Have you seen Uzushiogakure at three or four in the morning?
They...
The Kiri-nin captured by Uzushiogakure have seen it.
"Damn it, I've only copied it sixty-something times so far." A Kiri-nin angrily threw down his pen and rubbed his wrist. Chopping people down wasn't even this exhausting!
"I'm not copying anymore."
"I'd rather die, die right here in Uzushiogakure, get stabbed to death by this pen, than write another word."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire dormitory of Kiri-nin started making noise, shouting things like, "You're right, no more copying!"
"What's there to copy? We only know how to kill!"
"That's right, why should Uzu-nin make us copy books?"
"..."
However...
A Kiri-nin who had kept his head down and continued copying without joining the commotion slowly spoke up, "If you don't finish copying, tomorrow you'll have to copy ten times as much."
"..."
The dormitory immediately fell silent. Then, they picked up their pens and kept copying.
There was no escape for them. Their chakra was sealed, and the place was surrounded by an inescapable net. Where could they run?
If their chakra hadn't been sealed...
They could just make a few shadow clones to help, and it wouldn't be so tiring.
"It's all Jūzō's fault..." A Kiri-nin sighed, his face filled with resentment as he muttered quietly, "If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have to copy so much."
And then...
"Clack!"
Pakkun Jūzō stood up, expressionless, and walked toward the bathroom.
After copying for so long, he was a little tired. In all his years as a shinobi, he had never been as exhausted as he was during this time in Uzushiogakure.
"Shut up!" The Kiri-nin next to him said coldly, "Jūzō-sama must have had his reasons." He glanced at Pakkun Jūzō, who hadn't said a word, and secretly sighed in relief. No matter what, Pakkun Jūzō was their superior.
So there were some things a shinobi simply couldn't say.
Besides, they hadn't completed the Mizukage's mission, and ending up in this situation wasn't Pakkun Jūzō's fault. Who would have thought Uzushiogakure would be so shameless...
Ganging up on them like that!
"Trust the Mizukage. They won't abandon us." The Kiri-nin sighed and said, "In the end, we will definitely get out of here."
Kirigakure would never just sit back and let two of the Seven Ninja Swords fall into Uzushiogakure's hands. So...
No matter what, there was still hope!
...
Pakkun Jūzō looked at himself in the mirror and muttered, "Staying up late these past few days has given me dark circles."
To be honest, life as a prisoner in Uzushiogakure wasn't bad. There was meat in every meal, and the living quarters were much better than the shabby wooden houses in their village.
It's just...
They had to attend classes every day, and there was homework...
For someone who had wielded a sword for over a decade, it was really hard to get used to!
And during this time, he had noticed that the men under him were getting restless, even to the point of no longer listening to him, their captain.
"The morale is gone. Leading the team isn't easy anymore." Pakkun Jūzō sighed inwardly, helpless.
He had no idea when the village would come to redeem them.
After this mission failed, someone would have to take the blame when they returned to the village—either him or Hoshigaki Fuguki. Especially since...
Both of them had lost their swords.
"Would defecting be an option?" Pakkun Jūzō smiled mockingly at himself. "Uzushiogakure treats defectors pretty well."
Like the commander of the prisoner camp. Rumor had it he was a spy from another village, but because he repented and joined Uzushiogakure, he was now living a happy life, even married with a daughter.
So...
What exactly was Uzushiogakure trying to do?
"Recruit shinobi from other villages?" Pakkun Jūzō muttered. "Maybe I should report this to the Mizukage when I get back."
Even defectors were being absorbed. Uzushiogakure was clearly planning something big.
And...
Right now, everyone was focused on the battlefield in Amegakure, but no one had noticed that a small nation was slowly rising here.
Thinking of this...
"I'm actually pretty good-looking!" Pakkun Jūzō looked in the mirror, the corners of his lips quirking up in what he thought was a friendly smile, revealing his sharp teeth. "So why haven't I found a girlfriend yet?"
Now even a defector could live a happy life. It really pissed him off!
Pakkun Jūzō looked at the sky outside the window and muttered, "It's almost dawn. I should go back and finish copying the homework."
