Actually, after gathering information, there was nothing else keeping me in this town, so I slept for five hours, bought a local map, and hurried to the client's family home. The estate was located not far from the capital, in the satellite town of Nishi, as the client was a fairly wealthy man with a solid spice trading business, which had always been quite lucrative.
Due to the fact that I was not very familiar with the area, and the local shinobi were on high alert, I had to make quite a few detours to reach my destination without any problems, but I still spent less than a day on it, and in the town, all the locals knew where the Sauri family estate was located.
Having first removed my disguise, which had served its purpose of hiding me from prying eyes, I knocked on the wide wrought-iron gate. Of course, I could have simply jumped over the wall and found someone from the Sauri family, but I decided not to be presumptuous and entered in the usual way.
After a while, I heard footsteps on the other side, and a small window opened in the gate, revealing the face of a mustachioed man.
"Who is it...," he began discontentedly, but when his gaze fell on the hitai-te with the leaf symbol hanging around my neck, he immediately fell silent, and a couple of seconds later, the guard opened the door, bowing as he stepped back. "We've been expecting you, shinobi-san. Please come in, the lady will see you."
Nodding to him, I entered the estate and followed the man along a stone-paved road to a neat two-story mansion with a red tiled roof, standing in the middle of a well-kept park that was just beginning to feel the arrival of autumn, shedding its colorful leaves.
Another guard stood at the entrance and silently opened the massive oak doors. My escort stepped forward first and led me past a large entrance hall, through a hallway to a large room that looked most like a living room, where a plump woman in her fifties with an elaborate hairstyle was already waiting for me.
Wearing a modest but clearly expensive closed dress, and a light-haired guy about my age, dressed in a similar style, with features similar to hers. Behind them stood a pair of guards in chain mail with swords at their belts, as well as four young maids. Obviously, the merchant's wife and son with their servants.
"Greetings, Shinobi-san," the woman nodded politely, 'you arrived here sooner than we expected."
"Konoha sent only one?' the young man snorted indignantly, but quickly shut up when he caught his mother's stern glance.
"Ryo Nara, I've come to investigate the disappearance of a client and our team," I nodded just as politely and introduced myself, stating the purpose of my visit and ignoring the obvious rudeness of the idiot.
"My name is Shio Sauri, I hope you can help me, Nara-san."
"Then let's not waste any time," I said, not bothering with pleasantries. 'Do you have a map of the route that Yoru-san was supposed to follow with his caravan?"
"Of course,' nodded the trader's wife and snapped her thin gloved fingers.
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