Naruto: I have an attribute panel

Chapter 47 The Truth About the Mission

As expected of Yangping, even after Taiyi told him about awakening his Sharingan, he remained calm, as if he himself hadn't awakened it. According to him, the Sharingan was merely an aid; one's own foundation was the true source of power.

These remarks surprised Taiichi; he truly was an extraordinary Uchiha.

The two arrived at the middle of the convoy, and Taiichi immediately checked Saori's injuries. Fortunately, Saori only suffered superficial wounds.

Taiichi cleared a space, carefully cleaning the wound before using Healing Palm Technique to stop the bleeding and provide basic treatment. He then took out the necessary medicine and bandages from his ninja tool pouch and performed the final bandaging. After this, Saori's injury no longer hindered her ability to move forward.

At this moment, Masao Ishihara arrived with his wife and child. After seeing that Taichi had finished his treatment, he asked with concern, "Is Saori alright?"

Upon hearing this, Taiichi looked up and stared at Ishihara Masao for a long time without answering. Yohei, standing beside him, also looked at Ishihara with curiosity, observing Taiichi's expression.

Ishihara felt extremely uncomfortable under Taichi's gaze. Just as he was about to ask a question, Captain Yamaguchi interrupted him: "Mr. Ishihara, shouldn't you give us an explanation?"

"What...what's the explanation?" Masao Ishihara said, feigning ignorance.

"A C-rank mission resulted in one Jonin, two Chunin, and four Genin. Doesn't Mr. Ishihara think this needs an explanation?" Captain Yamaguchi questioned aggressively.

"I... I don't know why ninjas would come and steal such a small convoy of food. Who could have predicted this?" Ishihara Masao was still trying to argue. But his helpless look made even Yohei realize that something was wrong.

"I suspect that what Mr. Ishihara really wants us to escort isn't this convoy of grain!" Taichi said at this moment.

Everyone looked at Taiichi in surprise upon hearing this, with Masao Ishihara looking as if he had seen a ghost.

"That explains why there are two accompanying personnel who aren't listed in the mission log," Tai pressed on.

"You had Madam and her son deliberately find topics to get close to Saori, wasn't that also for ulterior motives?" Taiichi stepped forward.

"The previous bandit attack was probably to confirm the caravan's strength and find the real target," Taiyi said, taking another step forward.

"The ninjas who launched the surprise attack didn't target the guards, but instead attacked the vehicle that the ninjas were protecting~~" Taiichi stood in front of Ishihara.

"Let me guess, is our real escort target Mrs. Ishihara... or little Ishihara?" Taiichi stared intently into Ishihara Masao's eyes as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly.

When the topic turned to little Ishihara, Taichi noticed that Masao Ishihara seemed particularly flustered.

"No, no, that's not how it is," Masao Ishihara hurriedly protested. "We are just..."

"Alright, Masao!" Mrs. Ishihara, who had been standing behind Masao Ishihara, stepped forward. "Everyone, I'm sorry for deceiving you all." With that, Mrs. Ishihara gave a solemn bow in apology, but still did not reveal the truth.

"Madam, you don't need to do this. This was all my idea, and I should be the one apologizing." Seeing his wife like this, Masao Ishihara didn't know whether to stop her or go along with her. He could only turn around and bow frantically to Taichi and the others to apologize.

Taiichi and the others remained silent, and even Saori didn't speak.

"Madam, we have the right to terminate the mission if you provide false information about its details." At this moment, Captain Yamaguchi delivered the fatal blow. "Please tell us the truth, Madam."

"Alas, things have come to this, I will no longer hide it," Mrs. Ishihara sighed.

"My name is Masami Ishihara. Masao is not my husband, but my family's butler. And this child is actually my husband's illegitimate child."

Now it was Taiyi and the others' turn to be surprised; the relationships involved were a bit complicated.

As Mrs. Ishihara narrated, Taiichi and the others gradually learned about a major power struggle within a wealthy family.

It turns out that the Ishihara family is divided into two branches, the eldest and the second. The current head of the eldest branch, who is also the head of the Ishihara family, was seriously injured in a previous attack while trading. Although he recovered, he is now unable to have children.

However, the second wife used this as an opportunity to seize the position of head of the family. It was under these circumstances that the head of the Ishihara family told Lady Masami about having an illegitimate child.

What happened next is what everyone knows: they planned to go out to buy food, successfully pick up the child, and then, under the pretext of protecting the food, invite a team of genin from Konoha. They hoped to use this as an excuse to secretly bring the child back to the Ishihara family.

Once the head of the Ishihara family has a child, the second branch's plans will fall apart.

"What do you think?" Captain Yamaguchi passed the question to Taichi and the other two.

Taiichi's analysis had impressed him greatly. Taiichi was not only strong, but also incredibly intelligent. Given time, he would surely become a remarkable ninja. Captain Yamaguchi thought to himself.

Taiichi and the others exchanged opinions, mainly because Saori had gotten along quite well with Mrs. Ishihara and her son over the past few days.

"Madam, the questions I'm about to ask will affect our judgment on this mission. If we discover that you are deceiving us, we will abandon the mission immediately," Taiyi said with a serious expression.

"Fine, ask away!" Mrs. Ishihara was going all out.

"Do you recognize that group of ninjas from just now?" Taiichi asked.

"I know them. They are the ninjas that the second wife often hires. The one in the lead is a rogue ninja from Sunagakure, and the others are all wandering ninjas." Madam Ishihara was now spilling the beans, saying whatever came to mind.

"They should have had one more person, I think he was a special Jonin. But for some reason, he didn't come this time."

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances, breaking out in a cold sweat. They were thankful they hadn't come, otherwise they would have been the ones running away.

"In other words, we're likely to be facing a lineup of one Jonin, one at least a Special Jonin, one Chunin, and three Genin." Taiichi and the others exchanged speechless glances; this lineup was quite formidable.

Don't be fooled by Taiichi's ability to kill elite Jonin; that was due to his cunning and surprise attacks. If you were to actually fight him one-on-one, Taiichi might very well be the one who dies first.

"Captain, what do you think?" Taiichi was also undecided, mainly because he didn't know the captain's actual strength.

"Saori-neechan, are you leaving?" Little Ishihara came over and reluctantly took Saori's hand.

Looking into the child's clear, reluctant eyes, Saori was also filled with struggle. Reason told her that she couldn't let her personal feelings affect her teammate's judgment, but she really couldn't bear to watch such a young child walk towards a future of death.

Seeing Saori's conflicted expression, Taiichi turned to Captain Yamaguchi and asked again, "Captain, do you think we have a fighting chance?" This question clearly showed a bias towards him.

"I can barely hold off one Jonin and one Special Jonin. If you were added to the mix, we should have a better chance of dealing with them," Captain Yamaguchi replied cautiously, clearly acknowledging Taichi's strength.

Taiyi then looked at Yangping: "And you?"

"Ah~ Haha, I just awakened my Sharingan. Although it's only one tomoe, I think it shouldn't be a problem to hold off a Chunin-level rogue ninja," Yangping said somewhat embarrassedly.

But Captain Yamaguchi and Saori were shocked by Yohei's words; Yohei had actually opened his eyes!

"Even so, we are only fifty-fifty with them at best. We need to plan carefully to win," Taiyi frowned as he thought.

"Besides, we don't necessarily have to confront them head-on."

Everyone was completely confused by Taiichi's mutterings, except for Captain Yamaguchi, who seemed to be deep in thought.