Chapter 125: Testing Each Other
The remainder of the journey passed without incident.
Perhaps the enemy's earlier ambush had been nothing more than a probe—to gauge the strength of the Tokugawa family's hired guards. Once they confirmed that Tokugawa had secured an elite Konoha jōnin squad, further attacks ceased.
After all, the true battlefield lay at the mine itself. Even killing Tokugawa Saku along the way would accomplish nothing.
Thus, on the evening of the fourth day, Captain Yamaguchi's team finally arrived at the Tokugawa estate in Matsudaira City.
---
Tokugawa Yasuharu, dressed in formal head-of-house attire, personally led his clan members to greet the Konoha ninja at the estate gates.
The grandeur of the reception surprised even Team Eight, making it immediately clear just how much importance the Tokugawa family placed on this mission.
"Elite shinobi of Konoha," Tokugawa Yasuharu said warmly, bowing with hands clasped.
"It is an honor to welcome you after such a long journey."
When his gaze swept over Taichi and the other young members, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. But when Tokugawa Saku gave an almost imperceptible nod, that surprise vanished—replaced by the composed calm of a seasoned patriarch.
To honor Konoha's arrival, the Tokugawa family hosted a lavish banquet.
The feast was held in the grand hall, illuminated by twelve gilded lanterns that turned the space bright as day. Servants brought forth dish after dish of rare delicacies—foods none of them had ever seen in Konoha.
While Captain Yamaguchi handled most of the formal exchanges with the family head, Taichi and the others focused on listening carefully—and eating enthusiastically.
After several rounds of wine and courses, Tokugawa Yasuharu tapped his cup lightly, signaling for silence.
"We have troubled you all because the Kawada family has colluded with Sunagakure, attempting to sever the Tokugawa family's lifeline."
He gestured toward the mine map hanging on the wall.
"The Matsudaira vein contains red iron ore with seventy percent purity—ideal for forging weapons. Its trace elements enhance sharpness far beyond ordinary steel."
A servant presented a dark blue-black ore sample. Captain Yamaguchi felt its abnormal weight the moment he took it.
"This," Tokugawa continued in a lowered voice, "is a companion mineral—Black Azure Ore. Weapons forged from it possess exceptional ductility."
Taichi exchanged a glance with Captain Yamaguchi.
Both had seen the devastation of Sunagakure's puppet corps firsthand. On the battlefield, those constructs were nothing short of meat grinders.
"The puppet forces of the Sand lack this very material," Tokugawa went on.
"According to our intelligence, if Kawada secures mining rights, seventy percent of this ore will be sold directly to Sunagakure—not to mention the rest of the iron."
Tokugawa Yasuharu slammed his palm against the table.
"Thirty percent of the Fire Country's ninja tools are forged from iron sourced here. If the Kawada family succeeds, the next kunai thrown at Konoha shinobi may very well be made from this mine."
Saori paused mid-bite, chopsticks hovering above her eel rice. The weight of those words sank deep.
"Lord Tokugawa," Captain Yamaguchi said steadily, "since we have accepted this mission, we will see it through—even at the cost of our lives."
At the banquet's end, Tokugawa Yasuharu stood formally.
"The Tokugawa family's future now rests in your hands. This is not merely a contract—it is the continuation of the friendship between our house and Konoha. I ask you to give everything you have."
He bowed deeply.
Captain Yamaguchi led his team in a solemn return salute.
Later That Night — Guest Quarters
Yōhei paced back and forth, brow furrowed, occasionally glancing at Captain Yamaguchi before sinking back into thought.
Finally, Saori couldn't take it anymore.
"Yōhei, stop pacing. You're making me dizzy. You've been like this since the banquet—what's wrong?"
Yōhei stopped and looked around hesitantly.
"Spit it out," Taichi snapped. "You're acting less manly by the second."
"…Do you think we should request reinforcements?" Yōhei finally blurted out.
"That mine seems way too important. If Sunagakure takes it, wouldn't that be a massive loss for Konoha?"
Captain Yamaguchi smiled faintly.
"It's good that you're thinking strategically instead of charging in blindly."
"But you're way too calm," Yōhei protested. "Isn't this mine critical to the village?"
"It is," the captain admitted, then turned to Taichi and Saori.
"Can either of you explain why we're not calling for support?"
Saori shook her head. She'd been worrying about the same thing.
Taichi spoke up.
"Because this is still a legitimate mission dispute. Neither Konoha nor Sunagakure wants a war over something like this."
"Exactly," Captain Yamaguchi said.
"Iron can be bought elsewhere. If not directly, then through intermediaries. It just costs more."
"But if both villages start endlessly escalating manpower over a single mission," he continued, "that breaks the unspoken rules governing inter-village competition."
The two nodded as understanding dawned.
"No one wants to be the first to shatter the balance," Yamaguchi concluded.
"Do that, and you give every other village an excuse to strike. Nobody wants to be the first fool."
"I get it now!" Yōhei slapped his palm into his fist.
"If it's just a mission contest, then bring it on!"
Captain Yamaguchi's tone hardened slightly.
"Still, don't underestimate the enemy. From the earlier attack, we know Kawada hired not just Sand shinobi—but bounty ninja as well. They outnumber us."
"From here on out," he said firmly, "stay sharp."
After giving Taichi and the others his final instructions, Captain Yamaguchi urged them to get some rest.
Starting tomorrow, they would officially begin their garrison duty at the mine.
---
Meanwhile — Kawada Estate, Matsudaira City
On the opposite side of the city, inside the Kawada family residence, a heated argument was unfolding.
