"Only by facing the enemy head-on can I prove I've got a backbone!"
"Damn you, Kazeka! Once I escape, I'll never let you get away with this!"
"Wounds on the back are a coward's mark!"
"Kazeka, you'd better not give me an opening. If I manage to escape, I'll make sure you regret it!"
Huangshi took the beating like a whack-a-mole, helplessly enduring the attacks from Kazeka and the others.
One moment he shouted that he'd never back down; the next, he threatened to run away. He was practically acting like someone with a split personality.
In that state, the three of them quickly knocked Huangshi down!
"Mm. The injuries to his body are minor. He's only lost the ability to fight back because he's run out of Chakra.
"In this condition, this experimental subject has been preserved quite well..."
Kazeka kept drawing seals on Huangshi's body, soothing him as he worked:
"Don't worry. These seals will only control your movements.
"When we get back to Konoha, I'll make sure you're in the best possible physical and mental condition before my surgical experiments.
"You're my first Chunin test subject, after all. We'll just do the dissection surgery five times a day!"
"Kazeka, we can't hand these Rogue Ninjas over to you this time..."
Kazeka's experimental methods were vicious. You could tell just from the way he talked about them.
Fortunately, just as Huangshi's face turned pale, Kurenai Yuhi cut in:
"They appeared at the border without warning. They must have important intelligence about the Land of Waves, so we need to interrogate them first.
"And as your team leader, I also have a duty to stop you from going too far with these bloody methods. They'll only make you more violent!"
"It's fine..."
Kazeka stared at Huangshi without even blinking, making him feel as though his skin were crawling.
"My experiments are more intense than interrogation, in a way. They'll get these guys talking faster.
"Besides, as a researcher, I know some pretty good emergency treatment techniques. I can keep them alive as long as possible. And..."
Kazeka looked up, a bloodthirsty smile on his face.
He gently wiped his cheek. The blood smeared across it made him look even more frightening.
"I'm not going to become more violent. I've always been a very warm and kind person!"
"Oh, I was only saying that for show..."
Seeing the hope on Huangshi's face, Kurenai Yuhi waved her hand dismissively.
"We still have to follow procedure, but these Rogue Ninjas have done so much evil that we don't need to show them any honor!"
Huangshi: "...If I confess now, can I skip the experiments?"
"Don't get your hopes up..."
Kazeka cruelly crushed Huangshi's hopes.
"There are three of you. Even if you don't talk, the other two will.
"You're not getting out of the experiments!"
Huangshi: "..."
"Hey, sensei, is it really okay to leave Kazeka alone like that...?"
Watching Kazeka use the Summoning Technique to call forth a Great Snake, which swallowed Huangshi and the other two and carried them off, Kiba Inuzuka looked concerned.
"You were right before. Constant exposure to bloody, violent experiments can affect a person's personality.
"We'll have plenty of battles ahead of us. Won't all this make Kazeka's personality worse and worse?"
"That would be true of a normal person. But some people are already twisted inside, and can only release their pent-up violence through certain unusual hobbies..."
As a master of genjutsu, Kurenai Yuhi had studied human nature extensively and understood Kazeka's condition.
"That's what Kazeka is like. It's also why the Hokage, despite being exasperated by all his misbehavior, still lets him do as he pleases as much as possible. But enough about that..."
After briefly clearing up Kiba Inuzuka's confusion, Kurenai Yuhi steered the conversation toward the more pressing intelligence they had obtained.
"The three of them don't know much, but they've given us a clear enough picture.
"Gato, a wealthy businessman, has taken an interest in the Land of Waves and wants to develop it.
"But his methods are brutal. He intends to squeeze the people dry and oppress them, preventing them from building a bridge to open up trade.
"To stop the villagers from coming to our Konoha for help, they've placed the Land of Waves under complete control.
"They've also stationed ninjas at this border to keep anyone from slipping through. What do you think we should do?"
"What else is there to think...?"
Hinata's rebellious rich-girl attitude still hadn't worn off. Leaning against a tree, she said irritably:
"When it comes to mosquitoes that suck people dry, you swat every one you see!"
"I've heard of the Land of Waves. Its people aren't wealthy, but they get by well enough overall..."
Kiba Inuzuka thought it over.
"Either way, we shouldn't let Gato bully them. Kazeka, what do you think?"
"Gato has a whole commercial empire at his disposal. If he used legitimate methods and slowly took over the Land of Waves through capital investment, we really wouldn't be able to intervene directly.
"After all, we're ninjas. We can't openly interfere in another country's internal affairs. But this guy's an idiot..."
Perhaps because he now had three more experimental subjects, Kazeka looked quite pleased. He was willing to explain the situation to Kiba Inuzuka in more detail.
"Maybe he was trying to save money, but he went straight to using force to seize control. That gives the people of the Land of Waves ample reason to issue a mission to Konoha to drive him out.
"He must have realized that, so he sent people to intercept them. But that brings us to the second point:
"He's using Rogue Ninjas to set up defenses along our Konoha border. Their numbers may be small, but it's a provocation.
"That gives Konoha grounds to take action!
"I think we should send word to the Hokage while heading to the border of the Land of Waves. Then we can decide what to do based on what we find!"
"I see. Then we'll have a legitimate reason to act!"
Kiba Inuzuka nodded, then asked:
"But if the other side really does what you said and takes over through capital investment, would we be completely helpless?"
"Of course not!" Kazeka replied.
"At that point, it would become a decision for the countries involved.
"If they really want to take down someone like Gato, the Hokage and the Daimyo will step in.
"They have all sorts of ways to deal with him. In no time, Gato would go from a wealthy businessman to a villain everyone wants dead.
"Then we can go in with weapons and cut people down..."
In just a few words, Kazeka laid bare the dangers of political power struggles.
"After all, he's just a rich man with no backing—a walking wallet!"
"A clash of power..."
Hinata gave a disdainful click of her tongue.
"How ugly!"
"Ugly or not, it doesn't matter..."
Kurenai Yuhi put away the special scroll she had just used to communicate and addressed the three of them.
"I've already reported everything to the Hokage. I just received a reply:
"Kakashi's Team, the Third Team, has accepted a mission from the people of the Land of Waves to help protect the construction of the bridge.
"We don't need to return to the village. We'll head out directly and assist Team Kakashi. We'll adapt as the situation demands!"
Before you continue