Konoha’s White Fang Shines

Chapter 70: Arrival in Bird Country

After a night and a morning of recovery, Yuji's team set out again with Rō and his entourage.

However, in just under two days, Rō and Chishima seemed to have put on some weight, looking rounder than before. Fortunately, since neither of them had to walk, it didn't really affect their journey.

Meanwhile, Genma, who had somewhat recovered, found himself filled with questions. There were many ways to use poison in the ninja world, and though Broom was a rogue ninja leader—self-proclaimed or not—why would he need to rely on slow-acting poison hidden in a smoke bomb?

It would have been far more effective to coat his weapons with poison. Using a smoke bomb seemed like an overly cautious, almost insecure approach.

But thinking about it again, the smoke bomb had caught him completely off guard. Even someone as cautious as he was had fallen victim to it, so perhaps it was simply the best method available.

As Genma was busy doubting Broom's strength, the rogue ninja leader stood in the distance, observing Genma's group.

As Broom turned around, several children around Genma's age suddenly appeared before him.

"Leader."

The children lowered their heads and knelt on one knee, their voices filled with respect.

"Stand up. The mission to assassinate Rō is temporarily canceled." Broom waved a hand and let out a deep sigh.

All the children were visibly shocked, but one blue-haired boy remained kneeling, still bowing respectfully.

"Leader, even with our numbers, are we really no match for just four ninjas?"

Hearing this, the other children lifted their heads slightly, their eyes filled with determination.

"That's the Hidden Leaf Village's shinobi you're talking about. Do you think they're easy to deal with?"

Broom cast a cold glance at the blue-haired boy before scanning the others. Only when all of them lowered their heads did he continue.

"Even the weakest of Konoha's shinobi are trained in the Three Basic Techniques. What do we have? No matter how much I try to imitate their jutsu, my C-rank techniques still lose to their E-rank ones. How are we supposed to fight them?"

"But—"

"No buts, Hokushin."

Broom stepped closer to the blue-haired boy and placed a hand on his head.

"Our goal is to create a nation for rogue ninjas—a place where we belong. That's not something we can achieve in a single day. We need to continue gathering strength. Once we have enough power, everything will fall into place."

The boy called Hokushin lost the sharpness in his eyes, suddenly looking as docile as a tamed lion.

The others also turned their eyes toward Broom, their expressions unwavering with newfound resolve.

Seeing their determination, Broom felt deeply gratified, a sense of accomplishment swelling in his heart. His aura grew stronger, and he declared,

"Hokushin, your taijutsu talent is exceptional. Tomorrow, you will travel to various nations and steal techniques like the Body Flicker and Shuriken Jutsu. You must ensure that rogue ninjas no longer fall behind in fundamental taijutsu.

Ryu, your Earth Release talent is impressive. Tomorrow, you will infiltrate either Iwagakure or Sunagakure to steal advanced Earth Release techniques."

Broom continued assigning missions to several other children, their faces lighting up with eagerness and anticipation.

Once he had finished, all the children knelt on one knee again, speaking in unison,

"Yes, Leader!"

Their synchronized response made Broom feel as if he were bathing in absolute authority. He felt invigorated, overflowing with ambition.

The world stretched endlessly before him—lush green forests, flowing rivers, vast landscapes.

And one day, a part of it would belong to him.

As Broom dreamed of grandeur, Genma's team was creeping cautiously through the wilderness like mice, stopping frequently and remaining hyper-vigilant.

They scouted every potential ambush site with Shadow Clones and tested every water source before drinking.

It wasn't quite "walking on thin ice," but calling them "excessively cautious" wouldn't be an overstatement.

Still, they had no choice. Their enemies had already used poison in smoke bombs—who knew what other underhanded tactics they might resort to?

After two and a half days of tense travel, they finally reached Bird Country, breathing sighs of relief.

However, Genma's brows remained furrowed.

He knew that Broom was currently a high monk in Bird Country under the alias Mōsō.

According to future events in the original timeline, Chishima had become Rō's attendant because of Mōsō.

Since Chishima was already present, how far could Mōsō be?

But even knowing this, there was nothing Genma could do about it.

Mōsō and Broom didn't even look alike, and if the story played out as it should, Mōsō wouldn't successfully assassinate Rō until he was older. If Mōsō didn't reveal himself, no one would be able to expose his facade.

After spending the past few days with Rō, Genma found the kid likable.

Knowing the disaster awaiting him left Genma uneasy.

But even if he wanted to intervene, he had no proof. The laws of Bird Country wouldn't permit him to act recklessly, and neither would Yuji.

With these heavy thoughts in mind, he continued walking.

Before long, they reached Bird Country's capital. As they approached the Daimyo's palace, Rō suddenly ran up to Genma and Kurenai, grinning like an affectionate younger brother.

"Hey, Genma-niisan, Kurenai-neesan, come meet my little sister! Let's sneak off to see her, okay?"

Technically, their job was done once they delivered Rō to the palace, and they should be heading back immediately.

But seeing their hesitance, Rō playfully blinked at them.

"Don't worry! My father still has to meet with your teacher, so he'll be tied up for a while. If they take their time, you'll have no choice but to stay overnight before heading back, right?"

Genma was skeptical.

What kind of delay could drag things from noon until night?

Meanwhile, Kurenai was even more suspicious.

Who insists on introducing their sister to people like this? There's definitely something fishy going on…

Just as they were about to politely decline, Rō ran off to Yuji and whispered something to him. Soon after, Yuji approached them.

"Alright, I don't know why, but Rō seems adamant about having you two protect him a little longer. It doesn't seem dangerous, but I have to meet with the Daimyo, so you might as well go with him for now."

Being personally assigned by Yuji to accompany Rō made Kurenai even more convinced that the little brat had ulterior motives.

She frowned.

"What about Raido? Splitting up like this doesn't seem like a good idea."

If Raido had heard this, he would have been moved to tears.

After repeatedly being forgotten, it seemed that at least someone still remembered his existence.

Yuji, however, had genuinely forgotten about Raido until Kurenai reminded him. Rubbing his chin, he walked over and slung an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Raido, my boy, I have a very important mission for you."

Seeing Yuji so serious, Raido was momentarily stunned before his face broke into a delighted grin.

"What mission? Haha, sensei, I knew you had good taste! Whatever it is, leave it to me—I won't disappoint you!"

Yuji cleared his throat.

"Actually, this mission isn't too hard. I just need you to explore Bird Country, check out some shops, and pick up some local specialties for the three of us."

A wave of disappointment crashed over Raido—but beneath it was a thrilling sense of freedom.

His expression twisted between despair and excitement before ultimately settling into pure joy.

"Alright, leave it to me, Sensei! I'll explore all of Bird Country in no time! But… hehehe… lend me your binoculars!"

"My binoculars?" Yuji looked puzzled but tossed them over. "Fine, but if you break them, you're in trouble."

"No worries! I'll be careful!"

As Raido ran off grinning, Yuji turned back to Genma and Kurenai. After making sure everything was in order, he entered the Daimyo's palace.

With Yuji gone, the purple-haired boy reappeared, waving cheerfully.

"Kurenai-neesan, Genma-niisan, hurry up and follow me!"

"Hmph." Kurenai was still annoyed, but since Genma held her hand, she followed along.

End of Chapter 70