"So..." Yōya glanced at the fruit knife pressed against his neck and said cautiously, "why are you trying to court death?"
Was Uzushio's treatment of prisoners not good enough? They actually wanted to take hostages to escape?
And who left this fruit knife here?
Didn't they know this was where prisoners lived?
Leaving a knife here—weren't they afraid someone would get killed?
Now...
It was pressed against his neck, wasn't it?
"Hmph!" Pakkun Jūzō waved the dagger in his hand menacingly near Yōya's neck and said angrily, "You traitorous ninja, you're a disgrace to all shinobi!"
"You betrayed the village that raised you, took care of you, fed you, and gave you warmth."
"Do you have no shame toward your village leader, your family, or the teacher who worked so hard to train you into a ninja?"
And...
You, a damn traitor, actually live better than an elite jōnin like him, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, a high-ranking member of Kirigakure? That's just... infuriating!
This is the shame of all shinobi!
"Uh..." Yōya looked at the fruit knife inching closer and said helplessly, "I was just an orphan. I had no friends or family in the village. You know how spies are trained, right?"
"It was... indescribably miserable!"
"But ever since coming to Uzushio, I've felt warmth. I've gained friends, a wife, a daughter, a house, a job—and the work isn't even hard. I clock out at 7 PM sharp every day, and when I get home, I see my adorable daughter and beautiful wife."
"So..."
"I don't regret betraying them. I've already given enough to that village."
"..."
Pakkun Jūzō and the Kiri-nin all fell silent as they stared at Yōya. For some reason, they suddenly felt an urge to stab him to death. This traitor...
Was too damn annoying!
But considering their mission, they absolutely couldn't let this bastard get hurt now.
Yōya looked expressionlessly at Pakkun Jūzō's furious face and said calmly, "Spies like us usually don't live past thirty. Because we..."
"Know too much."
"But that's no excuse for betraying your village." Pakkun Jūzō paused for a moment before saying, "Do you know how much of an impact your actions will have on other villages?"
"I know." Yōya smiled bitterly and shook his head. "But I can't bear to leave Hanaka and the others."
He wasn't afraid of death. He was afraid of Hanaka getting hurt, afraid of her grieving.
"..."
Maybe they should just stab him and be done with it.
Pakkun Jūzō's forehead twitched as the hand holding the fruit knife trembled. He...
Was really struggling to hold back!
"Boss, calm down. Stay calm!" One of the Kiri-nin, seeing Pakkun Jūzō's state, quickly tried to soothe him. "Even though I also want to stab him to death, we still need him to have a chance to escape Uzushio."
This damn traitor's words were really... infuriating. But they couldn't let him die now. Otherwise...
They'd all probably end up meeting the Second Mizukage.
"I—know!" Pakkun Jūzō gritted his teeth. "Don't worry, I won't act recklessly."
Otherwise, they wouldn't just release him later—they'd drag him back to Kirigakure and let him experience the fate of a traitor!
"Can you put the knife down?" Yōya gently nudged the fruit knife with his hand, trying to push it away. "With so many people here, even if I wanted to run, I couldn't."
"How about we go get lunch first?"
"It's noon already, and I'm a bit hungry. I heard today's menu is an all-you-can-eat beef feast."
"Wanna... go... try it?" Yōya watched as the Kiri-nin swallowed their saliva and said carefully, "We can... eat first, then leave?"
However...
"Shut up!" Pakkun Jūzō snorted coldly. "Don't think you can corrupt us with material temptations. We are elite jōnin of Kirigakure, ninjas with discipline, organization, and ideals. We always remember the will of the Hidden Mist and will never be so easily swayed by you."
"Right, right!"
Hearing Pakkun Jūzō's words, the Kiri-nin immediately snapped out of it. Damn it, they'd almost been convinced by this despicable traitor. They quickly raised their fists and declared, "We will never betray our village!"
"Actually, betraying isn't so bad." Yōya sighed. "Uzushio doesn't discriminate against traitorous ninja. As long as you pass a political review, you can live like any other citizen of Uzushio."
"Ha!" Pakkun Jūzō sneered disdainfully. "Your chakra is sealed just like ours."
This is what you call no discrimination?
Don't joke around.
"Oh, you mean this?" Yōya scratched his head. "I'll probably get unsealed soon. After all, no matter what, I'm still a traitor. It's understandable that the country would be cautious."
"And since I came to Uzushio as a spy, my treatment was a bit different."
"Ninja like Ushima Da, after passing their political reviews, mostly had their chakra unsealed. Some even joined Uzushio's Public Security Bureau and became outstanding police officers."
"..."
Wait, what?
Traitorous ninja in Uzushio really don't suffer any consequences?
The Kiri-nin exchanged glances and began whispering among themselves. "Is Uzushio really that good?"
"If we joined Uzushio, with our jōnin strength, we'd at least get a car and a house, right?"
