Hours later, far from the village, on an isolated mountain that had been converted into an improvised interrogation room, Ren watched alone with detached irritation as their target, Ketsubaku, drifted back into consciousness with a pained groan, muffled by a fabric gag.
The man was laid out on a stone platform shaped by Hayama, chains connected to metal pins embedded in the floor keeping his limbs spread wide and completely immobile. He had been almost stripped bare, ensuring there were no more hidden surprises tucked away in his clothes.
Special manacles had been fitted around his hands, designed so that those bound with it couldn't move their fingers enough to form hand seals. Thick, hollow senbon were driven into pressure points all across his body, each one delivering a steady, controlled dose of poison – just enough to keep his mind muddy and his muscles weak, making it difficult to properly mold chakra.
On his forehead, a single dot of scarlet flame burned – bright, steady, and utterly without heat.
As the man's yellow eyes fluttered open, unfocused and sluggish as they caught on the flickering candlelight nearby, Ren felt his irritation spike.
"You have no idea how pissed off I am right now," he said, lifting his hand into the Seal of Confrontation and activating the Hazy Radiant Flames.
Ketsubaku's body seized as if struck by lightning, his muscles locking for a heartbeat as his mind struggled to process the new sensation. Then his eyes flew wide, and he began to thrash against his restraints, a muffled scream echoing harshly through the stone walls of the cave.
Ren stopped the technique.
The man continued thrashing for a few seconds longer, as though his mind couldn't quite grasp that the pain had vanished. When it finally did, he was left gulping in deep, desperate breaths, whimpering as his thoughts – now dangerously close to clarity – focused on the red-eyed boy standing beside him.
"I mean," Ren began, flipping a hand casually, "you fucked up my first mission, y'know? Well – technically not the first, but really, despite what Hayama-sensei says, D-Ranks don't really count in the same way a C-Rank does."
The man made a sound – perhaps agreement, perhaps confusion, or maybe just discomfort at his situation.
Ren glared at him and raised his hand into a seal again.
The screaming came back instantly, slobber, tears, and snot running freely down Ketsubaku's face as he was subjected once more to the sensation of being boiled alive.
This time, a few seconds passed before Ren released the illusion. He waited a couple more, watching to see if the bound man would try to make any further sounds, before letting out a short huff and continuing.
"As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me – you fucked up my first mission. I would've been okay with it if it had been a boring one. A mission is a mission, right? As long as it's on my record, it's a step closer to promotion." He shrugged, then tilted his head slightly. "I'd have been okay if it was a hard one, too. I don't really like danger, but I haven't been training my ass off since I was a baby just to laze away. But what I really wanted – what we wanted, actually – was a heroic mission. You know the type, I'm sure. The kind of history you feel proud telling your kids about. The kind you can use to get free drinks at any bar. The kind the Village commissions books about… and we got it! I mean, a village of innocent peasants enslaved by a big bad bandit, and a group of brave genin sent to save them? Fucking perfect. You don't get more heroic than that."
He smiled – then the expression hardened into a scowl.
Grabbing one of the senbon embedded in the man's leg, Ren twisted it as he dug it deeper. "But you just had-" twist, "-to fuck-" twist, "-it up!"
Ketsubaku sobbed, coughing violently behind the drenched cloth gag.
Ren let out a groan, releasing the needle and sinking back into his chair, reclining with his head tipped upward as he stared at the ceiling. "The worst thing is, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten this mad normally. Sure, some people died, but two out of five were bandits, and just three real casualties in a mission where we were dealing with, what – two hundred hostages? More?" he said frankly. "Those are good numbers! It was a fucking miracle that Yohei – that's the guy who made you shit your pants, by the way – managed to get you to give up like a bitch. I was sure you were going to make everyone go splash for a moment there. Props to him."
He let out a sigh. "And there's the problem. Yohei. Honestly, he was the one who was happiest about this mission. You wouldn't believe how much he bitches about morality and shit. He and sensei keep going on these philosophical tangents that just…" Ren threw his arms up. "I mean, we're ninja! We do what we're told to do, we kill who we're told to kill, we steal what we're told to steal. It's not hard! If you have a problem with that, why did you even become a ninja? It's not like anyone forced you! Urgh."
He dragged a hand down his face, then paused, staring at it – the memory of seeing it slick with blood flashing through his mind.
He blew a raspberry.
"The point is – he cares. Souma too, to a certain extent. And I care that they care, or something like that. And now those people in the village who were supposed to be looking at us like we were the best thing ever since the Sage are looking at him like he's a demon or something. I mean, really? Yohei? Sure, he looks ugly, but I once saw him cry because he found a bird with a broken wing. He's not a demon." Ren said it as if the very idea were ridiculous, then let out an irritated sound. "But he's a dumbass, so I give it fifty-fifty odds that he'll somehow convince himself this is his fault and get all mopey and depressed. And then Souma will be all mopey and depressed because those two share the same brain cell, and then Hayama-sensei will be all mopey and depressed because he'll blame himself for the situation, and then I'm going to be annoyed as hell because-"
He stopped himself, staring blankly at the wall. Then he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"I'm sorry, I'm rambling," he said with a chuckle, then paused. "Actually, no, I'm not sorry. I'm not very good at this, am I?" He sighed. "I swear it's not my fault – that bitch was supposed to teach me Torture and Interrogation, but we only ever get to torture…"
Ren blinked, then snapped his fingers. "Right. I've got a job to do."
He looked at Ketsubaku, who was staring back at him in terror, doing his best to make as little noise as possible. Standing up, Ren approached, and the man's breathing immediately quickened.
"Oh, stop being a pussy," Ren scolded, pulling the gag free and stepping back.
He stared at the man in silence, letting the quiet stretch. Ren smirked when he noticed that, despite finally being able to speak, Ketsubaku wasn't saying anything – just staring back at him with wide, terrified eyes, throat bobbing as he swallowed.
Ren snorted softly. "Right. So, as you can imagine, we need to understand what's really going on in this mission. Let's start with the basics, okay?" His tone was almost conversational as he leaned slightly forward. "Tell me your name, your age, your rank, your identification, and why the fuck you are here, you fucking cockroach."
