Suddenly appearing from behind, Kazashiro swung his scabbard at the Rain Ninja's head rather inelegantly, and as the man fell to the ground, he used his knee to press down on the man's neck, executing a standard American police officer kneeling pose.
"I can't breathe..."
The subdued Rain Ninja waved his hands frantically, but the lack of air in his lungs prevented him from shouting for help. He could only watch helplessly as Obito walked up to him.
As an Illusion Technique was cast on the unknown Rain Ninja, he, who had been struggling to breathe, instantly fell silent, as if he were dead.
"Could he really be dead? I haven't even used much force yet."
Standing up, Kazashiro removed his knee from the other person's neck and looked at Obito with a probing gaze.
"He's not dead. The Illusion Technique worked. You can ask him anything."
Obito adjusted his goggles and said confidently.
After confirming that there were no problems, Kazashiro and the others took the prisoner to a secluded place and began the interrogation.
"What's your name? Which part of Amegakure do you belong to?"
"My name is Qizhi, and I belong to the Jonin Inoshita's team."
After more than ten minutes of interrogation, Kazashiro obtained the information he wanted, and then signaled to Kakashi with his eyes that they could take care of this guy.
Without any hesitation, as the Kunai flashed, the Genin named Qizhi won a three-year tax exemption for his family.
Looking into the lifeless eyes of the other person, Kazashiro frowned and began to review the information he had obtained from them.
The ninja organization in Amegakure is very complex. There is no limit to the number of people Jonin can lead, depending entirely on how much money Amegakure is willing to spend Genin paying the Genin.
For example, this Genin named Qizhi belongs to a team with as many as thirty Genin. Although the number is large and looks intimidating, their actual combat strength may not even be comparable to three ordinary Konoha Genin.
For these low-level cannon fodder, the selection method in Amegakure is very simple: you just need to be able to hit any spot on a five-meter target with a shuriken.
In any case, for the Hanzo regime, the lifespan of these Genin was extremely short. They either died in raids by mountain bandits or from Exploding Tag traps left over from the Second Shinobi World War within the Land of Land of Rain.
Unlike the relaxed atmosphere of Konoha, the Rain Ninja, who had become Genin, didn't have many simple requests like finding cats and dogs. The simplest requests they could get were to assassinate ordinary people with some social standing who weren't ninjas themselves.
The team that Kazashiro and his group encountered wasn't a patrol team, but rather a group of unlucky souls who had been hired to clean up leftover Exploding Tag.
Therefore, even if Kazashiro and his group killed them all, their Jonin leader would only think that these guys had stepped on Exploding Tag trap in some obscure corner.
"It's unbelievable that Hanzo was able to fight against Sunagakure and Konoha in the Second Shinobi World War with just this kind of team and not be at a disadvantage."
Rin Nohara, the academically gifted student in the team, clearly couldn't imagine that a ninja of this caliber had once caused Konoha a huge loss.
"This is why Hanzo failed. The Land of Rain is ultimately just a small country, without powerful Ninja Clan or a rich foundation in Ninjutsu. Hanzo's bravery alone was simply not enough to contend with the Great Hidden Village."
"Of course, the area we're in is quite far from the central tower. Hanzo's powerful direct subordinate ninjas are all gathered there to protect his safety, so those staying outside are naturally ninjas of this caliber."
From Qizhi, they learned that Hanzo had not appeared in public for a long time, and that some orders were being relayed by his right-hand Hattori and Shinta.
As for the Stone Ninja forces within the Land of Rain, although there is no detailed intelligence to corroborate this, according to Qizhi, their superiors had ordered them not to interfere with these Stone Ninja. This proves that Hanzo was aware of, or even tacitly approved of, the passage of these Stone Ninja through the Hanzo.
Let's find a place to shelter from the rain and rest for the night, then continue our journey tomorrow.
Looking at the gray sky above, Kazashiro decided to rest nearby for the night. Anyway, he had already obtained information about the Stone Ninja, and all that was left was to find the Akatsuki Organization, which was still in its early stages.
If Jiraiya and his disciples had made contact earlier, it might have been possible to avoid some tragic situations in the future.
At the very least, it could bring about a tiny bit of good fortune in this chaotic Shinobi World.
As night fell, Kazashiro, who had volunteered to take over the night watch, replaced Obito and sat alone on a boulder in front of the cave, looking up at the sky.
Sensing the familiar presence behind him, Kazashiro didn't turn around, but asked curiously, "Didn't we agree that I would keep watch for the rest of the night?"
The person behind him did not answer, but instead came to Kazashiro's side and sat down on the boulder.
"That's really strange, to see that kind of expression on your face."
Sitting next to Kazashiro, Kakashi spoke calmly, looking up at the night sky just like Kazashiro.
What expression?
Touching his face, Kazashiro wasn't even sure what kind of expression he was wearing.
"Don't take Obito's words too seriously. That kid is always like that; he says whatever comes to mind."
When Kazashiro asked him a question, Kakashi simply stretched out a finger behind him, pointing at Obito who was drooling in his sleep, without directly answering Kazashiro's question.
"I don't care what idiots say."
Even so, Kazashiro recalled the scene he had witnessed that morning, as well as the current state of Amegakure revealed by the prisoners.
Do you remember what you looked like when you first came to Konoha?
Kakashi glanced sideways at Kazashiro, who was speaking insincerely, then shook his head slightly before turning his gaze back to the sky.
What did he look like when he first came to Konoha?
Oh, back then, I didn't have as many thoughts as I do now. My mother had just passed away, my father's reputation was terrible, and the only person I could rely on was that so-called Konoha Anbu, Uncle Sakumo.
Back then, all I had to think about was how to survive. Unlike now, I have to consider both the mission and how to save this person and that person.
"Actually, you've always been this kind of person, going with the flow, occasionally using some clever tricks to gain some benefits for yourself, but most of the time you just follow the path set for you by others, without any other thoughts."
Seeing that Kazashiro didn't respond, Kakashi continued speaking.
Kakashi's words left Kazashiro speechless.
Judging from the other person's tone, their life over the past few years could be summed up as carefree and heartless, right?
While it is true, I really thank you, Kakashi, for saying this directly to the person involved.