Kushina's cheeks were bright red as she marched ahead, her face flushed from embarrassment and pain. The two tiny bite marks on her nose were all too visible, making her feel utterly humiliated. She kept her head down, walking behind Jiraiya with a sense of frustration, while Minato trailed after her, scratching his cheek, unsure of what to say. Jin brought up the rear, silently following the group.
They crossed open fields, traversed a single-log bridge over a lake, and scaled steep mountains. After three days of travel, they finally neared the border. Before reaching it, however, they spotted a village in the distance.
The moment they saw the village, Jiraiya's expression tightened, and he signaled for the group to hide.
As they neared the border, the tension in the air grew palpable. Even Jiraiya, who was usually lighthearted, now wore a serious expression. The four of them hid behind a large rock, observing the village from afar.
It was dusk, but there was no smoke rising from the village's chimneys. Not a single sign of life.
Jiraiya's nose twitched. They were downwind, and thanks to his heightened senses from the Foundation Training, he could detect the faint smell carried from the village.
"The smell of blood," he muttered.
The village had clearly been the site of a massacre, which was why Jiraiya had them remain hidden. He quickly signaled instructions to the group. This was no time for the usual antics they engaged in within the safety of the village.
The group nodded, indicating their understanding of the orders.
Jiraiya then darted toward the village, his body low and fast, like an arrow shot from a bow. Kushina stayed behind, while Jin and Minato circled around the village to scout the perimeter. Jiraiya's task was to rush into the village to assess the situation, while Minato and Jin would search the surrounding area for any signs of enemy activity. Kushina's job was to remain ready to provide backup in case a fight broke out.
When Jiraiya entered the village, he was met with a chilling sight. The entire place was silent, devoid of life. Only the thick stench of blood lingered in the air, and the scene resembled a nightmare. The roads were stained with blood, and the mutilated bodies of villagers lay scattered, some missing limbs. Broken doors revealed even more corpses within the houses.
Shortly after, Minato and Jin entered the village as well. They both shook their heads at Jiraiya, signaling that they had found no sign of enemy activity outside the village.
Kushina was the last to enter, and when she saw the carnage before her, she was horrified.
"W-What is this?!" she gasped, her eyes wide as she took in the severed limbs and corpses that had been brutally cut down. Her pupils trembled as she clasped her hand over her mouth, rushing to a corner of the village to vomit.
Though Kushina had killed before, she had never witnessed such a gruesome sight. In past battles, her opponents had been completely obliterated by her Tailed Beast Bombs, leaving her with no emotional connection to their deaths. But this... this was different. It was her first time seeing such a horrific scene, and her body reacted instinctively, unable to hold back.
Minato, too, had turned pale. The ever-present smile on his face had vanished, replaced by a grim expression. He had never truly killed anyone in battle either, though he was handling the situation slightly better than Kushina.
Jiraiya's eyes, however, were drawn to Jin.
Jin's reaction—or rather, his lack of one—made Jiraiya uneasy. Jin showed no signs of distress, no flicker of emotion. His usual irreverent expression remained as he knelt down, using his kunai to examine the wounds on the corpses.
"Kunai, shuriken, and swords. No signs of any ninjutsu being used," Jin said, matter-of-factly.
So this is the Uchiha for you... a bunch of psychopaths, Jiraiya thought. Jin's calmness in the face of such carnage was unnerving. Most Genin, upon seeing such a scene for the first time, would be overwhelmed. But Jin, instead of recoiling, was actively inspecting the bodies for clues, behavior typical of a seasoned ninja.
Jin, unaware of Jiraiya's internal commentary, stood up and entered one of the homes, searching it before emerging again.
"Most of the village's valuables were looted," he reported.
Jiraiya shook his head regretfully. There was no way to tell which group had done this. It wasn't just the Iwagakure shinobi they had to worry about; rogue ninja from Takigakure, Kusagakure, and even Sunagakure could have been responsible. And then there were the wandering ninja, always a threat to border villages. These settlements rarely fared well in times of conflict.
By now, Kushina had recovered slightly, though her energy was far from her usual level. Minato sighed, preparing to gather the corpses for a proper burial.
"Wait, Minato!" Jiraiya called out, stopping him.
Minato looked at him, confused.
"Never move any bodies on a battlefield," Jiraiya said sternly. No one knew if the bodies had been booby-trapped with explosive tags. Even Jin, though he had inspected the wounds, hadn't moved the bodies, carefully avoiding any unnecessary disturbance.
Minato sighed again and stood up.
"War is so cruel," he murmured.
"This isn't even war yet," Jin corrected him. It was still technically a time of peace, albeit a very tense one. Yet, the bodies were piling up, and the ones suffering the most were the civilians. Ninja from other nations rarely considered the lives of foreign civilians as anything worth preserving.
A faint sound drew their attention.
