Chapter 34

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"This village is in a really good location," Jin remarked as the three of them stood on a mountaintop, looking down at the village below.

The village was strategically positioned at the intersection of the Land of Fire, the Land of Taki, and the Land of Grass.

Even if Iwagakure ninja were to pass through, they would certainly have to go through this village.

Although the ninja of the Land of Grass and the Land of Taki were weak, they were still countries.

Despite the fact that both ninja and nobles shared power, the nobles naturally held a higher status than the ninja.

If the daimyo of the Land of Grass and the Land of Taki were to report to the daimyo of the Land of Earth, cutting off funding for Iwagakure would be enough to trouble them.

So, if Iwagakure were to launch a large-scale invasion of Konoha, their route would inevitably pass through the borders of these two countries.

The border area was essentially a no-man's land; although it was technically within the territory of both countries, it wasn't under their jurisdiction.

In such a situation, the daimyos of the Land of Grass and the Land of Taki couldn't really say much.

As long as the number of ninja was small and they weren't caught red-handed, they could freely move in and out.

Officially, such movements were forbidden, but ninja could move freely in ways that ordinary people couldn't easily stop.

So, it wouldn't be considered an invasion of either country.

This route was also the main battleground between Konoha and Iwagakure.

In the future, Minato would defeat Iwagakure at the Kannabi Bridge along this very route.

"They're pretty lucky."

Considering the location, anyone passing through could easily get hit with a barrage of shuriken.

It was quite remarkable that this village still existed here; their luck was truly something to be marveled at.

"Let's go."

The three of them quickly dashed toward the village, reassured by the sight of smoke rising from the chimneys and people moving about, indicating that it was safe for now.

They soon reached the village entrance.

An elderly man was dozing off at the gate.

"Zzzz."

The old man's snores were so loud that Jin felt like his eardrums were shaking.

Anyone who heard it might think a shadow-level battle was taking place.

"Hiss." Jin suddenly gasped as a thought crossed his mind.

"Could it be that this old man's snoring is what scared off the Iwagakure ninja?"

"Hiss!" Minato's eyes widened in surprise.

Terrifying indeed.

"Use your brains, you two!!"

Bam! Bam!

Jin and Minato rubbed the lumps on their heads, looking at Kushina's fist still smoking from the impact.

It was absurd that their so-called brains were being beaten by someone who had none.

Was there no justice?

"We were just joking."

"Just joking?"

Minato looked at Jin in amazement, which caused a vein to throb on Kushina's forehead.

The sound of their bickering woke the elderly man, who blinked in confusion at the three of them.

"Where did these kids come from? Go play somewhere else."

He waved them off dismissively, clearly annoyed, and closed his eyes, trying to resume his nap.

"Can't you see I'm guarding the gate?"

They definitely couldn't see that!

It was unbelievable that this village still existed like this.

"Hello, Grandpa. We're from Konoha, here to gather some information." Minato smiled politely as he asked.

The old man finally woke up fully, noticing the forehead protectors on the three of them. He suddenly stood up and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"The ninja have arrived!"

That single shout seemed to trigger something, as a crowd of people instantly rushed out from the village.

A dark mass of people surged toward them.

The three of them immediately went on guard, drawing their kunai and aiming them at the approaching crowd.

Fortunately, the villagers stopped at a distance.

The poorly dressed villagers stared at the three ninja with eyes full of admiration.

It was… a bit unnerving.

A simple-looking man with a big smile stepped forward.

"Greetings, little ninja lords. I'm the head of this village. Please feel free to ask me anything."

Behind him, there were whispers among the villagers.

"The little ninja lords are so tiny! They're so cute!"

"Those two boys are really handsome. They're going to grow up to be such fine young men."

"But that girl is the cutest. I just want to hug her."

The last comment came from a burly man.

Kushina shivered in disgust.

That guy was definitely a pervert!!

This village is terrifying!

The simple village chief scratched his head in embarrassment.

"The Konoha ninja have always taken good care of our village, so everyone here is very enthusiastic about ninja."

This enthusiasm was way over the top.

Jin couldn't help but step back a few paces, intimidated by the villagers' fervent gazes.

He was afraid that if he wasn't careful, the villagers might tear him to pieces.

Why didn't they mention this when they assigned the mission!?

As the team captain, Minato couldn't back down. He steeled himself and began gathering information from the village chief.

"Village chief, I received information that wandering ninja frequently appear around here."

"That's true," the village chief said, his expression turning serious as he nodded. After all, this concerned the safety of the village.

"A few months ago, there were indeed wandering ninja frequently appearing nearby, but after a few visits from Konoha ninja, those wandering ninja disappeared."

The village chief's words could only be taken as partial information. The rest would require their own investigation.

"We're here to confirm that, so we may need to trouble you for a few days."

Minato forced a smile, as cheers erupted from the crowd behind them in response to his words.