Otherwise, who knew what problems might arise tomorrow.
...
Amegakure.
"Our mission is to take this side path and flank them." An Iwa-nin commander pointed at the map on the table, looking at the Iwa-nin captains around him with a serious expression. "We'll join forces with the Konoha-nin to surround Amegakure."
"Finish this in one battle, and save the countless civilians of Amegakure."
And then...
They could sit down and divide the spoils.
Hearing the commander's words, everyone smiled faintly, immersed in the joy of returning to the village after victory to buy houses and marry wives.
But then...
"Stone-sama, if we cooperate with Konoha..." An Iwa-nin captain raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "What if we fall into Konoha's trap?"
"After all, Konoha..."
They could even kill their own people, let alone Iwa-nin.
Hearing the captain's words, the Iwa-nin commander frowned and scolded, "We are allies now. Konoha would never do such a thing."
Konoha was the leader of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the village founded by the God of Shinobi. They had that much integrity.
"But the Uchiha..." The Iwa-nin captain opened his mouth again as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw the commander's sharp gaze, he sighed and replied, "Yes!"
No matter what.
The Uchiha were a hurdle Konoha couldn't avoid. The Uchiha clan head personally took action?
Did they really think the spies in Konoha didn't know that Konoha's advisor Danzō had led the ANBU to the Uchiha compound and then...
Brought out a pile of bodies?
And at that time, Konoha's advisor Danzō had shouted, "By the Hokage's orders..."
"Wood Release!" The Iwa-nin lowered his head, his eyes gleaming strangely in a way no one could see. He said calmly, "Maybe that last male heir of the Senju had already awakened Wood Release?"
"After learning that his entire clan was wiped out, how could he not have awakened it?"
"So..."
"This is just Konoha hiding the truth from us."
...
Konoha.
"Jiraiya-sensei." A blond boy looked at the white-haired young man in front of him, holding a book in his hands, his face red as he asked, "Did you give me the wrong book?"
This book...
He couldn't understand it at all!
"Ahem!" Jiraiya glanced at the book, coughed twice, and said, "Well done, Minato."
"I only used this book to test, test your shinobi discipline. I didn't expect someone as young as you to actually do it!"
"This book was given to me by someone else." Jiraiya said seriously as he took the book back. "This book isn't suitable for someone your age. I was just reviewing it with a critical eye."
No wonder he couldn't find it all last night—he had given the wrong one! This book had taken him forever to find, and he hadn't even finished reading it yet.
He, Jiraiya...
Was determined to become a great writer, so this book was just for reference, reference only, to fully prepare for his writing career.
"Good job." Jiraiya smiled warmly and patted Minato's head. "This is the one I meant to give you."
"This was painstakingly written by the great Toad Sage Jiraiya after a very long time."
"It contains many of my insights on ninjutsu and chakra training. It'll definitely help you." Jiraiya quickly tucked away the book Minato had handed him and pulled out another one, smiling. "Make sure to read it carefully."
"Thank you, Sensei." Minato took the book, flipped open the first page, and seeing that it was the right one this time, said excitedly, "I'll work hard. I won't let Jiraiya-sensei down."
"Mm." Jiraiya smiled approvingly and nodded. "You'll become an excellent shinobi."
"Since there's no danger tomorrow, come with me to the battlefield. Let me show you what your sensei can do."
"Nawaki is coming too."
"As future pillars of the village, how can you not experience the atmosphere of war?"
"Don't worry. With the power of the Toad Sage, I'll definitely keep you safe."
"So..." Jiraiya rubbed his hands together awkwardly. "That jutsu of yours without hand seals, can you teach, ahem, not that I want to steal it, but maybe I can help you improve it?"
"That jutsu is really quite good."
Minato almost nodded in agreement when he heard Jiraiya-sensei's words, but...
"This jutsu wasn't created by me. A red-haired person taught it to me."
"If Jiraiya-sensei wants to learn it, I'll have to ask him first."
No matter what, this was someone else's jutsu, so whether he could teach it to Jiraiya-sensei wasn't his decision. Besides, he had some ideas about the Rasengan too, so he'd ask about it when he saw him again.