𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐆𝐀 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍

The Client

Squad 7 and Hanara were currently sitting with the man who Tsunade called Boss Jirocho.

"Welcome." Boss Jirocho smiled, "I thank you all for coming."

Hanara was about to respond, but Naruto beat her to it.

He extended his hand for a handshake and responded, "I beg you greetings and offer you my services. I have come from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, which is also the place of my birth. I was raised on hard work and ramen and given the family name of Uzumaki. However, I am known to everyone as-"

"The knucklehead," Sasuke cut in.

Hanara let out a snort and hurriedly covered her mouth, "I- I apologize."

For the first three years of her life, Hanara was given etiquette lessons, which were then continued in the Academy through kunoichi lessons. Even if she didn't, anyone knew that snorting in a formal environment was rude.

Surprisingly, Boss Jirocho also burst out into laughter, "It's fine. I see Naruto hasn't changed much. You're the Hyuga girl that was with Naruto and Tsunade, right?"

"Yes sir," Hanara nodded, "I'm also the leader of this mission. Lady Tsunade informed me that you would give us the mission details?"

"Mhm. All right then," Boss Jirocho nodded, "You know about the dedication ceremonies held at the Great Todoroki Shrine, don't you?"

"Yes," Hanara said.

"No," Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura chorused.

"Well, it started long ago," Boss Jirocho began, "The legend goes that in ancient times there were terrible storms. In desperation, people dedicated Ryoko stones to the Great Todoroki Shrine. It worked and the storms subsided. Now, to prevent history from repeating itself, it happens every four years. At first, it was just a re-dedication of the jewels, then it became a festival with a race that made the winner be treated as a hero. Now," Boss Jirocho said sadly, "what was once a friendly race became something much more troubling. For generations, Fort Degarashi has been split by two families: the Wagarashis and the Wasabis, two rivalling gambling organizations. Both families wanted control over the town, which naturally lead to disputes. These disagreements often became violent, resulting in all-out battles. The rest of the townspeople often were caught in the crossfire. To stop this from happening, our district leader made us come to an agreement: henceforth, the leader of the town would be decided by a race that would take place every four years. Four years ago, the Wagarashi beat us by hiring a squad of ninja and we suspect they have done so this year as well. That's why instead of asking for one ninja as we usually do, we have asked for a squad. I beg you, please lend our family your strength. We cannot let the Wagarashi win again."

"Not going to happen! You've got Naruto Uzumaki on the job!" Naruto exclaimed.

Hanara nodded, "I assure you, we will do our absolute best to give you a win."

"So, who are we escorting?" Sasuke asked.

'I'm starting to feel like he's the most responsible one around here.'

"Excellent, that means you'll take the job!" Boss Jirocho smiled.

'No, we totally didn't just say that.'

"Idate, come in!" he called.

'Oh, hell no!'

"Yes, Boss? You needed me?" Idate asked, sliding open the shoji door.

'I have the feeling that things just got a whole lot more complicated.' Hanara internally groaned.

Naruto and Idate pointed at each other, "It's you!"