"What!?"
Jin woke up early only to be hit with unexpected news. Hatake Sakumo was taking him along to reclaim a stronghold in the Land of Rivers.
His small body couldn't handle something like this!
"Sakumo-sama is waiting for you," said the messenger chunin before quickly exiting the tent, clearly wanting to avoid getting involved.
How realistic.
Jin looked out of the tent flap, seeing the sunlight pouring in, but he felt no warmth. What could he do? He was helpless.
There wasn't much to pack. His belongings were still in Ryūchi Cave, so he just strapped his sword to his waist and left the tent.
Compared to yesterday, the camp was much quieter now, with no more cries of pain. Instead, it was peaceful, with more shinobi walking around, some even joking and laughing.
But when they saw Jin, they stiffened, saluting him with grave expressions and even bowing.
This is too much!
It was as if they were sending him to his death.
Which, to be fair, wasn't entirely wrong.
Jin's eyes were dull as he made his way to the command tent.
Inside, Sakumo was sitting on the floor, sharpening his blade. Hearing Jin enter, he looked up.
"You're here?"
"I shouldn't have come."
"But you did."
"Can I leave?"
"Unless you plan to become a rogue ninja."
"Heh." Jin gave him a dead-eyed look. Clearly, Sakumo wasn't going to let him off the hook.
He didn't think he had done anything to deserve Sakumo's attention.
"Meet your teammate."
Sakumo sheathed his blade, and Jin realized there was another person in the tent—a woman.
She wore a large gray cloak that concealed her entire figure, her face hidden behind dark sunglasses.
Everything about her screamed mystery.
"Aburame Mushi" the woman introduced herself with a nod.
"Hisss," Jin hissed quietly through his teeth.
"Aburame women are terrifying in every sense," Sakumo chimed in, voicing exactly what Jin was thinking.
At that, Mushi instantly deflated, her whole body slumping like a defeated puppy, radiating a deep sense of dejection.
"I'm sorry for being an Aburame," she muttered.
Jin gave Sakumo a questioning look. Is this really my teammate?
Sakumo simply nodded. "Mushi has excellent survival skills. You should be more worried about your own life."
Sakumo wasn't even trying to offer any comfort, stabbing Jin right where it hurt.
Jin slumped over, feeling defeated. He had a good guess as to why Mushi was like this.
It had to be Sakumo's doing!
"Are you both ready?" Sakumo asked, waiting for their responses.
"I'm ready anytime," Mushi replied with a nod.
"I'm ready to run at any moment," Jin said, already plotting his escape route in case things went south.
Even if it meant becoming a rogue ninja.
"Don't worry, it's not as dangerous as it sounds."
Sakumo gave a rare smile, then turned and opened the tent flap.
"Let's move out!"
The Land of Rivers was mostly wilderness, with dense forests and towering mountains.
The three of them—Sakumo, Jin, and Mushi—hid among the trees, watching a sand fortress in the distance.
"We're this close?" Jin asked, surprised. The fortress wasn't far from the Fire Country border. Even at a normal pace, it would only take half an hour to reach.
"Their goal is to invade the Fire Country. They've gained the upper hand and are fortifying their positions here in the Land of Rivers to stop us from launching a counterattack."
Mushi-hime explained, standing beside Jin.
"Once they've fortified their defenses, they'll push straight into the Fire Country."
Mushi-hime had been one of the defenders, facing wave after wave of attacks from the Sand Village. Each time, Konoha had suffered heavy losses, and it was all they could do to hold the line.
"So what are we doing now?"
Jin had always been on defense alongside Jiraiya, so he wasn't familiar with offensive strategies.
"We'll eliminate their sentries."
Sakumo unsheathed his blade from his back.
"That sand fortress up ahead?"
Jin pointed to the fortress. The Sand Village's sentry post was incredibly conspicuous.
"That's a trap. The real Sand Village forces are hidden underground."
Sakumo tied a mask over his face, a precaution against the Sand Village's poison.
Jin drew his own sword, preparing himself.
"You two won't need to do much."
Sakumo had no intention of sending them into the fray.
"Just stay alive."
"Huh?" Jin looked at him in confusion. Then why bring them along?
Mushi didn't question it. Her body suddenly dissolved into a cloud of black insects that scattered, leaving only a few perched on Sakumo's shoulder.
Her voice echoed faintly. "These bugs will help you identify targets, Sakumo-sama."
Sakumo nodded and launched himself toward the sand fortress.
"Is that Swift Step?"
Jin recognized the technique immediately. The Six Powers techniques he had introduced were gradually gaining popularity within Konoha.
In the blink of an eye, Sakumo appeared inside the fortress.
A second later, there was an explosion, the blast sending a powerful gust of wind across the area.
Sakumo quickly used Swift Step again to avoid the explosion's full force.
Then came a barrage of kunai and shuriken, even a few massive Fuma shuriken mixed in.
Sakumo seemed to move as if the world was in slow motion, dodging between the projectiles. Even in mid-air, he used Swift Step, stepping off the flying weapons.
Then, the Sand Village's puppeteers attacked, their chakra strings lashing out, but Sakumo's sword severed them in a single stroke.
The Sand Village shinobi charged to surround him.
At that moment, Sakumo's speed became even more terrifying. No shinobi could last more than a second against him.
One of the Sand shinobi was still forming hand seals when Sakumo appeared behind him. The next second, the shinobi's head rolled to the ground.
Sakumo continued to wreak havoc among the enemy, his movements like a white crescent moon slicing through their ranks.
Some weren't so lucky.
The Sand shinobi who had their backs to Sakumo suddenly clutched their backsides and were sent flying into the air, landing not far from Jin, reaching out toward him in agony.
But they couldn't stop the blood pouring from behind them.
Konoha Taijutsu Secret Technique: A Thousand Years of Death!
Jin's face twitched as he looked at the numerous shinobi lying on the ground with the same injury.
He knew this move was Sakumo's creation, but seeing its effects firsthand made him cringe.
Stabbing someone with a giant kunai from behind… just thinking about it was painful.
Jin turned his gaze back to the battlefield.
The number of Sand shinobi wasn't large, but in just a short time, they had been almost completely wiped out.
Soon, the last Sand shinobi fell.
---
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