My Reward- Bonus chapter
This particular route was relatively safe and lacked any potential danger from rogue ninjas. The merchant carvan remained unthreatened unless it fell into the hands of bandits.
However, Fugaku shared a shocking revelation with his employer, leaving the disguised woman visibly shaken and frightened.
She believed she had successfully evaded her pursuers, only to be confronted with such unexpected circumstances.
The realization hit Jiro the merchant hard, causing him to mutter under his breath, "Could it be that these two are the ones who caused the trouble? Damn it..."
Turning towards them, he asked, "Hey, you two, what are you hiding?"
He had met them earlier that day, and they had asked him to escort them to the Land of Rain for Ryo. Jiro had accepted, seeing no reason to earn some extra money from them. He had done this kind of work before, taking travelers across the border.
But now that he had found out that they had trouble with Ninja, Jiro was an old fox and a good businessman; he never expected to be caught in this kind of situation.
The woman and her child were at a loss for words, unsure how to respond to Jiro's question.
"Here, take your money back and leave!"
Without further ado, Jiro decided to return their money, realizing that their safety was more important than any amount of ryo.
As he handed over the money to them, Fugaku warned them, exclaiming, "It's too late... They're already here."
Panic set in as they saw six ninjas approaching them from a distance, quickly closing in.
Trembling, the mercenaries gripped their swords, readying themselves for a potential fight. Yet, as they realized the ninjas posed no threat, their tensed muscles relaxed.
In the midst of the commotion, a young kid cowered into the protective embrace of his "brother" and looked visibly shaken.
"Don't worry, kenji," the woman cooed, calming the frightened kid.
Fugaku, barely containing a yawn, turned his attention to the woman. "And what's your name?" he inquired nonchalantly.
"Huh? KAMEKO," she replied hesitantly, not entirely trusting him but sensing that he might be able to help.
The mention of her name caught Fugaku off guard, prompting him to furrow his brow.
"Kameko? I've never heard of it," he muttered, puzzled by the unfamiliar name. It seemed almost as if she was a character from a plot that he had not yet come across.
As he inquired, a squad of ninja had surrounded them, causing the mercenaries to tense up and clench their teeth, but also to hold their ground as best they could.
Surprisingly, a ninja spoke up rather than attacking them immediately.
"Hey, I just want to ask, why did you guys stop?" he said.
The mercenaries looked at each other, confused by what he meant. They all remembered Fugaku telling them to stop, but they thought he was only doing so to buy some time to figure out what was going on. Needless to say, they believed him!
Taking a sip from his wine bottle, Fugaku laughed at the ninja's question. "Hahaha, you're funny. You set traps in the canyon. How could we proceed without triggering them?"
The mercenaries were shocked, looking up at the top of the valley where they were about to pass through. But they couldn't seem to see any traps.
Meanwhile, Jiro, the merchant, and his workers were hiding behind the caravan.
Kameko, a woman holding her child, moved closer to Fugaku. She could tell he was calm and confident in the face of so many ninjas, and she hoped that being near him would keep them safe.
The ninja who initially asked the question was dumbfounded. What did the mercenary mean by what if the trap triggered them? Weren't the explosive tags meant to explode so that they could rob them?
"You could see through my trap. You're quite sharp. It seems you're not a simple mercenary," said the ninja.
Without warning, he hurled a kunai at Fugaku, who was seated on a boulder.
"Die"
The ninja was furious with Fugaku's attitude and annoyed that he had spent so much time setting up the trap with explosive tags.
The mercenaries watching the scene unfold chose to close their eyes and stay out of it; they didn't know Fugaku well enough to risk their lives for him, even though he had saved them before.
Eager to see him dead, the ninja grinned. "He's done for."
Suddenly, Fugaku appeared behind the ninja, holding a cheap katana and taking a sip of wine.
"I don't recognize your forehead protectors. Which village are you from? Or are you rogue ninjas?"
The rest of the ninjas closed in on him, all on high alert. They recognized that Fugaku, who had shown off his impressive body flicker technique, was not someone to mess with.
The ninja that Fugaku had been holding at katana-point, fear written across his face and sweat on his brow, asked in a trembling voice, "Body Flicker Technique? You're not a mercenary. You are a ninja."
Fugaku's mastery of the body flicker technique was exceptional, surpassing even the most skilled ninja.
"Can't a mercenary use the Body Flicker Technique?" Fugaku retorted, "But since you tried to kill me first, you can die first!"
Fugaku ruthlessly slashed the ninja's neck with his katana. The enemy fell to the ground, no match for Fugaku, who mercilessly retaliated against those who threatened his life.
Jiro, the merchant, and Kameko were amazed. They had no idea that Fugaku, whom they thought to be a chakra-enabled mercenary, was deadly and capable of taking down ninja attackers with ease.
The remaining five ninjas instantly abandoned the convoy and quickly surrounded Fugaku and Kameko in the middle.
The remaining five ninjas quickly abandoned their attack on the convoy and surrounded Fugaku and Kameko in the center.
"Uh-oh, uh-oh, I didn't want to get involved in this, but it seems that I have no choice now!" He muttered with a wry smile. He put the wine bottle on his waist, scratched his head, and extended his left hand to Kameko and her kid.
"Hey kid, do you have anything valuable on you? Give it to me; it's my payment for the job!"
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