Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 110: Shibuki

The little girl with light yellow hair pointed to a room in the distance. "That pretty big sister seems to be staying in that room over there."

The three men, furious, rushed in the direction she pointed. Meanwhile, the little girl quickly scampered down the stairs, taking two or three steps at a time, and ran straight into Ino, who was coming up.

Ino: "..."

She was at a loss for words. Should she greet her?

As a fifty-year-old woman, you're really something else!

Tsunade was also momentarily stunned. She didn't know Ino, but the Konoha forehead protector on Ino's head was impossible to miss.

For a moment, both of them felt awkward.

Fortunately, Tsunade was older and, like the other Sannin, had a thick skin. She quickly reacted and waved her hand. "Don't just stand there! Follow me, quickly!"

Ino followed her out of the inn in confusion. They ran to the other end of the town and met up with Tsunade's assistant, Shizune, in a small house. Shizune was a female jonin from the same generation as Kakashi and Asuma. She was holding a pet pig named Tonton.

When the pet pig saw Ino, it froze for a moment. After locking eyes with her, it let out a series of "puyo puyo" sounds and then burrowed into Shizune's arms.

Back in her own territory, Tsunade dispelled her Transformation Technique. She glanced outside to make sure the debt collectors weren't following her, then put her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly.

"Those idiots thought they could corner me? Hahaha—"

After laughing, she turned to Ino and spoke in a blunt manner that was almost frightening. "I know who you are. You're from the Yamanaka clan, right? You want to become my disciple? Well, I require a gift for that. Do you... have money?"

Shizune was extremely embarrassed and quickly tried to intervene. "Lady Tsunade, that's far too rude to say."

The pet pig, Tonton, also let out a few "puyo puyo" sounds, but when it saw Ino's gaze, it shrank back into Shizune's arms.

Ino scratched her head. To be honest, she didn't have much money at the moment. Moreover, she couldn't give Tsunade the impression that she was wealthy. If she did, Tsunade would constantly be borrowing money from her, and that would be a bottomless pit. No amount of money would ever be enough.

Ino hesitated and said, "I'm just a genin... I just graduated, and my family cut off my allowance. The money I earn from missions isn't much..."

Shizune chimed in with a fair tone, "Yes, yes, Lady Tsunade, it's really inappropriate for you to say such things."

Tsunade picked her ear, clearly not caring.

"So, you really don't have any money?"

"Really, I don't..."

"Not even a little? Just five million ryo, and I can break even!"

This time, Ino answered more sincerely, "I really don't have it. The village hasn't paid me for this month's missions yet."

Tsunade nodded sympathetically. "That old man, the Third Hokage, is really slow with paperwork. Hmm, what to do? I've got it!"

She snapped her fingers and whispered something to Shizune.

Shizune glanced back and forth between Ino and Tsunade, then shook her head vigorously. Under Tsunade's glare, she hesitated but eventually went to the next room and brought back a young man who looked quite pleased.

The young man also wore a forehead protector. He was a ninja from Takigakure and appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old.

Tsunade smiled at Ino and gestured for her to wait. Then she pulled the young man aside and began whispering to him.

Ino could only catch snippets of their conversation, like "fifty thousand," "five million," "sixty thousand," and "four million." She broke out in a cold sweat. Are you haggling right now?

After a short while, with the young man looking somewhat dejected, Tsunade brought him back into the room.

She asked Ino bluntly, "You want to learn from me, to become my disciple, right? Do you know what that means?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. I want to become your disciple. I've already prepared myself for the hardships," Ino replied firmly, even though the interview was nothing like she had imagined.

Tsunade pointed to the young man beside her. "This is Shibuki. His father and I have some history. Now, I'm giving you a task. Safely escort him to Konoha, and I'll agree to take you as my disciple. How about that?"

Escort a ninja from Takigakure to Konoha? If it were anyone else, Ino would suspect ulterior motives. But this was Tsunade. Who was she? She was the granddaughter of the First Hokage. No one would betray the village except her.

Ino thought about the relationship between the two villages. Konoha and Takigakure were allies, but such alliances between ninja villages were fragile.

The young man named Shibuki looked very nervous, even more timid than Chojuro, whom Ino had met before.

Ino was young, but she had repeatedly defeated strong enemies and had built up her confidence.

She glanced at the young man, and he took two steps back, offering a flattering smile.

Ino turned back to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, is it just escorting him back to the village? Will there be any complications during the mission?"

Tsunade immediately understood her concern. "That's for you to judge. He definitely has some troubles, or he wouldn't have come to me. You'll have to figure it out yourself."

Ino thought about it and decided that even if there were complications, she could handle them. The troubles from Takigakure couldn't possibly involve Kakuzu, right? Kakuzu was busy making money for the Akatsuki at this time. He wouldn't bother with Takigakure, and Takigakure wouldn't dare provoke him, a rogue ninja. Kakuzu would only return to Takigakure when he went to capture the tailed beasts, and that time hadn't come yet.

"Shall we set off now?"

Tsunade waved her hand. "You two can figure it out. No need to ask me. Once the mission is complete, come back and find me. If I'm not in this town, then I'll probably be... well, your Yamanaka clan will definitely be able to find me."

"Understood, Lady Tsunade. Shizune, I'll take my leave now."

Ino left the town with Shibuki, heading for Konoha.

Along the way, she asked Shibuki about his intentions. Although the chances were slim, what if this guy was planning to go to Konoha to cause trouble? She had to clarify.

"Why are you going to Konoha?"

Shibuki's voice was soft. "Um, I have a mission to entrust to Konoha."

Ino suddenly understood. "You mean you want to issue a mission to Konoha, so you need me to escort you there first?"

"Exactly!"

Ino thought for a moment. "Then, for this journey to Konoha, are you planning to pay me?"

Shibuki was stunned. "I already paid Lady Tsunade..."

Ino's expression darkened. "So you're saying I have to travel all this way, possibly face attacks from other ninjas, risk my life, and work hard to escort you to Konoha, all without a single ryo in payment? Look me in the eyes and say that again."

Shibuki counted on his fingers for a while. "Wait! Let me calculate... Um, that can be considered a separate mission. I'll pay you!"

Ino was satisfied. Kid, you're quite sensible. You've got a bright future ahead!

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