"It's finally over." Uchiha Gin let out a sigh and plopped down on the ground.
This battle had cost him dearly.
Years of accumulated chakra had been reduced to less than a fifth.
It was a devastating loss.
He also realized the vast gap between himself and a Jonin. The enemy's fighting style was seamless, tactical, and unforgiving. A single misstep, without a strong enough counter, meant death.
Gin still couldn't replicate that kind of battle approach.
Such skill only came from years of experience—something no cheat code could simulate.
It was frustrating.
"Why did we run into Iwagakure ninja here?" Kushina asked, confused.
"They must have infiltrated for some mission," Gin replied, gazing at the Jonin ahead—his body charred black, motionless.
He walked forward to search the body for anything useful.
"Wait. Jiraiya-sensei said not to touch corpses lightly," Minato reminded him.
"Don't worry," Gin waved him off. "In this state, he couldn't have hidden any explosive tags, and he didn't have time to set traps."
Gin valued his life.
If there was any risk, he'd have sent a shadow clone in first.
He sliced through the Jonin's clothes with a blade. Apart from some scorched ninja tools, nothing useful turned up.
Still...
"This guy must be the ringleader you were looking for, Kushina," Gin said, prying open a pouch of scorched tools.
Once cooled, the tools would still be usable.
But Gin wasn't impressed by them.
"What?" Kushina rushed over, scrutinizing the body.
"It was them?"
She remembered the village they had passed on the way to the outpost. It had been wiped out, save for one little girl.
That incident had almost caused a major rift between the three of them.
To this day, Kushina still held resentment toward Gin.
Minato stood silently, piecing together the details.
"But where's the stuff they took?" Kushina asked, confused. Gin had said everything of value in the village had been taken.
Kushina hadn't searched the surviving girl. Neither had Minato.
Yet there had been no sign of any treasure.
"You should ask the village chief about that," Gin said with a cold smile. There was no warmth in his Sharingan.
He was a believer in fairness.
Anyone who crossed him—ninja or not—would pay the price.
Even the Hokage would be accountable when Gin became strong enough.
The village chief sat up in bed as the first light crept through the window. He hadn't slept all night.
He poured himself a cup of tea, just as a voice cut through the silence.
"Still in the mood for tea?"
Startled, he spat the tea out and scrambled to light the oil lamp.
It illuminated three unexpected guests in his room.
Gin stood at the doorway, arms crossed. Kushina hung upside down from the rafters. Minato blocked the window, cutting off escape.
"What brings three esteemed ninja to my humble home at this hour?" the chief asked with a strained smile.
But seeing their cold, expressionless faces, his smile quickly faded.
They were clearly not here for a friendly chat.
"If it's money you want, our village isn't rich, but we'll give everything we have," he stammered.
His shaking eyes resembled a civilian being extorted by ninja.
"Still pretending?" Gin scoffed.
Even Kushina almost believed the act. Only Minato and Gin remained unmoved.
Kushina was easy to sway if someone seemed pitiful enough.
But Minato never lost focus during critical moments.
"You leaked our whereabouts to Iwagakure, didn't you?" Gin accused flatly.
"You're wrong, sir! I know nothing!" the chief cried, falling to his knees and banging his head on the ground.
"I've never even seen an Iwagakure ninja!"
Gin squatted in front of him and spoke slowly.
"From the beginning, I found it odd. Why does your village still exist in such a strategic location?"
"Because—"
"Spare me the excuses," Gin interrupted.
"Ninja don't care about civilians. You should know that."
In the wars of the ninja world, civilians always suffered the most. That was an undeniable truth.
Back in the Warring States era, ninja were few, yet they caused as many civilian deaths as they themselves suffered.
That fact hadn't changed.
Ninja fights never accounted for civilian casualties.
"A village surviving here must offer something. Since you can't offer jutsu or wealth, that leaves intelligence."
