After the battle with the Kumo ninja, A led his team back to their base at high speed. As soon as they arrived, he immediately sensed something unusual.
"Hey, Gontaru, what's wrong with you guys? Why do you all look so depressed?"
The ninja named Gontaru quickly approached A, the son of the Raikage, as soon as he saw him return.
"Lord A, the Land of Rice Fields is haunted!"
A's expression twisted as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing, making Gontaru even more dejected.
"I'm not joking, Lord A," Gontaru insisted. "My team was fighting Iwa, but suddenly, we all became paralyzed and lost consciousness. The same thing happened to the rest of my squad."
"When we came to, all our money and ninja gear were gone. The Iwa ninja we were fighting had also vanished. But the worst part is—whoever robbed us even left leaves on our bodies!"
The ninjas behind Gontaru nodded repeatedly, confirming his words. A's eyes widened in confusion.
"Wow! Ghosts? Ghosts? What kind? White-clad ghosts? Female ghosts?"
Killer Bee, now fully recovered, chimed in with another one of his terrible raps.
As A was still processing what he'd just heard, another group of ninjas suddenly returned—wearing the exact same haunted expressions as Gontaru's team.
"Momoi! What happened to your team? Why do you all look like that?"
Momoi rushed over to A and greeted him before speaking again—causing A to feel like his brain was short-circuiting.
"Lord A, we saw a ghost! We were robbed! Our money and ninja tools are gone! And worst of all—I don't even know who did it!"
"I felt numb all over, and then, when I woke up, everything was gone. Even the Iwagakure ninja we were fighting had disappeared."
A and Killer Bee exchanged wide-eyed looks. One squad making this claim was unbelievable. But now two teams were saying the exact same thing.
It was becoming harder to dismiss.
The same chaos was unfolding at the Iwagakure camp.
Kitsuchi listened as his subordinates reported their losses. But Iwagakure had suffered even more casualties. Kazuyama Gekkō had struck three times, taking down nearly twenty Iwa ninja in total.
Before long, rumors began spreading among both sides.
The Land of Rice Fields was haunted.
The power of rumors was terrifying.
At first, it was just a simple claim. But as the whispers spread, the story began to take on a life of its own.
A Kumo ninja followed his teammate's lead, nodding as he recounted the eerie tale.
"This Land of Rice Fields was originally a mass grave, with the dead buried everywhere."
"The Daimyō of the Land of Rice Fields was greedy—he only cared about amassing wealth and ignored the suffering of his people. As long as he got his money, he let them die."
"So now, the buried dead are obsessed with money."
"If they find any, they'll use their ghostly powers to knock out the living and steal their wealth."
"But these ghosts aren't malicious. They don't kill. They just take the money and even go out of their way to disguise the victims afterward."
"So remember—whenever you go on a mission, don't bring any money!"
The same rumor spread through the Iwagakure camp.
Before long, both Kumo and Iwa shinobi were heading into battle with barely any cash—or even ninja gear.
The next day, Kazuyama stared down at the unconscious Kumo ninja sprawled before him, his face contorted in frustration.
"Damn it, are they all this poor?"
He rifled through another's belongings, only to find nothing.
"How is it possible that not a single one of them has a penny?"
His frustration deepened as he checked another.
"This one's even worse! Who goes into battle with just a kunai, three shurikens, and two explosive tags?!"
Kazuyama turned to the Iwa shinobi he had taken down, hoping for better luck.
The moment he checked them, his temper flared.
He thought Kumo was broke—but fine, he could accept that.
But Iwa too?!
No more than ten ninja tools per person, and as for money? Not a single coin!
Kazuyama clenched his fists.
"Damn it! We can't stay in the Land of Rice Fields—there's no profit here! What's the point of even trying?!"
He had come expecting to get rich, but now, all his targets had suddenly become penniless.
Where was the fun in that?
Frustrated, Kazuyama abandoned the mission altogether and headed toward the Land of Fire.
Little did he know, there was simply no money left to steal.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the Daimyō of the Land of Rice Fields received a report from his subordinates.
Grinning, he eagerly opened the letter, pleased with the wealth he had gained from both Iwa and Kumo.
The next second, the Daimyō's eyes scanned the letter, and his face contorted in rage.
"What?! How dare they call me a fool who neglects my people's lives?!"
"My Land of Rice Fields is haunted?! Nonsense!"
"Who is behind this slander?! Who dares to oppose my Land of Rice Fields?!"
"Ahhh—!"
"Pfft!"
Overcome with fury, his blood pressure surged, and the next moment, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The surrounding attendants panicked and rushed to support him.
Meanwhile, as Kazuyama made his way toward the Land of Fire, an unexpected notification rang in his mind.
[Ding! For causing the Daimyō of the Land of Rice Fields to be cursed, leading to him spitting blood and falling unconscious in grief due to the host's actions, a special reward of +2 Taijutsu is granted.]
"...What the hell?"
Kazuyama blinked in confusion.
The Daimyō of the Land of Rice Fields was spitting blood and unconscious?
Wait—what did that have to do with him?!
Although he was pleased to receive the reward, he had no idea why.
After returning to the Land of Fire, Kazuyama didn't rush back to the village. His mission still had plenty of time left, so he decided to relax first.
He headed to a bustling town in the northwest, carrying the money he had stolen.
Without hesitation, he checked into a high-end inn with hot springs.
Once settled, he activated the Transparent Escape Technique and climbed onto the high wall of the women's hot springs, eager to enjoy the view.
"Heh..."
But the next second—
"Shit!"
He nearly lost his grip and fell off the wall.
What the hell did he just see?!
Blonde hair. Huge...
No way.
How did he run into her here?!
Below, a familiar voice drifted through the steam.
"Shizune, you haven't graduated yet…"
"The Land of Fire is getting more and more boring… Hurry up and graduate so I can take you away from here. We'll travel to other countries."
The gentle tone carried a hint of longing, while the scent of water mixed with traces of alcohol.
Next to the speaker was a little girl, no older than five or six.
"Lady Tsunade, you're drunk… Please stop drinking."
Kazuyama's eye twitched.
The only two people in the women's bath were a small girl and a very recognizable woman.
The little one was Dan Katō's niece, Shizune.
And the big one…
The granddaughter of the First Hokage.
One of the legendary Sannin.
Tsunade!
"Oh, I'm not drunk!" Tsunade laughed loudly. "I finally took you out to relax, so enjoy it!"
"Shizune, you need to grow up quickly so I can teach you how to drink! Hahahaha!"
Listening to her drunken ramblings, both Shizune and Kazuyama were left speechless.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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