The personal letter from Aoki Shiraishi was clear: Lop Nur was a merchant from the Land of Wind. However, since his route required crossing the vast majority of the Land of Fire to reach the Land of Frost, the Sand had referred this commercial escort mission to the Leaf to avoid any political misunderstandings.
The Roran Chamber of Commerce, to which Lop Nur belonged, was currently one of the five major merchant guilds in the Land of Wind.
This wealthy nobleman served as a chief director of the guild, managing diverse foreign investments alongside his family's assets.
Currently, many industries within the Land of Frost and the Land of Waterfall were funded and built by the Roran Chamber of Commerce.
They had even established numerous factories and workshops within the Land of Earth, making them one of the few merchant groups welcomed by the Hidden Stone.
In other words, Lord Lop Nur was a major financier. Since his investments focused primarily on civilian projects, he was generally regarded as an enlightened businessman.
Upon learning of Lop Nur's visit, Hiruzen Sarutobi had pulled the relevant files from the Leaf's archives.
The records on the Roran Chamber of Commerce were detailed, and the photographs on file perfectly matched the man standing before him.
"Since this is an escort mission referred by the Land of Wind, we shall classify it as a B-Rank mission."
The Roran Chamber of Commerce faced stiff competition back in the Land of Wind, which was why Lop Nur had requested a B-Rank guard detail to ensure his personal safety.
"The shinobi currently suited for this task are still out on missions and have not yet returned. I must ask Lord Lop Nur to remain in the Leaf for a few days while we prepare for departure."
Though Hiruzen believed this man was indeed Lop Nur, his cautious nature led him to keep the guest in the village for a few days. He wanted to investigate the true context of the commission before assigning personnel.
Lop Nur understood this was merely a stalling tactic, yet he expressed profound gratitude that the Leaf would extend a helping hand despite the current tensions between the Lands of Wind and Fire.
The reward Lop Nur offered was more than triple that of a standard B-Rank mission. After all, since the end of the Third Great Ninja War, high-paying civilian commissions of this type had become increasingly rare.
"Uzuki, you will be responsible for overseeing Lord Lop Nur's daily needs during his stay."
Following the Hokage's order, a purple-haired female Anbu wearing a mask appeared before Lop Nur.
"Lord Lop Nur, please follow me."
The young woman, who had not been in the Anbu for long, spoke with a touch of coldness. She clearly had no desire to waste her time babysitting a wealthy playboy who looked like a total pushover.
Restraining her annoyance out of respect for the Hokage, she led Lop Nur out of the office toward the designated guest quarters.
A Walk through the Leaf
As they walked through the streets of Konoha, Lop Nur behaved like a curious child, looking left and right and peppering the female Anbu with questions.
"Do you have these street festivals every week?"
"Yes..."
Lop Nur wore an innocent smile as he prattled on with comments that grated on her nerves. "Oh, the Leaf has these home appliances too? I thought things were so difficult here that people couldn't afford high-end products from the Sand."
The Leaf has never been poor... who gave you the delusion we can't afford things?
Being an Anbu, the purple-haired beauty—Uzuki Yugao—couldn't bother to argue, but Lop Nur continued to scan the streets with great interest.
"It seems the Leaf isn't as destitute as the rumors say. At least the standard of living for the residents is guaranteed."
His arrogant tone finally drew the ire of some locals. A man stepped forward and said coldly, "The Sand's propaganda must be quite effective if even a common merchant thinks the Leaf has fallen into ruin."
It was Asuma Sarutobi, accompanied by a woman with curly black hair and crimson eyes—Kurenai Yuhi.
Asuma, the son of the Third Hokage and a former member of the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, had once left the village to wander.
He had struggled with his feelings toward his father, but after the internal collapse of the Twelve and a series of life-altering events, he had returned to the Leaf, caring for it now more than anyone.
Yugao internally cursed Lop Nur for being a trouble magnet who could start a fight just by standing on a street corner.
"My apologies. If my words caused you discomfort, I offer my sincerest regrets." Lop Nur's apology was casual, lacking any genuine remorse.
This irritated not only Asuma but also the silent Kurenai. They felt this merchant from the Land of Wind was far too arrogant and rude. "Are all people from the Land of Wind so overbearing?"
As his guardian, Yugao had to step in. "Lord Lop Nur is a guest of the Hokage. Asuma, Kurenai, please don't be impulsive."
With that, Yugao grabbed Lop Nur and forcibly led him away.
"My beautiful Anbu lady... I wasn't finished sightseeing..."
Lop Nur was actually quite interested in the young Leaf couple and had intended to keep the conversation going, only to have it cut short by Yugao.
Hidden Motives
Back in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi laid out a more detailed intelligence report on his desk.
"Have we clarified the background of the Roran Chamber of Commerce?"
Anbu intelligence officers provided the latest updates. "The reason Lop Nur is here is likely related to the fact that the Roran Chamber is preparing to enter the military ninja tool sector within the Land of Wind."
The military tool market had long been dominated by the Kitajima, Arakawa, and Yamaji families.
After the fall of the Arakawa, the Kazekage had seized most of their assets, but the Kitajima's explosive tags and new tool developments still held significant influence.
The Roran Chamber of Commerce was founded by survivors of the ancient Kingdom of Roran, giving them a natural foundation in puppetry and tool development.
With the Kazekage's recent backing, they had begun competing directly with the Kitajima and Yamaji families.
"According to our intel, the Roran Chamber has secret research bases in the Land of Frost and the Land of Waterfall, developing next-generation ninja tools and puppets."
Small, war-torn nations were perfect for such clandestine operations by the Great Nations. Even Orochimaru was rumored to have many secret bases in such territories.
Hiruzen frowned. "In my conversation with him, Lord Lop Nur seemed to intentionally guide us toward investigating this direction. So, what is his true purpose in coming to the Leaf?"
Meanwhile, inside Ichiraku Ramen, Lop Nur stared at the bowl of noodles before him with a look of utter disgust. He picked his nose and sighed. "I say, Miss Anbu, why is my dinner such a low-effort bowl of ramen?"
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