From the man's words, Li Zhenwu and the others immediately understood what they were escorting: a significant item.
It was the emblem of the throne of the Land of Bean Jam!
He was the heir to the throne of the Land of Bean Jam, and with just this emblem, he could return to his country and inherit the throne.
"Such an important item, why was it only issued as a C-level mission?" Li Zhenwu interjected.
The man glanced at Li Zhenwu, somewhat surprised that the youngest ninja was the one speaking up in this situation.
However, he forced a smile and replied, "That's what I was about to explain..."
According to what the man said, apart from him as the heir, there was another person in their country who was also qualified to inherit the throne, but the previous daimyo had intended to pass the throne to him.
The other heir was unwilling to accept this and wanted to seize the throne for himself.
Originally, their country was just a small nation with very few ninjas.
However, the ambitious heir sought to rally a large number of wandering ninjas by promising to give half the country away once he ascended to power.
This situation is what caused various complications during their mission.
At first, based on the size and strength of their nation, even an emblem of the throne would only count as a C-level mission.
But because that heir later plotted a scheme, the task became much more troublesome.
With a wry smile, the man said, "Before the mission was issued, I thought it was simply about escorting the heirloom back to the Land of Bean Jam, but the other heir took action afterward, which led to the current complications."
"But don't worry. Once the mission is complete and I return to the Land of Bean Jam, I will definitely provide a proper explanation to Konoha and make adequate compensations."
"I think we should set out as soon as possible; we don't know what other tactics the other heir may use," the man urged.
"I see," Guy Sensei said, though he still felt some dissatisfaction with this explanation but still he accepted it enough to agree.
"Then let's get moving now," Guy Sensei said.
The man nodded, then turned to Li Zhenwu, more specifically to the package on his back. "I can carry the royal heirloom for now," he said, waiting for Li Zhenwu to hand it over.
Li Zhenwu chuckled lightly and replied, "There's no rush.
There are many unknown dangers during this mission. If I hand it over to you and something unexpected happens during the transfer, you wouldn't be able to protect it, so I'll continue to carry it."
"Uh." The man hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding, "Alright, let's leave it as it is for now."
Since the man seemed quite anxious, Guy Sensei and his team quickly packed up their things and set off toward the Land of Bean Jam.
After leaving the city, the team continued their journey.
In a certain valley, The Three Haimaru Brothers noticed something unusual.
"Be on guard!" Guy Sensei warned loudly.
At this point, he couldn't afford to be careless; after all, the attacks had been increasingly fierce, and who could say what might happen this time?
"Finally, they've shown themselves." Li Zhenwu, leading the group, wore a faint smile.
He glanced meaningfully at the man beside him, noticing that there was no sign of panic on the man's face.
"You all, take precautions," Li Zhenwu advised Inuizuka Hana and Shiranui Gensui, then said, "As for you, sir, let me protect you."
After saying this, Li Zhenwu stepped in front of the man, looking up at him with a calm smile.
After a while, the man began to feel uneasy under Li Zhenwu's gaze. "You're Li Zhenwu, right? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Are you still pretending at this point?" Li Zhenwu smirked, asking without hesitation.
The man's expression shifted slightly. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"This is troublesome. It seems you don't want to admit it, so I'll just say it," Li Zhenwu sneered. "Since our first meeting, you've exposed too many flaws."
"I don't know how you learned the specifics of our task, the route, and the code words... but you're not the real mission issuer, are you?"
"What do you mean?" The man's face changed drastically and he looked increasingly grim.
Both Guy Sensei and Inuizuka Hana were equally surprised.
"Zhenwu... what do you mean by that?"
"It's simple. Even though this man can detail our objectives and knows the code, he is not the one who issued the mission."
Li Zhenwu explained, "Because he has revealed far too many flaws!"
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