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Kushina, with a red face, led the way, her blush a result of the earlier collision.
Especially noticeable were the two tiny puncture marks on her nose, which made her embarrassment even more apparent.
It was truly humiliating.
Kushina trudged behind Jiraiya, keeping her head down.
Minato scratched his cheek as he followed behind her, while Jin brought up the rear.
They walked across open fields, crossed a single-log bridge over a lake, and climbed steep mountains.
After three days, they finally neared the border, but before reaching it, they spotted a village in the distance.
Upon seeing the village, Jiraiya frowned and gave a hand signal.
The group quickly took cover.
As they got closer to the border, the three became increasingly tense.
Even Jiraiya's usual smile had vanished.
The four hid behind a rock, observing the village in the distance.
It was already dusk, but there was no smoke rising from the village chimneys.
Moreover…
Jiraiya's nose twitched.
They were downwind, and his heightened senses, honed by basic internal techniques, caught the scent coming from the village.
"The smell of blood."
Something had happened in that village, which was why Jiraiya had ordered the three to take cover.
Without saying a word, Jiraiya quickly signaled the others.
This was no time for the antics they might indulge in back at the village.
To avoid detection by any possible enemies, everything had to be done in silence.
The three understood the signal and nodded in acknowledgment.
Jiraiya then rushed out, his body leaning forward like an arrow as he swiftly moved towards the village entrance.
Kushina stayed behind.
Jin and Minato circled around to advance from another direction.
Jiraiya needed to enter the village first to scout the situation.
Minato and Jin needed to investigate the area surrounding the village.
Kushina's task was to be on standby, ready to support in case of any combat.
Jiraiya entered the village without causing a stir; the entire place was devoid of life.
The only things left were the overwhelming smell of blood and a scene that resembled hell.
He walked along a road soaked in blood, glancing at the bodies and severed limbs scattered on the ground. Through the broken doors, he could see more of the dead.
Soon, Minato and Jin, who had completed their reconnaissance, also entered the village.
The two shook their heads at Jiraiya simultaneously.
There was nothing unusual in the surroundings.
Kushina was the last to enter the village.
"What… is this!?"
Seeing the severed limbs and bodies cut by blades, Kushina's pupils trembled. She covered her mouth and rushed to a corner of the village to vomit.
Though she had killed enemy ninja before, her opponents had been completely obliterated by a single Tailed Beast Bomb, leaving her with no real emotional impact.
This was her first time seeing such gruesome corpses, and she couldn't control her body's reaction.
Minato's face also paled, his usual smile vanished. He was in a similar situation to Kushina, having never really killed anyone before, though he handled it better than she did.
Jiraiya's gaze inevitably turned to Jin.
Jin's reaction puzzled him.
There wasn't a trace of emotion on Jin's face; he still carried that slightly cynical expression as he used a kunai to inspect the wounds on the bodies.
"They were killed with kunai, shuriken, and some swords. There's no sign of any ninjutsu being used."
As expected, Uchiha were a bunch of lunatics.
Jiraiya muttered to himself.
For a genin to witness such carnage and remain as calm as Jin, even investigating the scene, was unusual.
This was the behavior of a seasoned ninja.
Jin, unaware of Jiraiya's thoughts, turned and entered one of the villagers' homes.
After searching inside, he came back out.
"A lot of valuables were stolen from the village."
Jin reported the findings to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya shook his head in regret; it was impossible to determine who was responsible.
It wasn't just Iwagakure; there were also the ninjas from Takigakure, Kusagakure, and even Sunagakure who might be causing trouble here.
Not to mention the numerous rogue ninjas.
Border villages were never in an easy situation.
At this point, Kushina had recovered slightly but didn't have her usual energy.
Minato sighed and was about to gather the corpses for burial.
"Wait, Minato!" Jiraiya quickly stopped him.
Minato paused, looking at Jiraiya in confusion.
Jiraiya spoke seriously to Minato, "On the battlefield, never touch a corpse."
No one could be sure if there was an explosive tag hidden under a body.
Even Jin had only carefully inspected the wounds, without turning over the bodies.
Minato sighed and stood up.
"War is truly cruel."
"This isn't even war yet."
Jin dismissed Minato's statement. This was still technically a time of peace, although tensions were rising.
Yet people were still dying, and it was the civilians who suffered the most.
Most ninja didn't consider civilians from other countries to be human.
A faint noise caught their attention.
All three turned towards the village well.
Kushina followed their gaze.
There was a slight sound coming from the weathered well; if one wasn't paying attention, it might be mistaken for the buzzing of insects.
