensei's wife was fond of gambling, but he had never been in a place like this himself. He glanced around curiously, taking everything in with a measured gaze.
Nonō, focused on their mission, strolled casually through the parlor. When the moment was right, she took Nagato's hand and, without hesitation, guided him toward the table where their targets sat.
The game at the table was one of Tsunade's favorites—guessing the size of the hand. Ninjas often preferred such simple and direct gambling methods.
As Nonō led Nagato closer, she took a quick look at the scene. The mission targets were flushed with excitement, their chips piled high in front of them. Meanwhile, the dealer's face was growing increasingly grim.
It was obvious—these people were likely using ninja tactics to cheat their way to victory.