"Yamada Ichiro. Fifty years old. Became a Konoha resident twenty years ago. Works as a woodcutter. No parents, no children, solitary." Jiraiya read the target's information from the scroll.
The three were hidden in a tree, observing Yamada's dilapidated mud hut. He wasn't home yet. They'd already searched his house, finding nothing useful.
"Why not just have a Hyuga examine him?" Kushina asked, peering at the hut. The Hyuga's Byakugan could see chakra flow. Couldn't they just confirm his identity that way? Why the need for reconnaissance? It was so tedious. She, the future Hokage, wanted direct, hand-to-hand combat!
"He could claim to have been a wandering ninja," Jin countered. Konoha allowed wandering ninjas to join, without special registration. In Hashirama's era, anyone could join Konoha. Tobirama later changed the process. You needed a guarantor, annual fees, a three-year background check, three years of observation, and three years of probation. Nine years of payments before being considered a citizen, and no exceptions. They were cut off from ninja activity. Children born in Konoha, however, could attend the Academy. This significantly reduced the likelihood of spies. No village would willingly pay such a seemingly exorbitant fee, except those without villages—the other four Great Ninja Villages. This wasn't the only way to infiltrate, just the least suspicious. Jin didn't know how Yamada had been identified.
Kushina, unable to argue, huffed and turned away. Mr. Know-it-all.
"Jin, any ideas?" Jiraiya turned to him. This mission, though difficult, would be a crucial test.
Jin rubbed his chin. "Grab him, beat him until he confesses. Whether he's guilty or innocent, he'll confess." He didn't want to waste time.
Jiraiya: (⊙_◎)
Minato: (⊙_◎)
Kushina shouted, "Be serious!" What was the point of coerced confessions?!
Jin rolled his eyes. "We're ninjas, not police officers. We don't need evidence." Ninjas didn't use evidence.
Kushina, frustrated, kicked at Jin. "Die!"
Jin easily evaded the blow.
"Alright, that's enough," Jiraiya said, worried about being discovered.
They fell silent as Yamada appeared, carrying firewood.
Jiraiya assigned tasks. "Minato and Kushina, gather information. Jin, stay with me."
"Yes, sir!" Minato and Kushina vanished.
Jin and Jiraiya remained in the tree. Yamada entered his house. Jin and Jiraiya jumped down and onto the roof. Jiraiya nodded. Jin pointed a finger at the roof.
Finger Gun. "Whoosh!" A tiny hole appeared.
Jin peered inside. Yamada made dinner, then threw his dishes down and went to bed. Nothing seemed amiss.
They observed until late at night. Minato and Kushina returned. They gathered again, hidden nearby.
"Yamada has a good reputation; he's a kind old man who often helps others. He was recently scammed out of a significant amount of money," Minato reported.
Despite his good reputation, he lacked close friends, which was odd.
"Maybe there's a misunderstanding. He doesn't seem like a spy, just a lonely old man," Kushina said sympathetically. He'd been scammed and now suspected of espionage.
Jiraiya's face hardened. "Kushina, remember ninja rule number one: Don't let emotions cloud your judgment."
Kushina looked down.
"Forget her," Jin said, surprisingly defending Kushina. "We've been vying for last place in written exams. She wouldn't know any better." Jin had never written anything.
"I'm going to kill you!" Kushina's red hair floated, her anger boiling over. Jin had always been curious about her unexplained ability; he didn't think it was a jutsu.
Minato stopped Kushina before she could attack Jin, fearing she will get another beating from Jin. Kushina was angry, but also felt Minato was just caring for her.
Jin scoffed at Minato and Kushina's apparent intimacy. "But he's definitely a spy."
Jiraiya was intrigued. "Why?"
Minato and Kushina looked at each other. They hadn't seen anything suspicious.
Jin took the mission scroll from Jiraiya and pointed at the description. "With this profile… it's obvious." It was a standard spy profile from countless spy films.
"Don't jump to conclusions," Jiraiya said angrily, punching Jin's head.
They stared at each other.
"Aah!" Jiraiya clutched his fist, rolling on the ground. Jin calmly removed a small nail from his head.
"I anticipated that," Jin said smugly. He'd been hit by that before.
Jiraiya stood up, looking at his bleeding knuckles, utterly defeated. His student had outmaneuvered him. He glared at Jin.
"Bang!" Jin clutched his head and crouched down. "Ow."
"Serves you right," Jiraiya said coldly.
Jin glared at him. "I'll put poison on them next time."
"Hiss!" x3. Uchiha Jin was terrifying!
"Shh!" Jiraiya became serious. They watched Yamada's house as a figure darted out, sprinting away. The speed confirmed it was a ninja. It was a spy.
"They acted quickly," Jin commented. Why were they not trying to hide?
"Leave this to you three," Jiraiya said. "I'll inform the others."
That's a weak excuse, Jin thought. Jiraiya wouldn't be much help in pursuit.
Minato just smiled wryly. Kushina, however, believed him.
"Leave it to us!"
"Go! We need to act now," Jin urged, and they vanished using Swift Step, chasing after Yamada.
Jiraiya vanished in a puff of smoke.
Swift Step was ideal for short distances, but its long-distance speed also exceeded that of ordinary ninjas. They maintained a considerable distance behind Yamada.
Yamada suddenly stopped. The three spread out and hid in trees. Yamada seemed to be searching for something. Then, his head snapped backward. A sinister smile spread across his face.
"I see you!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Explosions rocked the forest.
Jin, Minato, and Kushina appeared around Yamada, forming a triangle.
"When were we exposed?" Kushina whispered to Minato. But everyone heard her.
Yamada facepalmed, muttering, "When you were surveilling, could you have been a little quieter? Even a civilian would have noticed that racket!" He'd seen movement in a tree near his house and pretended to ignore it, casually heading home. But these idiots… making a ruckus at night! Was this the standard for Konoha ninjas?!
Kushina felt a pang of guilt; maybe she'd been a little loud. But they were Konoha ninjas; he was an enemy to be eliminated. Why should she feel guilty?
"Prepare to die!" She held her kunai, her expression serious. Killing him would erase any evidence of her mistake. Spies deserved to die!
"Your thought process is written all over your face!" Yamada couldn't believe Konoha trained these ninjas.
Kushina unconsciously touched her face. It wasn't.
"Kushina! Minato!" Jin called.
They looked at him. He signaled stealthily. They prepared themselves.
"Run!" Jin yelled, and they vanished.
Yamada smiled. "You finally noticed? Too late!"
Figures emerged from the ground, pursuing them at incredible speed.
"This was a trap?!" They were after Kushina!