Outpost Camp

Jiraiya led the three of them up the mountain.

The trees, withered by winter, left the mountain looking bare. Its entire shape could be seen at a glance.

There were no signs of human activity, let alone any trace of life.

The three behind Jiraiya fell silent. Uchiha Jin's words had greatly impacted Kushina and Minato Namikaze.

They walked all the way to the mountainside.

Jin was briefly dazed. The scenery around him seemed to shift, and numerous tents appeared before him. Konoha Ninja in green flak jackets moved back and forth between them.

He immediately realized what this was.

"An illusion barrier."

A combination of Fūinjutsu and genjutsu, it distorted everyone's vision and caused them to overlook this place, achieving a concealment effect.

This kind of Barrier Ninjutsu was not something one person could cast.

It required several jonin working together.

What a grand display.

When the group entered the outpost.

The moment a passing ninja saw Jiraiya, he quickly blew a sharp whistle through his fingers.

"Bzz!!"

The birdlike sound slowly carried outward.

Everyone in the outpost heard it clearly.

In an instant.

The ninjas moving about before them stopped what they were doing and rushed toward Jiraiya.

Then clouds of smoke rose one after another as ninjas appeared.

The next moment.

Every ninja in sight dropped to one knee before Jiraiya, their expressions filled with respect.

"Greetings, Lord Jiraiya!"

Their voices gathered like crashing waves, shaking the heart.

"You've all worked hard." Jiraiya replied with a furrowed brow, waving his hand. The ninjas returned to their tasks, while quite a few used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

That meant Jiraiya had now taken control of this place.

Jin had not expected Jiraiya to possess such authority.

This was an atmosphere that could never be seen within the village.

Or rather, this was what befitted an Elite Jonin and the Third Hokage's disciple.

Seeing how stunned the three children were, Jiraiya explained.

"I'm the commander here. The chain of command must be strictly observed."

This place primarily existed to monitor the movements of ninjas entering the border. At critical moments, it would also become the first line of defense against hostile villages.

Nothing could be handled carelessly. A single mistake could lead to extremely serious consequences, which naturally made the rules here especially strict.

Seeing the three of them lost in thought.

Jiraiya continued, "From now on, I can't keep taking you around with me. The missions I assign you will also require you to act on your own."

He needed to oversee the overall situation here. Under normal circumstances, an outpost like this would operate on its own, but when an Elite Jonin appeared here.

It meant they were about to face a major battle.

What came next would not be simple.

"Jin and Minato can leave first. Kushina, stay behind."

Jin and Minato nodded. "Yes."

Their figures shifted as they used Soru, vanishing from where they stood.

"Kushina, come with me." Jiraiya looked at Kushina's still-serious expression. It was obvious she had not figured things out yet.

He led Kushina into the central tent.

If Jiraiya were to judge it, what Uchiha Jin had said was correct, but he did not entirely agree with it.

If it had been Orochimaru, he would have agreed with Jin's words to a far greater extent.

But Jiraiya felt that such a mindset was destined to never become Hokage.

Though he himself did not particularly want to become Hokage.

Unlike the current Team 7, among the three of them, the one who most wanted to become Hokage was the genius known for always being quiet—Orochimaru.

Ninjas might be creatures born from darkness, but a Kage needed to be the sunlight recognized by everyone.

He did not think people with mindsets like Orochimaru's and Jin's could become Hokage.

He simply was not in a position to judge them.

"As long as you hold fast to your heart, anyone can become strong."

"Sensei Jiraiya." Once inside the tent, Kushina looked up at Jiraiya. Jiraiya, who should have remained stern, wore a gentle smile.

Just like Minato Namikaze.

A smile blossomed on Kushina's face as well.

"I won't be defeated by a few words from that hateful Uchiha! I'm going to become the woman who becomes Hokage!!"

"I believe in you."

Jiraiya encouraged Kushina.

The three of them each had their own traits: Kushina's passion, Minato Namikaze's gentleness, and...

Uchiha Jin's darkness.

He had long noticed that Jin's heart contained a darkness he could not understand.

Was he the so-called Child of Darkness?

Jiraiya could not be sure, nor did he know what he should do.

After all, the Child of Darkness did not bring destruction. Although the scene described by the Great Toad Sage was one of endless conflict, that kind of godlike ninja.

Even Jiraiya's heart stirred at the thought.

So he truly did not know what he should do.

He gathered his thoughts.

Then his expression turned serious again. This time, it was official business.

"Kushina, as a genin, from this moment onward, you are not permitted to use the Nine-Tails' power without my orders unless your life is in danger."

If word got out that the Nine-Tails was here, there would be no need for scouting. Iwagakure would definitely attack.

"Yes!" Kushina accepted the order on one knee.

She naturally understood the severity of the matter.

Upon entering the sentry post, they were greeted by a young man with pale white eyes.

