Hoshiyomi slowly stood up, rolling his slightly sore shoulders.
Even though dropping from a height of twenty meters wouldn't impair his combat ability, it still left his arms aching.
As he looked at the few surviving Iwa jonin who were barely clinging to life amid the cracked ground, Hoshiyomi showed no mercy.
One slash per person, clean and efficient—he helped them escape their suffering early.
Stepping out of the crater he had created, Hoshiyomi casually sliced through the remaining earth spears, clearing a safe path for his team.
With the others watching him in awe, he calmly returned to their side.
"They're all dead…"
"I didn't know Hoshiyomi-sama was this strong. He's way beyond what I imagined for an elite jonin."
"Next time someone says Hoshiyomi-sama's reputation is just hype, I'll smash their teeth in."
If anyone in the transport team had doubts about Hoshiyomi's strength before,
now they were completely convinced.
Hoshiyomi found their reactions amusing but kept his expression serious.
He decided to seize the moment—to cement his leadership in their minds.
With a stern face, he said:
"This is the battlefield.
In the days to come, all of you will encounter situations like this again.
Always stay alert."
"Understood!" the team answered, full of spirit.
In their hearts, Hoshiyomi's image rose even higher.
Seeing that his lesson had landed, Hoshiyomi nodded in satisfaction, allowing himself the faintest smile.
"Clean up the battlefield. Check if there's any valuable intel left behind.
Once that's done, rotate rest shifts. It's getting late."
Meanwhile—
At the frontline outpost of the defensive line.
Shinku had just finished inspecting a checkpoint with his patrol squad.
After confirming there were no issues, he gave some words of encouragement to the stationed soldiers and prepared to leave.
But before he could go, a figure blocked his path.
"Shinku, nephew. It's getting late. You haven't had dinner yet, right?
Why not join me here at the outpost for a meal?
We managed to catch a nice bit of game during a mission today."
Shinku turned and saw the man—it was Shimura Danzo.
At this point in time, Danzo hadn't yet done anything too sinister.
Even though Hoshiyomi had warned Shinku that Danzo was not someone to trust, Shinku still didn't fully understand what made Danzo so dangerous.
To him, Danzo was just an elder with slightly radical views.
Given Danzo's role as supreme commander of the defensive front, Shinku obediently nodded and agreed to stay for dinner.
At the dinner table, Danzo was unusually warm and friendly.
At first, Shinku thought maybe Hoshiyomi had misunderstood Danzo.
Maybe he was just a senior who liked to look after the younger generation.
But as the meal went on, Danzo couldn't fully hide his ambition.
Gradually, his tone shifted—he began subtly trying to recruit Shinku into his faction.
Shinku frowned inwardly.
So this is why Hoshiyomi dislikes him…
He understood Hoshiyomi well.
They were both the type who valued freedom and despised being manipulated.
Naturally, they wouldn't feel comfortable around someone like Danzo who was always pulling people into his orbit.
With this in mind, Shinku pretended not to understand, changing the subject:
"By the way, Danzo-sama, since you've been out on missions, perhaps you didn't hear that Hoshiyomi brought in the first batch of supplies?"
For just a moment, Danzo's expression stiffened.
But Shinku assumed it was just because Hoshiyomi had insulted him before, so he didn't think much of it.
As the atmosphere at the table grew awkward, a red hair Uzumaki Clan shinobi rushed in, panting heavily:
"Shinku-sama! Urgent news!"
Shinku recognized him—it was Uzumaki Taiga, a newly promoted Special Jonin from the Uzumaki Clan.
What made Taiga stand out was his rare Kagura Mind's Eye, a unique sensory ability passed down through the Uzumaki bloodline.
When using Kagura Mind's Eye, he could sense the "chakra signatures" of individuals at a level that even surpassed the Byakugan.
Because of this ability, Shinku had specifically recruited and promoted him when forming his patrol team.
After some time working together, the two had developed a strong superior-subordinate relationship.
Shinku remained calm.
"Don't rush. Catch your breath and tell me what's going on."
Taiga swallowed hard before continuing:
"While I was patrolling, I sensed a battle erupt in the distance.
It's likely Hoshiyomi-sama's transport team encountered an enemy force.
The distance was too far for me to detect precise chakra counts, but just by raw chakra presence, the enemy definitely outnumbers the transport team.
Shinku-sama, you need to send reinforcements immediately."
The moment he heard this, Shinku leapt to his feet, accidentally knocking over his cup without even noticing.
In his urgency, he failed to see the flicker of excitement in Danzo's eyes.
Without hesitation, Shinku ordered:
"Gather the squad!
We're going to reinforce Hoshiyomi!"
But before he could leave, Danzo's voice came from behind:
"There's no need to worry, Shinku.
I've heard about Hoshiyomi's transport team. They have a Hyūga, an Inuzuka, excellent sensory capabilities.
With ninja like that on the team, they'll surely avoid conflict."
Shinku shot him a glance, his tone sharp:
"Better safe than sorry.
I'm going to check anyway."
He trusted Hoshiyomi's strength, of course. But this was war—anything could happen.
Besides, Taiga had already said the enemy chakra signatures far exceeded those of Hoshiyomi's squad.
Right now, the outpost was secure and quiet.
Naturally, Shinku wasn't going to sit idle.
But Danzo spoke again, his tone cool:
"Think carefully, Shinku.
If you take your patrol squad away, and the outpost gets ambushed, then what?"
Now Shinku was genuinely angry.
Was Danzo seriously trying to leave Hoshiyomi to die just because they'd had a personal conflict?
So petty.
No wonder Hoshiyomi disliked this man.
Shinku's opinion of Danzo dropped another notch.
Coldly, he replied:
"We already scanned the perimeter during patrol. There's no enemy activity nearby.
And besides, if the outpost falls, we can retake it later.
But if something happens to Hoshiyomi, that's a true strategic loss."
Danzo heard the tone shift and knew if he pushed any further, he'd risk turning Shinku into an enemy.
But his main goal—to stall for time—was already accomplished.
Rather than continue playing the villain, it was better to play the role of the helpful elder, maybe even earn a bit of goodwill for later.
As for whether Hoshiyomi lived or died?
That would depend on his luck.
There'd be plenty of chances to get rid of him later.
Danzo wasn't in a rush.
He wanted Hoshiyomi gone—but he didn't want Konoha to suffer unnecessary losses in the process.
Putting on a helpless expression, Danzo sighed:
"Very well. Since it's come to this, I'll go with you.
We'll move quickly, check the situation, and return immediately to ensure the outpost remains secure."
Hearing this, Shinku's expression finally softened.
Maybe I was reading too much into it? Maybe Danzo really is just concerned about the outpost…
But this wasn't the time to dwell on it.
The priority now was reinforcing Hoshiyomi.
(Author's Note: I feel like the portrayal here might be a bit forced, but the more I think about it, the more it seems fine, so I'm not going to revise it.)