Naruto: The Infinite New World

Chapter 32 The Tragic Conditions of the Border Village

Kushina hurried ahead, her cheeks flushed red; the blush was from bumping into things.

The two tiny holes on his nose are particularly noticeable.

That's so embarrassing.

Kushina followed Jiraiya closely, head down.

Minato Namikaze scratched his face and followed behind Kushina.

Jin followed at the very back.

We walked across open fields, crossed a log bridge spanning a lake, and traversed steep mountain peaks.

The group finally reached a point not far from the border within three days. Before they even reached the border, they saw a village in the distance.

The moment I saw the village.

Jiraiya frowned and made a hand gesture.

The group quickly took cover.

The closer they got to the border, the more nervous the three of them became.

Even Jiraiya's smile vanished.

The four hid behind a rock, looking towards the village in the distance.

It was already sunset, but no smoke was rising from the village.

even.

Jiraiya twitched his nose.

They were downwind, and because their senses, heightened by their internal energy cultivation, could smell the aromas emanating from distant villages.

"The smell of blood."

Something seems to have happened in that village, which is why Jiraiya had the three of them hide.

Jiraiya didn't say anything, but quickly gestured to the three of them.

At this point, we can't act like we do in the village.

To avoid detection by potential enemies, everything was carried out in silence.

The three understood the gesture and nodded to indicate that they comprehended it.

Jiraiya then rushed out, leaning forward like an arrow, quickly heading towards the village entrance.

Kushina stayed where she was.

Kim and Minato Namikaze quickly moved in another direction.

Jiraiya needed to rush into the village immediately to investigate the situation.

Minato Namikaze and Kin need to explore outwards from the village as the center.

Kushina's mission is to provide support in any battles that may occur.

Jiraiya rushed into the village without causing the slightest ripple; the entire village was deserted.

All that could be heard was the pungent smell of blood and a scene straight out of hell.

I walked on a road paved with blood, looked at the corpses and limbs lying on the ground, and could see many more dead through the broken gate.

After quickly completing their reconnaissance, Minato Namikaze and Kin also entered the village.

Both of them shook their heads at Jiraiya.

There was nothing around.

Kushina was the last to enter the village.

"What is this!?"

There were severed hands and feet, and corpses cut up by sharp blades.

Kushina's pupils trembled, and she covered her mouth, rushing to a corner of the village to vomit.

Although she had a record of killing ninjas, Kushina was completely unaffected when enemy ninjas vanished without a trace with a single Tailed Beast Ball.

This was the first time she had ever seen such a gruesome corpse, and her body's stress response was uncontrollable.

Minato Namikaze's face also turned pale, and the smile that had been on his face disappeared. He was in a similar situation to Kushina, and he had never actually killed an enemy, but he was not as pathetic as Kushina.

Jiraiya couldn't help but turn his gaze to Uchiha Kin.

Uchiha Kin's reaction, however, made him uneasy.

Jin's face remained expressionless, still bearing that somewhat cynical look, as he used a kunai to provoke the wounds of the corpse on the ground.

"They were all kunai and shuriken, along with some swords, and none of them could cause any damage from ninjutsu."

As expected, the Uchiha clan are all a bunch of perverts.

Jiraiya muttered to himself.

Few genin, witnessing such a tragic scene for the first time, remained as calm as Gin, who was even able to detect the traces.

These are actions that only experienced ninjas would take.

Unaware that Jiraiya was secretly criticizing him, Jin turned and walked into the villager's house.

They searched inside and came out.

"A large amount of property was looted from the village."

Jin came out and told Jiraiya about the information inside the house.

Jiraiya shook his head regretfully, unable to determine who had done it.

This isn't just a problem for the Iwagakure ninja; the Ryugakure ninja village, the Kusagakure ninja village, and even the Sunagakure ninja village might also come here to plunder.

Not to mention the wandering ninjas everywhere.

Villages located on the border are not having an easy time.

Kushina was a little better at this point, but she was still not as energetic as she had been at the beginning.

Minato Namikaze sighed and was about to collect the bodies.

"Wait, Minato!" Jiraiya hurriedly called out to stop Minato Namikaze's actions.

Minato Namikaze stopped what he was doing and looked at Jiraiya with a puzzled expression.

Jiraiya looked at Minato Namikaze seriously: "Never touch anyone's corpse on the battlefield."

No one knows whether there was an explosive tag hidden under the body.

Even Jin only slightly turned over the clothes and looked at the wounds; he didn't disturb the body.

Minato Namikaze sighed and stood up.

"War is truly cruel."

"It's not war yet."

Kim rejected Minato Namikaze's claim, saying that it was still a damn peaceful time, only the situation had become tense.

But the number of deaths was not small, and the most suffering were among the common people.

Most ninjas don't consider civilians from other countries as human beings.

A slight sound.

The three of them looked at the well in the village at the same time.

Kushina followed the gazes of the others and looked over.