The man sniffled wetly, chest hitching as he tried to steady his breathing. He coughed, then dragged his tongue over his cracked lips before forcing out the words. "I'm – AARRRGGGHH-!"
He was cut off mid-syllable as Ren lifted his hand into a seal and activated the genjutsu again.
"Don't lie," the boy said dryly.
He dropped the technique.
"I – I'm not – AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHRHG-!"
The pattern repeated itself over and over. Ren would stop the technique to let the man speak. Ketsubaku would struggle to pull himself together, gasping, shaking, trying to focus. Ren would ask a question. The man would start to answer – and then the genjutsu would slam back into him.
Minutes dragged by like this.
"I CAN'T! I CAN'T TALK IF YOU KEEP DOING THIS! I'M NOT LYING, I SWEAR! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE–!"
"I know," Ren said flatly.
"T – then why?" Ketsubaku begged, voice breaking, eyes glossy with desperation.
Ren paused. He didn't answer right away, taking his time instead. He tilted his head, gaze drifting up toward the cave ceiling, arms crossing loosely over his chest as one hand came up to rest against his chin, as though he were genuinely considering the question.
"Because…" he drawled thoughtfully, "…your voice is annoying."
The man boggled at him, staring in open disbelief.
"What?" Ren asked, a flicker of amusement creeping into his expression. "Did you expect a complex reason? I'm a kid, you know? A brat, as you put it yesterday." He shrugged slightly. "Besides, I told you already – the woman my sensei asked to teach me those things never taught me the interrogation part. Only the torture. I figure if I keep doing it long enough, once it stops being amusing, you'll probably answer what I want you to answer." He paused, glancing off to the side. "Then again, maybe you won't. And then I'll have to hand you over to her so she can take the information out of you. Honestly? I wouldn't recommend it. She was Orochimaru's apprentice. You have no idea the kind of freaky shit she knows."
"But I'll tell you right now!" the man blurted out, panic flooding his voice. "I promise you, I'm not lying! You don't need to do this – I'll tell you everything you want! I'll teach you all my techniques, tell every Iwa secret I know, I swear!"
Ren hummed quietly, eyes narrowing as he studied the man's face – every tremor, every twitch, every raw edge of fear laid bare.
Then he clicked his tongue.
"You know, I believe you. I do," he said honestly, and the man's face lit up with fragile, desperate hope. "But I'm still pissed."
"No no no no no no no no-" Ketsubaku pleaded as Ren raised his hand into the Confrontation Seal. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH–!"
-~=~-
'Kami, I wish that really had been a cancer ray.'
That was what ran through Yohei's mind as he walked down the steps toward the underground floor beneath one of the village's houses. He dragged a hand along the wall as he descended, fingers gliding over stone that was unnaturally smooth, too perfect to be natural.
'Definitely made with Earth Release,' Yohei thought with a scowl. 'The bastard went through all this trouble just so the people he enslaved wouldn't even have houses?'
When he reached the last step, he stopped and took in the room.
It was, in essence, a solid stone chamber, lit only by the faint spill of light filtering down from the floor above. The space was so small that, were he to stand at its center with his arms spread, there would be barely any distance left between his fingertips and the walls. The ceiling rose only about two heads higher than he did, giving the whole place a cramped, oppressive feel.
Set into two of the walls were three rectangular holes arranged horizontally, one above the other. Thin pieces of fabric and sacks stuffed with hay marked them unmistakably as beds.
'This is insane,' he thought with an incredulous scoff, eyes widening slightly. 'That's, like… cartoonishly evil. This can't be real.'
But it was. He knew it was.
From what little he had been able to gather from the liberated villagers – when they weren't running from him in fear, at least – there was a room like this beneath every house. The trapdoor leading to it was always hidden in the corner of some room. Ketsubaku had made them to "remind them that they were vermin," to ensure they wouldn't congregate and plan escapes, and to keep them all out of sight should anyone ever stumble upon the village somehow – which, apparently, had happened more than once, to no effect.
Yohei imagined himself in their place. Living like this. Branded like cattle. Knowing that no matter what, there was nothing he could do – because a man could kill him, or anyone he knew and loved, with a single gesture.
…He wasn't proud to admit that he wasn't sure he would have been able to endure it. There were few things that made him feel worse than the sensation of being stuck. It was already bad enough when it came from social situations – but a literal one? That was an agony he could scarcely imagine, and didn't want to.
Letting out a slow sigh, he stood still for a moment and focused, allowing himself to sort through the sounds around him with the help of the Thousand Sound Perception technique. Only once he was satisfied that there were no signs of anyone nearby did he relax.
He sat down on the stone floor, bit into his thumb, and – for the first time in a while – summoned his greatest tool in this world.
Puff.
As the white smoke dispersed, Yohei found himself staring at the familiar form of the Chaos Scroll, his own reflection staring back at him from the golden trim of the mysterious artifact. Drawing in a deep breath, Yohei undid the latch and rolled it open, blinking in confusion when he was greeted not by a single fuinjutsu seal, as he had expected, but three.
'Two Silver ones, and a single Bronze,' Yohei mused with pursed lips. 'What did I even – ah, forget it. I'm not in the mood to think about this. Better to just see what I got.'
Deciding so, he quickly activated the three seals in succession, watching as the Chaos Scroll poofed itself out of existence. In its place, two gray scrolls and a single green one dropped onto the stone floor. The sight made Yohei's eyebrows lift.
'Huh. Didn't expect that,' he thought with mild surprise.
[絶望妖気 – Zetsubō Yōki – Aura of Despair]
|D-Rank Genjutsu|
This Genjutsu allows you to emit an aura of despair that makes people feel a sense of unease and fear toward you. Weaker-willed targets will be overcome with unbearable fear and panic.
Yohei stared at the scroll for a long moment.
'Really?' he asked himself, eyes tracing the evenly painted characters on the paper. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, though he couldn't quite stop a tired chuckle from escaping him. 'I suppose that would've made yesterday easier… It's just an all-around good technique, too.'
