Naruto: The Unbreakable Will of a Sannin's Student

Swish!

With that, the group dispersed.

This town, while not very large, thrived due to its location at the crossroads between Sunagakure and the Konohagakure. Both sides of the main street were lined with various shops, and pedestrians constantly bustled along the road.

Okamoto Dousuke followed slightly behind Hyuga Ritsu.

Hyuga Ritsu had changed her appearance since they left the village. She now wore blue contact lenses to conceal her distinctive white eyes. She was dressed in a simple long-sleeved linen shirt, and her long, black hair was tied into two ponytails that bounced as she walked. A black skirt that reached her ankles completed her attire, and her bare feet were firmly secured in wooden clogs.

Clack, clack.

"Sister, could you please try to be a little more inconspicuous? Everyone on the street is staring at you as you walk," Okamoto Dousuke said, a bit helpless, as he observed Hyuga Ritsu taking small, deliberate steps behind him.

Are we even here to gather intelligence?

Hyuga Ritsu quickly closed the distance between them, covering her mouth with a fan as she whispered, "Don't worry, this is how you blend in and have fun at the same time! Sister knows what she's doing."

After saying that, Hyuga Ritsu genuinely squatted down and began haggling with a vendor selling dog treats. She even pulled Okamoto Dousuke into the negotiation.

When they finally left the stall, Okamoto Dousuke was carrying a handful of newly purchased bags, while Hyuga Ritsu cradled a snow-white puppy in one arm. In her other hand, she held a bag of dog food, a free gift from the vendor, which she was using to feed the puppy.

As they continued their stroll, the two ninjas observed their surroundings, noticing that the presence of two seemingly wealthy young travelers enjoying the lively town center wasn't attracting much attention.

"Dousuke, up ahead!" Hyuga Ritsu suddenly tugged Okamoto Dousuke's sleeve.

Okamoto Dousuke was momentarily surprised but quickly composed himself, glancing in the direction Hyuga Ritsu had indicated.

It was a ramen shop. Four ninjas from Sunagakure were seated at the counter inside, eating. A middle-aged man was with three younger individuals. They didn't seem like an elite fighting force.

While Okamoto Dousuke pondered their presence, he lowered his gaze to examine the items on display at a nearby stall, pretending to be interested in purchasing something.

Suddenly, a weight settled into his arms. Okamoto Dousuke looked down to see that Hyuga Ritsu had placed the white puppy in his hands. She then darted towards the four Sunagakure ninjas.

"Um, are you all ninjas?" Hyuga Ritsu asked, tilting her head slightly and looking at the four Sand Village ninjas with an innocent and somewhat shy expression.

The older Sand Village ninja immediately became wary and questioned, "Who are you?" His hand subtly moved towards the ninja tool pouch on his thigh.

"Me? My family is from Hana no Kuni, and we're here to trade in flower teas. Are you ninjas?" Hyuga Ritsu continued to play the part of an innocent traveler.

"We are just family samurai. On our way here, our caravan was attacked by two rogue ninjas. More than a dozen samurai and servants traveling with us were killed. Now, only my brother, my father, and I remain. So, I was hoping to hire you... would that be alright?" Hyuga Ritsu said, her voice tinged with feigned sorrow.

"That's right. We are ninjas from Sunagakure, one of the five great nations – the Sand Village. I can easily handle any rogue ninjas you encountered, let alone with my teacher here," one of the teenagers boasted.

"Even though we're still Genin, we can already handle C-rank missions! And our teacher is a Chunin!" another of the younger ones chimed in, puffing out his chest.

"Enough talking," the Sand Village Chunin interjected, stopping his students. "Listen, young lady. If you wish to hire ninjas from our Sand Village, you need to go to the official task posting office to submit your request. We do not accept personal employment."

"Oh, alright then!" Hyuga Ritsu said, feigning disappointment.

"Sister, sister, are they willing to accept our offer?" Okamoto Dousuke asked hopefully from the doorway.

"They said they don't accept personal requests. Let's go," Hyuga Ritsu replied in a slightly hushed voice.

"Ah, then how are we going to get back safely? We might die on the way. Mom will never see us again." The two left the ramen shop, their shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Teacher, how can we just stand by and watch them walk into danger? Our mission will be completed soon anyway," the arrogant young ninja said, his voice carrying.

"Yes, teacher, we can't just leave them like that," another teenager added.

"Please wait a moment, miss." The Chunin from Sunagakure called out to Hyuga Ritsu. "If you can wait, you can come back to this noodle shop around noon tomorrow."

Hearing this, Hyuga Ritsu turned around, tears welling up in her eyes, and bowed deeply in gratitude. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

After leaving the ramen shop.

"Sister, do you know I was scared to death when you just walked up and started asking people directly?" Okamoto Dousuke complained, his heart still pounding.

"Don't worry, Dousuke. I observed through the Byakugan before we entered the town that many of the stalls here are selling goods from the Land of Flowers. Plus, there were bloodstains and fresh damage on a Land of Flowers transport truck parked near the hotel," Hyuga Ritsu explained knowingly.

"So, disguising ourselves as merchants from the Land of Flowers won't be a problem. Don't worry, Dousuke. Besides," Hyuga Ritsu added with a smirk, reaching out to take the white puppy from Okamoto Dousuke's arms, "those little Genin brats are far too naive."

Watching Hyuga Ritsu walk away with a light tap, tap, tap of her wooden clogs, Okamoto Dousuke's earlier feeling of superiority as someone with adult knowledge began to wane. Right, this world has monsters who graduate at five, become Chunin at six, and children who are seasoned killers by their teens. If I disregard my understanding of the original work, I have no real advantage here.

Their experience comes from real combat. Before I crossed over, I was a weakling who couldn't even carry heavy objects, let alone kill anyone. I've never even killed a chicken.

"What are you doing, Dousuke!" Hyuga Ritsu called out, noticing Okamoto Dousuke had fallen behind.

"Yes, I'm coming, sister." Okamoto Dousuke agreed and chased after her.

"Tell us about your investigations," Nakajima Sodai asked the returning members.

"In the southeast area I scouted, I found two wandering ninjas, likely Genin-level. They had accepted a hired mission at the underground gold exchange to protect a merchant from mountain bandits," Aburame Takuto reported concisely.

"The ninja Okamoto Dousuke and I located was from Sunagakure. I didn't dare activate my Byakugan fully because we were too close. According to the Genin he had with him, he was a Chunin who was also here to accept a village mission, which is to be completed tomorrow," Hyuga Ritsu explained.

"And Sister Ritsu even disguised herself as a robbed merchant from the Land of Flowers to test them, and that Sunagakure Chunin agreed to accept their request to return to the Flower Kingdom after their current mission is finished," Okamoto Dousuke added.

"The two locations I checked were also teeming with wandering ninjas. Merchants from those smaller countries often hire wandering ninjas because the fees for ninjas from the five great nations are too high. You both did an excellent job, Hyuga Ritsu, Okamoto Dousuke. I will note this in the mission logs," Nakajima Sodai said, pleased with their progress.

"Tomorrow, you two, Dousuke and Ritsu, will go and find them to officially post the employment request. I will pose as your father, and Takuto will act as our servant. Go and get some rest now. We'll move out early tomorrow morning."

With those instructions, he dismissed them.