Chapter 130: Hagoromo Ken
The Ninja Academy.
"Hokage... Kiba, you're overthinking things way too much. Who would even want to be Hokage? It's such a drag," Shikamaru thought to himself while listening to their conversation.
He was speechless, especially after hearing Kiba and Naruto's grand proclamations. What was the point of being Hokage? You'd be busy to death every day, dealing with this and that. It was much better to just be a comfortable, lazy young master.
Seeing no other way out, Kiba had to teach them the training method for the Throat Protection Jutsu, lest they all run off to find upperclassmen to learn from.
"Hey! What are you doing? No slacking off!"
Just as they finished listening to Kiba's explanation, their faces lit up with excitement and anticipation, only to be cut short by Iruka's roar as he looked back.
"Yes, Sensei!"
Everyone shouted in unison, though their minds were already racing, wondering how they could master the technique quickly. Even if it was difficult, they had to learn it.
Konoha Main Street.
"Eh? You're going on a mission again?" Ayame said as she walked beside Tonbo Tobitake, her arm linked in his.
Tonbo nodded. "Yeah. This one will probably take a bit of time. I'll have to leave the kids to you."
"Don't worry. They're so well-behaved, they hardly give us any trouble at all," Ayame replied.
Tonbo twitched his lips slightly at that. Well-behaved? Sure, because they were disciplined with the 'leather whip' method. He wondered if those two would still remember their lessons once he was out the door.
"Hey, forget about them for now. Let's just enjoy our time together."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several figures landed near the Great Gate of Konoha. Leading them was Tonbo Tobitake, followed by his three subordinates:
Hyuga ShoInuzuka GoAburame Zhiqiang
All were sensory ninjas and Konoha Chunin. Tonbo didn't personally know any of them; he only knew a bit about them from their files. They were all traditional clan ninjas who had received systematic training from their respective families. Hyuga Sho was from the Branch House; Inuzuka Go was accompanied by a massive Husky; and the insects contracted by Aburame Zhiqiang were the common Kikaichu of his clan.
"Too slow. We paid good money; couldn't you be faster?"
A man dressed in a sharp suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses looked at them with dissatisfaction. A clan crest—three ribbons beneath a full moon—hung on his chest.
Ninjas with no sense of time, Hagoromo Ken thought with disdain.
In his mind, he felt his ancestors had made the right choice: transitioning the shinobi clan into a commercial family, retaining only enough power to guard the family, and hiring village ninjas for everything else. Even if you were from a clan that once dominated an era, you still had to work obediently in the face of money.
If it weren't for the fact that this specific business deal was too important to trust to other organizations, and their own elite family guards were busy escorting the main cargo, they wouldn't have needed Konoha's strength at all.
"My apologies."
Tonbo checked the time and noted they weren't actually late. However, as the employer was involved, there was no need to argue with a fool. They just needed to complete the mission and take the pay; the employer's attitude was irrelevant.
"Let's go. I've arranged the carriages. You just need to help with security along the way. We are the Hagoromo Group, specifically the Textile Manufacturing Subsidiary, so everything else has already been handled."
Clap, clap!
With a clap of his hands, a large convoy appeared nearby. There were over a dozen carriages; most were cargo wagons, but the lead carriage was elegantly decorated. It even featured a small, porch-like seating rail on the exterior.
Hagoromo Ken set aside his annoyance and regained his smile. He gestured with his right hand for them to board.
Elegance. The Hagoromo Clan was no longer a group of ninjas relying on killing to obtain resources; they were aristocrats. Elegant aristocrats.
"Understood. Much appreciated."
Tonbo and his teammates stood on the exterior seating rail of the carriage, where small seats allowed them to sit. As ninjas of Chunin rank and above, they entered a state of high alert the moment they boarded.
In Tonbo's perception, Inuzuka Go's nose and Aburame Zhiqiang's insects had already begun a discreet sweep of the area. Hyuga Sho's Byakugan also activated briefly to observe their surroundings.
Their mission was to guard the Hagoromo juniors heading to the Valley of the Resting Wind for their trial, but no one was going to let their guard down. Even if they hadn't reached the mission site yet, taking precautions for their own safety was a basic requirement.
"Move out."
Supported by a woman in a kimono, Hagoromo Ken stepped into the carriage. He then gave the order for the convoy to start.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
The carriages rolled along the ground, heading toward the Hagoromo Clan's territory. Tonbo kept his perception fully open, imprinting every chakra reaction in the vicinity into his mind.
The entire convoy consisted of about twenty people; with Tonbo's team, they were thirty. Excluding the staff handling chores, there were ten guards with chakra reactions. Judging by their movements, they were all professional ninja bodyguards. Interestingly, their employer, Hagoromo Ken, possessed a chakra volume that was not inferior to Tonbo's teammates.
"Captain Tonbo, no anomalies detected," Hyuga Sho said, deactivating his Byakugan.
Aburame Zhiqiang added, "My insects haven't found anything either."
Inuzuka Go sniffed the air and said, "I found something..."
"What is it?" Tonbo's brow furrowed. He hadn't sensed anything unusual. Had someone developed a specific counter to his sensory method?
His first thought was Nagato and the others. After all this time, Zetsu—the top dog of the intelligence world—should have gathered enough data on him to develop a way to bypass his perception. Tonbo knew his current sensing couldn't detect Zetsu; if Zetsu could hide within Konoha without being noticed, he could certainly hide here.
But surely Zetsu wouldn't be caught by an Inuzuka's nose?
The other two teammates looked solemnly at Inuzuka Go. If someone had bypassed their senses, the enemy must be formidable.
Feeling their intense gazes, Inuzuka Go realized they had misunderstood. "I meant... I found out the employer is grilling steak inside. How extravagant, grilling steak inside a carriage..."
"..."
Speechless. Utterly speechless.
"Next time, speak faster. You're a Chunin; don't you know that a delay in intelligence can be fatal?" Tonbo hadn't expected the "discovery" to be something so trivial.
Inuzuka Go gave an embarrassed laugh. Weren't you the one who didn't give me a chance to finish?
Click!
A carriage window slid open, and a rich aroma wafted out.
"Tsubaki, bring a plate of grilled meat to the ninjas. It's a long journey; let them experience the hospitality of our Hagoromo Clan."
Hagoromo Ken instructed the woman grilling the meat. He gestured elegantly toward Tonbo and the others outside the window while slowly chewing his steak. Using a knife and fork, he cut the meat into neat slices. The charcoal used for the grill was clearly high-grade—smokeless and dustless.
After Aburame Zhiqiang used his insects to test the meat for poison, he signaled to the others, and they began to eat without ceremony.
These are ninjas—they will never be able to compare to aristocrats like us.
Hagoromo Ken felt a surge of accomplishment. Seeing the ninjas eating happily only deepened his sense of superiority.
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