Chapter 76: Scales of Justice (Part-7/12) [Hide and seek but everyone’s traumatized]

Chapter 76 - Scales of Justice (Part-7/12) [Hide and seek but everyone's traumatized] The next day, since Team 1 had already received their mission, they set out in the morning. Their task was to tail Minister Gendo's assistant and search for evidence that could lead them to Shunpei. Finding the minister's assistant wasn't difficult as he was always seen close to Minister Gendo. The real challenge was identifying solid evidence. The man's name, as they had found earlier, was Takeshi Masamoto. He followed Minister Gendo almost like a shadow and didn't separate from him unless specifically ordered. However, after a few hours of tailing both Takeshi and Team 1 noticed something strange. Minister Gendo was subtly keeping Takeshi at a distance. Every time the minister went into his office or had a private meeting, he found a way to leave Takeshi behind. It was clear this wasn't a coincidence. Takeshi had also noticed the change. Once, after being separated from the minister, Takeshi quietly left the area and headed elsewhere. Team 1 followed, staying hidden in the crowd and rooftops. Eventually, Takeshi arrived at a small, single-story house and went inside. The team didn't enter after him. Instead, they regrouped at a safe distance to discuss. Yugao spoke first, "It looks like the conclusion was correct. Someone high up was his assistant, he is working for Shunpei or General Ryuma." Ren nodded. "Yeah. And Minister Gendo also seems to suspect it. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense that he's distancing himself from his assistant during important work." He paused, then added, "If what we think is right, Takeshi was pretending to be loyal to Gendo, but Gendo may have realized something during the raid. It was probably Takeshi who used the minister's name to pressure the authorities into hastening the raid on Shikeru's compound." Hitoshi added, "The minister must've had suspicions when he heard about it. So he's being cautious now." Once their discussion wrapped up, Ren gave instructions. "He must want to contact his employer now that his usefulness here is nearly finished. Hitoshi, surround the compound with your insects. If there are any signs of him sending a message or someone contacting him, we need to know." Hitoshi nodded and immediately spread his insects throughout the perimeter. Once the setup was complete, the three Genin separated and hid in the surrounding area. It wasn't long before Takeshi left the house. Yugao began tailing him, while Ren and Hitoshi remained behind. A few minutes passed after Takeshi had left when Hitoshi suddenly said, "I found a rat." He moved quietly, with Ren following behind him. They stopped in a narrow alley behind the house where Hitoshi pointed to an actual rat lying motionless, covered by a swarm of insects. With a wave of his hand, the insects scattered. Hitoshi picked up the rat and revealed a tiny scroll tied to its side. He handed it to Ren and added, "It's not dead, so we can still tail it afterward." Ren nodded and took the scroll. Unrolling it carefully, he read the contents: "Weather in the capital has shifted unexpectedly. Local contacts have reduced visibility. No further observations pending. Please advise on new coordinates." Ren muttered under his breath, "The minister wants to separate himself from me. My work here is no more. What are my next orders?" He looked up and spoke clearly, "Takeshi was sending this letter to his employer." Then he turned to Hitoshi. "You follow the rat with your insects. I'll search around the house." He tied the letter back to the rat, then used Mystical Palm Jutsu to heal it. Afterward, he cast a low-level Genjutsu to calm its mind and keep it from panicking due to the recent events. The rat twitched, then scampered off, heading toward its destination. Hitoshi had already placed a tracking insect in its fur. Ren added, "Once you find the destination, don't try to enter. Just knowing who receives the message should be enough for now." Hitoshi nodded and vanished into the alleys. Ren, now alone, approached the small house and silently slipped inside. ~~~ Once inside the house, Ren immediately noticed how well-organized everything was. There was no sense of disarray, not even a cushion out of place. It was like someone with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) had arranged the entire house. He narrowed his eyes and thought, 'I'll have to be careful. If I don't find any evidence here and he suspects someone entered his house, he may hide himself even deeper.' Staying on his toes, Ren began searching. He moved to the worktable first and checked the surface. Finding nothing unusual, he opened the drawers. They contained only some normal work scrolls. Ren scanned through them carefully, checking for hidden messages, seals, or strange chakra patterns but there was nothing. He emptied the drawer to check for hidden compartments. Still, nothing. Ren then returned everything exactly the way it had been, perfectly placed and undisturbed. He continued to search the cupboard, the bookshelf, even the ceiling. He tugged on some books just in case there was a trigger for a hidden mechanism. Nothing responded. Left with no other choice, Ren stood quietly in the center of the room. He took a deep breath and began forming hand signs, [Bird → Boar → Dragon → Horse] before placing his palm on the floor. A faint pulse of space chakra spread out from him, washing through the room. This was his custom jutsu: [Space Scan: Absolute Observation Jutsu]. Unlike standard sensory jutsu that used Yin chakra, this technique used only pure space chakra. With it, Ren could observe everything within a 10-meter radius, even hidden within objects or inside solid walls. But it came at a steep price. The jutsu drained 500 chakra points per second, and at just under three seconds of use, Ren had already consumed more than 1200 chakra. The moment the scan ended, he collapsed to one knee, feeling as though the entire room was spinning. 