"Captain, what's the mission that's been assigned to us this time?" Hyena asked first.
"This mission is rather unique; we are to protect a transport convoy heading to the Land of Iron," Tenzo replied, glancing at Natsuro.
Hyena and Fox were momentarily stunned. Protect?
"Captain, isn't this the kind of task usually handled by those public teams?" Hyena asked, puzzled.
Hyena had a point. Generally, the Anbu's work wasn't very clean and included tasks that were hidden from the public eye. Routine tasks, on the other hand, were often managed by the ninja teams from the ninja schools, under the guidance of their sensei.
"That's correct, but our role is to provide covert protection. A separate ANBU team from outside will be visibly handling the task. However, the mission for the Ink is somewhat different," Tenzo explained.
Hyena and Fox exchanged glances. They might have felt a bit uneasy about this before, but after witnessing his capabilities, their unease seemed insignificant.
Natsuro was also taken aback and looked at Tenzo.
Tenzo didn't immediately explain but instead unfurled the mission scroll and said, "Take a look at the mission details yourself."
Natsuro turned his gaze to the scroll and discovered that the mission destination was quite far—the Land of Iron.
Although the Land of Iron was adjacent to the Land of Fire, the Land of Fire was vast, and the speed of the transport convoy couldn't compare to the pace of a ninja…
Quickly, he read through the mission briefing. The public team's task was to escort a transport convoy back to the Land of Iron, while their specific task was to protect two individuals heading to the Land of Iron.
The two individuals to be protected were a grandfather and his grandson. The grandfather was a renowned master blacksmith who had crafted weapons for many samurai, and even some ninjas sought his expertise.
The master blacksmith had a grandson who was about twelve or thirteen years old and rarely appeared in public.
Thus, his mission was to disguise himself as the master blacksmith's grandson and protect him. The real grandson would stay hidden with the master blacksmith, typically remaining out of sight.
Regarding the potential threats, while the public enemies were merely wandering ninjas, intelligence from the Anbu suggested possible involvement from the Mist Village.
Natsuro was not surprised by the potential Mist Village involvement, as they were also known for their skill in weapon crafting and might be interested in the master blacksmith's expertise.
After reviewing the mission, it seemed that this assignment was quite suited for Tenzo's team, especially since he was the only one of his age in the Anbu.
Of course, if there were no other options, alternative methods could be used, but this protection method was currently the most effective.
The opponents might anticipate that someone would be protecting the master blacksmith, but it would be hard for them to guess that the one protecting him would be the disguised "grandson."
Natsuro also thought about it. A master blacksmith, huh? Perhaps he could have the Flying Thunder God kunai made by him in the future.
The quality of the kunai was crucial. Even though the Flying Thunder God mark would not fade, poor material could cause it to break, rendering the mark ineffective.
This was a good opportunity.
"Ink, this is a mask from above. Get used to it. We depart in one hour," Tenzo said, handing Natsuro a box.
"Alright," Natsuro took the box and walked into an inner room, intending to keep his true face hidden.
Although ninjas had basic transformation techniques, they were typically used temporarily and not suited for prolonged use.
Soon, Natsuro emerged from the room wearing the mask.
"Oh, it looks quite good. It should fit well. If you weren't wearing the mask, you'd probably be quite a handsome guy," The Hyena commented, whistling as he looked at him.
"How does it feel?" Tenzo asked.
"Hmm, it's fine," Natsuro replied. The mask felt a bit cool on his face, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
"Good. Let's move out," Tenzo said promptly.
"Yes!"
In the next moment, Tenzo's team of four quickly left the Anbu headquarters and arrived at the mission site, where the convoy had not yet set out.
Natsuro observed the convoy, which included many samurai, likely acting as guards, and some ordinary people who were also heading to the Land of Iron. Unfortunately, they were unaware of the dangers ahead. Even if they reached their destination safely, it wasn't truly secure, as there were no completely safe places in this world.
"I'll go ahead," Natsuro said.
"Be careful," Tenzo instructed.
"Understood."
Natsuro nodded and moved towards the largest transport carriage, where his target was located. In the next moment, he vanished from sight and silently entered the carriage.
The interior of the carriage was simple but had several hiding spots for a child, indicating prior preparation. At the moment, the master blacksmith and his grandson had not yet arrived, so the carriage was empty.
Listening to the noises outside, he closed his eyes, entering the Void State. He would likely spend a long time in the carriage, and he needed to stay alert and in good condition, prepared for any potential attacks.
After a while, Natsuro heard someone enter the carriage. He opened his eyes to see an elderly man with graying hair but a vigorous demeanor, and beside him was a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy trying to conceal himself.
"Are you the ninja from Konoha assigned to protect us? You're so young? I'm not sure you can handle things, how will you protect us?" the master blacksmith's grandson, who Natsuro remembered was named Takumi Tetsuya, asked with curiosity.
Although his words were blunt, his tone was purely inquisitive with no malice.
Natsuro wasn't offended. Instead, he appeared directly in front of Tetsuya, ruffling his hair and saying, "Since Konoha has sent me to protect you, you should trust in my abilities."
Tetsuya, feeling the touch on his head and seeing Natsuro suddenly appear before him, widened his eyes with intense curiosity.
The master blacksmith, observing this, smiled and said, "Sorry, my grandson doesn't understand. We'll rely on you for the journey."
Natsuro silently nodded and said nothing.
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