He looked three or four years older and taller than Jin.

A member of the Hyuga Clan.

The young man looked at the two of them, his gaze lingering especially on Uchiha Jin without any attempt at concealment.

"Have I offended you?"

Jin asked directly. Guessing back and forth was far too troublesome. If the other party was really looking for trouble, then it would depend on whether his fists were hard enough.

The other party did not seem to bear any goodwill toward him.

The Hyuga youth stared at Jin as if he were staring at prey.

Just as Jin was about to lose patience and make a move.

The youth finally spoke.

"My name is Hizashi Hyuga."

That name.

Jin sized up the youth before him. Wasn't this Neji's father, the man who would be stifled and sacrificed by both the village and the Hyuga Clan in the future?

He had not expected to encounter him here.

Jin's gaze made Hizashi Hyuga uncomfortable. It felt as though Jin were looking at a dead man, and it angered him greatly.

"I'm also known as a genius of the Hyuga Clan. Let's spar sometime."

Hizashi Hyuga looked at Jin, filled with fighting spirit.

Over the past few months, he had heard Uchiha Jin's name so often his ears had nearly grown calluses.

Now that the real person stood before him.

Naturally, he wanted to test himself against him.

The Uchiha Clan had always competed with the Hyuga Clan for the position of Konoha's number one clan.

Only then did Jin understand.

The Uchiha and Hyuga had always been on bad terms.

It was simply that he had always carried the label of trash at the Ninja Academy, so the Hyuga Clan had not targeted him. He only became famous after becoming a ninja.

Though he had cursed out the clan elders back then.

Not a single Uchiha Clan Member had approached him since.

As for the duel before him.

"Next time, definitely."

Jin still did not understand the situation here and had no intention of sparring with anyone.

Hizashi Hyuga did not press the issue. He merely nodded, then began explaining the sentry post to the two of them.

"You've just arrived. Since you are Lord Jiraiya's disciples, you may rest for one day. Tomorrow, reconnaissance missions will be assigned to you."

"Completing missions earns a certain amount of military merit. You can use that merit to exchange for various ninja tools and medicinal herbs in the central tent, or trade it with Lord Jiraiya for ninjutsu."

After Hizashi Hyuga finished, Jin could not help asking.

"By the way, why are there tents everywhere instead of proper buildings?"

"The outpost changes locations every so often. Tents are easier to move."

Hizashi Hyuga explained to them.

"I see."

Hizashi Hyuga was not a talkative person. After finding tents for the two of them to stay in, he left.

When Kushina arrived, the three of them each had a tent to rest in.

After traveling for so long, they were exhausted from head to toe.

It was the perfect time to get some rest.

The noise was not loud, but gathered together, it sounded like the buzzing of mosquitoes and was irritating.

Jin got dressed and walked out of his tent.

The morning sunlight shone down from the sky, glaring brightly against his face.

Ninjas entered and left the outpost frequently. A ninja squad would not stay inside the outpost for more than a day.

He met up with Kushina and Minato Namikaze.

Both of them seemed to be in much better spirits than yesterday.

But when Kushina saw Jin, she still gave a "Hmph" and turned her gaze away.

Minato Namikaze smiled awkwardly.

Jin merely shrugged indifferently.

A slight rift had formed between the three of them.

It was not as though they would go their separate ways, but their differing ideals were bound to cause conflict.

Such things were not uncommon in the ninja world. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, for example, had conflicting ideals, yet they still worked together to screw over the Uchiha.

The three of them arrived at the mission station, which consisted of a tent and several people assigning missions.

These people were not ninjas, but ordinary civilians whose main duty was recording and relaying missions.

Though they were not ninjas, ordinary ninjas did not dare look down on them.

Their taijutsu was quite formidable; they simply could not extract Chakra.

Most of them were members of Ninja Clans within the village.

"Team 7?" A man dressed in white and wearing glasses, who looked rather wealthy, glanced at the three of them.

After all, they were a ninja team led by Jiraiya, so they drew considerable attention.

The man's smile was so broad that the flesh on his face trembled.

"Your mission is to scout this village. It is said that the village encountered Rogue Ninja, but none of the ninja squads sent there to investigate found anything unusual."

Since they were Jiraiya's disciples, he could naturally assign them an easier mission.

He placed a map and a mission scroll on the table.

This mission was extremely safe, since the outpost had already investigated the area many times.

The main reason was that this village stood in a key location for the outpost's movements, so no mistakes could be allowed.

That was why it had been investigated repeatedly.

Minato Namikaze accepted the two items. With Jiraiya absent, Minato Namikaze was the captain of this team.

A captain was never chosen solely based on strength, but on overall ability and the capacity to effectively lead the squad.

If either Jin or Kushina became captain, they would have to worry about whether the other would carry out their orders.

"The squad mission has been registered. I'll leave it to you."