He set the scroll aside, brought his hands together, and went through the hand seals for the technique.
Immediately, he felt his chakra begin to mold in a strange way. It wasn't fluid like Water chakra, nor was it potent and energizing like Yang chakra – though the process was faintly similar. Instead, his vision blurred slightly, a faint haze creeping in as his chakra behaved in a way that felt clumsy and unnatural, like trying to write with his left foot.
'Yin Release, huh?' he thought as the jutsu collapsed, breaking apart under his lack of control. 'I guess that's another benefit of getting this technique. I doubt I could learn to mold it properly without a few years of dedicated training.'
Still, this wasn't the time or place to study and practice. He rolled the scroll closed again and tucked it into his bag, then shifted his attention to the nex
'Let's finish the lower-ranked ones first,' he decided, picking up the other gray scroll.
[爬族親和 – Hazoku Shinwa – Reptilian Affinity]
|D-Rank Bloodline Limit|
You have an inborn affinity with lizards, reptiles, and creatures aligned with them, making it easier to earn their affection and favor, and to form relationships with them. Thanks to your connection to those creatures, the effects of natural and chakra-based healing and regeneration are improved on your body.
'Another Bloodline,' he thought in surprise, eyes widening slightly. 'And not a weird one, either. This is just… straight-up amazing. He paused. No idea what I'll do with the increased affinity for reptiles – I definitely don't want to be Orochimaru's friend – but the improved healing is freaking wonderful.'
Unfortunately, he had no idea what the transformation process for this one would entail, and he found himself shivering faintly at the thought. The only thing he knew for certain was that he couldn't risk leaving behind any traces of it here, which meant it would have to wait.
He slipped the scroll into his bag without activating it – keeping track of a large roll of paper was far easier than a single, tiny candy – and finally turned his attention to the third and last one.
The last time he'd received a C-Rank reward, it had been the Water Breathing Style, one of – if not the – most powerful techniques in his arsenal, even if he hadn't yet had many chances to use it. That memory left him eager to see what awaited him now.
'Well,' he thought, 'let's see what you have in store for me.'
[打震 – Dashin – Hitting Quake]
|C-Rank Manual|
The Dashin is a Taijutsu technique that consists of a body tap which causes an explosion of shock waves throughout an opponent's body. Dashin exploits the fact that the adult human body is composed of roughly fifty to sixty-five percent water, generating a massive shock wave through that water and paralyzing the opponent. Because the shock wave propagates through the entire body, it can cause severe internal damage.
Yohei had been on the verge of disappointment when he saw that it was a manual. He'd half-expected his streak of – not necessarily bad, but definitely not extremely useful – rewards from that category to continue.
But this?
This was actually great.
The technique sounded strikingly similar to how his sensei had once described the fighting style of the Kirigakure missing-nin he'd faced in the past. The key difference was that, instead of relying on Water Release, this was a purely Taijutsu-based method.
'Is "style" even the right word for it?' he wondered thoughtfully. 'It's more like a single, adaptable technique-'
As he debated the semantics in his head, realization struck – and it made him curse under his breath.
This was an internal martial art. One designed specifically to damage organs and soft tissues.
Yohei shuddered at the mere thought of Gōdō's reaction if he ever found out Yohei had learned something like this.
'He'd probably beat me to within an inch of my life to "prove the superiority of the Strong Fist" or something like that,' Yohei thought with a wince. Then a scowl crept onto his face. 'Actually, he already does that shit on the regular. What's he going to do – beat me more? Ha! Good luck doing that without killing me.'
…
'Oh, fuck. He would kill me.'
-~=~-
Once he finished reviewing the manual scroll and stored it away in his bag, Yohei left behind the nightmarish space beneath the house and made his way back outside. The scene on the village's main street hadn't changed much from when he'd left.
The members of the Kōsei Band were kneeling on the ground, arms and legs securely bound with rope. Any weapons they might have carried – hidden or otherwise – had been carefully confiscated. Every single one of the men was present, apparently recalled from patrols or other tasks once Shizuka-san had managed to escape.
Some of the women, however, had been spared.
That decision had come at the villagers' request. Those women were either former slaves who had been brought from outside, or people whose own families had pushed them into those roles. They were kept away from the scene, sheltered inside one of the houses at the edge of the village along with their children – and the children of other band members.
Yohei still had no idea what was going to happen to them.
He pushed the thought aside and turned his attention to Souma. The boy was moving methodically from one bound criminal to the next, notepad and pen in hand, carefully recording their answers. It was all destined for their report – to the Hokage, and to whatever passed for local authorities out here in the boonies.
The questions were basic and repetitive. Names. Places of origin. When they'd joined the band. Why. What crimes they themselves had committed. What crimes the others – and especially their leader – had been involved in.
Watching the process, Yohei briefly considered suggesting that for every crime they reported about one of their companions, their own sentence would be reduced.
The reason he didn't go through with it wasn't because it was illegal, or because it was a lie, or anything like that. It was simply that he knew if he did, he'd have to step in to break up the fighting that would inevitably erupt.
And then heads would roll – or, more accurately, explode.
…
'Ha. Ha. Fucking hilarious,' he thought dryly, dragging a hand down his face as he tore his attention away from the criminals.
Nearby, watching the whole scene unfold, were the liberated villagers – or liberated civilians, more accurately. Apparently, enslaving an entire village hadn't been enough for Ketsubaku; he'd gone the extra mile and involved himself in the slave trade as well. Only a little over half of the people gathered here were originally from Nagori. The rest had been bought or kidnapped to replace those who had died, or to supply a skill that was needed – like Tetsuo, the old man missing an arm, who had been the mind behind the construction of the house at the back of the village.
They were all united in their hatred of the Kōsei Band, however. Those who weren't taking advantage of the chance to enjoy their first proper meals, baths, clean clothes, and uninterrupted sleep in years were instead gathered in front of the houses. They stood there glaring murderously at the figures kneeling on the dirt, their rage finally bubbling to the surface now that they had time to process the fact that they were free – and that there was nothing left to fear.
