"This village's location… is perfect."
Takayama Haru stood atop a mountain with his two companions, gazing down at the village nestled below.
The village's position truly was critical—it sat right at the intersection of the Land of Fire, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Grass.
Even if the Hidden Stone Village wanted to mobilize, they'd have to pass through this area.
While the ninjas of the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls were weak, they were still sovereign nations.
Even though both ninja and nobles held power in this world, the nobility always stood above the ninja class in terms of status.
If the daimyōs of the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls raised a concern to the Earth Daimyō, even something like cutting off funding could severely cripple the Hidden Stone Village.
So naturally, if the Hidden Stone were to launch a large-scale invasion of Konoha, the most viable route would run through the border between those two countries.
The border area was considered no man's land—technically part of both countries' territories, but in practice, not governed by either.
That made it difficult for the daimyōs to complain.
As long as the number of ninjas was small and they weren't caught in the act, they could move freely.
Officially, it was banned, but come on—ninja could leap from treetops and vanish into the shadows. The nobility couldn't really enforce it.
This route was also one of the main battlegrounds between Konoha and the Hidden Stone Village.
In the future, the fabled Kannabi Bridge, destroyed by Minato Namikaze during the Third Great Ninja War, would lie along this path.
"They're pretty lucky," Haru commented.
Any traveler passing through here could be hit with a barrage of shuriken at any time.
The fact that this village still existed along such a dangerous route—it was kind of miraculous.
"Let's go."
The three sped toward the village. The sight of rising cooking smoke and people moving about suggested that, for now, it was safe.
They quickly reached the village entrance.
An elderly man, seated near the gate, was dozing off.
"Zzzzz…"
The snoring was loud enough to shake the ground. Haru felt his eardrums tremble.
It sounded like a battlefield—not just any battle, but one between Kage-level powerhouses.
"Huh…" Haru suddenly gasped as a thought crossed his mind.
"Don't tell me… his snoring scared the Hidden Stone shinobi away?"
"No way!" Minato's eyes widened.
Terrifying…
"You two! Use your brains!!"
Wham! Wham!
Rubbing the fresh lumps on their heads, Haru and Minato looked at Kushina, whose clenched fists were still steaming.
Why did the one with no common sense get to hit the ones who actually used their heads?
How was that fair?
"It was just a joke…"
"Just a joke?" Minato looked at Haru in surprise.
Kushina's forehead veins began to throb.
Their bickering woke the old man, who opened his eyes groggily and squinted at them.
"Where are your parents? Go play somewhere else," he muttered, waving them away in annoyance before trying to doze off again.
"Can't you see I'm guarding the gate?"
See it? More like… absolutely not.
And yet, somehow, this village still existed. It was ridiculous.
"Excuse me, sir," Minato said with a polite smile. "We're from Konoha. We're here to gather information."
The old man finally woke up fully and noticed the forehead protectors they wore. He suddenly stood up straight and shouted:
"Ninja-sama are here!!"
The shout was like pressing a giant red button.
Suddenly, a flood of villagers surged from the depths of the village—dozens, maybe hundreds, of dark figures rushing forward.
The three immediately took defensive stances, kunai drawn and ready.
Thankfully, the crowd stopped a short distance away.
The villagers—clad in shabby clothes—stared at the trio with sparkling eyes.
It was… unnerving.
A burly but cheerful-looking man stepped forward, his face filled with smiles.
"Young ninja-sama! Welcome! I'm the village chief. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
From behind him came whispers:
"The ninjas are so tiny! They're adorable!"
"Those two boys are so handsome! They'll grow up to be real heartthrobs."
"But the girl's the cutest! I want to hug her and never let go!"
That last voice came from a massive man.
Kushina shuddered.
This guy is a pervert!!
This village is creepy!
The village chief scratched his head awkwardly.
"Konoha's ninja have always looked after our village, so everyone's just really enthusiastic when you visit."
This… was beyond enthusiastic.
Haru looked helplessly at the crowd of villagers with overly eager eyes. Even he had to take a few steps back.
He was worried they might tear him apart if he made one wrong move.
Why didn't the mission briefing mention this!?
As the team leader, Minato couldn't retreat and forced himself to continue gathering intel.
"Chief, we received reports that rogue ninja have been sighted around here. Is that true?"
"Yes," the chief replied, his expression turning serious. "It's true. A few months ago, rogue ninjas were frequently spotted near the village. But after a few patrols from Konoha ninja, they disappeared."
Useful, but still partial intel—they'd have to confirm things themselves.