"Of the Five Great Villages, Konoha is the most lenient with its own. Normally, they won't drive out or slaughter Fire Country citizens, which gave you a foundation to stay."
"But other villages—like Takigakure, Kusagakure, even Iwagakure—wouldn't ignore such an opportunity."
Control of this area meant a strategic advantage. Sure, they feared Konoha's retaliation, but it was better than letting another village take the lead.
"There's only one way to make those villages spare you."
Gin's face darkened.
"You leaked Konoha ninja intel."
"You tried to cozy up to us to gather intel, then sold it to other villages."
"Those 'rogue ninjas' you mentioned? They were just people offering too low a price. You used Konoha's investigation interest as a threat to drive up their offers."
As Gin laid it all out, Kushina connected the dots.
"The Iwagakure ninja attacked those other villages because they didn't bring enough money! So they looted nearby villages!"
"Then, once they had enough, you handed our location to them," Minato added.
What else was traded, they couldn't know.
But this village had openly sold Konoha intel.
And sacrificed other nearby villages to do it.
Realizing they were caught, the chief gave in.
"We just wanted to live! What's wrong with that?!" he roared.
"This is our home! Why can you ninja destroy it at will? If you can destroy our home, why can't we use you to ensure our survival?!"
Gin had no rebuttal.
Relocating wasn't an option.
The Daimyo had issued a decree called the Land Steward Law: civilians were to protect Fire Country land and could not move without permission.
Originally meant to restrain ninja, it failed to do so—and ended up binding civilians to a fate of sacrifice.
"But you let Iwagakure attack other villages!" Kushina snapped, still haunted by the memory.
"We only wanted to live," the chief repeated, guilt apparent.
"Too bad. You won't be living much longer," Gin said, shaking his head.
Though part of him wanted revenge, he knew these people were also desperate.
He wouldn't hold a grudge against the dead.
"What do you mean?" the chief asked, face twisted in fear.
"You think selling out Konoha comes without a price?"
Gin looked at Minato and Kushina, whose faces were grim. They understood what was coming.
"Spare the others! Take me instead!" the chief cried, reaching for Gin.
Gin kicked him into the wall.
"You can't shoulder it all."
Gin opened the door.
"By now, they've arrived."
Before coming to the village, Minato had sent word back to Konoha using reverse summoning.
The sun peeked over the mountains.
Light glinted on the forest edge.
Green-vested Konoha ninja stood atop branches, looking down at the village.
A woman with facial markings crouched on a black wolf, licking her dark fingernails.
"No survivors."
"Kill them all."
The slaughter began.
At the newly established Konoha outpost, hidden deep in the forest...
Gin sat in a task tent, laying out scrolls.
"Gin, what are you doing?" Minato asked, puzzled.
"Redeeming battle merit, obviously."
Gin handed the scrolls to a clerk, who looked stunned. There weren't many scrolls, but each contained a new jutsu.
This was the front line, not a research lab.
"Can we redeem points here?" Gin asked curiously.
"Yes, but we need to send them back to the village for evaluation first," the clerk replied awkwardly. He had seen many exchange heads for merit, but never new jutsu. Still, the village did allow it.
It was absurd.
Minato looked stunned too. So many jutsu... even he was tempted.
"These are useless to me," Gin said. "If you want to learn any, I have a catalog you can choose from."
He planned to trade them for supplies.
And maybe get reassigned to the rear as a research genius.
It was a win-win-win.
Though getting sent back might be tough.
"How's Kushina doing?"
"She hasn't recovered. Even with her promotion to Chunin, she isn't in the mood."
Gin sighed.
That night had shaken her deeply.
But thanks to defeating the Jonin, all three had been promoted to Chunin.
[From "Working Man in Douluo"]
Fans of Douluo should check it out.
Also...
This marks the end of Volume 1.
In Volume 2, the protagonist won't appear much.
It focuses on powerful characters shaped by his jutsu.
Volume 3 will be his true era.
Look forward to it!