Jiraiya walked to the well and placed the sharp end of his kunai on the edge, using the reflected light to see the figure of a girl inside.
"She's a civilian."
Jiraiya leaned over the well.
The girl was submerged in the water, with only her head above the surface to breathe. When she saw someone peering into the well, she immediately ducked under the water again. But when she saw Jiraiya's forehead protector through the water, she resurfaced.
She reached out her hand.
"Save me!"
Jiraiya's hair extended quickly, wrapping around the girl and lifting her out.
Once on the ground, the girl was soaked, curling up and shivering by the well.
The well water was no place to be, especially in this cold weather.
The group gathered some firewood and lit it with a fire release jutsu. As the flames crackled, the girl began to feel a bit better.
After a while, Jiraiya began to ask questions.
"What happened here?"
The girl looked up at Jiraiya, her eyes filled with fear.
"Three Iwa-nin suddenly attacked the village. They killed everyone they saw."
Recalling the brutality of those people, the girl trembled even more, her voice choked with sobs.
"Why did Konoha take so long to send someone?"
Jiraiya could only respond with a heavy heart.
"I'm sorry."
He could only apologize. Even if Konoha ninjas had been there, they might not have been able to protect the village.
Killing the enemy was far more important than protecting this village.
They were just ninja, not soldiers of the daimyo, and they wouldn't risk their lives for other villages.
"I want revenge!" The girl looked at them, her tear-filled eyes reflecting the flames, filled with burning hatred.
"If you want revenge, you'll need to prepare 200,000 ryō and issue a mission in Konoha." Jin coldly poured water on her hopes.
"I don't have any money." The girl lowered her head. Even when the village was still around, they couldn't scrape together 200,000 ryō.
"Then there's nothing we can do."
The other three looked sympathetic but didn't contradict Jin's words.
It was cold, but it was the truth.
"You shouldn't…"
"We have no obligation to selflessly serve anyone in the Land of Fire. Ninja operate based on rewards."
Jin interrupted the girl before she could try to guilt-trip them.
"If I think you're interfering with our mission…"
"I'll kill you."
There was no killing intent or malice in Jin's words, just a simple statement, but it made the girl feel like even the fire couldn't warm her.
"Please, I'll do anything if you help me get revenge."
The girl pleaded desperately.
Jin was about to say something, but Minato and Kushina both grabbed him, stopping him from speaking further.
Jin didn't care, and the three turned to Jiraiya.
"I'm sorry." Jiraiya apologized again.
They couldn't do anything for the girl.
The firelight distorted the girl's expression.
The three didn't say anything more and quietly left.
Their mission was the priority. None of them were the type to act impulsively, not even Kushina, despite her fiery temper.
She knew what was important.
They couldn't escort the girl to a safe place, and it was even less likely they'd take her to an outpost. The border outposts were well-hidden; even ninja had difficulty finding them.
Bringing the girl along would only risk exposing their location.
In these times, even the slightest exposure could be deadly.
As they leaped through the forest.
"You were a bit too heartless, Uchiha Jin."
Kushina, unusually serious, addressed Jin by his full name. Her expression was more earnest than ever before. She understood the importance of the mission and the choices they had to make.
But the girl's experience reminded her of her past—her family was gone, leaving only her behind.
"Kushina, acting on emotion is against the ninja code."
Minato, while not fully agreeing with Jin's words, didn't think he was wrong either.
"Shut up!" Kushina snapped at Minato harshly.
The three of them stopped moving.
Kushina glared at Jin, waiting for his response.
Jiraiya stood on the highest branch, watching his students argue, choosing not to intervene.
Jin, who was stroking his chin with an indifferent expression, only fueled Kushina's anger. However, this time, she didn't explode but waited for Jin's answer.
After considering for a moment, Jin finally spoke slowly.
"Ninja are nothing more than tools. They don't need emotions or thoughts. They are the most pitiful products of this era."
"Uzumaki Kushina… are you truly qualified to be a ninja?"
Jin countered Kushina's accusation with his own question.
"A ninja isn't what you're describing!!"
"But that's the reality!"
"Absolutely not!! I'll prove you wrong!!"
Kushina fiercely rejected Jin's view, unable to accept that a ninja could be nothing more than a tragic tool. That was not the path of a ninja she believed in.
"But this is what being a ninja means."
Jin smiled at Kushina, but there was no warmth in his smile.
Minato silently observed Jin. This was the first time he had seen Jin smile so falsely, with such malice behind it.
"Boom!!"
Kushina punched a tree, her immense strength snapping the tree in half.
(End of Chapter)