Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 522 The Basic Operations of the Wind Shadow

The old shopkeeper rubbed his calloused hands, took two steps closer, and put on a shrewd smile.

"Hey, don't even mention it. There used to be hardly any caravans traveling on this road. A while ago there were at least a few, but these past few days, you haven't seen a single one. I heard from a wandering ninja that the Land of Wind is cracking down really hard, it's too much of a hassle, so many caravans have stopped using this route."

Danzo and Sakumo exchanged a brief, almost imperceptible glance.

—Sunagakure Village has increased its security.

Uchiha Kagami put down his chopsticks; he had already eaten half of the noodles in his bowl. He smiled, looked up, and picked up the conversation, his tone as gentle as a friendly scholar next door.

"Why are they investigating so closely? Has something happened?"

"Who knows?"

Infected by this gentle attitude, the old shopkeeper became bolder. He lowered his voice, leaned forward, and assumed the posture of telling a secret.

"But I heard from a drunkard who came back from over there that the daimyo of the Land of Wind has been in a bad mood lately, and he's having a tiff with that ninja village... it's called Sunagakure, right?"

"I don't know the specifics either; it's all hearsay, just hearsay—"

His voice suddenly caught in his throat.

He noticed that the bespectacled young man sitting against the opposite wall was smiling at him.

That smile gave me goosebumps for no reason.

He couldn't explain why at all.

That smile was clearly gentle, friendly, and even encouraging.

But the old shopkeeper felt as if he were being watched by an invisible snake, completely exposed from head to toe, with all his hidden schemes and lies laid bare.

"Thank you, boss."

Uchiha Kagami picked up the bowl of noodles, took a sip of the warm soup, and his smile remained unchanged.

"The noodles you made are delicious."

"Ah...hehe, hehe..."

The old shopkeeper chuckled dryly, then sheepishly shrank back behind the tall counter, no longer daring to peek out.

Shuo Mao put down the empty bowl in his hand.

The bottom of the bowl was so clean it reflected light; not a single drop of soup was left.

His chopsticks were placed neatly on the rim of the bowl, with the distance between the two chopsticks exactly the same.

The three sat quietly in a corner of the dimly lit tavern.

On the table were three empty bowls and a pot of lukewarm wine that was almost empty.

The night wind outside tirelessly creaked the signboard of the Wind Sound Restaurant, as if telling the story of the ancient desolation of the border.

Danzo finished the last sip of sake in his cup, tapping the bottom of the cup lightly on the table with a crisp sound.

This is a signal for action.

"Let's go."

Sakumo Hatake stood up, took out a few copper coins from his pocket, and placed them directly on the table without counting them.

Uchiha Kagami also stood up.

He glanced one last time at the counter, gave a slight bow, and his movements were as precise as a textbook example of etiquette.

The old shopkeeper watched the three strange late-night visitors leave the shop, and only after their figures completely disappeared into the darkness at the end of the main street did he seem to have a great weight lifted off his shoulders and let out a long sigh of relief.

He went over to clear the dishes from the table.

His gaze fell on the few copper coins that Sakumo had left on the table, and he subconsciously counted them.

no more, no less.

That's exactly the price of three bowls of noodles with eggs and meat, plus a pot of warm wine.

Not a penny more, not a penny less.

……

Outside the town, three figures leaped up and down several times, silently ascending to the treetops once more, transforming into three swift shadows in the night.

The wind whistled in my ears.

At the very back of the formation, Uchiha Kagami suddenly spoke softly, his voice swaying slightly as the wind cut through it.

"Sunagakure is so poor that it needs to rely on the daimyo's funds to survive... At a time like this, it's still arguing with the daimyo of the Land of Wind."

"Oh."

Danzo, who was running at the front, let out a disdainful snort, his voice remaining steady.

"This is the basic procedure for all generations of Kazekage."

As he sped through the forest, he pulled the folded map from his pocket with one hand and, by the moonlight, quickly added a tiny annotation to it with his other hand.