After the village's Jonin Squad received its mission, the Anbu messenger had to wait a full twenty minutes for fewer than forty jonin to gather, since they needed to assemble on short notice.
There was no helping it. Although the village's Jonin Squad had around 150 jonin stationed within it, once those away on missions and those from the Ino-Shika-Cho, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans were excluded, only around sixty remained. Aside from the Utatane, Mitokado, and Sarutobi clans, most of those sixty came from smaller ninja clans in the village, such as the Gekko Clan.
Yet those willing to show up now were all ninjas from the Utatane, Mitokado, and Sarutobi clans. The smaller clans and the commoner ninja had all dragged their feet and failed to report, their excuse readily available—martial law had been declared in the village, so they could not leave home.
"Forget about those who didn't come. Let's move out," said a jonin from the Sarutobi Clan.
The others all nodded and headed into the village together.
However, the moment they stepped outside, they were stopped by a ninja force nearly a hundred strong.
The man at the front stood with a distinctly roguish posture, the senbon clenched between his teeth glinting coldly beneath the streetlamp.
"Shiranui Genma?" Since Nara Shikaku's promotion had left the Jonin Squad leader's position vacant, Sarutobi Koji, a jonin from the Sarutobi Clan, had temporarily taken command. Seeing the newcomer, he furrowed his brow but still spoke patiently. "You've come at the right time. We're short on manpower, so hurry and join us in suppressing the Military Police Force's rebellion."
"Is that so?" Shiranui Genma raised an eyebrow and said casually, "But I heard that the Military Police Force is suppressing thugs who spread rumors to slander the village's hero and