He had never seen such a reaction before.

It made his scalp tingle.

"That's perfectly fine."

The village chief nodded eagerly, as if afraid they might leave. If the three of them hadn't been holding their kunai, the chief might have tried to hug them.

The village chief enthusiastically led them through the village, with the rest of the villagers following behind. Their intense gazes made the three of them uncomfortable.

Noticing their discomfort, the village chief's face turned stern, and he shouted at the crowd.

"What are you all staring at? Get back to your work!"

At his command, the villagers reluctantly dispersed.

After all, Konoha ninja didn't visit often.

Who knew when they'd see ninja again?

Jin watched the villagers leave, one by one, without looking back, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Something didn't feel right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

The village chief led the three of them to a house.

"This place was built especially for ninja lords. I live next door, so if you need anything, just call."

"Thank you for your hospitality."

Minato felt a bit embarrassed by the village chief's enthusiasm.

"It's nothing. Without you, how could we live so peacefully?"

The village chief waved it off, expressing deep gratitude.

After thanking them repeatedly, the village chief finally left, leaving the three of them alone in the house.

"This is really strange." Jin felt uneasy about the village's atmosphere.

Minato nodded in agreement.

"It definitely is."

"What are you two talking about?" Kushina, however, didn't understand at all.

"I think the villagers are just being really enthusiastic. What's so strange about that?"

Kushina, experiencing such treatment for the first time, even found it enjoyable. It was this kind of admiration that made her determined to become Hokage.

"They're too enthusiastic."

Jin shook his head.

"Isn't enthusiasm a good thing?"

Kushina still didn't get it, earning herself a look from Jin that seemed to suggest she was an idiot.

This only made Kushina angrier.

"What's with that look? Wanna fight?!"

She still hadn't settled the score with him from last time.

Jin turned away.

"My family told me not to play with idiots!?"

"Family?" Kushina looked at Jin in confusion. Wasn't he the only one left in his family? Where did his family come from?

Wait!! Jin was calling her an idiot!!?

"I'm going to kill you!"

Kushina lunged at him again, but this time, Jin was ready.

"Shiro, bite her."

A small white snake shot out from Jin's collar, performing its familiar maneuver in a familiar spot.

"My nose! Let go of my nose!!"

Kushina ran around, clutching her nose, trying to pull the little white snake off but afraid it might leave a mark.

Bang! In her frantic running, she didn't watch where she was going and slammed into a pillar. Only then did Shiro release her, slithering down to Jin's feet before climbing back up his leg.

She never learns.

Kushina looked up at the ceiling, rubbing the new wound on her nose, almost in tears. She couldn't believe she was being bullied by a little white snake.

"Alright, Kushina," Minato stepped in to calm things down. He couldn't keep up with these two when they started fighting.

He took the opportunity to explain to Kushina.

"Normally, ordinary civilians fear ninja more than anything. It's rare for a village like this to show such reverence for ninja."

After all, they were the most likely to witness the brutality of ninja.

This only confused Kushina more.

"But didn't they say it was because Konoha ninja had always taken care of their village?"

"Idiot," Jin mocked without holding back.

"The primary purpose of an outpost is to remain hidden and gather intelligence. There's no way they would waste time and effort maintaining a village unless that village was full of their own people."

But the mission briefing didn't mention anything about the villagers being Konoha affiliates.

"So this village…" Jin and Minato exchanged serious looks.

"Is definitely not as simple as it appears."

Later that night, the village was eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life.

Jin, Minato, and Kushina used the cover of darkness to blend into the night, swiftly leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

They were searching for the hidden truth about this village.

However, everything in the village appeared normal, and after searching for most of the night, they had found nothing.

"It would be great if we had some detection jutsu," Jin sighed. Though he had developed a new jutsu recently, it wasn't for reconnaissance.

"Detection jutsu? I have one!" Kushina responded, puzzled as to why Jin hadn't mentioned it earlier.

"You have a detection jutsu?!" Jin and Minato looked at her in surprise.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Kushina scratched her cheek, "Didn't I mention it?"

She thought she had mentioned it before.

"You probably mentioned it in your dreams," Jin replied with a deadpan expression.

Kushina huffed, raising her fist in a threatening manner.

"Just use it already! Stop wasting time like some delicate girl."

"I am a girl!"

"You don't say. I wouldn't have guessed."

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Alright, alright," Minato quickly intervened to prevent another fight. Being the team captain wasn't easy with these two around.

"Kushina, please go ahead and use your detection jutsu."

Kushina shot Jin a cold glare before forming a series of hand seals.

"Mind's Eye of the Kagura!"

Her eyes widened suddenly.

"There are ninja here!!"

"Where?" Jin asked, immediately on alert.

"Right beneath us!!" Kushina replied, her voice tense.

(End of Chapter)