"Yeah, and we could even get married..."
"Should we..."
"..."
"Shut up!" Pakkun Jūzō, annoyed by the chatter, roared. "Don't forget, you still have family in the village!"
How could they even think of betraying just because of a few words?
"If you betray the village, your families will..."
"Remember, you are ninja of Kirigakure!"
"Exactly!" Hoshigaki Fuguki, seeing some of them considering defection, immediately stepped forward and shouted sternly. "Look at yourselves! Is this what elite ninja should be?"
"Is betrayal something to be proud of?"
"This is shameful, understand?"
"The shame of the shinobi world!"
"How can you face the village's nurturing kindness? How can you face the Mizukage's care and guidance?"
Damn it!
His mission was to get them to the forest safely, not to convince them to defect!
If they all defected now, what was he supposed to do?
What if the mission failed because of this?
"You... you all... really... tch!" Hoshigaki Fuguki put on a disappointed expression, glanced at them, then shook his head and walked to the back without another word.
Instantly...
The Kiri-nin stiffened, lowering their heads in remorse.
They...
How could they even think of betraying?
They were elite jōnin of Kirigakure!
"Jūzō-sama, we're sorry." The Kiri-nin bowed their heads in shame. "Please believe us. We would never do anything to betray the village."
"Mm." Pakkun Jūzō nodded. "We've been comrades for so many years. I trust you." Then, he glanced at Hoshigaki Fuguki behind him and thought with admiration, "I didn't expect this fatty to have such high ideological awareness. As expected of someone like me..."
"Only true men can become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
But...
"Why haven't your wife and daughter arrived yet?" Pakkun Jūzō frowned at Yōya and sighed. "We don't have enough hostages."
"..."
Yōya's eyelids twitched when he heard Pakkun Jūzō's words. Carefully, he said, "Because of the festival today, the mall is having discounts, so they..."
So these Kiri-nin had been waiting here all this time for his wife and daughter?
Yōya's tense heart finally relaxed. Luckily, because of the Uzushio mall discounts today, Hanaka had gone shopping and wouldn't come. Otherwise...
Who knew what might have happened?
He wasn't afraid of death!
But if Hanaka and his daughter got hurt, he would never forgive himself.
"They won't be bringing me food."
"..."
Silence fell.
All the Kiri-nin stared blankly at Yōya. Did... did they hear wrong?
"What did you say?" Pakkun Jūzō waved the fruit knife near Yōya's neck. "They... they're not coming?"
"Yeah." Yōya nodded carefully. "The cafeteria is serving extra food today, so there's no need for Hanaka to bring me meals."
"..."
Pakkun Jūzō's eyes froze as he stared at Yōya, not knowing what to say.
This...
Meant that now...
Their hostages... were gone!
What were they supposed to do now?
Had their plan failed before it even began?
"Boss, maybe we should try another time?" A Kiri-nin suggested cautiously. "Next time, we'll definitely succeed."
But...
"Shut up!" Pakkun Jūzō glared at him angrily. "There's no turning back now. We can't go back."
Did they really think Uzushio would give them another chance?
If they stopped now, these Kiri-nin would be finished.
Was this guy trying to defect to Uzushio?
However, before Pakkun Jūzō could reprimand him...
"Shut up!" Hoshigaki Fuguki jumped out again, furious. "You coward!"
"We can't stop now."
Then, he turned to Pakkun Jūzō and said, "Lunch has already started. If the cafeteria staff don't see us, they'll definitely suspect something."
"And from what I've gathered from the Uzu-nin over the past few days..." Hoshigaki Fuguki frowned, speaking seriously. "There's a small path south of the labor camp. There are few guards there, and plenty of trees for cover, allowing us to slip away quietly."
"That way, the Uzu-nin won't easily notice us."
Hearing this, Pakkun Jūzō nodded approvingly, impressed. "As expected of someone who worked in intelligence."
To think he could gather such detailed information.
In critical moments, it was the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who could be relied on.
"So you mean..." Pakkun Jūzō narrowed his eyes at Hoshigaki Fuguki. "To avoid raising suspicion, we should act now?"
That was indeed a solution. Otherwise, once the cafeteria staff noticed, they'd be in trouble.
The Uzu-nin's underhanded tactics...
Were terrifying!
"No." Hoshigaki Fuguki shook his head, his gaze profound as he looked at Pakkun Jūzō. "I suggest we split into two groups. One group goes to the cafeteria to eat, and we act at night."
"Because tonight is when Uzushio's festival will be at its liveliest. With the right timing, location, and conditions, our chances of success will be much higher."
"And now..." Hoshigaki Fuguki declared righteously. "I'm willing to lead a group of Kiri-nin to the cafeteria to eat... ahem, to confuse them, so they..."
"Won't realize our true intentions."
"Adding another layer of security to our mission's success!"
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