The Land of Hot Springs borders the Land of Fire. Its land area is only average among small countries. It also borders several other small countries and has an excellent geographical location. It is said that there are many hot springs and it is world-famous. Therefore, there is a significant foreign population in the Land of Hot Springs. Two days later, Minato, Sakumo, and their four companions had already entered the Land of Hot Springs. However, they still tried to avoid towns and villages as much as possible and tried to choose uninhabited directions.
"We are about to approach the Hot Spring Village," Sakumo stopped and took out a map, unfolding it as he looked at the end of the forest in front of him.
"Are we going to enter the Hot Spring Village?" Suzuka asked from the side.
Sakumo shook his head and said, "No, we will bypass the Hot Spring Village and settle in this town called Izumi." At this time, Minato and Uchiha Yoruki came up. They were on a mission for the first time and had no experience of going out. They needed to follow Sakumo's lead. From the direction Sakumo indicated on the map, they saw that the location of this so-called Izumi town was still above the Hot Spring Village and was about to approach another country.
"The relationship between countries is quite tense, and they have to pass through other countries on the way from the Land of Lightning to the Land of Hot Springs. They can only go through it directly in three days, and the only place they can reach is this town." Sakumo explained to Minato and Uchiha Yoruki in detail. Compared with the Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning, the distance they traveled should be much shorter than that of Kuriyama Shinzo and others who set out from the Cloud Village. Even so, they have been tirelessly rushing for two days to reach the current location. Moreover, they have to pass through other countries during the process, which makes it even more troublesome. According to the map, the only place that can be reached within three days is indeed this town.
"Take off your Konoha forehead guards." Sakumo put away the map and turned to the two young ninjas.
The two nodded. Since it was an assassination mission, they had to conceal their identities first. Wearing forehead guards would be too conspicuous.
"In addition, we also have to disguise ourselves," Sakumo looked down at himself and then at the clothes of Suzuka. Their attire all showed their identities as ninjas.
Suzuka nodded. She was a member of the Anbu before and had been involved in many kinds of missions. She was already familiar with this kind of covert assassination. However, it was obviously impossible for her to change clothes in front of Sakumo and the other two. She turned around and went into the woods. Sakumo also went into another forest. There was no need for Minato and Uchiha Yoruki to change their clothes. Apart from the Konoha forehead protectors, they were just two boys.
Sakumo came out soon, actually changing into a loose white robe. It did not look sloppy on him. Instead, it changed the impression he gave before, now appearing more like an elegant man. And he is handsome. So the three of them waited for Suzuka.
After a few minutes, Suzuka finally came out. Her clothes were sea blue, dotted with very beautiful patterns. A hairpin slightly tied up her waterfall-like black hair, making Suzuka, who was standing in front of the three people, look like a pure and lively girl. She and Sakumo were not very old. Minato remembered that Jiraiya was only in his twenties. Sakumo is younger than his teacher, and Suzuka is Sakumo's junior.
The two people who changed their appearance looked at each other and were both stunned for a moment. Then Suzuka's eyes became a little evasive, and her fair face was slightly red.
"Ahem." To ease the embarrassment, Sakumo coughed lightly and said, "Okay, let's go to town."
They hurried on for several hours. After more than two days away from the crowd, Minato and Uchiha Yoruki looked at the bustling crowd after entering town and couldn't help but sigh slightly in their hearts. No matter how outstanding they are, they are still children after all. Sakumo and Suzuka walked behind in an awkward atmosphere, while the two walked slowly in front. Minato looked around, and Uchiha Yoruki pretended to be indifferent, but his dark eyes glanced around from time to time. This was not because the two of them were not doing their job properly but because of Sakumo's request. After entering the town, they were ordinary pedestrians. If they were still like before, they would definitely attract attention, which would not be conducive to the concealment of the mission.
During the journey, Minato saw a lot of hotels, all of which had slogans with hot spring logos. The Land of Hot Springs is famous for its hot springs and it lives up to its reputation. At this time, Minato couldn't help but think of Jiraiya, who was carrying out a mission somewhere at the moment. He remembered that the teacher said that one day he would travel to various countries, and one of the countries he wanted to visit the most was the Land of Hot Springs. However, when he recalled the scene when he went out with the teacher for the first time, his face couldn't help but become strange. He didn't know whether the teacher went to the Land of Hot Springs to take a hot spring bath, or for other purposes.
The four of them naturally approached the edge of the town, and then, under the leadership of Sakumo, entered a small hotel. Although the area was not large, the interior decoration was very simple and not crowded. Because it was close to the edge of the town, the flow of people was also small. The owner of this hotel was a couple in their thirties. Sakumo asked for a room on the second floor, and then his wife led the four people upstairs. The room was quite spacious, and it was no problem to accommodate four or five people.
"Are you from another country?" the hostess of the hotel asked with a kind smile.
Minato and Uchiha Yoruki didn't dare to say much, for fear of saying the wrong thing, and Suzuka didn't seem to pay attention to her. Sakumo smiled and replied, "Well, we are from the Land of Fire."
"That's a big country." The hostess sighed. The Land of Fire is not only one of the five major countries but also recognized as the most powerful country in the economy.
"Are you here for tourism?" she then added.
"Yes, after all, it is a hot spring town. It really lives up to its reputation. We have been to several hot springs in the past few days." Sakumo said that the town is far away from the Land of Fire. If you just come here for the hot springs, there is no need to go to this place. So, he added, "Next, we will go to the neighboring countries." He immediately dispelled the hostess's questions and then said again, "My parents are busy with business and are afraid that we will be bored at home, so they asked me to take my brothers and sisters to travel and relax."
"So you are brother and sister," the hostess was stunned for a moment. Obviously, she had other guesses about the relationship between Sakumo and Suzuka.
After a simple exchange, the hostess withdrew. After she left, Sakumo breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had carried out many missions, he was still not good at dealing with women.
Sakumo walked to another part of the room and then slightly opened the door there, revealing a balcony that was neither too big nor too small.
"From here, we should be able to observe the flow of people entering the town at all times." This was the reason why Sakumo chose this inn. Minato and Uchiha Yoruki also moved over. Although it was only a crack, with their extraordinary eyesight, they could clearly see the situation on the street.
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