Kushina's cheeks burned red as she hurried ahead—though the flush was more from embarrassment than exertion. The two tiny holes on her nose were especially noticeable.
It was utterly humiliating.
She kept her head down, trailing behind Jiraiya as they pressed forward. Namikaze Minato scratched his cheek sheepishly, following Kushina. Kin brought up the rear.
They crossed vast open fields, traversed a narrow log bridge over a lake, and scaled steep mountain peaks. After three days of travel, they finally neared the border—though before reaching it, they spotted a distant village.
At the sight of the settlement, Jiraiya frowned and raised a hand signal. The group immediately took cover.
The closer they got to the border, the tenser the atmosphere grew. Even Jiraiya's usual smile had vanished.
The four of them crouched behind a large rock, observing the village in the distance. The sun had begun to set, yet no cooking smoke rose from the chimneys. Worse still—
Jiraiya's nose twitched.
They were downwind, and thanks to the heightened senses granted by his Basic Internal Energy Technique, he could detect the scent wafting from the village.
"Blood."
Something had clearly happened there. That was why Jiraiya had signaled for stealth.
No words were exchanged. Instead, he quickly relayed instructions through hand signs. This wasn't the time for the carefree antics of the village. To avoid alerting potential enemies, silence was paramount.
The three understood and nodded in acknowledgment.
Jiraiya dashed out first, his body leaning forward like an arrow loosed from a bow as he sprinted toward the village entrance. Kushina stayed behind, while Minato and Kin circled around from another direction.
Jiraiya needed to scout the village immediately. Minato and Kin would survey the perimeter, and Kushina was on standby to provide backup if a fight broke out.
Jiraiya slipped into the village without a sound. The place was eerily devoid of life, saturated only with the stench of blood and a scene straight out of hell.
The ground was slick with blood, littered with corpses and severed limbs. Through shattered doors, more bodies were visible inside homes.
Minato and Kin soon returned from their scouting, shaking their heads at Jiraiya. The surroundings were clear.
Kushina was the last to enter the village.
"What... is this!?"
Her pupils trembled at the sight of dismembered limbs and corpses cleaved apart by blades. She clapped a hand over her mouth, bolting to a corner of the village to vomit.
Though she had killed enemy ninja before, those had vanished in a single Tailed Beast Ball, leaving no visceral impact. This was her first time seeing such grotesque carnage, and her body reacted violently.
Minato's face also paled, his usual smile gone. Like Kushina, he had little combat experience—though he held himself together better.
Jiraiya's gaze flicked to Uchiha Kin, and what he saw made him inwardly uneasy.
Kin's expression remained utterly calm, his usual playful smirk intact as he used a kunai to examine a corpse's wounds.
"All injuries are from kunai, shuriken, or blades. No signs of ninjutsu."
Typical Uchiha—freaks, the lot of them.
Jiraiya suppressed a grimace. Few genin could remain so composed after witnessing such horror, let alone analyze the scene like a seasoned shinobi.
Unaware of Jiraiya's thoughts, Kin stepped into a villager's home to search. He emerged moments later.
"Most of the village's valuables were looted."
Jiraiya sighed. There was no way to identify the perpetrators. This close to the border, the culprits could be Iwa-nin, Takigakure-nin, Kusagakure-nin, or even Suna-nin scavenging for supplies. Not to mention the countless rogue ninja roaming the area.
Border villages never had it easy.
Kushina had mostly recovered, though her usual energy was dampened. Minato moved to gather the bodies, but Jiraiya stopped him.
"Wait, Minato!"
Minato paused, confused.
Jiraiya's voice was grave. "On the battlefield, never touch a corpse carelessly."
No one knew if an explosive tag lay beneath. Even Kin had only inspected the wounds without disturbing the bodies.
Minato sighed and stood.
"War is truly cruel."
"This isn't even war yet," Kin countered.
Officially, they were still in peacetime—just a period of heightened tension. Yet the death toll didn't reflect that. The ones suffering the most were always the civilians.