'Vertigo', he cursed mentally. That was the drawback. This was the only space jutsu he could currently use after gaining a space affinity a few months earlier. But his lack of mastery still left him vulnerable to backlash. The advantage, though, was clear. Normal sensory ninjutsu users couldn't detect this jutsu unless they also had a space affinity. That meant Ren could use it safely even against high-level shinobi without alerting them. Once the vertigo settled slightly, he activated Mystical Palm Jutsu and pressed it gently against his temple to soothe the swirling in his head. 'I really need to increase my space affinity mastery if I want to remove these drawbacks.' Feeling stable again, Ren returned to the area that had caught his attention. There was a distortion not under the tatami mat, but in it. He carefully stepped over and crouched beside it. Forming a chakra scalpel, he made a precise cut at the spot he had identified. Sending a faint chakra pulse to test for traps, he found none. Satisfied, he pushed his hand into the mat. His fingers brushed against something soft and cloth-like. It was a pouch. Ren pulled it out and opened it carefully. Inside were several coins bearing the Land of Iron's official symbol. At first glance, nothing about them seemed suspicious. He frowned. Ren examined the coins again, turning them over in his palm. Still nothing. Then, narrowing his eyes, he pushed a small stream of chakra into his eyes, focusing on detecting subtle chakra-engraved illusions, And that's when he saw it. On a few of the coins, the Land of Iron symbol shimmered briefly, then vanished, being replaced by a small horse symbol, carved cleanly into the metal, only visible under chakra-enhanced vision. Ren's eyes narrowed. 'Found it.' ~~~ At the same time, Yugao was also tailing Takeshi, keeping a close watch on him. She noticed early on that Takeshi wasn't heading back toward Minister Gendo's residence. Because of that, she increased the distance between them, careful not to draw attention. Takeshi continued moving through the streets of the Iron Capital, eventually stopping at a food stall. He sat down and had a simple meal without saying much to anyone. After finishing, he moved on again, this time to a tea store, where he ordered dangos and tea. Yugao kept a consistent watch, using the narrow alleys and dense street layout to her advantage. The Iron Capital had plenty of hidden pathways and rooftops, making it easier than usual to tail someone unnoticed. But then, suddenly, Takeshi vanished from her field of view. Yugao froze, instantly going on high alert. Her hand moved slowly toward her sword. Just then, a voice came from behind her. "Your tracking skills are rea-" Before the sentence could even finish, a sharp slapping sound echoed through the alley. Crack! Yugao had already turned and slapped Takeshi across the face, reacting purely on instinct. Not wasting a moment, she followed up with a series of punches, quick, efficient strikes and finished with a swift kick straight to his groin. As her foot connected, Takeshi's eyes widened in horror, then rolled back as he let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground. Yugao took a step back and adjusted her stance. She threw down several immobilization seals, binding his arms and legs before cautiously approaching. She bent down and checked his pulse. Unconscious. Definitely. Yugao scratched her cheek, glancing down at the unconscious man wrapped in sealing tags. 'How do I explain that I knocked out the person I was supposed to tail?' She sighed. This was going to be awkward. ~~~ Meanwhile... Hitoshi was still following the rat as it moved through the snow-filled alleys of the Land of Iron. Since he had already placed an insect on it, he had no intention of getting too close. His tracking method didn't rely on sight, it was based entirely on the unique chakra signal of his insect embedded in the rat's fur. The rat took its time, occasionally stopping, sniffing the air, and weaving through crates and narrow streets. Eventually, it reached a small castle, surrounded by thick stone walls and watchtowers. Despite its size, it was clearly not a public structure, it was something meant for a high-ranking official. The rat found a small crack in the wall and slipped through, entering a beautifully kept garden. The snow had been cleared in intricate paths, and decorative stone lanterns lined the edges. The rat didn't pause. It continued moving toward the main castle. Sometimes it moved under the floorboards. Sometimes, it crept across ceiling beams. After some time, it reached the ceiling of a lavish room where a man sat on a richly cushioned chair, a drink in one hand. The man's eyes lazily glanced upward. Without a word, he picked up a knife from his side table and flicked it upward. The blade flew in a clean arc and cut a small slit in the ceiling board. The rat, as if waiting for that exact moment, darted through the slit and exited into the room. The insect riding it detached itself in that moment, clinging to the edge of the ceiling and slipping out unnoticed. The rat landed on the floor beside the man's foot. Calmly, the man picked it up and untied the small letter secured around its body. He gave a slow wave of his hand. Outside, Hitoshi stood in a side alley near the castle wall, the same crack where the rat had entered still faintly visible. Suddenly, he paused. He raised his hands a little and many insects entered his body, he then released a swarm of many tiny insects, letting them disperse quietly through the surrounding area. He then moved behind a trash bin, crouching low and scanning his surroundings carefully. But before he could react, everything went dark. A figure in black garb, face fully masked and body cloaked, appeared behind Hitoshi. With swift, practiced motion, the figure grabbed him, covered his mouth, and vanished. Moments later, the masked figure reappeared inside a sealed underground cell. He tossed Hitoshi inside, placed a chakra-suppression seal over the entrance, and turned. Then, he flickered away again. Now standing in the same room from earlier, he knelt before the man in the lavish chair. "It is done," he said. The man took a sip from his drink and smiled faintly. "Shunpei-sama." ~~~~~ {2065 words} {The mission is going.... Somewhere} {Anyway you know what to do} {STONES!!!!}