Kosuke listened in silence and slowly let out a breath. "Your inference… the probability is very high. If the city lord is truly involved, then this is no simple criminal case. It concerns local officials of the Land of Fire and has already exceeded the scope of our shinobi mission authority and jurisdiction."
"According to the agreement between Konohagakure and the Land of Fire, as well as the village regulations, we must immediately suspend the investigation, report the situation back to the village, and let the Hokage-sama make the decision. We would also need to negotiate with the capital of the Land of Fire and obtain authorization from the Daimyō. Acting on our own would cause serious political trouble."
"Senpai, then are we returning to the village directly?" Shinichi asked.
Kosuke pondered for a moment. "I had originally planned that even if the mission were considered completed on the surface, we should still visit the client in the nearby village. However…"
His tone shifted as he looked at Shinichi. "Shinichi, what do you think?"
"Leave the city immediately." Shinichi answered without hesitation. "And we must appear hurried and urgent, as if we have sensed some major upheaval. After leaving the city, head straight toward the village at once."
"Oh?" Kosuke did not interrupt and gestured for him to continue.
"At first, they may have only intended to steady us with that explanation and send us away. But from the butler's repeated and concealed observations of me from the moment I entered the city lord's residence, there is likely some trait about me that they consider extremely important. His repeated confirmation suggests they may have changed their initial plan—from sending us off to keeping us."
Shinichi continued his calm analysis. "They are very likely mobilizing personnel and setting up traps right now. What we need to do is disrupt their rhythm and proactively step out of the encirclement they may already be weaving. If we appear hurried and suspicious and leave the city in haste, it will likely prompt them to act ahead of schedule and intercept us outside the city."
"Lure the snake out of its hole?" Kosuke immediately understood his intention.
"Yes." Shinichi nodded. "As long as they strike first, no matter who they are, moral and legal grounds will stand on our side. For Konohagakure shinobi to attack local officials without cause is a grave crime. Conversely, if local officials or their forces attack Konohagakure shinobi who are carrying out a mission without cause, that is likewise an unforgivable crime."
Even though the Daimyō is the nominal highest ruler of the Land of Fire, Konohagakure's status within the Land of Fire is extremely transcendent, holding substantial and absolute military power.
Looking back over the past shinobi world wars, every single one was initiated and led directly by each country's hidden village. During wartime, local officials and administrative systems of each country could often only cooperate passively; their duties mostly lay in being dispatched after the war to govern and handle the aftermath in newly acquired territories.
For example, in the later Third Shinobi World War, Sunagakure used the Kazekage's disappearance as a pretext to declare war directly on Konohagakure, and it did not even formally notify the Wind Country Daimyō.
This incident made that Daimyō extremely furious, yet after the war he could only use "Sunagakure's unfavorable war situation" as an excuse to cut a portion of its funding as a symbolic punishment.
Even earlier, at the First Five Kage Summit, the First Kage of the five great hidden villages brazenly discussed on the conference floor the division of each country's territory and the distribution of interests—revealing at a glance the extent of their power and independence.
Shinichi continued, further clarifying the key point. "Konohagakure shinobi are formally enfeoffed state military personnel. Even if there is suspicion of a crime, local administrative officials have no authority to detain or dispose of them privately; they must negotiate with Konohagakure through official channels."
"Only when Konohagakure has formally declared someone a rogue nin can local officials, after receiving authorization, cooperate with Konohagakure in apprehending them. If they take the initiative to attack us, it would be the same as handing us, with their own hands, a lawful reason to strike back and pursue the matter in depth."
The state and the hidden village had long existed in a subtle and complex symbiotic relationship. Their jurisdictions overlapped in many places, and their principles often clashed, yet on the basis of the practical mutual benefit of "I provide you with funds and administrative convenience; you provide me with force and security," a peculiar balance and coexistence had taken shape.