A faint sound came from the well, marked by the marks of time; if one did not listen carefully, one might mistake it for the rustling of insects.

Jiraiya walked to the well, took out a kunai, and placed the sharp end on the well opening. Through the reflected light, he could see the figure of a girl inside.

"They are ordinary citizens."

Jiraiya then peeked over.

The girl at the well's edge was completely submerged in the well water. She had only poked her head out to breathe, but when she saw someone peering into the well, she immediately buried her head back down. Then, through the clear water, she saw Jiraiya's headband emerge again.

Reach your hand upwards.

"Help me!"

Jiraiya's hair grew rapidly, wrapping around the girl's headband and reaching up.

When they reached the surface, the girl was soaking wet and huddled against the well, shivering.

It's not a good place to stay in well water, especially in this cold weather.

The group gathered a pile of firewood and lit it with fire-style ninjutsu. As the flames burned, the girl felt a little better.

After the girl calmed down for a while...

Jiraiya finally spoke up to ask a question.

"What happened here?"

The girl looked up at Jiraiya, her eyes filled with fear.

"Three Iwa ninja suddenly attacked the village, killing everyone they saw."

Thinking of those people's cruelty, the girl trembled even more violently, her voice trembling with sobs.

"Why did it take you so long to send someone from Konoha?"

Jiraiya could only respond with a heavy tone.

"Feel sorry."

All he could do was apologize; even if the Konoha ninjas were really here, they might not be able to protect the village.

Killing the enemy is far more important than protecting the village.

They were just ninjas, not soldiers of the daimyo, so they wouldn't risk their lives for other villages.

"I want revenge!" The girl looked at the group, her eyes blurry with tears, but her pupils reflected burning flames, containing a deep-seated hatred.

"If you want revenge, prepare 200,000 taels and go to Konoha to issue a mission," Jin said, pouring cold water on the idea.

"I have no money." The girl lowered her head. Even when the village still existed, it couldn't raise two hundred thousand taels.

"Then we're afraid we can't help you."

The other three looked on with sympathy, but did not stop Jin from speaking.

It's cruel, but it's the truth.

"You should not..."

"We have no obligation to selflessly dedicate ourselves to anyone in the Land of Fire; ninjas act with the goal of receiving a reward."

Jin interrupted the girl's attempt to morally blackmail her.

"If I believe you are interfering with our mission."

"I'll kill you."

Jin's description, devoid of any murderous intent or aura, was merely calm and understated, yet it made the girl feel as if even the firelight before her could not warm her.

"Please, I'll do anything to avenge me."

The girl could only plead in a low, humble voice.

Jin wanted to say something more, but Minato Namikaze and Kushina pulled him back, preventing him from speaking further.

Jin Ye didn't care; all three of them looked at Jiraiya.

"I'm sorry," Jiraiya apologized once again.

They would never do anything for a young girl.

The girl's face appeared distorted in the firelight.

The three of them didn't say much, but simply left silently.

The mission is the priority right now, and none of the three are capricious people, so they naturally can't take time out of their schedules to see the girl off. Even Kushina, who has a bit of a temper, didn't say much.

She knows what's important and what's not.

They couldn't send the girl to a safe place, and it was even more impossible to take her to the outpost. The border outposts were all hidden, and even ninjas wouldn't find them easily.

If you bring a young girl along, there is a risk of exposure.

During this period, not a single bit of exposure is allowed.

Leaping through the woods.

"You're being far too heartless, Uchiha Kin."

Kushina, unusually serious, handed over Jin's full name with an expression more earnest than ever before. She truly knew what was important and how to make the right choice.

But the girl's experience inevitably reminded her of the past, and that she was the only one left in her family.

"Kushina, not letting emotions cloud your judgment is one of the rules of the ninja."

Although Minato Namikaze didn't agree with Gin's language, he didn't think Gin had done anything wrong.

"Shut up!" Kushina shouted at Minato Namikaze.

The three of them stopped.

Kushina looked at Kin, waiting for his answer.

Jiraiya stood at the highest point, watching his disciples' argument, and chose not to intervene.

Jin's nonchalant chin-stroking gesture ignited Kushina's anger, but this time she didn't explode; instead, she waited for Jin's answer.

Jin hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Ninjas are essentially tools, devoid of emotion and thought; they are the most tragic product of their time."

"Kushina Uzumaki... do you really deserve to be a ninja?"

Jin, however, asked Kushina in return.

"Ninjas aren't like that at all!!"

"But it's true!"

"Absolutely not!! I'll prove it to you!!"

Kushina absolutely disagreed with Uchiha Kin's idea. How could a ninja be just a pathetic tool? This was not the path of a ninja that she believed in.

"But that's what ninjas are like."

Kim looked at Kushina with a smile on his face.

Minato Namikaze stared silently at Gin. It was the first time he had seen Gin smile so fakely, with such malice in his smile.

"boom!!"

Kushina punched a tree, the force of which snapped the tree in half.

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(End of this chapter)