Most shinobi didn't see foreign civilians as people.
A faint sound.
All three turned toward the village well. Kushina followed their gaze.
From the weathered well came a subtle noise—so quiet it could've been mistaken for an insect.
Jiraiya approached, angling his kunai to reflect light into the depths. A young girl's figure came into view.
"Civilian."
Only then did he lean over the edge.
The girl was submerged up to her neck in water, her head barely above the surface. At the sight of Jiraiya, she ducked down again—only to resurface when she spotted his forehead protector.
She reached up desperately.
"Help me!"
Jiraiya's hair elongated, wrapping around the girl and lifting her out.
Drenched and shivering, she collapsed by the well's edge. The frigid well water had taken its toll.
The group gathered firewood, and a quick Fire Release jutsu ignited a blaze. As warmth spread, the girl's trembling eased.
Once she'd recovered slightly, Jiraiya spoke.
"What happened here?"
The girl looked up, her eyes wide with terror.
"Three Iwa-nin attacked. They... they killed everyone."
Her voice cracked with sobs as memories of the slaughter resurfaced.
"Why did Konoha take so long to come?"
Jiraiya could only reply heavily, "I'm sorry."
Even if Konoha shinobi had been present, protecting the village wouldn't have been a priority. Killing enemies always took precedence over saving civilians.
They were shinobi, not soldiers of the Daimyō. They didn't risk their lives for foreign villages.
"I want revenge!" The girl's tear-filled eyes reflected the flames, burning with hatred.
"If you want revenge, prepare 200,000 ryō and submit a mission request to Konoha," Kin said bluntly.
"I don't have that kind of money," the girl whispered. Her village could never have afforded such a sum.
"Then we can't help you."
The others wore sympathetic expressions but didn't contradict Kin. Harsh as it was, this was reality.
"You should—"
"We have no obligation to selflessly serve anyone in the Land of Fire. Shinobi act for payment."
Kin cut off her attempt at guilt-tripping.
"And if I deem you a hindrance to our mission..."
"I'll kill you."
His tone was devoid of malice or killing intent, yet the girl felt the fire's warmth drain away.
"Please... I'll do anything if you help me."
Kin opened his mouth to retort, but Minato and Kushina pulled him back. All eyes turned to Jiraiya.
"Sorry," he said again.
They couldn't afford to divert their mission for her.
In the firelight, the girl's face seemed to twist.
Without another word, the three departed. Their mission took priority—none of them were reckless enough to escort the girl, not even hotheaded Kushina. She understood the stakes.
Taking her to a border outpost was out of the question. Those locations were hidden, difficult even for shinobi to find. Bringing her along risked exposure—an unacceptable gamble in these tense times.
As they leaped through the trees, Kushina finally spoke, her voice uncharacteristically serious.
"That was too cruel, Uchiha Kin."
For once, she used his full name. The girl's plight had struck a chord, reminding her of her own lost clan.
"Kushina, emotional detachment is part of the Shinobi Code," Minato said, though he didn't fully agree with Kin's approach either.
"Shut up!" Kushina snapped.
The three halted.
She stared at Kin, demanding an answer. Above them, Jiraiya watched silently, refusing to intervene.
Kin rubbed his chin, his indifferent demeanor fueling Kushina's anger—but this time, she held back, waiting.
After a pause, he spoke slowly.
"Shinobi are tools. We don't need emotions or thoughts. We're the era's most tragic byproducts."
"Uzumaki Kushina... do you even deserve to be a shinobi?"
His question hung in the air.
"Shinobi aren't what you say they are!!"
"But it's the truth."
"Never!! I'll prove you wrong!!"
Kushina refused to accept his bleak worldview. To her, shinobi were more than mere tools.
Kin smiled—a hollow, almost mocking expression. Minato had never seen him look so insincere, so... malicious.
BOOM!!
Kushina's fist slammed into a tree, snapping it clean in half.
Thanks to IdleWarrior and DanganronpaFan for the support!
(End of Chapter)