This was the most probable location to establish contact with the connector.
"Apologies, dear guests," the waiter bowed repeatedly. "We've never served hot spring eggs with liquid protein and soft-boiled yolk."
A short moment later,
A middle-aged man, accompanied by the attendant, approached Tian Yu's table.
"Tian Yu-senpai, let's leave," Sunflower leaned over and whispered, frowning. "We must have entered the wrong shop. Let's try another one."
But just then,
The store manager came out from behind the curtain and bowed deeply.
"I sincerely apologize for the oversight. I've failed to properly attend to your needs."
Tian Yu's gaze sharpened.
"…That's fine. Just bring out whatever style of hot spring egg your chef can prepare."
His calm tone and subtle nod reassured the other three Anbu, signaling them to remain seated.
But what caught his attention wasn't the egg.
Tian Yu had noticed the shopkeeper's hands—he was discreetly forming a hand sign. Not a jutsu, but a coded signal!
It matched the secret code used for Konoha's deep-cover contacts.
Maintaining composure, Tian Yu subtly responded with a hand gesture of his own, confirming his role.
"Please wait just a moment, dear customers," the shopkeeper said politely.
Soon, four plates of standard hot spring eggs arrived at the table.
They ate in silence.
After the meal, the store owner invited Tian Yu and his companions to a private booth and, between casual jokes, slipped in the correct passphrase.
Tian Yu matched it with the precise countersign.
The exchange was smooth.
Connector... Located.
It was the shop owner all along.
Once the verification was complete, the shopkeeper bowed again and murmured, "I'm sorry for the delay."
"The atmosphere here has been extremely tense lately… I couldn't afford to be careless."
Tian Yu narrowed his eyes.
"Konoha hasn't received a single proper intelligence report from you in over three months. What happened?"
The shop owner's expression turned grim.
"Well… it all began recently when a mysterious faction surfaced in the Land of Hot Water. They opened a flashy new casino that's drawn a huge crowd."
"It's strange," he added. "The scouts we embedded in town went to investigate… but after visiting the casino, they returned… changed."
"What do you mean?"
"They still drop by to eat occasionally," the shop owner explained, "but they never exchange intel anymore. No codes, no reports—nothing. It's like they don't even recognize me."
Tian Yu's expression darkened.
Something was wrong.
"I suspect they've been compromised—mentally influenced or controlled in some way. Since then, this place has been flooded with unfamiliar customers. Many try to use random codes or gestures—some even recite broken versions of our password."
"That's why I had to be careful," the shop owner said with a forced laugh. "Even when you matched one of the codes, I didn't dare respond immediately. You're so young… I couldn't be sure you were really the liaison."
Tian Yu didn't react.
But the store owner's last statement caused Sunflower to blink.
"Huh? Captain, he doesn't know?"
She turned to the shop owner and said innocently, "This is our captain—Tian Yu."
"W-what?! Captain?!"
The shop owner nearly dropped his tea. He stared at the boy in disbelief.
Tian Yu was clearly no older than fifteen…
"A… a twelve-year-old Anbu Captain?!"
He instinctively stepped back, heart racing, as he struggled to reconcile the truth.
Sunflower noticed and smiled. "No need to panic, boss. We're definitely from Konoha. We wouldn't know all the encrypted phrases otherwise."
"Captain Tian Yu might be young, but his strength is that of an elite jōnin. You can rest easy."
As part of Anbu training, reading others' body language and psychological cues was second nature to her.
"I-I see…" the shop owner stammered, and bowed deeply.
"My apologies, Lord Tian Yu. I… I shouldn't have doubted you."
Tian Yu finally looked up from his thoughts and gave a small smile.
"It's alright."
The store owner took a deep breath and accepted the shocking reality—a 12-year-old commander of Konoha's elite black-ops unit.
"What's our course of action, then, Lord Tian Yu?"
Tian Yu raised three fingers.
"There are three options."
"First, we storm the casino immediately and attempt to rescue our compromised comrades."
"Second, we proceed with stealth—blend in, gather intelligence, and strike only when we fully understand the casino's power and control methods."
"Third, we return to Konoha and report directly to Lord Hokage. He can then assign reinforcements to investigate the casino further."
His words fell like stones.
An immediate uproar followed.
Qing, one of the Anbu squad members, instantly objected. "Absolutely not! The third option is out of the question!"
"We're the support unit Konoha dispatched! Our comrades are in danger—how could we leave them behind?!"
Her tone was sharp and emotionally charged.
Haidao joined in with a calmer demeanor. "I agree. We can rule out option three. Between infiltration and direct action, those are our real choices."
Sunflower remained silent, her eyes fixed on Tian Yu, trying to read his expression.
---
Chapter 63: Under the Casino's Mask
In the strict hierarchy of Anbu, mission authority lies with the captain.
No matter the objections, Tian Yu's word was final.
Inside the bistro, Tian Yu exhaled deeply.
Qing had clearly lost her temper. But Tian Yu didn't blame her.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked quietly.
"Our objective isn't to stage a rescue," he continued. "It's to determine why the intelligence network in the Land of Hot Water has gone silent. We were never assigned to conduct extraction."
"As Anbu," he added, voice steely, "we follow the mission. Emotion has no place in execution."
"Hmph. Island, we're leaving."
Qing's frustration boiled over. She motioned for Haidao, and the two exited swiftly.
Watching them walk away, Sunflower turned to Tian Yu. "Captain, they…"
Tian Yu raised a hand.
"They're probably heading back to the hotel."
He sounded unbothered.
They had arrived in the Land of Hot Water late in the evening. Before contacting the informant, Tian Yu had already reserved lodging for the squad.
He continued reflecting on the situation.
"As the shop owner said, our captured agent has jōnin-level combat capabilities."
"Controlling a jōnin… is far harder than killing one. And if this casino truly has that power, then it's far more dangerous than we initially thought."
His gaze shifted to the doorway through which Qing and Haidao had left.
"Young people really have trouble keeping calm," he muttered.
"…Huh?" the shop owner blinked, stunned.
Sunflower stared at him, jaw half-dropped. "Captain, you are the youngest among us!"
Tian Yu didn't respond. He simply stood and walked toward the exit.
"The longer we linger, the greater the risk of exposure. Let's return to the hotel."
"Yes, Captain Tian Yu!"
With swift steps, Sunflower followed her commander.
That night, under the waning moonlight,
The clouds drifted like whispered secrets over the rooftops of the Land of Hot Water.
And beneath them, the shadows of Konoha's elite began their quiet watch.