'Well. Almost nothing,' Yohei noted with a grimace as he caught sight of the markings on the skin of some of them. Neither he, nor Souma, nor Hayama knew enough to say whether those seals could even be removed, if they were as sensitive as they had been made to believe. Ren was their best hope of unraveling them quickly – of not having to leave these people behind with literal bombs embedded in their bodies while Konoha sent someone with the proper expertise.
Right now, he was hopefully extracting the secrets behind them from their prisoner.
When the villagers noticed him watching them, their expressions shifted. The naked hatred softened, reshaped into something that made Yohei's heart lurch. Some of them held gratitude in their eyes. Others awe. Many still burned with anger.
But all of them looked at him with fear.
He hadn't known what it felt like to be looked at that way until yesterday.
He hated it.
Still, he couldn't blame them.
Even setting aside the fact that he could kill every single one of them without laying a hand on them. Even if they understood that everything he'd done the previous night had been meant to save them –
He had threatened the life of the man whose death would have meant their deaths as well. And the deaths of their parents. Their brothers and sisters. Their friends. Their children.
…He had quite literally gambled with the lives of infants and unborn children.
The thought of what might have happened if Ketsubaku had reacted differently to his bluff was enough to make acid rise in his throat.
'This is so fucked up,' he thought, turning his face away so they wouldn't see his grimace.
The last time he'd shown even a hint of emotion – glaring at the criminals – one of the men had mistaken it as being directed at him and had thrown himself to the ground, begging for forgiveness.
Yohei turned his back on the scene and decided to head back inside one of the houses. Maybe he could find some ingredients, cook a decent breakfast, and keep himself occupied.
He stopped short, however, when he became aware of a set of light footsteps approaching from behind.
Turning, he was greeted by the sight of a girl staring at him in surprise. It took him a few moments to recognize her as the same girl Ketsubaku had lifted by the hair the night before – the one who was supposedly the entire reason behind their mission.
She looked… a lot better today.
Even then, he'd already noticed that she appeared cleaner than most of the other slaves. Less emaciated. She'd been wearing actual clothes instead of rags, even if they were simple and lacked the red and yellow colors that marked members of the Band.
Even so, somehow she looked better now. If Yohei had to put it into words, it felt as though a shadow had been lifted from her.
She just stood there, staring at him with wide eyes, seemingly unsure of what to do now that she'd caught his attention.
For his part, Yohei was quietly grateful. This was the first interaction he'd had with someone from the village that hadn't started as a cautious interrogation on his end.
So he made sure to smile as disarmingly as he could. He moved slowly, just as his sensei had once instructed him to – careful not to spook civilians with sudden motions – and deliberately softened his posture, keeping his body language open and non-threatening.
"Hello," Yohei said warmly, offering the friendliest smile he could manage. "Can I help you with something?"
The girl blinked, as though snapping back to herself. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Several long seconds passed as she stumbled through a series of half-formed "I's" and aborted "hello's," before she suddenly bowed deeply – far deeper than expected.
'Wait, no! That's a 120-degree bow! How can she do that!? Amazing! Has she been studying the sacred texts?'
…
Yohei's mind went to strange places when he was panicking.
And he was most definitely panicking.
Caught completely off guard by the gesture, he froze, hands lifting awkwardly in an aborted attempt to raise her back up – careful not to touch her, wary of any contact with someone who might still be carrying one of the cursed seals.
"Than- thank you for saving us, Shinobi-sama!" she shouted, still holding the bow.
"Ah… you're welcome?" Yohei replied with visible discomfort, his hands hovering uselessly in the air. "There's no need to bow, though, I – I honestly didn't do much."
"That's not true!" she insisted, straightening abruptly, eyes wide.
Yohei noticed then that she was afraid of him, too.
But she was still here.
"Shinobi-sama and the others saved us. I don't understand everything, but… him running away would have been bad, right? He wouldn't have let go. You made him stay. You… made that man finally feel some of what he's been making us feel for so long!" she said, her hands clenched tightly into fists as she spoke.
Yohei's first instinct was to tell her that he hadn't done much – which was true, from his perspective. There had been no grand battle, no drawn-out struggle. The whole thing had been settled through bluffing and misdirection. His regular training sessions were more exhausting than that.
Physically, at least.
But the moment the thought formed, he dismissed it. For him, it might not have been a great effort – but for her, and for everyone here? His team's arrival had changed their lives. Calling their freedom "not much" would be cruel.
His second instinct was to say it was just his job.
But that would have been a lie.
And he was, frankly, tired of lies.
Yes, the reason he had been sent was because Konoha had issued his team a mission – but after seeing what was happening here, even if that mission had somehow been canceled, he would still have done the same. And if there had never been any mission at all, but he had been made aware of it, he still would have come.
It wasn't about duty to the Village, or money, or advancing his career. It was about doing the right thing. As he had thought before: if you have the power to make the world better in some way, why wouldn't you?
Not quite knowing what to say, Yohei simply gave her a grateful smile that left her confused, then introduced himself with a hand over his chest.
"I'm Kuroyama Yohei, Genin of Konoha. It's nice to meet you. What's your name?"
The girl blinked, eyes wide and mouth open. "Ah – yes! My name is Nishikawa Hina!" she said, bowing again.
Yohei grinned when she straightened up and returned the bow, making her flounder.
'Take that! A 140° bow!'
"Wah!?"
"Thank you," Yohei said seriously, despite the smile on his face as he held the position. "For telling me the name of one of the people I managed to help. For coming here to talk to me. And for being strong enough to hold on until we could come. Thank you."
He straightened, only to see that she still didn't quite know what to do – her arms extended just like his had been earlier, a motion aborted halfway as she hesitated, wary of the seal on her body.
Yohei chuckled. She even managed to glare at him in embarrassment, which made something in his chest finally loosen. That was so much better than the glares of rancor that had been sent his way whenever people thought he wasn't looking.
"Do you know where they keep the food?" he asked suddenly, snapping her out of her shock. "I want to make breakfast for my team."
She nodded quickly, and he laughed again.
"Lead the way," he said with a smile, gesturing toward the door. She returned it with a hesitant smile of her own, bowing slightly before walking inside, Yohei following close behind.
