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[Sorry about yesterday, took a sick day off!]
The declaration of war by the Hidden Mist Village was far from good news.
Jin couldn't help but furrow his brows. He was well aware that Yashiro had been sent to defend against the Mist.
"Please don't die out there," he muttered to himself. After all, Yashiro had watched over him during his childhood, and despite everything, there was still some attachment.
While the two were contemplating the situation with the Mist, a group of ragged individuals suddenly approached them.
"There he is, Buta-sama! That's the brat who insulted our samurai!" One of the disheveled people pointed directly at Jin.
Jin was completely baffled. He didn't remember offending anyone. He glanced at Sakumo, who had quietly taken a step back, whispering in a barely audible voice.
"We're on a mission. We can't afford to get into conflicts or reveal our identities as shinobi."
Jin's face darkened as he realized what Sakumo was implying. Wasn't this putting him in a difficult position on purpose?
"You're the one who said our samurai are worthless, aren't you?" A burly middle-aged man with a wide nose approached, glaring at Jin.
"It wasn't me," Jin quickly denied, shaking his head. It was true—he hadn't said that. He had called them outdated, not worthless.
"It was definitely him!" the ragged group behind the man shouted, pointing accusatorily at Jin.
"Yes, it was him! I heard it with my own ears!"
The crowd's noisy accusations merged into a cacophony, making the situation even more chaotic.
"Quiet down, all of you!" the middle-aged man shouted at his followers, finally silencing them. He then turned back to Jin.
"Now, do you have anything else to say?"
"It doesn't seem like it would matter," Jin replied, shrugging. It was clear they had already decided he was guilty, no matter what he said.
"That's what I thought." The man grinned, cracking his knuckles. But before he could make a move, Jin turned on his heels and bolted.
He hadn't expected Sakumo to take off even faster.
The man's face twitched in annoyance as he waved his hand. "After them!"
Immediately, the entire crowd gave chase.
Jin and Sakumo sprinted down the street.
"Why are there so many restrictions?" Jin asked as they ran, unable to understand the constraints placed on them.
"It's to prevent getting involved in any incidents that could compromise our mission," Sakumo explained while keeping pace.
"Even incidental conflicts shouldn't be engaged?"
Jin glanced over his shoulder at the growing number of pursuers. "Why are there so many of them?"
From behind, he could hear someone shouting, "Catch that brat! He insulted our samurai!"
So that's the reason, Jin thought, though it didn't help much.
"Catch... that brat?"
Sakumo repeated the words he overheard. Suddenly, he swerved to the side, dramatically gesturing toward Jin with an exaggerated welcoming motion.
"This has nothing to do with me," his actions clearly said.
"You traitorous scum!!"
Jin shouted in anger as he picked up his speed, darting toward the corner of the street.
Meanwhile, Sakumo was busy directing the crowd. "Over there, over there, don't let him get away!"
One of the pursuers turned toward Sakumo, raising a wooden club in confusion.
Sakumo quickly raised his hand in a halting gesture. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to beat the brat who insulted our samurai!"
"Oh." Sakumo nodded. "If you want to beat him up, he went that way. I'm just passing by."
"Oh, I see," the confused man muttered, thanking Sakumo before hurrying off to join the others in pursuit.
Watching the crowd disappear down the street, Sakumo wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Good luck," he muttered, his expression anything but innocent.
Just as he turned to leave, a hand shot out from the nearby alley, pulling Sakumo inside.
"You bastard! What the hell are you doing?!"
Jin had his shuriken launcher pressed against Sakumo's forehead.
If Sakumo didn't have a good explanation for his actions, there would be no mercy!
"Let's talk this out, let's talk this out," Sakumo said with a sheepish grin.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain, Konoha's forces had temporarily withdrawn under Orochimaru's command.
"When will we reclaim our positions, Orochimaru-sama?" asked a particularly aggressive jonin, clearly dissatisfied with giving up the hard-won Konoha outposts.
Orochimaru glanced at him, his eyes cold. Many of Konoha's shinobi were unhappy with the sudden retreat, especially when they had held the advantage. But few truly understood the broader strategy.
"The Rain Village is like a rabid dog right now, biting at anyone in reach. They've already pushed deep into the Land of Wind. If we attack now, they'll abandon their fight with the Sand to come after us instead," explained Hyuga Kaze, standing nearby.
The shinobi of the Rain Village had been fighting with all their might to protect their homeland, even launching assaults into the territories of other villages. This had given the Land of Rain a brief respite.
This was why Orochimaru had abruptly abandoned their advantageous positions in the Rain Country. At the moment, the Rain Village was fighting against three major ninja villages simultaneously, and Hanzo of the Salamander had earned the title of "Demi-God of the Shinobi World."
The last person to single-handedly battle four major villages was none other than Hashirama, the "God of Shinobi."
Though Orochimaru's forces had temporarily quieted down, Hanzo still launched occasional attacks. With no significant gains and no sign that Konoha intended to re-invade, the Rain Village had momentarily stood down.
The jonin grumbled but didn't dare to voice his dissatisfaction openly under Orochimaru's stern gaze.
Orochimaru continued reading the battle damage reports. Despite Hanzo's absence from the Fire Country front, small squads of Rain shinobi continued to harass Konoha's forces. These attacks were conducted by shinobi with no intention of returning alive, and their increasing effectiveness was worrying.
"Are the Rain Village's shinobi getting stronger?" asked a red-haired male ninja.
"Their strength seems to be increasing, and the signs are unmistakable."
The ninja hesitated, as if unsure how to express his thoughts.
"It's due to the Basic Inner Technique," Orochimaru finished for him.
Every shinobi present felt a chill run down their spines. The enhancement provided by the Basic Inner Technique was all too apparent.
"This information is not to be reported back to the village," Orochimaru ordered.
"But, Orochimaru-sama..." some of the shinobi began to protest, confused by this unusual directive.
Seeing that Orochimaru had no intention of explaining further, they reluctantly complied.
"The Basic Inner Technique..." Orochimaru murmured, his expression devoid of its usual mirth.
He couldn't tell if it was only the Rain Village that had acquired the technique, or if other villages had it as well. If the latter were true, Tsunade and the others would have likely noticed by now.
In situations like this, the standard procedure would be to conduct a thorough investigation and identify the source of the leak. But Orochimaru knew all too well that the higher-ups would use this as an opportunity to lay the blame on Jin, forcing the Uchiha clan to make concessions.
This was a familiar tactic—whether the leak was real or not was secondary. The real goal was to create an excuse to weaken the Uchiha.
"Sometimes, I really don't understand the meaning of carrying on the Second Hokage's will," Orochimaru sneered.
(End of Chapter)