Konoha Notes.

Chapter 26 The Suspicions of the Southern Post Station and the Cloth Merchants

Nanshouyi. As dawn broke, the town was already bustling with activity. The neighing of packhorses, the groaning of overburdened carts, and the rough shouts of caravan guards mingled together, the air thick with the pungent smells of livestock, dust, sweat, and cheap oil. Wagons laden with goods crammed the already narrow streets, with porters and merchants hurrying about, a scene of bustling activity as people rushed about for a living.

Shuji led Itachi and Anko through the bustling crowd. Following the address on the mission scroll, they found the person who had commissioned them—cloth merchant Makoto Hiroyama—in the backyard of an inn with an old "Matsukaze" sign.

Hong Shancheng was a typical middle-aged merchant. His slightly plump body was wrapped in a dark brown silk shirt of good quality but covered in dust. A pair of round-framed glasses sat on his round face, and behind the lenses, his eyes were quickly scanning the workers carrying goods. Six workers carefully loaded bundles of brightly colored, finely textured fabrics onto a reinforced cart, their movements revealing their deep appreciation for the goods.

As Shuji and the other two approached, especially when their gazes swept over Anko, who was wearing a brand-new dark purple trench coat and looked impatient, and Itachi, who was carrying a ninja tool bag and had a still childish face, Hiroyama Makoto's professional smile froze instantly, and a trace of undisguised astonishment and doubt flashed in his eyes.

Two adults and one child? These are the guards sent by Konoha? That girl doesn't look easy to deal with, and this little boy… is he even ten years old? My batch of Southern Weaving…

Countless thoughts raced through his shrewd mind, and his anxiety about the goods intensified. However, his years of experience as a merchant honed his instincts, allowing him to instantly suppress all emotions. Hiroyama Makoto quickly plastered an exaggerated enthusiasm on his face, strode forward, and said in a deliberately loud voice, "Oh my! We've been waiting for you, esteemed Konoha ninjas! You must have had a long journey!" He rubbed his hands together, his gaze sweeping quickly over the three men's headbands before finally settling on the leader, Shuji, with an inquiring tone, "This distinguished-looking fellow must be the captain? May I ask your name?"

"Special Jonin Shuji." Shuji's gaze passed over him and landed on the six carts of obviously expensive fabrics.

"So it's Captain Shuji! My apologies for not recognizing you!" Hiroyama Makoto quickly bowed, his smile still warm, but his businessman's shrewdness hadn't faded. He glanced at Anko and Itachi again, seemingly casually, and tentatively asked, "And who are these two... these dashing young ninjas...?"

"Anko Mitarashi, Itachi Uchiha." Shuuji's answer was concise and to the point, without any further explanation.

Upon hearing the name "Uchiha," Hiroyama Makoto's eyes behind his glasses visibly brightened for a moment, and his smile seemed slightly more genuine. However, the underlying doubt about his age and experience, like an undercurrent beneath thin ice, did not truly dissipate. He warmly greeted them, "The three gentlemen have traveled a long way; you must not have had breakfast yet? There's a ramen place at the post station with authentic broth and chewy noodles!"

"Alright." Xiu Si nodded naturally. Traveling had taken a lot of energy, so replenishing it was necessary.

Hong Shancheng immediately turned around and shouted at the men loading the truck, "Get the work done! I need to leave as soon as I get back with my VIP guests!"

Red Bean pouted, unimpressed by this behavior. Itachi, on the other hand, stood quietly in place, his gaze calmly sweeping over the busy workers and stacks of goods, and whispered to Shuji, "Senpai, I'll stay and look after things."

Xiu Si nodded, and with Hong Dou in tow, he followed Hong Shan Cheng away from the noisy backyard.

The so-called "authentic broth" ramen shop was nothing more than a simple stall on the side of the road. A few greasy low tables were crowded with merchants and porters on their way to work early in the morning, and the air was filled with the rich smell of pork bone broth and cheap soy sauce. Hongshan Cheng skillfully asked the owner for three bowls of the signature tonkotsu ramen.

The noodles were served, the broth was cloudy, with a few thin, translucent slices of char siu and wilted bamboo shoots floating on top. Xiu Si picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of noodles, blew on it to cool it down, and then ate it in large mouthfuls.

Seeing the captain start eating, Hongdou also picked up her chopsticks, but frowned at the greasy soup in her bowl and still started eating the noodles. Hongshan Cheng, on the other hand, seemed absent-minded, symbolically fiddling with the noodles in his bowl, his mind clearly not on the food.

"Captain Shuji," Hiroyama Makoto put down his chopsticks, leaned forward slightly, and put on the typical merchant's expression, a mixture of worry and complaint, "As you can see, this shipment is top-quality Southern woven fabric from the Land of Fire. It can fetch an astronomical price overseas! To be honest, I, Hiroyama Makoto, have staked my entire fortune and my life on this shipment!"

He paused, observing Shuuji's reaction, then lowered his voice, his tone revealing a heartfelt sincerity: "So, for this mission's reward, I gritted my teeth and scraped together 100,000 ryo! Originally, I thought that although the journey was a bit long, the route from the Land of Fire to the Land of Tea was always safe, so it would at most be considered a C-rank mission, and having a few Chunin escorts would be enough. But I never expected," he said, a perfectly measured expression of gratitude on his face, "that the Hokage, with his kind heart and compassion for us small merchants, would actually classify this commission as a B-rank! And even send a Jonin like Captain Shuuji to personally lead the team! This… this truly leaves me speechless with gratitude!"