As they headed toward the kitchen, Yohei blinked as something occurred to him.
"Actually," he said lightly, catching her attention, "you're the reason we came here. So, in a way, you saved the village."
The girl looked at him in confusion, brows furrowed and head tilted, pointing at herself.
"Me?"
Yohei nodded, grinning. "Yep. The guy who commissioned the mission – Shizuka-san – said you were the reason he risked escaping."
She froze.
Yohei noticed immediately that something was wrong.
All the tension that had left her body during their conversation came rushing back, worse than before. Where there had been lingering fear earlier, now there was only dread. Her skin went pale, cold sweat beading as she stared ahead
"Are… are you going to bring me to him?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.
"No," Yohei said firmly, immediately, making her look up at him with sudden hope. "I won't. I promise. I'm sorry for scaring you."
He took a breath. "Shizuka was the one who commissioned this mission. He told us he was one of you – that you were his friend. A lot of things about this mission were… off. Like him not telling us that Ketsubaku was a ninja, or that you all had cursed seals on you. I assumed he hid that because he didn't have the money to commission a mission of the proper rank."
Yohei's eyes sharpened slightly.
"But that's not what happened, is it?"
She shook her head silently.
Yohei nodded. He raised a hand as if to place it on her shoulder, then stopped midway, lips pressing together as he reconsidered.
"Can you tell me what's really going on here?" he asked gently. "Who is Shizuka, truly?"
She hesitated, then took a breath, squaring her shoulders as if bracing herself.
"He's-"
-~=~-
"-Ketsubaku's son."
Ren and Yohei, who had spoken at the exact same time, exchanged looks.
Team 5 had regrouped in the woods, just outside the cave where Hayama had secured the bound leader of the Band. The jōnin had left a clone behind in the village to keep watch over the remaining captives before calling for this meeting.
Hayama let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I'm filing a complaint with the Hokage for improper investigation of clients," he said, anger tightly restrained. "This whole thing could have been a trap." He exhaled again. "Alright. What do you two know?"
"The boy was raised in the village after his father took it over," Ren began. "Despite knowing that his father was a missing-nin, the man never taught his son anything about chakra – despite confirming that the boy inherited the Bloodline Limit."
"Why?" Hayama asked. "Everything points to long-term planning. Rationally, having as many children as possible and training them in the ninja arts would've let him build his own miniature ninja village. More protection, and the ability to take on better-paying work – especially since they were already operating as mercenaries."
Ren snorted. "Being cautious and being a planner doesn't mean being rational," he said dryly. "Ketsubaku was terrified of anything ninja-related. All he really wanted was a quiet life where his needs were met."
Ren's lip curled. "That might've been fine if those 'needs' didn't involve having people to lord over and abuse at will. In his mind, having another ninja in his little… paradise," Ren spat the word, "would just invite conflict. And besides – he threatened far too many times to put a cursed seal on the boy while he was growing up to ever trust him with that kind of power."
"Aside from that, things were mostly calm between them," Yohei added, contributing what he had learned. "Shizuka was bitter about not being taught to use his chakra, but he was also terrified of his father – too much to push the issue. And he was treated like a prince by the Kōsei Band. Given free rein over the slaves." Yohei's jaw tightened slightly. "So he wasn't exactly unhappy with his position."
"Then what happened?" Hayama asked.
"Nishikawa happened," Yohei said, lips pursed as he crossed his arms. "She was Shizuka's favorite. Her mother worked as a maid in the big house before she died, and Hina was something like his playmate when he was a kid."
He grimaced. "He made up this whole fictional reality in his head where they were childhood friends who grew up and fell in love. But recently, Ketsubaku took an interest in her and… 'took her away.'" The disgust in Yohei's voice was unmistakable.
Ren snorted. "Surprisingly enough, that's not as bad as it looks."
At Hayama's raised eyebrow, he continued, tone dry. "Turns out that Shizuka plays rough with his toys. Ketsubaku didn't really care before, but once the girl grew up and started resembling a dead teammate from when he was a Genin, the bastard developed a shred of conscience and kept her out of his son's reach."
Yohei nodded slowly, thoughtful. "Yeah… that fits. She thought he was just waiting until she grew up more." His jaw tightened.
"Anyway, after that, Shizuka started to lose it. He got into several arguments and outright fights with his father – until Ketsubaku told him that the next word out of his mouth would earn him a brand and a place among the slaves."
"So before that happened," Hayama summarized, "he stole the money, ran away, and paid Konoha to kill his own father."
The genin nodded.
"But what was his endgame?" Hayama continued. "Surely he didn't expect us not to investigate once everything was over."
"There were maps and geography books on his table," Souma added.
Hayama turned his gaze to him. "You think he planned to run?"
Souma nodded once. Hayama then looked to Yohei, who waved a hand casually.
"Already dealt with," Yohei said. "I summoned Mugetsu and gave her a letter explaining the situation, along with some of Shizuka's clothes, to deliver to Hana. Even if he slipped out of the village right after we left, he can't have gotten far enough that she won't be able to track and apprehend him."
Hayama smiled faintly. "Good thinking. We'll get those answers once the mission is over, then." His expression sobered. "For now, let's refocus on the village. What else did you uncover?"
"Shizuka wasn't lying," Souma said. "The Kōsei Band really did approach the village as mercenaries and played the role for months before turning on them."
He paused. "What he didn't mention is that on the same night they attacked, Ketsubaku inscribed the cursed seals on everyone and killed one person from each household as an example."
Hayama nodded slowly. "Good to know. We'll circle back to that. What else?"
"They're involved in contraband," Yohei said. "One of the houses is packed with storage scrolls filled with stolen and illegal goods. Ketsubaku had deals with nearby criminal organizations – using the village as a storage site in exchange for money and services." His eyes darkened. "That included human trafficking."
Hayama hummed quietly. "Then the village will likely issue a follow-up mission for a more thorough investigation. That'll be work for a chūnin team." He looked at them pointedly. "Still – keep it in mind when writing your reports. I expect them completed and delivered within four days."
