"You're right, but that's no excuse for striking at civilians."
Tobitake Tonbo's kick slammed into Hiyama Daisuke's shoulder, snapping his scapula clean in half.
"This guy slipped past the corpse-transport unit's inspection and then used his strength to lead mountain bandits into wreaking havoc. He knew that using ninjutsu to kill would draw the attention of Konoha shinobi, so he only struck when large merchant caravans passed through—specifically targeting their guards."
"That's why there were no signs of ninja involvement in the traces we found."
The Will of Fire was the core of Konoha's values, and no Konoha shinobi could allow someone to speak ill of it.
"Idiot. Even if you burn the corpses to ashes with fire, Konoha's autopsy unit can still find traces of Fire Release on the remains."
Neither Shimon nor Tobitake Tonbo paid any attention to Hiyama Daisuke's pitiful wails on the ground. Like Tonbo, Shimon would never allow the Will of Fire to be slandered.
So that's why—he had been promoted to jōnin during the war. No wonder his fighting strength felt no different from a chūnin's.
Takeshi recalled the man's performance just now. At best, it was only at the level of a special jōnin.
What Hiyama Daisuke said wasn't entirely wrong—his promotion to jōnin was only to turn him into cannon fodder.
The resources needed to cultivate a civilian shinobi were completely different from those needed for clan heirs.
With their bloodlines, the children of shinobi clans could achieve massive power with only the village's minimal investment.
Civilians, on the other hand, had no kekkei genkai, no vast chakra reserves. No matter how much was invested, the best they could reach was a special jōnin level—exceptional in one area, but with glaring shortcomings in others.
Everyone knew this privately, but shouting it aloud like Daisuke did? That was bound to terrify Tonbo and Shimon.
After all, both Takeshi of the Shimura clan and Akimichi Shitō were exactly what Daisuke had called "beneficiaries"—born of shinobi clans.
At this moment, though Tonbo and Shimon disliked each other, they had no choice but to stand united, proving through action that they were loyal followers of the Will of Fire.
"Based on his memories, there should be about fifty bandits stationed here. Should we wipe them out completely?"
Seeing that Takeshi hadn't commented on his actions, Tonbo stopped pretending to be casual, clenched his fists, and nervously asked his opinion.
"Fifty or so? Oh, I already cleaned them up."
Takeshi counted off on his fingers, recalling the enemies he'd taken down. His light remark left the others completely speechless.
Weren't we supposed to be gathering intelligence? How the hell did you end up massacring the entire place?!
Shimon swallowed, then cautiously asked, "Since that's the case, what should we do with Hiyama Daisuke?"
"What should we do?" Takeshi glanced at Akimichi Shitō, who immediately looked away, refusing to comment.
He vaguely remembered this being explained when he was promoted to jōnin: if you encounter a missing-nin or wanted criminal during a mission...
"The leading jōnin decides, based on the mission rank."
Their current task—searching for Uchiha—was an S-rank mission. And this missing-nin, though nominally a jōnin, was at best A-rank.
Takeshi's expression said everything.
Tonbo pulled a sealing scroll marked with the kanji for "corpse" from one of his pouches.
...
In Amegakure.
"Hallo~"
A White Zetsu popped up from the ground, waving energetically at Uchiha Yōwan.
"Spit it out."
Yōwan shot him a sidelong glance, his tone cold. Beneath the mask, his face carried nothing but bitterness and resentment.
"Konoha has sent out several teams led by jōnin, supposedly searching for you~"
Zetsu's sickly sweet tone didn't change, even against Yōwan's frosty reception.
"Any headed for Amegakure?"
At Yōwan's side, Setsuna sat cross-legged on the ground, propping his head up with one hand. His voice was full of anticipation.
"Of course. Seems they're pretty strong, too—two of them are jōnin, two of them~"
Zetsu came closer, holding up two fingers.
"Akimichi Dōtō and Inuzuka Gaku. Both of them were teammates of the 'Yellow Flash'~"
Inuzuka Gaku.
Akimichi Dōtō.
"I told you—you've been making too much noise lately. See? Now you've drawn Konoha shinobi straight to us."
Setsuna scolded Yōwan like an elder lecturing a wayward junior.
Yōwan ignored him, treating his words like the annoying barking of some mutt at his heels.
These past few years, he'd been busy unifying Amegakure.
After three years, every splinter faction within Amegakure had been crushed. Even Nagato's Akatsuki had been forced to retreat into the Land of Fire, no longer daring to confront Amegakure head-on.
"The so-called rising sun still can't outshine the dawn brought by the Uchiha."
Yōwan muttered under his breath.
"Leader, shall I go?"
The speaker had a handsome face and bright red hair—the very same Sasori of the Red Sand who once failed to assassinate Hatake Sakumo.
Three years ago, after failing to kill Sakumo, Sasori ran into Yōwan while fleeing. They clashed briefly, but as expected, Sasori was defeated and forced to follow him into Amegakure.
Over the years, in pursuit of his ideals, Yōwan had founded an organization of his own.
"No. Stick to the original plan. Go to the Land of Tea and complete the commission. Whether it's Amegakure or our organization, both need large sums of money to survive."
Yōwan rejected Sasori's offer and turned toward Setsuna, who was still rambling on. "That squad's yours. No problem, right?"
"Hmph. It's about time I expanded my army anyway."
Setsuna snorted coldly, standing up.
"Konoha sent so many jōnin out—its defenses must be thin. I'll use this chance to visit my clan."
With that, Yōwan leapt out the window.
"I heard Sakumo is holding over twenty Uchiha captive. If that's true, then their eyes will serve as the perfect nourishment for the Eye of the Moon Plan!"
White Zetsu was about to sink underground and follow Yōwan when he suddenly remembered something. He twisted around toward Sasori.
"Oh, and—be careful, Sasori. A Konoha squad is also on its way to the Land of Tea."
"Even better. I just hope they're strong enough. If not, they're not even worthy of being added to my collection. Puppets, move out."
"Yes, Sasori-sama."
A burly figure followed Sasori as they departed.
Seeing his warning dismissed, Zetsu gave up and burrowed into the earth.
He had wanted to tell Sasori that the one leading the squad was none other than the White Reaper, Shimura Takeshi. But judging from Sasori's attitude, even if he said it, the man probably wouldn't care.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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