Chapter 69: Chapter 69
"Yoruha, what do you think you're doing? This goes against mission protocol. These assignments aren't child's play.
If the enemy actually sends a Jonin after us, we might not be able to guarantee our safety."
Anko warned him seriously, brows furrowed.
"I know it breaks the rules," Yoruha replied with a carefree smile, "but you heard what Dazna said. He's got a daughter and a granddaughter back in the Land of Waves.
If he dies, that poor little girl will be crying her heart out every day.
And his helpless daughter? She'd end up blaming the Hidden Leaf forever... grow old alone, full of hate.
Tsk, tsk—don't you think that's just way too cruel?"
Hearing this conversation, Dazna blinked in confusion.
Wasn't that exactly what he'd been thinking?
How did this kid just say it all so casually?
At that moment, Anko grabbed Yoruha by the sleeve and pulled him to the side.
She leaned in and whispered sharply, "Hey, brat—what game are you playing here? Be careful. Don't underestimate what a Jonin can do."
Yoruha leaned in just as quietly and whispered back, "Do I even need to say it? Look, if Cardo's really hiring rogue ninja... then how much does a Jonin-level rogue even cost?
You can figure out the rest."
Anko instinctively rubbed the back of her neck—it felt strangely itchy.
"This isn't about the money..." she muttered, "facing a Jonin still comes with serious risk."
Yoruha continued, lowering his voice.
"There's two of us. One Genin, one Special Jonin.
He'll totally underestimate us.
Then—when we hit him with our real strength—it'll be over before he even knows what happened. Easy win."
Anko winced and looked uncertain.
Yoruha pressed the advantage.
"Think about it. After we finish the mission, we split the reward 50-50.
From now on, you'll be able to buy anything you want. No budgeting. No lying to your student to save on dinner.
Don't you want to live the kind of life where you can finally say 'Money? Not an issue.'"
He had her.
Those final rhetorical questions landed hard.
Anko didn't say anything at first.
But inside, her heart was already stirred.
No more pinching pennies.
No more rationing dango.
Just imagine...
Walking into a shop and saying "I'll take it" without checking the price.
That would be heaven.
And, as Yoruha pointed out—this wasn't just about fighting. It was about intel.
When it came to intelligence advantage, she and Yoruha were monsters.
Perfect setup for a bait-and-switch.
"...Alright," Anko finally said, eyes glinting.
"In that case... maybe I'll consider it."
A sly smile tugged at her lips.
Small profits had already started dancing in her mind.
The whispered plotting over, Anko walked back to Dazna and cleared her throat.
"Ahem. After discussing things, we've decided that Konoha nin always carry the Will of Fire in their hearts," she said with dramatic flair.
"And because we've seen how tragic your situation is… we'll agree to keep escorting you."
"But!" she added, raising a finger.
"The mission level does need to be upgraded. However—I'll make an exception. You can sign an IOU for now.
Otherwise, how do you expect us to explain this to the Hokage when we return?"
Of course, there wasn't technically any precedent for an IOU in the Hidden Leaf.
But this was Mitarashi Anko.
If there's no precedent?
She makes one.
Once Dazna reluctantly signed the IOU, the mission was officially back on.
The trio eventually made it to the shores at the edge of the Land of Fire.
There, a small boat waited—arranged ahead of time by Dazna.
They boarded and crossed the Namikaze Strait, gliding through choppy waters, and finally arrived at the Land of Waves.
"Thick fog... Stay alert," Anko warned as they stepped ashore.
She pulled out a kunai and took the lead.
After all, the last attack had come from rogue ninjas out of Kirigakure.
And if there was one thing Kirigakure specialized in—it was their infamous Hidden Mist assassination techniques.
So this fog?
It definitely wasn't just weather.
Something was off.