Late at night.
A thoroughly exhausted Nonō Yakushi returned to her quarters, only to immediately catch sight of Hajime sitting cross-legged. Her eyes lit up instantly, and without thinking, she rushed forward eagerly. "Onii-chan~"
Just as she was about to throw herself into his arms, she suddenly caught herself, skidding to a stop. Her face turned beet red, and she awkwardly looked at the masked Hajime, mumbling, "C-Captain!"
Hajime's outstretched hand also froze mid-air.
Looks like she's no longer in a mental disturbance state.
No… the aftereffects are still there.
His hand slowly came down, resting gently on Nonō 's head as he ruffled her hair.
Nonō closed her eyes and smiled with quiet joy, then wrapped her arms around Hajime's arm in return.
Hajime removed his mask and looked down at her, speaking softly, "When no one else is around, you can call me Onii-chan."
Staring at his handsome face, Nonō nodded enthusiastically and quickly said, "Onii-chan, I discovered a secret."
"There's a hidden entrance inside the hospital. I think it leads to something the Sky Ninja are hiding."
An entrance?
An airborne fortress!
A grin spread across Hajime's face as he put his mask back on. "Well done!"
"But don't share this intel with anyone but me."
"According to what I've learned, that entrance likely leads to a hidden place of the Sky Ninja, one that harbors a very dark power."
"They've been stealing secret techniques from the village to harness this evil power and start a war."
Nonō nodded solemnly. "Understood."
Hajime gently patted her head. "Go wash up and get some rest."
"In a few days, the village will launch an all-out assault on the Sky Ninja. I'll come find you before then. Be careful. Don't act recklessly."
"Your first priority is to survive. That's the only way you can keep delivering critical intel."
Nonō nodded obediently, her eyes full of admiration and affection for Hajime.
The days she spent under his protection, when he disguised himself as a wandering ninja, were the happiest and most peaceful days she had ever known.
Watching her head off to wash up, Hajime withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly.
In the end, he couldn't stay cold.
Fine. He'd just consider it part of grooming a useful piece on the board.
When it came to talent, it couldn't just be about utility—sometimes, a little emotion was necessary.
Yes, bonds.
Hajime, quite subconsciously, applied a double standard.
He didn't agree with Danzo's method of turning people into emotionless machines.
What made someone human was precisely the presence of feelings and desires.
As social creatures, people were constantly affected by those around them. It was impossible to remain emotionless forever.
The more you suppress, the more explosive the backlash—and the worse the consequences.
Organizing his thoughts, Hajime went back to studying the mysteries of Wood Release.
Once Nonō was in bed in her pajamas, Hajime sent out three more wooden clones.
Tonight, the Sky Ninja weren't going to get any sleep.
...
At the bottom of a deep pit, staring at a pile of shattered wooden debris, Kogetsu's face was grim.
Another clone!
And to eliminate just that clone, they had lost four people. Everyone involved in the skirmish had been injured—including himself.
On top of that, a Lightning-style user had been assassinated.
"He's specifically targeting Lightning-style shinobi… just like how he previously targeted sensory-nin. Damn bastard…"
Kogetsu ground his teeth in frustration.
"Where do you all think the real one is hiding?"
He turned to the other Sky Ninja around him.
"There are too many possibilities," one replied helplessly. "Without enough sensory ninja, we can't even begin to track his chakra."
"His infiltration skills are way too good."
Another Sky Ninja added, "There are so many people in the village. Besides ourselves, anyone could be him in disguise."
Kogetsu let out a heavy sigh, weariness deep in his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he barked, "Keep searching!"
"We have to find him. If we don't…"
One man alone was enough to throw their entire operation into chaos. If this continued, once Konoha's main force arrived, the village would collapse in an instant.
Kogetsu pressed on, continuing the desperate search for Hajime Hoshita's true body.
That night, they were destined to be sleepless.
Hajime's assassinations were becoming increasingly fluid and precise.
Anyone below the level of Jōnin stood almost no chance against his strikes.
Even when a Sky Ninja Jōnin managed to corner him with a squad, the one they destroyed in the end was always just a clone.
This was what frustrated the Sky Ninja the most.
A sleepless night.
—
The next day, outside the Sky Ninja Village, in a small town—
Inuzuka Ryo rushed into a courtyard and bowed before Danzo. "Lord Danzo, intel from the captain!"
Danzo stood and took the package—an intelligence dossier.
Flipping it open, he found detailed reports on various Sky Ninja.
The portraits were hand-drawn, the writing handwritten.
Danzo nodded in satisfaction and ordered, "Copy this immediately and distribute it!"
Inuzuka Ryo bowed and left quickly with the documents.
As soon as he stepped out, he bumped into three people.
Familiar faces.
He stepped aside to let them pass.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru walked quickly into the room to meet with Danzo.
Danzo wasn't surprised to see them. "Has Hiruzen given new orders?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "No new instructions from Sensei. We're to support the frontline as needed."
Danzo nodded calmly. His eyes swept across the three, pausing briefly on Tsunade before he spoke: "Orochimaru, stay with me."
"Jiraiya, Tsunade, you each lead a unit and work with Root to lock down the Sky Ninja Village."
"From this moment on, no supplies are allowed into the village, and no one is permitted to enter."
"As for anyone trying to come out—kill on sight!"
Tsunade and Jiraiya's expressions changed.
Jiraiya asked, "Even civilians?"
Danzo responded coldly, "How can you be certain they're really civilians?"
"How do you know a ninja isn't using Transformation Jutsu to hide among them?"
"How do you know the children escaping from the village aren't the offspring of enemy shinobi? Can you guarantee they won't grow up to seek revenge against Konoha?"
A barrage of pointed questions left Jiraiya speechless.
Tsunade pursed her lips, clearly unhappy.
Danzo warned coldly, "This is war. It's different from your usual missions."
"Our objective is to wipe out the Sky Ninja Village."
"They covet our sealing techniques and tailed beasts. They've even colluded with the Cloud Ninja and repeatedly acted against us."
"They are beyond forgiveness."
"So set aside your sympathy."
Tsunade looked ready to protest, but Jiraiya grabbed her arm, holding her back. Orochimaru remained silent.
To Orochimaru, Danzo wasn't wrong in the slightest.
In war, anyone who wasn't one of your own could be an enemy.
Showing mercy to your enemies was being cruel to yourself and your comrades.
Danzo, frowning at Tsunade, revised his orders. "Tsunade, you stay behind and lead the medical unit."
"Jiraiya, Orochimaru—you two each take a unit and carry out the mission."
Orochimaru nodded. "Understood."
Jiraiya nodded as well.
Though clearly unhappy, Tsunade reluctantly accepted the command.
After leaving the courtyard, she immediately turned to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, do you really think what he said was right?"
Orochimaru didn't answer directly. Instead, he said, "Tsunade, what would you do if a Sky Ninja, hidden among civilians, suddenly attacked and killed one of our comrades?"
Tsunade opened her mouth but fell silent, finally sighing. "I understand."
Though she was already a Jōnin, this was her first time involved in a real war.
The brutality of war was nothing like a standard mission.
Especially one where the goal was to erase an entire shinobi village.
Seeing her mood drop, Jiraiya quickly tried to lift the atmosphere. "By the way, that interesting guy from Root—Alpha, wasn't it? He should be out here too, right?"
Orochimaru replied, "Almost all of Root has been deployed this time. We'll likely run into him."
That perked Tsunade up a little. With a snort, she said, "If we do, tell that guy to be careful. He better not die!"
(End of Chapter)
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