"It's finally over," Jin sighed heavily as he sat down on the ground.
This battle had cost him dearly.
The chakra he had accumulated over many years had dwindled to less than one-fifth of what it used to be.
He was thoroughly drained.
Moreover, he now understood the vast gap between himself and a jonin. His opponent's strategy was layered and well-crafted—each move interconnected. If he made one mistake, without a powerful technique to overturn the situation, death was the only outcome.
Jin still couldn't replicate such intricate battle strategies.
These tactics came from experience, something Jin's abilities couldn't simulate.
And it was frustrating.
"Why did we encounter Iwa-nin here?" Kushina asked, puzzled.
"They must have infiltrated to carry out some mission," Jin replied, eyeing the now charred and unmoving jonin ahead.
He stepped forward, intending to search the body for anything useful.
"Wait, Jiraiya-sensei said not to touch corpses recklessly," Minato reminded him.
"Don't worry," Jin waved him off, "In his condition, there's no way he could have hidden explosive tags or set traps."
Jin was always cautious with his life.
If there was any risk, he would have used a shadow clone to test the waters first.
He used his blade to slice through Chūdō's belongings, but aside from some heat-damaged ninja tools, there wasn't much of value.
However...
"This guy might be the culprit you were after, Kushina," Jin said, flipping over some of the burnt equipment.
If they waited for the temperature to cool, the tools might still be usable, though Jin wasn't too interested in keeping them.
"What do you mean?" Kushina rushed over, eyeing Chūdō carefully.
"Is it really them?"
She recalled the village they passed on their way to the outpost—devastated, with every living being slaughtered, save for one little girl.
It nearly caused a fight between the three of them back then.
Even now, Kushina harbored some resentment toward Jin for his seemingly indifferent attitude.
Minato remained quiet, deep in thought, piecing together the events.
"But what about the things they took?" Kushina asked, confused. Jin had mentioned that the village's wealth had been looted.
The little girl wasn't searched by Kushina, nor did Minato intend to search any bodies.
But there didn't seem to be any evidence of wealth.
"You'd have to ask the village chief about that," Jin said with a grin, though his Sharingan's cold glint held no humor.
Jin was a firm believer in fairness.
Anyone who wronged him, whether ninja or civilian, would pay the price.
Even the Hokage—when Jin was strong enough—wouldn't be safe from him.
---
The village chief sat up from his bed, gazing at the dim morning light filtering through the window. He knew dawn was near.
He hadn't slept well all night.
Pouring himself a cup of tea, he lifted it to his lips.
"Still in the mood for tea, huh?"
A voice suddenly echoed from the shadows.
The chief sputtered, spitting out his tea. Panicked, he lit the oil lamp.
The dim light illuminated three unexpected guests in his room.
Jin stood at the door with his arms crossed, Kushina hung upside down from the rafters, and Minato guarded the window, blocking any escape.
"Three ninja, visiting so late—what can I do for you?"
The village chief forced a smile, but as he looked at their emotionless faces, the smile quickly faded.
It was clear they were here with ill intentions.
"If you're here for money, we aren't wealthy, but we'll do our best to gather something for you," the chief stammered, trembling like a frightened civilian being extorted by ninja.
"Still pretending?" Jin sneered.
Even Kushina, who was easily swayed by sympathy, had been fooled. Only Minato and Jin remained unshaken.
"You're the one who leaked our location to the Iwa-nin, aren't you?"
Jin didn't mince words, directly accusing the chief.
"D-don't accuse me wrongly! I don't know anything!" The chief fell to his knees, banging his head on the floor repeatedly, playing the part of an innocent, wronged man.
"I've never even seen an Iwa-nin!"
He wailed.
Jin crouched in front of him, speaking slowly.
"I found it strange from the beginning—why a village in such a strategic location has managed to survive for so long."
"It's because—"
"Don't bother with excuses," Jin interrupted.
"Ninja don't care about your lives. You should understand that."
In wars between shinobi, civilians were always the greatest casualties. It was a truth no one could deny.
During the Warring States period, even though ninja were few in number, the death toll between civilians and ninja was nearly equal.
This grim reality had never changed.
Ninja battles didn't spare civilians.
"And for a village like yours to survive in such a crucial spot, it means the shinobi here have some use for you. Since you can't provide jutsu or riches, the only thing left is intelligence."
"Of all the Great Villages, Konoha is the most benevolent toward its own people. Normally, Konoha wouldn't forcefully expel or annihilate Fire Country villages, giving you a foundation to remain."