"We're here to do a follow-up. We may need to stay a few days," Minato said, forcing a smile.
As soon as he spoke, the villagers behind them erupted into cheers.
He'd never seen this kind of reaction before.
It made his scalp tingle.
"Of course! Of course!" the chief said hurriedly, as if afraid they'd change their minds.
If the three hadn't kept their weapons drawn, the chief might have scooped them up for a group hug.
The chief eagerly led the trio through the village, but the crowd continued to follow, their gazes intense and overwhelming.
Seeing their discomfort, the chief finally turned and barked:
"What are you all staring at!? Get back to work!"
The villagers reluctantly dispersed.
After all, it wasn't every day Konoha ninja visited.
Who knew when the next opportunity would be?
Haru watched them go, all without turning back. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Something felt off. He just couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The chief led them to a modest house.
"This place was built specifically to host ninja-sama. I live next door, so just holler if you need anything."
"Thank you," Minato said, slightly embarrassed by the chief's enthusiasm.
"No, thank you! Without Konoha's protection, we wouldn't have peace at all."
The chief bowed gratefully before finally leaving. Only the three ninja remained.
"This place is weird," Haru muttered.
Minato nodded in agreement. "It is."
"What are you two mumbling about?" Kushina asked, confused.
"Everyone in the village seems super friendly. What's so strange about that?"
This was her first time being so welcomed. She was even starting to enjoy it.
This was exactly the kind of adoration she wanted as Hokage!
"They're too friendly," Haru said with a shake of his head.
"And what's wrong with that?"
Kushina didn't understand, but Haru just looked at her like she was an idiot.
Which made Kushina furious.
"What's with that look?! You wanna go?!"
She still hadn't settled the score from last time.
Haru turned his head away dramatically.
"My family told me not to play with idiots."
"Your family?" Kushina blinked. "Didn't he say his family was all gone? Wait—did he just call me an idiot!?"
"I'll kill you!!"
Kushina lunged again, her monstrous strength giving her a terrifying edge.
But before she could reach him—
"Whitey, bite her."
A small white snake slithered from Haru's collar and launched itself at Kushina.
Familiar creature. Familiar move. Familiar target.
"MY NOSE! LET GO OF MY NOSE!!"
Kushina ran in circles, trying to yank the snake off without tearing her skin.
Bonk!
She smacked face-first into a wooden beam. The snake let go and slithered back to Haru, climbing up his leg.
Still hasn't learned.
Lying on the floor, clutching her nose, Kushina stared up at the ceiling with watery eyes.
She'd just been bullied by a snake.
"Alright, that's enough, Kushina," Minato stepped in, trying to play peacemaker.
These two were impossible when they started fighting.
He explained gently:
"Ordinary villagers are usually scared of ninja. It's rare for them to be this welcoming."
Villages like this one—so close to conflict—should know all too well the horrors of ninja warfare.
Kushina still didn't get it.
"But didn't they say Konoha ninja have always protected them?"
"Idiot," Haru shot back bluntly.
"Outposts are meant to be hidden and collect intel. No one's going to waste time and energy maintaining a village—unless the villagers are part of the operation."
But the mission notes had said nothing about this being a safe house.
"So this village…"
Both Haru and Minato adopted serious expressions.
"...definitely isn't what it seems."
—
Late that night, the village was still and silent.
Cloaked by darkness, the three ninja moved swiftly across rooftops, their figures melting into the shadows.
They were searching for anything suspicious.
But the village appeared entirely normal. They searched for hours, well into the night, but found nothing.
"If only we had a detection jutsu," Haru sighed. He had just developed a new jutsu, but unfortunately, it wasn't suited for scouting.
"Detection jutsu? I've got one," Kushina said, surprised.
"You have one?!"
Both Haru and Minato turned to her in shock.
"Why didn't you say so earlier!?"
Kushina scratched her cheek. "Didn't I? I thought I mentioned it."
"You must've said it in your dreams," Haru said, deadpan.
Kushina raised a fist threateningly.
"Then stop wasting time and use it already. Don't act like some dainty little girl."
"I am a girl!"
"Could've fooled me."
"I'm gonna kill you!!"
"Alright, alright!" Minato quickly stepped in to stop another fight. Being team leader was exhausting.
"Kushina, please. Use the detection jutsu."
With a huff, Kushina turned away from Haru and made a series of hand signs.
"Kagura's Mind Eye!"
Her eyes shot open.
"There are ninjas!"
"Where!?"
"Beneath our feet!!"
(End of Chapter)