From this, a set of rules had emerged—never explicitly stated, yet tacitly acknowledged by both sides: you have no right to dispose of the shinobi under my command at will, and I likewise do not directly interfere in the governance within your jurisdiction… and so on. Together, these formed the shinobi world's unique "one country, one village" system.
And if your side oversteps its authority without cause, then moral and legal grounds will stand on our side.
Kosuke looked at the junior before him, whose thinking was meticulous and skilled at using rules, and a trace of approval flickered through his eyes.
This truly was a brilliant strategy that, under the current complicated circumstances, could both avoid procedural risks and break the deadlock with a countermeasure.
But he did not agree immediately. Instead, he pondered and raised his concerns. "The plan is good, but there are a few problems. First, by the village's rules, this clearly exceeds the scope of our current mission. Second, the risks are hard to predict—we do not know how many people the other side has, or what their strength is."
"Even if, in the end, we hold every advantage in moral and legal terms, the village may not welcome us stirring up extra trouble. It may consider that we are meddling and initiating an incident without authorization. In addition, on the Daimyō's side, even if he does not pursue it openly, he will inevitably feel displeased at Konohagakure shinobi causing an incident within his jurisdiction."
Shinichi's expression did not change as he replied calmly. "Senpai, as for danger, I already had that resolve from the moment I decided to become a shinobi. And here, I also have a bit of selfishness of my own—I also do not want my first mission to end in such a blustering, anticlimactic way, ending without clarity."
"And those children…"
At that, he fell silent for a moment. "Their families are still waiting for them to come home. As long as there is still a sliver of hope, we should not give up."
Worthy of being the successor to the Will of Fire personally designated by the Third Hokage-sama!
Kosuke sighed inwardly.
Shinichi continued his analysis, his words orderly and clear. "Senpai, moreover, this is not meddling. As Konohagakure shinobi, we bear the duty to maintain border stability and guard against the infiltration of unknown forces. Now, an unidentified organization has infiltrated the border of the Land of Fire and may have even subverted the lord of an entire town—this itself falls within our duty."
"In the end, the Daimyō may not care about the disappearance of a few civilian children, but he absolutely will not tolerate officials under his command slipping out of his control and secretly carrying out schemes unknown to him."
"Good!" Kosuke nodded and decided at once. "We'll do as you said. We leave the city now."
...
That night, beside a river channel near the forest, the moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, leaving only the murmur of flowing water.
Shinichi and Kosuke, hurrying along the road, suddenly halted mid-step—within the shadows of the trees ahead, more than a dozen figures cloaked in black silently emerged, forming a half-encirclement as they blocked the path.
"Konohagakure shinobi, why be in such a hurry to leave? It makes it seem as though this city lord's hospitality has been lacking." The leader lifted his hood. It was none other than Kurokawa Yasumasa.
Shinichi did not respond. His gaze swept over the uniform insignia on their black robes: an outer circle with an inner triangle, the lines rough, the color a dark red like congealed blood.
This emblem? A heretical god cult?
"Holy Son, we meet again." Elder Takahashi at the side slowly stepped forward. Under the hood, his gaze locked tightly onto Shinichi. In those eyes surged an undisguised heat and craving, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.
"Please do not resist. If you are willing to comply, this old man can promise to leave your companion with an intact corpse."
His tone was flat, yet it carried an assuredness from on high.
Naturally—after all, they were only two genin.
However, at the very instant his words fell...
Shinichi's hand hanging at his side moved almost imperceptibly, forming an extremely simple hand sign.
In the next moment—boom!!!
The river channel, originally calm, suddenly roared. Countless streams of water surged up like a rolling eruption, soaring into the sky and forming a vast, heaven-covering, earth-shrouding wave. Carrying an ear-splitting rumble and an overwhelming, irresistible force, it slammed down toward the group of black-robed men on the bank!
Elder Takahashi's pupils shrank violently.
This is… a genin from Konohagakure!?
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