Chapter 31: The "Rat Race" Ninja
Mid-May. The weather was warming up.
In the Hokage Tower, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was frowning over the latest reports. Beside him, Homura Mitokado spoke in a measured tone.
"Hiruzen, we all understand this was bound to happen eventually."
"The effects of low-cost commissions keep spreading. Sand and Stone have both taken notice. As the number of commissions coming their way continues to dry up, war is inevitable."
Konoha had the numbers, the reputation, and comparatively low prices, which drew more and more clients to their door. C-rank and B-rank missions were hit the hardest. Some merchants from the Land of Wind had abandoned Sand ninja entirely. All of it was the fallout from Konoha flooding the market.
"We certainly don't plunder like Cloud does, but the end result is the same."
"Resentment from neighboring nations is unavoidable. For them, war is the cleanest solution."
"Going on the offensive is a sound strategy. Passive peace isn't real peace."
Koharu Utatane, her eyes narrowed, added her view. At this stage, simply cutting off the hand the enemy was extending wouldn't solve anything.
"I won't drag Konoha ninja into a war. That is the strategy we settled on long ago."
"Onoki has recently hired people through the black market. For now, the priority is to send a warning to anyone willing to work for him."
"Jiraiya has confirmed intelligence that Stone's jinchuriki appears to be making moves. This time we split into separate operations."
That a Great Nation had stooped to hiring black-market bounty hunters made Hiruzen think the Tsuchikage had thoroughly embarrassed himself. He intended to teach the other side a lesson, enough to discourage Stone from actually lighting the fuse.
"Jinchuriki? What stage has our development of the jinchuriki reached?"
Danzo, who had been sitting quietly in the background, suddenly opened his eyes. He asked with a grave expression, and as always, Hiruzen didn't give a direct answer.
"Deploying a jinchuriki in combat is the worst option available. Every village's sealing techniques have flaws. Once control is lost, it becomes a nightmare for both sides of the battlefield."
Clearly the development still hadn't met expectations. Danzo let a beat of silence pass before he spoke again.
"The sealing techniques we inherited from the Uzumaki clan should be put to work."
"If the enemy deploys their jinchuriki, the village needs to be ready. Hiruzen, a weapon we can actually control is what we need."
Danzo delivered the suggestion without expression. The two advisors exchanged a glance. Their old colleague seemed unusually focused on the subject.
What none of the three in the room knew was that Root had been quietly training its own Wood Release ninja. And as those test subjects grew, so did certain ambitions.
It couldn't compare to the First Hokage's Wood Release. But as long as it was enough to suppress a tailed beast, that would do.
"If this matter is too difficult for you to handle yourself, you could always hand it to Root..."
Facing the silence of his old friend, Danzo pressed again. Hiruzen refused at once, his tone sharp.
"That is not Root's job."
The rejection didn't sit well with Danzo. If he could secure Wood Release and the power of the Nine-Tails, the seat of Hokage might finally be within reach.
They talked the matter through to the end, and Hiruzen held firm. Reinforce security. No preemptive strikes.
No one argued. War was unpredictable. For Konoha, keeping the village stable remained the first priority.
When he left the room, Danzo let his eyes fall half-shut again. The emergence of Wood Release had only made him appreciate Orochimaru's talents more, and a new thought had taken root alongside it.
Root needs a controllable jinchuriki.
* * *
The decisions made at the top barely registered below. The recently graduated genin were buried in D-rank missions, and even the best squads could only aim for C-rank at most.
Uchiha Obito, enjoying a rare day off, was once again busy helping an elderly woman. In the team's recent D-rank work, the old lady had been genuinely useful.
At the hospital entrance, he said goodbye to her with a bright smile, pocketing the candy she pressed into his hand. He was just turning to leave when a familiar voice reached him from behind.
"Obito, you're helping the elderly lady again? This week's missions wouldn't have gone half as well without you."
Nohara Rin fell into step beside him, a notebook tucked under her arm. The moment he caught her smile, every bit of Obito's exhaustion disappeared. He grinned back, loud and cheerful.
"Ha! Glad I could help, Rin. It's about time I started looking out for you properly!"
Then she held out a handkerchief, and Obito's face went red all at once. He dabbed at himself awkwardly a couple of times and quickly mumbled:
"I'll wash it and bring it back. Thank you, Rin."
Rin didn't seem bothered about the handkerchief at all. She nodded and shared some news.
"Hana is thinking about joining the intelligence division. She might not be able to team with us much longer."
"Shizune told me they'll be adjusting our jonin leader soon. We might actually get a strong one this time!"
"And thanks to all your hard work, Team 7 has the best results of any squad right now!"
As for the odd teammate who was leaving, Obito didn't quite know what to say. They'd been together nearly two months. Even so, knowing the other person was going still left him a little hollow.
"Rin, are you thinking about leaving too? Joining the medical unit? Medical ninja don't have to be on the front lines."
He hesitated. "I might really not be able to protect you all..."
"What are you talking about, Obito!" Rin stopped walking and looked at him squarely, her expression serious. "Didn't we agree you were going to become Hokage?"
He realized she was upset and immediately started to stammer.
"Don't sell yourself short. You're genuinely amazing."
"I'm staying in Team 7. I'll be right here watching you."
"Rin..."
His eyes went a little red at the corners. Being cared for by the person he loved felt like having the whole world.
"Let's keep working hard together! If we make chunin, maybe we'll still get a chance to team up with Kakashi!"
"If we're aiming for the exams, we need to double our efforts starting now. The seniors say the first attempt is really hard to pass..."
Rin drifted into daydreams about the future, not noticing the slight twitch at the corner of Obito's mouth. For her, Kakashi was still the one she looked up to most.
* * *
Late May, four in the morning. Furukawa Osamu completed his routine Yin Seal practice. Sage chakra was accumulating steadily in the seal on his forehead, exactly on schedule.
"Osamu-sama, the progress is fast. Your perception has strengthened again."
The small Katsuyu division swayed her antennae on his shoulder. Furukawa Osamu, seated cross-legged, opened his eyes and touched the seal on his forehead out of habit. A note of quiet regret crept into his voice.
"It would be a lot simpler if I could absorb natural energy directly and refine it on my own."
What Furukawa Osamu had in mind was something far simpler, a method where natural energy came to you on its own rather than having to be drawn in piece by piece.
"I probably won't be able to summon you for the next two months. This joint operation looks like it's going to be complicated."
"That's all right, Osamu-sama."
"..."
Close to five, Furukawa Osamu arrived at the village gates, fully armed. Kakashi lifted a hand in greeting. A Hyuga clan chunin nearby gave a quiet nod.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was leading the squads. When the hour came, Yamanaka Inoichi looked across the three assembled teams and spoke with deliberate weight.
"Beyond the primary cleanup, we'll also be coordinating with Jiraiya-sama's squad on an infiltration operation."
"Give it everything you've got. Move out."
***
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