On the vast grasslands of the Land of Grass, a four-man squad was moving swiftly.
Leading the team was a man with wild white hair tied into a sexy little ponytail at the back.
It was none other than Sakumo Hatake, accompanied by three members of the Anbu.
As they traveled, Sakumo's first impression of this place was its tranquility. It was both silent and serene.
There were no signs of shinobi activity, only a few wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys of scattered houses.
It felt as though this land had been torn away from the rest of the shinobi world, inhabited solely by ordinary people, with no trace of shinobi presence.
While Sakumo was lost in thought, a column of smoke suddenly rose on the horizon, piercing the sky.
Though it seemed similar to the smoke from cooking fires, Sakumo's seasoned instincts told him otherwise. From such a distance, only a raging fire could produce smoke of that magnitude.
"Pick up the pace and stay alert!"
At his command, the Anbu squad instantly increased their speed.
In less than an hour, they arrived at Kusagakure, the Hidden Grass Village, which was engulfed in roaring flames.
As Sakumo scanned the burning village, his sharp eyes quickly spotted Rinjin, Tsunade, and Team Eleven's three young members hiding in a dense patch of grass.
"Hey! Rinjin!"
From afar, Sakumo waved his arm and approached them.
"Stop right there! Who are you?!"
Rinjin grabbed a nearby spiked club and pointed it at Sakumo, shouting loudly.
Seeing this, Sakumo waved his hand again, pointing to his own face and shouting back, "It's me! Sakumo Hatake!"
"Sakumo Hatake? Who's that? I don't know you!"
Hearing this, Sakumo's face darkened. Knowing Rinjin's antics all too well, he raised his middle finger in response.
"Dog Bro!"
"Oh~ Dog Bro, huh? Come on over!"
Soon, the two groups met.
As Sakumo approached, he saw Team Eleven sitting in a circle, surrounded by various items, most of which were scrolls. Judging by the scene, these were spoils of war seized from Kusagakure.
Sitting down beside Rinjin, Sakumo cast a discreet glance at the loot and then lowered his voice.
"Rinjin, Lord Hiruzen has issued new orders."
"What orders?" Rinjin asked curiously, glancing at Sakumo.
"What else? He's summoning you back to the village."
As he spoke, Sakumo turned to Tsunade, nodding slightly as he added, "Lady Tsunade, Lord Hiruzen has also requested your return."
To Sakumo's surprise, there was no resistance or hesitation. Rinjin nodded readily.
"You didn't even need to tell us. We were already planning to head back. The mission in the Land of Grass is complete, and once we return, Team Eleven will disband."
As soon as Rinjin finished speaking, the three young members of Team Eleven—Rii, Fugaku Uchiha, and Handa—all froze momentarily before resuming their activities as if nothing had happened.
Their subtle reactions did not escape Sakumo's keen observation.
Noticing this, Sakumo's brows furrowed. He leaned closer to Rinjin and whispered, "Rinjin, I don't know what you've been teaching these kids, but you'd better find a way to deal with it. Their killing intent is too intense.
"If this continues, darkness will take root in their hearts."
Sakumo wasn't just speaking casually; he truly meant it.
As an Anbu, he had killed many people—far too many to count.
His targets included invaders from other villages as well as traitors from his own. Because of this, Sakumo was extremely sensitive to killing intent.
While the killing intent of Rii and the others paled in comparison to his own, their ages were what concerned him the most.
The oldest, Rii, was only fifteen.
The youngest, Fugaku Uchiha, was just ten years old.
Feeling Sakumo's serious gaze, Rinjin chuckled nonchalantly and slung an arm around Sakumo's shoulder, whispering, "Don't worry. I have a unique method for strengthening their resolve."
After saying this, Rinjin suddenly withdrew his arm, sat up straight, and pulled out a book with an imposing cover.
"Forbidden Love: Buddha Senju vs. Tajima Uchiha"
Seeing the bold title on the cover, Rinjin was momentarily stunned.
Dog Bro, you're truly something else. Last time, you were reading about Hashirama and Madara. Now you're onto Buddha and Tajima?
You sly dog, turns out you're a historian! What's next? Are you planning to read about Ashura and Indra too?
Sakumo, sensing something amiss in his ninja pouch, quickly turned to see the book in Rinjin's hands. His mind raced.
"Damn it, Rinjin! Why are you reading something like that?!"
With a loud exclamation, Sakumo, desperate to avoid social death, shifted the blame onto Rinjin.
The commotion immediately drew everyone's attention, and all eyes turned to the book in Rinjin's hands.
Rinjin's face twitched as he slowly turned his head, staring dumbfounded at Sakumo, who was feigning disgust.
You sneaky bastard, you're like Zhu Bajie eating a peach—you're shameless!
Without hesitation, Rinjin tossed the book to Fugaku Uchiha and declared loudly, "This is a gift from your Brother Sakumo!"
Instantly, the group's curious gazes shifted to Sakumo.
Hearing this, Sakumo's eyes darted around as he forced a smile and wrapped an arm around Rinjin's neck.
"Look at your teacher, always so considerate. He knew I didn't bring gifts, so he prepared one in advance for me."
Taken out of context, this statement might have seemed perfectly normal.
But in the current situation, it sounded... peculiar.
After all, when viewed through a certain lens, everything seemed a bit... suggestive. Especially with Sakumo affectionately draping his arm around Rinjin's shoulders and calling him considerate.
As the group's expressions grew increasingly strange, Fugaku, who had been peeking at the book, suddenly covered his eyes and let out a dramatic wail.
"What the hell is this?!
My eyes! My Sharingan is going blind!
Damn it, I just awakened my Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Hearing this, both Handa, who was also reading the book, and its original owner, Sakumo, turned bright red.
The group's suspicious gazes now focused even more on Sakumo, who had inadvertently confessed.
Seeing this, Rinjin breathed a sigh of relief and scooted away from Sakumo, feigning disdain.
Not far away, Tsunade's face had turned completely black.
Although Rinjin's involvement seemed less likely now, she couldn't tolerate the idea of him becoming... bent.
Without hesitation, Tsunade stood up and quickly moved to sit beside Rinjin, placing herself firmly between him and Sakumo.
Seeing this, Sakumo covered his face with both hands.
It was over. Social death.
Should he eliminate all witnesses? Or perhaps just commit seppuku?
Witnesses: Rinjin... probably can't beat him.
Forget it. I'll just dig a hole and bury myself.
As Sakumo contemplated his fate, a familiar dog-shaped Anbu mask landed in front of him.
Not far away, Rinjin peeked out from behind Tsunade, his face plastered with a mischievous grin as he mouthed silently.
Based on the lip movements, it seemed to say:
"As long as you don't show your face, it's not social death!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
"8 amazing fanfics available on my Patreon.
Support for 250+ advance chapters:
patreon.com/DarkGolds"
PS:"Sorry for keeping everyone waiting. I took a few days off for myself, haha. Moving forward, updates will be stable. The new book will also be launched within three days. Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend."