In Konoha, My Attributes Double Every Day!

"Any new intel?"

"Huh?"

Hankuang looked at Kakashi in disbelief, wondering if the guy had been body-snatched. Just moments ago, he'd been locked in a verbal spar with him, and now, in the blink of an eye, he was asking about intel? Where was your face!

Still, as a teammate, Hankuang generously shared some of his own doubts. Since he couldn't figure it out himself, tossing it to Kakashi made perfect sense.

"Why didn't Minako issue an A-rank mission instead of a C-rank?" Hankuang posed the question.

"That's normal."

Kakashi actually knew the reason.

"Oh? You call that normal?" Hankuang found it hard to grasp.

"Because of the Five Great Shinobi Villages Agreement."

Organizing his words, Kakashi continued.

"There's an agreement among the five great shinobi villages. Its content stipulates that jonin from each major village cannot enter neutral countries."

"And if they do?" Hankuang countered.

"Then it means breaking the agreement, giving other villages the right to send their own jonin into the neutral country."

After hearing Kakashi's explanation, Hankuang stroked his chin. This was the first time he'd heard of such an agreement. Thinking it over, he spotted several loopholes right away.

For instance: what if a jonin infiltrated a neutral country in disguise? How would that be handled? For a jonin, that kind of infiltration wasn't particularly difficult. Imagine if a Kumogakure jonin slipped into the Land of Hot Water, secretly overthrew its government, and then covertly deployed ninja forces to the Land of Hot Water border. Meanwhile, Konoha would be sitting there like an idiot, sticking to the agreement. If Kumogakure launched a surprise attack, they'd probably be at Konoha's gates in no time.

So, what kind of moron drafted an agreement like this? Wasn't it practically tailor-made for ambushing other villages?

Snapping back to the present.

Hankuang couldn't help but ask about the origins of this agreement. Kakashi thought for a moment and answered honestly.

"This agreement was drafted by the Third Hokage, refined with Danzo's assistance, and ultimately approved by the other villages."

Hankuang: "???"

No wonder. No wonder Konoha always got hit first by other villages.

After finishing his exchange with Kakashi, a sense of urgency crept into Hankuang's heart. The reason was that Five Great Shinobi Villages Agreement. Hankuang was a pessimist. When judging a situation, he always assumed the worst. So now, he wondered: what if the Land of Hot Water had already changed hands? If so, his team charging in would be like four lambs walking into a lion's den.

Land of Hot Water border. (Border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire)

Akutagawa Shinichi stood on the east bank of the river, gazing at the scenery of the Land of Fire. This river was the national boundary dividing the two countries—the east bank belonged to the Land of Hot Water, the west to the Land of Fire.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The quiet atmosphere was broken as a subordinate ran over.

"Lord Shinichi, the border forces have assembled."

"Oh? How many?" Akutagawa Shinichi didn't turn around, speaking flatly.

"Total of twenty chunin."

"Only that many?"

Murmuring to himself, Akutagawa Shinichi furrowed his brow.

The rebel forces that had seized control of the Land of Hot Water were carrying out the necessary purges against the original powers.

But after the purges, the number of shinobi had plummeted.

And this chunin represented the entirety of the border ninja force in the Land of Hot Water.

"Deploy all these ninja here!"

"Remember, the moment any Konoha ninja enters the Land of Hot Water from this point, kill them without exception."

Akutagawa Shinichi's tone was icy as he issued the order.

This was the path leading to the Daimyo Palace of the Land of Hot Water.

Bound by the Five Great Shinobi Villages Agreement, any Konoha chunin or genin who entered the Land of Hot Water from here would be as good as dead.

This was not an order from the rebel leader Kawashiro, but a secret directive from Kumogakure.

Chapter Thirteen: Hankuang's Moment of Glory Is About to Begin!

Night.

For once, no one in Team 9 went to bed early.

Nohara Rin had volunteered to go and try to win over Minako.

Kakashi stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree, gazing at the night sky.

Obito sidled up to Hankuang, wearing a thoughtful expression.

"Hankuang."

"Hm?"

"Do you have someone you like?"

"Someone I like?"

Hankuang thought about it seriously.

"The person I like hasn't been born yet."

"Huh?"

Obito was completely lost.

But then it clicked.

That just meant he didn't have one, didn't it? Why put it so vaguely?

After that topic, Hankuang casually asked.

"By the way, Obito, what would you do if the team ran into an enemy?"

"Fight them, of course!"

"And if you can't win?"

"Then I'd let Kakashi handle it."

"What if Kakashi can't hold out either?"

"Then..." Obito trailed off.

He had no idea what to do.

If even Kakashi couldn't hold out, wouldn't that mean the whole team was wiped out?

"And what would you do?"

Suddenly, Kakashi's voice cut in.

He had overheard the entire exchange between Hankuang and Obito, and he was curious—what would Hankuang do in that situation?

Too bad.