善狐・ZENKO

１４章・Chapter 14

Dawn breaks over the horizon, inviting a cooling white mist to roll onto the land. The icy damp air cools your sweaty skin as you catch your breath under the shade of the mangrove trees, sitting on a damp patch of grass among the tranquil sounds of rustling leaves and rippling waves.

You closed your eyes and tilted your head up to catch an incoming breeze, indulging in a few more seconds of rest before retrieving a small summoning scroll from your weapons pouch. You unravelled the parchment, laying it out onto the grassy terrain before placing a hand onto the circular black seal in its centre. A puff of smoke burst from underneath your palm, revealing a smaller blank scroll, a brush and a jar of ink. You took the summoned items and began drafting a report of your most recent findings.

Buntaichō, you addressed in elegant brushstrokes.

The head of the smuggling ring is a man named Gatō, founder of the shipping conglomerate: Gatō Company. His current base of operations appears to be located within the Land of Waves. As of now I have scouted only one of his bases, located within a trade route along the town's Sector B. This base acts as a blockade for shipping vehicles, restricting access both in and out of the area. Its only purpose is to isolate the land from outside contact and further drive the people into poverty. No signs of drugs or contraband.

Interrogation of a man working under Gatō has revealed that one of the three Konohagakure men complicit in the smuggling ring is Sekiun Kurama of the Kurama clan. Evidence regarding the truth of this has yet to be discovered. I understand that my orders were not to directly interfere with these men in risk of alerting the culprits, however they had attacked my client on their own volition, and I used the opportunity to extract information. There were two men, both of which are currently incapacitated and detained. I am confident that they will not prove a risk in the operation.

Within the Sector B base's main office was a page of written coordinates. I am assuming that they indicate the locations of the other bases belonging to the Gatō Company.

From memory you matched the coordinates up with Tazuna's floor plan maps, mentally making note of the next closest base to scout.

I will be looking into these locations next. I will send periodic updates with each finding.

— Kogitsune

Signing off on the report, you rolled the scroll up and sealed it before fishing yet another scroll from your pouch, this time to summon a messenger hawk. You unfurled the scroll and bit into your thumb, drawing blood before performing the summoning technique and placing an open palm onto the parchment.

Smoke burst from the scroll to reveal a large brown hawk that took one look at you, and fled for its life.

"Tch," you clicked your tongue in disdain as your narrowed eyes watched the hawk make its frantic escape into the open sky. "Fear has never stopped me from doing my damn job."

If only I could summon Kitsumae or the other foxes... you thought bitterly. For a group of animals who'd worked alongside your clan for generations, they'd harboured an unnaturally strong hatred towards you and your ancestors, to your immense confusion. They'd wanted nothing to do with you, so you'd never been able to make a contract before.

I'll just have to get Hatake-san to deliver this with his hawk, you pocketed the array of scrolls laid onto the damp grass back into your pouch before standing up with a stretch, dusting yourself off.

As you stretched your limbs, you took a look at the skyline. The pale yellow sun, its colours diluted from the morning mist, was beginning to peak out from over the horizon. It was almost time for you to meet up with that mysterious dark-haired boy in the forest.