"Given that foundation, how could smaller villages like Takigakure, Kusagakure, or Iwagakure leave you alone?"
Being in such a pivotal location, no other village would pass up the chance to take advantage of you.
Whoever controlled this area would have the upper hand. Even though Konoha would eventually retaliate, it was still better than letting someone else hold it.
"There's only one way to keep the other villages from destroying you."
Jin's face darkened.
"By selling out Konoha ninja."
"Your village's 'enthusiasm' toward us was merely a means to gather information, which you then sold to other villages."
"The 'wandering ninja' you spoke of were actually rivals who offered too low a price. You used Konoha's investigations to pressure them into paying more."
Kushina, now understanding, added, "The Iwa-nin attacked the nearby villages because they didn't bring enough money, so they looted other places for resources."
"Once they had enough, you sold our location to the Iwa-nin."
Minato finished the explanation.
As for what else the village had traded, that was beyond their knowledge.
But one thing was clear—the village had been selling Konoha's secrets and profiting off the suffering of nearby villages.
The village chief finally gave up.
"We just wanted to survive! What's wrong with that?" he shouted.
"This is our home. Why should you ninja have the right to destroy it as you please? If you can destroy our homes, why shouldn't we use you to secure our survival?"
Jin couldn't argue with that. And relocating wasn't an option.
The Daimyo's government had passed a law called the "Land Preservation Act," which prohibited civilians from leaving their assigned lands.
It had originally been meant to restrict ninja movements when the villages were first formed. But now, it only restricted the chances of survival for civilians caught in the crossfire.
"But you shouldn't have involved the other villages," Kushina shouted, her eyes blazing with anger. She still had nightmares about the massacre in that village.
"We just wanted to live," the chief repeated, his head bowed in shame.
For all the lives lost, he did feel guilt.
"Too bad. You won't survive now."
Jin shook his head, disappointed. He had wanted revenge, but in a way, he understood their desperation.
Still, he wasn't going to let it slide.
"What do you mean?" The chief's face twisted in rage, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Jin.
"Did you really think betraying Konoha wouldn't have consequences?"
Jin sighed and glanced at Minato and Kushina. They, too, realized the fate awaiting the village.
"Spare the others! Punish me instead!"
The chief tried to grab Jin's legs, but Jin kicked him, sending him crashing into the wall.
"You can't bear the weight of what's coming."
Jin stepped outside and gazed at the horizon.
"They've already arrived."
Before entering the village, Minato had sent a message back to Konoha via reverse summoning.
As the sun crept over the mountain, its light revealed the treetops.
Dozens of Konoha ninja in green flak jackets stood among the branches, overseeing the village.
A woman with tribal markings, crouched atop a large black wolf, licked her black-painted nails.
"Leave no one alive!" she commanded.
"Kill!"
The slaughter began.
---
In a secluded forest near Konoha's new outpost.
Jin stood inside the mission tent, sorting through several scrolls.
"What are you doing, Jin?" Minato asked, puzzled.
"Exchanging battle merits, of course," Jin replied, pushing the scrolls toward the clerk.
The staff member looked bewildered. The scrolls weren't many, but they contained entirely new jutsu.
"This isn't the research lab in the village, you know. How are you planning to exchange these for battle merits here?"
"Can't I?" Jin asked curiously.
"You can," the staff member forced a smile. "But we'll have to send these back to the village for evaluation first."
He was used to people trading in enemy heads for merit points, but this? Trading newly invented jutsu was unheard of, especially here at the front lines.
It was bizarre.
Minato, meanwhile, stared at the scrolls in awe.
"So many jutsu… I'm tempted to learn them all."
"They're useless to me. If you want, I have a list at home. You can pick whichever you like," Jin said nonchalantly.
In truth, these jutsu were of little use to him. He planned to exchange them for battle points and valuable supplies.
And maybe—just maybe—he'd get reassigned to a rear position as a research specialist.
It was a win-win situation.
"Well, moving to the rear might be difficult," Jin admitted with a sigh.
Minato smiled, knowing that Jin was only half-serious.
"How's Kushina?" Jin asked.
"She hasn't really been herself since that night. Even after the chunin promotion, her spirits haven't lifted much."
Jin sighed.
The events of that night had deeply shaken her.
Still, because of their efforts in defeating a jonin, the three of them had been promoted to chunin.
---
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