"Lord Kawada," a Sunagakure jōnin said in a low, restrained voice, clearly suppressing his anger,
"surely you understand that once a mission has hired Sunagakure, bringing in additional ninja is a serious breach of protocol."
"Please don't blame Jōnin Fang for reacting so strongly," another, thinner jōnin added more calmly.
"This concerns the reputation of Sunagakure. If other villages learn that we required outside assistance, it would suggest our strength is insufficient."
The Kawada family members exchanged uneasy glances.
This was the first time they'd heard of such a taboo. From their perspective, hiring more ninja simply meant greater security. With a Sunagakure squad as their backbone, employing inexpensive and flexible bounty ninja had seemed like the obvious choice—especially given how costly major village shinobi were.
"Honored Sunagakure guests," a senior steward stepped forward after glancing at his lord,
"This was indeed an oversight on our part. We failed to consider such customs. How do you propose we proceed?"
"I don't care how you proceed," Fang snapped coldly.
"All I know is that we will not cooperate with bounty ninja."
With that, he turned and led the others away, leaving no room for discussion.
Outside the hall—
"Fang, wasn't that a bit excessive?" the thin jōnin asked quietly.
"There was no need to offend the employer like that."
"You don't understand," Fang replied, voice low.
"The Kazekage warned me beforehand. The Kawada family is not trustworthy. They only came to us because they had no other choice. In past years, they relied solely on bounty ninja."
He narrowed his eyes.
"If we don't establish dominance now, future cooperation will be nothing but trouble."
This mine was far too important to Sunagakure. Not only did they need to help Kawada seize the mining rights—they needed control over the situation itself.
Back inside the Kawada estate, silence filled the main hall after the Sunagakure ninja departed.
Lord Kawada's clasped hands were pale white from tension.
"My lord… what should we do now?" the steward asked carefully.
Lord Kawada took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.
"What choice do we have?" he said coldly.
"This is the young lord's directive. He cannot afford to lose Sunagakure's support—especially during this critical struggle for succession."
"And the bounty ninja…?"
"Handle it discreetly," Lord Kawada replied, waving a hand.
"As long as Sunagakure never encounters them, the rest doesn't matter."
He turned and left, leaving his retainers staring at one another in uneasy silence.
---
The Mine — Day One
The next morning, Captain Yamaguchi's team arrived at the mining site with Tokugawa Saku.
The mine sprawled across an enormous area, but only the excavation zone and worker quarters required protection—greatly reducing the defensive burden.
After surveying the terrain, Captain Yamaguchi divided the area into a fan-shaped formation.
Taichi, Yōhei, and Saori each took responsibility for a 180-degree sector.
Yamaguchi stationed himself at the center, ready to reinforce any position.
The first day passed quietly, accompanied only by the clang of tools and the roar of smelters.
Day Two — Evening
Taichi suddenly sensed movement among the treetops.
He immediately launched a signal flare and created a shadow clone to investigate. The intruders, however, were merely scouting—retreating instantly once detected.
Before Taichi's clone could return, two more signal flares shot into the sky from the other sectors.
Soon after, Yōhei's and Saori's clones arrived to report: identical behavior—approach, observe, withdraw.
All they could do was heighten vigilance.
Days Three and Four
The enemy behaved like ghosts.
They appeared at the perimeter, vanished into the forest, and withdrew the instant Konoha ninja mobilized.
On the fourth morning, Saori discovered disturbed soil along her patrol route—an explosive tag trap.
She dismantled it cleanly, but fury burned in her eyes.
Back at the command point, Yōhei slammed his fist into the table.
"They're treating us like idiots! If this keeps up, even if we hold out, the miners won't!"
Saori placed the dismantled explosive tag on the table.
"They've escalated. We're being pushed into a reactive position."
Taichi's gaze darkened.
"Captain. If they enjoy playing hide-and-seek so much—let me play with them."
After a brief pause, Captain Yamaguchi nodded.
"Strike proactively. Fast and clean. Do not pursue too deep."
Nightfall — The Forest
Taichi infiltrated the woods alone, lying in wait along a known withdrawal route.
As moonlight climbed higher, he released a faint chakra pulse. Moments later, his senses locked onto two approaching ninja.
Overconfident from days of harassment, they never noticed him.
Steel flashed.
One clean horizontal cut.
Two heads flew skyward.
They never realized how they died.
Leaving the bodies behind, Taichi vanished—slipping through Yōhei's sector, then Saori's.
By the time he returned, six enemy scouts had been silently eliminated.
"Tonight should be quiet," he murmured.
He was right.
When the first scouting group failed to return, the enemy halted all movement.
Day Five — Escalation
The harassment stopped being subtle.
Seven or eight ninja—led by three or four chūnin—launched a sudden assault.
Ninjutsu rained down from afar. Explosive-tagged kunai followed.
Then they vanished again.
Repeat.
The team endured—but mining operations suffered.
"They're trying to wear us down," Yōhei growled, punching a boulder.
These were bounty ninja, exploiting mobility and caution—striking where pursuit was impossible.
Captain Yamaguchi's eyes hardened.
"Taichi. Yōhei."
"You're moving to intercept their retreat routes. I'll use shadow clones to impersonate you here."
His voice was cold and final.
"This time—we make them remember who they're dealing with."
"Understood!"
Yōhei's pent-up frustration ignited instantly.
Taichi didn't speak—but the glint in his eyes was just as dangerous.
At last, the hunt was on.