Shuji swallowed the noodles in his mouth, picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup, his movements natural and fluid. He put down the bowl and looked calmly at Hiroyama Makoto. The information in the merchant's words, like scattered puzzle pieces, was rapidly piecing together in his mind.

A reward of 100,000 taels.

They lost everything, all of which was tied up in goods.

Originally expected mission level: C.

The reward range for a C-level mission is 30,000 to 100,000, while for a B-level mission it's 80,000 to 200,000. Hongshan Cheng is willing to offer 100,000, which is the maximum for a C-level mission but the minimum for a B-level mission. He specifically emphasized that he was "gathering" 100,000, indicating that this was his limit and also implying his initial assessment of the mission's risk—not enough to reach the level of a B-level mission.

His "gratitude" was directed at the village for "voluntarily" raising the mission level. What does this mean?

Defining a mission's rank is no small matter. A Rank C mission means that the mission executor assumes the expected risk does not involve hostile ninjas, and is usually assigned as a Chunin leading a Genin or a team of experienced Genin. A Rank B mission, on the other hand, explicitly involves the possibility of engaging in combat with hostile ninjas, and is generally assigned as a team of experienced Chunin, or even possibly led by a Special Jonin or a Jonin.

Makoto Hiroyama's words and actions reveal a key contradiction: he himself does not seem particularly worried about the core threat that prompted the village to upgrade the mission to B-rank—the "Black Eclipse Clan"—or rather, the object of his concern is not the ninja.

If Hongshan Cheng's real concern was that the "Black Eclipse Clan," possessing ninjutsu abilities, would rob his caravan, given that he had staked his entire fortune on this shipment, he would not be satisfied with merely the "maximum" reward for a C-rank mission, nor would he be pleasantly surprised by the village's upgrade. He would at least try to scrape together a few thousand more taels to ensure the mission remained firmly within the B-rank range, thus justifying a higher level of escort. The amount of 100,000 taels seemed more like a top-tier C-rank guarantee he was paying to deal with significant risks beyond the ninja realm.

Intelligence from the village indicates that the Black Eclipse Clan is threatening trade routes, thus raising the mission level. However, Hiroyama Makoto's anticipated enemy is likely someone else entirely. Is it that he is unaware of the Black Eclipse Clan's existence, or...?

"Boss Hongshan," Shuji's voice clearly pierced through the surrounding noise, "what was your biggest worry? Or rather, what made you think this shipment was worth spending 100,000 taels of silver to hire Konoha ninjas for escort?"

Hongshan Cheng was taken aback by Xiu Si's direct question, then gave a wry smile, his eyes gleaming behind his round glasses: "Captain Xiu Si has a keen eye. To be honest, this road to Chujie Port has always been relatively safe, without any major banditry. But as the saying goes, every forest has its share of all kinds of birds, and there are always some petty thieves, in groups of twenty or thirty, who, relying on their familiarity with the terrain, specifically target lone merchant caravans. My goods this time are of very high value, and I'm afraid that some fools might target me and try to rob me outnumbered. I'm afraid an ordinary guard team wouldn't be able to withstand that."

He paused, seemingly hesitating, before lowering his voice to continue, "And as we approach the border of Jiegang, we'll pass through an old forest called Wild Tea Slope. That place has been rather unsettled in recent months. A local thug called the Tea Mountain Gang has gathered a group of desperados, reportedly two or three hundred strong..."

"Tea Mountain Gang..." Xiu Si murmured the name. A band of two or three hundred men would indeed be a devastating blow to an ordinary merchant caravan, enough to force a merchant to sell their entire fortune and hire ninjas to intimidate them. This was probably the real "top-tier C-level" risk in Hongshan Cheng's eyes. As for the Black Eclipse Clan? That name didn't even appear in his mouth.

There was a clear discrepancy between the village's intelligence and the client's understanding. This was no coincidence. Either the village's intelligence was wrong or the "Black Eclipse Clan" was extremely secretive and had not yet caused widespread panic among ordinary merchants; or... the "Black Eclipse Clan's" area of ​​activity or target did not completely overlap with the route and value of Hongshan Cheng's shipment, and there might even be other hidden details.

"Understood." Xiuji didn't ask any further questions, simply nodding and finishing the rest of his noodle soup. He put down the bowl, glancing at Hongdou, who had almost finished eating. "Once you're done eating, go back to the backyard. Get ready to leave."

Red Bean had long since lost interest in the greasy noodle soup, and upon hearing this, she immediately put down her chopsticks. Hiroyama Makoto also quickly stood up, his face regaining its smile: "Yes, yes, we're leaving, we're leaving! With Captain Shuji here, I can finally relax!"

When the three returned to the backyard of Songfeng Inn, six carts were already loaded, and sturdy tarpaulins completely covered the brightly colored fabrics.

Itachi stood quietly beside a cart. When Shuji returned, he nodded slightly to indicate that everything was normal.

"Let's go!" Hongshan Cheng gave the order.

The axles creaked, the packhorses snorted, and the heavy caravan slowly drove out of the inn's backyard, merged into the bustling main road of the post town, and headed southwest, embarking on the long road to Izuku Port, the land of tea.