"Yes, sensei," they answered.
Hayama nodded in satisfaction. "Anything else?"
They spent the next several minutes like that – Hayama guiding them through targeted questions, prompting them to recount what they had learned through observation and interrogation. Villagers. Band members. And, in Ren's case, Ketsubaku himself.
All the while, Hayama took notes on a black scroll, his brush moving steadily, never pausing for long.
After a little over half an hour, the questions finally stopped.
Hayama rolled the scroll closed and gave them an approving look.
"Well done, all of you. Despite the problems, you performed admirably, and solved this mission with more competence than anyone would expect of genin." Hayama's gaze lingered on each of them in turn. "I'm proud of you."
There was a collective shuffle of feet, averted gazes, and poorly concealed embarrassment at the frank praise. Ren coughed into his hand. Souma adjusted his glasses. Yohei rubbed the back of his neck.
Hayama chuckled softly at the reaction, before his expression sobered as he turned to Ren.
"You mentioned you managed to get the secrets behind the seal out of our prisoner."
Ren nodded smugly, planting a hand on his waist. "Of course I did. I'm a master interrogator!"
Hayama gave him a dry look, one eyebrow lifting.
Ren laughed it off and continued. "The only complex part of the seals is their connection to the one in his chest – the one that would make them trigger if he died. He wasn't bluffing about that, by the way. But everything else?" He waved a dismissive hand. "Very, very basic. The reason he could explode them remotely was purely because of his Explosion Release, not because of anything special in the fūinjutsu itself."
He leaned forward slightly, warming to the explanation. "And the detection of foreign chakra? That's just a 'defective' trigger on an ordinary explosive seal. It made it sensitive as all hell. Honestly, it'd probably detonate if they got too close to Konoha just from the ambient chakra density."
Hayama's jaw tightened. "Can you deactivate them?"
Ren nodded carefreely. "Easily. I just need to use his blood mixed into the ink instead of my own chakra. After that, it's basically like opening a valve." He mimed twisting something open. "The chakra he put into the seal will leak out, and once it's empty, the seal unravels on its own."
Their sensei let out a long, relieved sigh. "Good. In that case, start with a few members of the Kōsei Band. Give it a few hours to see what happens before doing the rest."
He straightened.
"I sent a clone to Kōen-jō earlier to warn the local authorities. There should be people waiting in a nearby village to take the criminals into custody. I'll scout the route while you remove the seals from the villagers we freed."
"And then?" Yohei asked.
Hayama smiled. "Then we return to Konoha with the missing-nin." His eyes glinted faintly. "And you'll have completed your first C-rank mission."
"Let's get to work, then," Yohei said, a small, satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
"Hn." Souma agreed with a short nod.
Ren scoffed, crossing his arms and glaring at both of them. "What work? I'm the one who's going to be doing everything!"
Yohei laughed, slinging an arm around his diminutive friend's neck and tugging him closer. "Then let's get you to work, Wimpy-kun."
-~=~-
After that, Yohei assisted Ren in drawing blood from their prisoner so the cursed seals could be dismantled. Once that was done, he and Souma remained on watch over the unconscious man, the cave heavy with the smell of stone, ink, and dried blood.
Several long hours passed before everything was finished and they could return to the village.
By then, a detachment of soldiers from Kōen-jō had arrived and were already aiding the civilians. A small team of doctors had come along as well, moving through the crowd methodically – starting with the children, checking them over first with careful, practiced motions.
Separated from them, of course, were the children of the Kōsei Band.
A few glared openly at Yohei's team and the soldiers with raw, confused hostility. Most, however, were simply crying – calling out for their parents through sobs, clinging to one another with no real understanding of what had happened, or what was about to.
Despite everything, Yohei couldn't help but feel bad for them.
They bore no real fault for what had happened here, yet it was already clear they wouldn't be welcome to stay. Most likely, they'd be taken away by the soldiers and placed in one – or several – orphanages. It wasn't a fate Yohei wished on any child.
Speaking of kids, though…
A mane of blonde hair caught his attention.
He soon found himself approaching the girl who stood a short distance away from the others, almost hidden near the edge of the activity. He made sure his steps were loud enough not to startle her.
"You need to get checked too, you know?" Yohei said gently. "And please – don't bow."
The girl, who had been in the process of doing exactly that, froze mid-motion and wrung her hands nervously, giving him an embarrassed smile.
"I'm sorry, Shinobi-sama."
Yohei let out a huff, smiling. "You don't need to call me Shinobi-sama either. I told you my name, didn't I?"
She brightened. "That's right… Yohei-sama."
He snorted, amused, and smiled wider when she laughed softly in return. Still, he didn't lose sight of why he'd come over.
"Jokes aside," he continued, more gently, "you really should get checked, Nishikawa. It's for your own good. None of you were living in good conditions."
Her smile faded into something more melancholic as she looked toward the cluster of children nearby.
"I know," she said quietly. "But they need it more than I do. Besides…"
She trailed off, discomfort written plainly across her face.
Yohei followed her gaze.
A woman in medical garb was examining a boy with what looked like a rib that had broken and healed improperly.
Without a word, Yohei reached into his pocket and tapped something against Hina's arm. She looked at him in surprise as he gestured for her to open it.
It was a small wooden box – simple, worn, something he'd found in one of the houses. Inside lay several kunai and a tiny transparent flask containing five small metallic-looking pellets.
Her eyes widened.
"Those are easier to maintain than a kitchen knife," Yohei said, nodding toward the blades. "I put in a few so you can use one or two for practice and keep the rest for emergencies."
Then he leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"And the flask… please don't ever tell anyone, but eating one of those pills will make you as resistant as a ninja for a while. Even more, actually."
She stared at the contents, incredulous. "Th-this… I – I can't – this is – "
Yohei closed the box gently and pressed it into her arms with a warm smile.
"Keep it close, alright? And if anyone ever tries to make you do something you don't want to again..."
"Yohei!" Ren's voice shouted from above the village gate. "Come on, you dumbass! We're done here!"
Yohei flipped him off without looking but started moving anyway, leaping up onto the roof of a nearby house.