All three looked toward the village's well.
Kushina followed their gaze. The sound had come from the old, weathered well. It was so faint that, if not for their sharpened senses, they might have mistaken it for an insect buzzing.
Jiraiya moved toward the well, drawing a kunai and using its reflective surface to peek inside. He caught a glimpse of a girl's figure at the bottom.
"It's a civilian," he confirmed.
Jiraiya then leaned over the well, and the girl at the bottom, submerged in the icy water, stuck her head out for air. Upon seeing Jiraiya's head peeking in, she panicked and ducked back under the water. After a moment, she peeked out again, this time recognizing Jiraiya's Konoha forehead protector. She reached up toward him, her voice trembling.
"Help me!" she cried.
Jiraiya's hair extended downward, wrapping around the girl and pulling her up from the well.
Once on the surface, she huddled against the well's side, drenched and shivering uncontrollably. The cold water had sapped her strength, and the weather wasn't helping.
The group quickly gathered wood and used a Fire Release technique to start a fire. The warmth gradually helped the girl recover, and after a while, Jiraiya gently began questioning her.
"What happened here?"
The girl looked up at Jiraiya, her eyes filled with fear.
"Three Iwa ninja attacked the village. They killed everyone they saw," she said, her voice trembling. The memory of the brutal slaughter caused her to shudder even more, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Why did it take Konoha so long to send help?" she cried.
Jiraiya could only offer a heavy apology. "I'm sorry."
Even if Konoha had sent ninja earlier, they might not have been able to save the village. In a time like this, defeating the enemy often took precedence over defending a small village. Ninja were not soldiers of the Daimyo—they weren't bound to protect every village at the risk of their own lives.
"I want revenge!" the girl exclaimed, her tear-filled eyes reflecting the flames, burning with a deep-seated hatred.
"If you want revenge, you can pay 200,000 ryo to issue a mission in Konoha," Jin coldly interjected.
"I don't have that kind of money." The girl hung her head. Even when the village was intact, they could never have gathered that much money.
"Then there's nothing we can do for you."
The other three showed sympathy on their faces, but they didn't refute Jin's words. His response was harsh but honest.
"You should—"
"We have no obligation to serve anyone in the Land of Fire for free. Ninja act based on the compensation offered," Jin interrupted, shutting down any attempt at a guilt trip.
"And if I believe you're interfering with our mission," he continued, "I'll kill you."
There was no malice or bloodlust in his words, but the girl felt a chill. Even the warmth of the fire couldn't ease the cold creeping into her bones.
"Please, I'll do anything. Just help me get revenge," she begged, her voice desperate.
Jin was about to speak again, but both Minato and Kushina quickly grabbed him, stopping him from saying anything more. Jin didn't seem to care. The others turned their gaze toward Jiraiya, hoping for some kind of solution.
But Jiraiya only repeated, "I'm sorry."
They couldn't help the girl. They couldn't afford to be swayed by emotions when they had a mission to complete. Even Kushina, normally quick to act on impulse, stayed quiet. She
understood the gravity of their situation.
They couldn't take the girl to safety, nor could they bring her to their hidden outpost along the border. Border outposts were well-hidden, even from ninja, and bringing a civilian there could compromise its location. During such a tense time, any mistake could be fatal.
As they continued their journey through the forest, Kushina couldn't help but confront Jin.
"You're so heartless, Uchiha Jin," she said, using his full name for emphasis. She spoke with a rare seriousness, her expression hard. Though she understood the logic behind their decision, the girl's plight had stirred memories of her own past—memories of her family, now all gone, leaving her as the last of the Uzumaki.
"Kushina, we can't afford to let our emotions guide us. It's one of the core principles of being a ninja," Minato said softly, though he too struggled to fully accept what had happened.
"Shut up!" Kushina snapped, cutting Minato off.
The three of them stopped in their tracks, and Kushina glared at Jin, waiting for an explanation.
Jiraiya watched the scene from above, choosing not to intervene.
Jin, stroking his chin thoughtfully, remained unbothered by Kushina's anger. After a moment of consideration, he replied.
"Ninja are tools. We don't need emotions, and we don't need to think. We're the most pitiful products of an age driven by conflict."
"Uzumaki Kushina… do you really have what it takes to be a ninja?" he asked, turning the question back on her.
"That's not what being a ninja is about!" Kushina shouted.
"But it is. That's the truth," Jin said calmly.
"No, it's not! I'll prove you wrong!" Kushina countered, her voice filled with conviction.
Jin smiled at her, but it wasn't a kind smile. It was cold and filled with malice.
"That's what being a ninja is," he said, his eyes glinting with a cruel amusement.
Minato stood by, silently watching the exchange. It was the first time he had seen Jin smile like that, and he found it deeply unsettling.
"Boom!" Kushina punched a nearby tree, her raw strength snapping it in half.