Chapter 96
Four hours later, Kenshin and his sons were two hundred kilometres from home, approaching Hinohara Outpost. In the fifty years since its founding, Hinohara Outpost had become something of a small town populated by shinobi. It was a unique place where shinobi who didn't belong to any of the structures could take missions, trade, and exchange information.
"Keep to the legend as we agreed" - Mentally warned Kenshin's sons as he approached the outpost with a simple step.
- Who are they? - The man sitting at the checkpoint asked lazily. He had a Konoha protector on his forehead and a look of arrogance in his eyes.
- We're here looking for work. - Kenshin replied politely, using his charisma. He could sense their moods only slightly, and guessed that he didn't care about them.
- Come in, but be quiet. We don't want aggressive young men from the backwoods who are used to being the centre of attention. This is not your lousy village, and if you try to break the law, you'll be killed in a heartbeat. Understand?
- Yes. We won't cause any trouble. - Still as polite as ever, Kenshin replied, not wanting to annoy this eternal Genin in any way. Even a simple Genin from Konoha might find it insulting to be disrespected by a disrespectful attitude from a simple man, albeit accompanied by two strong Genin and a Chunin. That Kenshin was a common man was not doubted by the Genin of Konoha. Shinobi had no trouble determining the approximate rank of a man, by the slightest of movements, and reaction speed.
When Kenshin and his sons were inside the walls, they couldn't contain their amazement. This small town was unlike any village they had seen before. All the houses were of stone, and stood in a special military order to make it easier to hold the defences.
Kenshin asked the nearest passerby for directions to the building, and went straight there. Then followed an hour and a half of bureaucracy that Kenshin hated. He had to fill out some paperwork at the reception desk and then wait until the deputy head of the outpost could see him.
- So you want to register your mercenary group? - A black-haired man with a scar over his left eye asked at once.
- Yes, that's right. - Kenshin said, and after a slight nod from his companion, sat back in his chair.
- The head of a mercenary group with no chakra... Seems strange, don't you think? - He asked Kenshin with a smile, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
- It's not quite like that, Setoru-san. We live in a small mountain settlement, and lately we've been having trouble with food supplies. The elder, my father, found two of the most talented boys in the settlement, and sent my older brother here as well. Unfortunately, they are not good negotiators, so I went with them the first time. - Kenshin explained with a smile. He had been thinking about the legend for quite a while, and in discussions with Kasumi he had even found the right settlement on the map, where she had met several talented shinobi who didn't belong to any force.
- Want to do missions for a fee you say... A bit of an odd name for a mercenary group, considering most of this group aren't related to each other. - Yamada stretched out sceptically to Satoru, and arched an eyebrow, waiting for Kenshin's response.
- The thing is, we are all related in one way or another, and carry the same surname. Gojo's mother is my third aunt, and Mitsuo's father was found in the mountains by my grandfather's cousin, and was given the surname Nakayama. That's why our group is called the Nakayama Family." - With a slight smile, Kenshin said. At that moment, he once again praised himself for making the right decision to go on the mission as a negotiator.
- Hmm, so that's how it is... Okay, each member of the group must fill out a questionnaire. Come back tomorrow morning, and I'll find you a test mission. Dismissed.
Kenshin politely said goodbye, and left the office and then the building itself, heading for a small hotel that the receptionist had kindly suggested to him.
Once outside the door of the quad room, Kenshin unfolded a simple formation, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Yamada Setoru reminded him of a cunning old bloodhound, ready to pick up a scent at a moment's notice.
Kenshin collapsed tiredly into bed, and advised his sons to do the same. After resting after their hard journey, they went to a local diner and had a good meal, then walked around the town, taking in the sights, of which there were only a few. The four-story building of the head of the outpost, and the large watchtower where Kenshin had first seen a member of the Hyuga clan.
The man in his forties only glared at Kenshin with his white eyes, looking at him as if he were nothing, and turned away. The Hyuga clan member appeared to be acting as a radar, but Kenshin couldn't capture the activation of the Byakugan, for it would have attracted unwanted attention to be near a strategically important place.
Kenshin went to his room with his sons, having decided to go to bed early. He had spent most of the evening replaying his conversation with Satoru in his head, trying to spot any hidden details in his behaviour, but he hadn't noticed anything.
*****
The next morning, Kenshin went to the deputy commander of the outpost, and after a short wait, entered the office.
- Good morning, Setoru-san. - Kenshin said a polite hello, still playing the role of the courteous and harmless guy.
- Hmm? Ah, Nakayama.... Sit down. - Yamada replied to Satoru, and went back to work.
After five minutes, he finally tore his gaze away from his papers, and looked at the patiently waiting Kenshin.
- One of the mountain settlements has sent a request for help in eliminating the proliferation of thunder wolves. This will be your mission. Your group needs to kill at least six of them. Here are the coordinates. - He said to Sethor, and handed Kenshin a map, with a small pencil marking on it.
- Thunderwolves...? - Kenshin stretched out questioningly, not understanding the complexity of the mission.
- Don't you have any? - Satoru asked in surprise, and seeing Kenshin's head shake, he continued: - Thunderwolves are born with a predisposition to the lightning element, and love to live high in the mountains, absorbing chakra after a lightning strike. Not many of them can use the element, and on average a single wolf can be handled by a skilled Genin. A group of four Genin is capable of wiping out a dozen individuals, so you have nothing to worry about. - Showing friendliness for the first time, replied Satoru.
After a few minutes, Kenshin left the office thoughtfully, accompanied by his sons, and left the building. He hadn't been able to find out anything concrete, except for the most important information. Satoru had assured him that even the weakest Chunin could kill the leader of the storm wolves, and there was nothing to worry about.
The first thing he did was head to the diner, and while everyone was eating breakfast, he thought about a plan of action. He had heard before that there were animals that could produce chakra, making them physically stronger and faster, but he had no idea how to fight them.
Kenshin mentally told his sons the details of the mission, wanting to hear their opinions.
"If these wolves aren't stronger than Genin, we'll have no problem dealing with them. Besides, we have formation defences," Ichiro said mentally.
"Yes father, those wolves are only stupid animals, and facing them should be much easier than facing shinobi. This is a great chance for training!" - Third declared.
"Uh-huh, those wolves won't be able to touch us if the elder and I activate the sharingan. There won't be any extra people around after all. It's a great opportunity!" - Fourth supported the brothers.
Kenshin smiled contentedly. He wanted to ruffle their hair at that moment, but he held back in case there were any other eyes around. He was pleased with how sensible his sons had become, and he wanted to share that with Aya and Natsumi.
- All right, let's eat, we have a long journey ahead of us. - Kenshin said with a smile, and pulled a plate of ramen towards him.