Before he could leave, though, Hina called out for him to wait.
He turned back – and let out a surprised laugh when he saw her bowing again, somehow trying to go even lower than he had earlier.
"Thank you!" she said as she straightened, a wide smile on her face despite the tears streaking down her cheeks.
Yohei chuckled and gave her a crisp salute before jumping away.
As he disappeared from sight, a familiar weight stirred in his chest.
The Chaos Scroll had become active once more.
Hayama patted Yohei on the head as he joined them, Souma offering him a small, relieved smile while Ren rolled his eyes, muttering something about "being worried for fucking nothing."
Soon enough, they were on the move again, rushing away from the village and streaking through the trees as they made their way back toward Konoha.
Hours later, just before they stopped to make camp, Ren's voice caught Yohei's attention.
"Hey, dumbass," he called as they left behind the plains and reentered the forests of the Land of Fire once more.
Yohei turned just in time to barely catch the object that was thrown straight at his face.
"Catch."
He did – barely – and immediately shot Ren a glare, smirking despite himself.
"Isn't the warning supposed to come before you throw something?"
"But then where's the fun in that?" Ren replied cheekily, already turning back to face forward and pointedly ignoring the rude gesture Yohei made at the back of his head.
Looking down at what he'd caught, Yohei frowned slightly.
It was a simple storage scroll.
"It's full of firearms," Souma explained quietly as he moved closer, glancing toward Ren. "I saw him taking one of each, plus a lot of bullets and… dark powder, I think. He stored all of it inside."
Yohei blinked, surprised.
'When did he…?' he wondered, looking over at his red-eyed teammate, who was very deliberately avoiding eye contact.
A smile slowly spread across Yohei's face, and it had nothing to do with the Chaos Scroll activating yet again.
-~=~-
They arrived in Konoha around noon the next day.
The first thing they did – of course – was head straight to the Mission Desk to report to the Hokage. With a simple gesture, Hiruzen dismissed the assistants and staff from the room, ensuring their privacy.
Hayama, as their sensei, took the lead. He delivered a concise retelling of the mission, pausing at key moments to let one of the Genin clarify details in his stead.
When he finished, Hiruzen closed his eyes and took a long drag from his pipe. The smoke curled as it left his mouth, briefly forming a vague spherical shape before dissipating into nothing.
"In the life of a shinobi," Hiruzen began after a moment, opening his eyes and fixing the three Genin with a steady gaze, "the only thing that can ever be expected is the unexpected."
He let the words settle.
"You faced a situation you neither planned for nor could have reasonably anticipated, and yet…" A proud smile crossed his face. "Despite everything, you performed admirably. You saved citizens of the Land of Fire, completed all mission parameters, and secured a target of interest for the Village."
His gaze softened slightly.
"In my eyes, you have more than proven yourselves worthy of the trust your sensei – and I – have placed in you. I am proud to say that the three of you have become exemplary shinobi."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," they echoed in unison, bowing deeply.
Hiruzen reached beneath his desk, pulled out a scroll, and began writing.
"Officially," he said, "the liberation of Nagori Village will be registered in your records as a C-Rank mission. The conflict and subsequent apprehension of Shizuka Ketsubaku and Shizuka Hibiki, however, will be noted as an A-Rank operation. The details of that incident are, as of this moment, classified information and a matter of state secrecy."
He glanced up at them over the rim of his pipe.
"You will, of course, still receive your due reward. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" they answered immediately.
Yohei smiled, both at the infectious mood of his teammates and at the new activation of the Chaos Scroll. The feeling was warm, affirming – almost intoxicating.
Then a detail surfaced in his mind.
The smile faded.
With pursed lips, he looked up at Hiruzen, who met his gaze with mild curiosity.
"Hokage-sama, there's something I'd like to request."
-~=~-
Yohei had never been to Konoha's prison before. He had never really considered what it might look like, either – but if someone had asked him, he would probably have imagined a medieval dungeon. Underground, lit by torches, rats scurrying along damp stone floors, skeletons still chained to the walls inside the cells.
The truth was… much more mundane.
Concrete walls and floors interrupted by metal gates. Inside each cell, a bed, a sink, and a toilet – functional, clean, efficient.
And, of course, there was the piece of shit looking innocently at him.
"Ah! Shinobi-dono!" Shizuka said brightly from the other side of the bars. "I'm sorry. It seems I'll be an even worse host than last time – we can't even talk properly. I can't let you in."
He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Yohei saw no reason to laugh.
He stood there in silence, staring at the boy until the laughter petered out. Still, he kept smiling, as if nothing was wrong, no matter how long Yohei let the quiet stretch.
"You were caught trying to make your way northwest," Yohei finally said. "Heading for the Hidden Stone?"
The boy nodded without reservation, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"That was the plan. Honestly, if I could've, I would've gone straight there, but… well. In my condition, and without knowing much about the world, I figured I'd get robbed or killed before I made it."
"Why?" Yohei asked flatly.
Shizuka blinked, genuinely confused.
"Well, because they're the only ones who could teach me how to use my Bloodline. After their losses in the last war, I imagine they'd accept me without much trouble."
"And the reason you're just telling me all this?" Yohei pressed, eyes narrowing.
"Because I don't want to get tortured, of course," Shizuka replied easily, as if it were obvious. "And I really don't want to find out how it feels to have my mind picked apart by the Yamanaka. I figured telling everything upfront would be safer."
Yohei pinched the bridge of his nose, the frustration sharp and immediate.
"Is that why you didn't resist?"
"Sure is," Shizuka said, nodding. "Dad made sure I understood that anything I could try would be useless against a proper ninja."
"You sent us to kill your father," Yohei said, glaring at him.
"He was a slaver and an enemy ninja," the boy replied with a puzzled smile. "Shouldn't you be happy I told you about him?"
"And because you hid the fact that he was a ninja," Yohei snarled, "three innocents died."
He punched the wall beside the cell, careful to restrain himself to nothing more than his baseline strength. The impact still echoed in the corridor.
