"The villagers are convinced that old man Gensuke is behind the disappearances," the committee member replied, concern etched across their face. "It's getting out of hand."
"It seems someone is starting panic" Hikari whispered to Daniel, the villagers wouldn't act like this if they weren't instigated.
"It seems so. They must've found out about those locations we raided yesterday," he murmured. "With the villagers bent on taking the culprit, this provides a perfect opportunity for them to make their sound escape."
Gensuke, the old man, stood defiant but weary. "I've done nothing wrong!" he protested, though his voice wavered under the weight of the villagers' accusations.
[A/N- I may have been reading a lot of cultivation mahua lately so this may be affected ]
"Alright, people! Settle down now," Daniel stepped up, his tone firm and commanding. "We need to..."
"What's a kid like you going to do about it, huh? I've lost four of my eight children! Do you know how hard it has been for my wife lately?" one of the villagers yelled, his voice trembling with anger and despair.
"Damn, eight! How strong is this guy?" Daniel thought to himself, momentarily taken aback.
"I assure you all that we will get to the bottom of this. Acting rashly will not solve anything," Daniel said, trying to ease the tension.
"Forget investigation! All you've been saying is you'll investigate. Are those the only words you know?" another villager protested, and the crowd's murmurs grew louder.
As they approached Gensuke, the young guard stood protectively by his side. "Please, everyone! I know this man. Elder Gensuke would never do something like this," the guard pleaded, his eyes wide with sincerity.
"I think that's all of them now," Daniel thought, giving Hikari a subtle nod. She suddenly dashed into the crowd, swiftly restraining a few individuals. "You! What's the meaning of this?" the restrained men muttered, finding themselves immobilized by Hikari's precise strikes to certain muscles.
The crowd was confused and felt threatened, but Daniel cleared things up. "Now then, as I was saying. We Leaf Shinobi were hired by your village to solve this matter, and that is exactly what we will do. Whatever method you use to punish the culprits is fine, but don't rush to conclusions without evidence," Daniel said firmly.
"What evidence? Look at him! We all know he's been jealous of the village leader ever since he was made a committee member instead of the leader," one man shouted.
"So that made him want to kidnap your children?" Daniel thought, his patience wearing thin.
"We've been gathering information ever since we got here. These documents contain details of recent events," Daniel said, taking out the papers. The village committee members stepped forward and read them, their faces turning pale with shock.
"What?!" they exclaimed in unison, their eyes filled with horror as they looked at the restrained men with hateful glares.
"You! I remember you losing your family at a young age. This entire village practically raised you. And you..." one committee member said, shaking his head in grave disappointment. He sighed deeply. "Gensuke has nothing to do with this," he declared.
The other villagers were baffled. "What does this mean?" they demanded to know.
One of the committee members began to explain. The documents stated that the restrained men, along with the head guard, the village leader, and his wife, were in cahoots with a bandit group involved in child trafficking. The villagers, upon hearing this, were filled with shock and betrayal. Their trusted leader was behind the heinous acts.
"W... wait. What about our children?" someone asked, their voice breaking.
"The exact location of the base is not here," the committee member replied, his tone heavy with regret.
Amidst their anger and betrayal, the villagers now felt a deep sorrow. Would their children end up as mere commodities?
"Please, you're Shinobi, right? Can you please rescue our children?" the villagers began pleading, their desperation clear.
Throughout all this, Gensuke had retreated to a quiet place outside the village. "I somehow feel betrayed. I never thought they thought so low of me," he muttered, sitting down with a sigh. "Even after my name was cleared, they never apologized for barging into my house and causing such a ruckus. Haaa, maybe it's time I retire from such affairs and settle down. Where that young one went, I could spend more time with my grandchild," he resolved within himself.
"It's the village gate! Look, we're back home!" a child's voice echoed as a group of children, led by two young Shinobi, appeared.
"Friends of that little rascal, I presume," the old man muttered.
"Excuse me..." Ryuu said, seeing the old man stand up as the children approached.
"The villagers are gathered by my place if that's what you want," Gensuke replied before Ryuu could finish speaking. Although it wasn't what Ryuu wanted to say, they just went on, heading back to where Daniel and Hikari were.
The villagers were begging Daniel and Hikari to do something about their missing children when they suddenly heard voices of children screaming and calling their names. They turned back to see their children coming along with two Shinobi guiding them. A burst of joy filled the village as they were reunited with their loved ones.
After some time, when things had settled down, the village committee members gathered with Team 16. "We're grateful for all your assistance. If we may ask, how did you find these little ones and what happened to the village leader, his wife, and our head guard?" they inquired.
Daniel explained that he had split up the team for efficiency. As for those other people, Ryuu and Daichi didn't know them, so it was likely they took them out while rescuing the children. They had encountered a man and a woman in the passage on their way back, who had attacked them but were easily taken care of. It was most likely them.
With the mission completed, Team 16 prepared to head back to Konoha, bringing along some prisoners for interrogation regarding the bandit group. All of Team 16 was excited to get back home and looking forward to the Chunin Exams. It had been so long that they wondered how they would fare against their peers. As night fell, they set out, heading back to Konoha.