"That's a pity," Shizuka said, his tone carrying what sounded like genuine remorse. He shrugged a moment later. "Nothing I could do, though. If I'd told you everything, you would've asked some very uncomfortable questions. Like why I didn't have a cursed seal. I'd never have been able to escape, then."
"Well, you didn't escape," Yohei shot back.
"Yeah…" Shizuka agreed, his shoulders slumping briefly before he perked right back up, smiling again. "But Hokage-sama offered me leniency!"
Yohei was going to kill Hiruzen.
"I'll never be allowed to become a ninja, obviously," the boy continued with a light chuckle, "but I'll get some basic training. Just enough so I can write down whatever I discover about my Bloodline Limit."
"…Why?" Yohei asked, a sinking feeling settling in his gut.
"Why?" the boy repeated, tilting his head before looking at Yohei as if the question itself were silly. "Why, for my family, of course. Hokage-sama wants me to have lots and lots of children. Sure, I'll be watched constantly, but as long as I behave like a good boy and let the med-nin run their exams on me, I'll be allowed to live freely as a civilian. And I'll be happy to do it!"
He brightened visibly.
"I mean, I know you live here, but have you seen the girls of the village? They're just… wow. And the blond ones-" He trailed off dreamily.
For the first time since becoming a ninja, Yohei actively reconsidered his decision to never kill a child.
The boy blinked, then turned back to Yohei with a wide smile.
"Speaking of blondes, did you meet Hina? She's great, right? Did she ask about me?"
At Yohei's silence, Shizuka continued anyway.
"The last time we saw each other…" He looked away in embarrassment, a blush creeping onto his cheeks, and Yohei realized – with a jolt – that this was the first genuinely honest emotion the boy had shown since they'd met. "Well. It was embarrassing, to say the least. I threw a tantrum, threw myself on the floor crying and everything."
He let out a sigh and leaned back against the metal door of the cell.
"When I ran away, my plan was to become a shinobi of the Stone and come back in a few years to look for her, so we could marry." He scratched his cheek with a sheepish smile. "But after coming here, I noticed that… I was kind of childish, right? I know so little about the world."
His eyes unfocused as he spoke.
"The reason I loved her was because she was so… strong. So shining. So willing to fight back. But here, in Konoha, I noticed she wasn't special. Not really. She was just the only one who had a bit of life in that place." He shrugged lightly. "And out here? There are thousands of girls just like her – and plenty who are even better."
He laughed awkwardly.
"I feel kind of bad about it, but I think we'll have to stay just friends. Do you think Hokage-sama will take too long to let me go see her so I can tell her the news?"
Yohei, who had been silently watching the entire circus unfold, finally spoke. His face was blank – his voice even more so.
"If you ever seek her out again," he said calmly, "I'll kill you."
Yellow eyes locked onto blue ones. For a long moment, the boy simply stared.
Then he nodded, smiling.
"Okay. I won't do it," Shizuka said honestly.
Yohei kept staring, searching for something he couldn't quite name – and unsure whether he was finding too little of it, or far too much. His face twisted into a grimace.
"You're disgusting."
The boy's smile widened, his eyes gaining an unsettling shine.
"You're disgusting too!"
The words hit like a slap, making Yohei flinch back despite himself.
Shizuka giggled, as if he'd just made a joke.
"You're not angry because of the things I did," he said confidently. "You're disgusted because you're looking at me and seeing yourself. My dad used to look at me like that all the time."
Yohei drew in a rasping breath – and froze when he realized that, without meaning to, he had started Total Concentration Breathing. A faint sheen of turquoise chakra coated his skin, his hands drifting unconsciously toward his kanabō.
He broke it with a cough.
Shizuka watched him with open curiosity the entire time.
Only then did Yohei notice that, despite the calm mask on his face, his hands were trembling.
"Do you think our kids will be friends?"
-~=~-
Nanami arrived at her home in a rush.
Yohei had returned from his first mission outside the village hours ago – but she'd been in the middle of a surgery when it happened.
By the time she finished, washed up, and stepped out of the operating room, one of her friends had quietly pulled her aside and told her that Yohei had been seen entering the Military Police headquarters… and that he had come out with a disturbed look on his face.
Nanami didn't know what the hell her son's mission had to do with the police, and she didn't need to. All she knew was that a tight, cold feeling had settled in her chest – a certainty that her son needed her now. She asked a colleague to cover for her and left as fast as she could manage.
She knew she'd been right the moment she stepped through the front door.
Yohei's boots were haphazardly strewn near the entrance, not placed aside but thrown, and his clothes lay scattered across the floor as well, as if he'd been in a hurry to get out of them – desperate to be free of the fabric.
Her heart sank.
She followed the trail upstairs, her steps slowing as the sound of running water reached her ears. The shower was on, loud, uneven – and beneath it she could hear frantic movement.
Worry tightening around her ribs, Nanami walked past the unlocked bathroom door. The faint, acrid smell of stomach acid still lingered in the air.
Yohei stood beneath the shower, his breathing wet and irregular. The water poured down so hot she could feel the heat radiating from where she stood, steam curling thickly around him. He was scrubbing at his skin with a sponge, hard enough that it looked ready to fall apart in his hands, his focus so absolute that he didn't notice her at first.
"…Yo-kun?" she asked hesitantly, unsure how to approach – unsure of anything.
'What happened?' she kept asking herself, her mind spinning through dozens of possibilities. Mission gone wrong. Violence. Failure. Something worse.
They were ninja, after all.
He froze at the sound of her voice. His arms dropped limply to his sides, the sponge slipping from his fingers and hitting the tiled floor with a soft, pitful sound.
A shuddering sigh tore from his chest, and it felt to Nanami like a blade slowly pushing its way into her heart.
"Mom…" he said roughly, his voice low and hoarse.
"I'm here," she said immediately, though she still didn't know whether she should step forward and hold him – or give him space.
He turned toward her.
Nanami's breath caught when she saw his eyes. Where his pupils should have been, there was a softly glowing pink heart.
He looked at her like that for a few long moments, his expression drawn tight, before his shoulders sagged. The glow vanished, his eyes returning to normal.
"…I need to tell you something."