Captured

Hoshino Maki's words made Pashira's massive frame tremble.

As an Elite Jonin of Kumogakure, he had crushed his conscience underfoot long ago.

He had assassinated the lords of other countries, attacked other ninja villages for secret techniques, and kidnapped and slaughtered people for their precious Kekkei Genkai. None of it had been unusual.

His hands were stained with blood, whether the victims were men, women, or children.

Even so, he felt he still had the right to call the boy in front of him shameless.

His greatest wish now was to take this man with him to meet the Shinigami.

Dying for a mission was an honor for a ninja, but that clearly didn't apply to the current situation.

The ninjas assigned to this ambush were all elite forces from the village. The first wave of explosions had already cost them dearly. If these people died as well, the front line would surely collapse, dealing a devastating blow to Kumogakure.

And if Konoha made a move then...

The odds might be slim, but no one dared bet that Konoha wouldn't intervene.

Sarutobi might be old and dull, but he wasn't an idealist like Hashirama Senju.

"When?"

"Hmm?"

"When did you set up the puppets?"

Pashira admitted defeat, but he wanted to understand how he'd lost.

"I'm not telling you."

Hoshino Maki tilted his head and answered without a second thought.

Pashira flushed at his words.

As the victor, it was customary to let a defeated opponent he respected know how they had lost before personally finishing them off. But his opponent clearly didn't think that way.

"Are you insulting me?!"

Pashira could barely control himself. He stepped forward, and cracks spread through the rock beneath his feet.

Hoshino Maki looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Why would I tell you, so you can go back and tell the other Cloud Ninja? Have you lost your mind?"

Pashira didn't understand the latter part of what he said, but he understood the first.

He wasn't going to kill him?

Pashira couldn't make sense of his intentions.

There was no such thing as exchanging prisoners during a Ninja War. Captured ninjas were interrogated for information and then killed.

Of course, pretty female ninjas also suffered other inhuman torments.

Only a tiny handful of prisoners got the chance to defect and become traitors. That's right—becoming a guide for the enemy took connections, too!

An Elite Jonin like Pashira would certainly have a chance to defect, but he would never do that.

He was only willing to speak with the boy he wanted to punch to death because he was looking for a chance to help his comrades escape.

As for how many Sunagakure Shinobi he could take down with him, he'd take down as many as he could!

Hoshino Maki's words didn't just confuse Pashira; they also stunned the Sunagakure Shinobi around them.

"Lord Hoshino, you can't let him go! He's an Elite Jonin of Kumogakure!"

One Jonin couldn't help speaking up.

His father and brother had both died at Kumogakure's hands. Now they were letting a powerful Cloud Ninja Elite Jonin—someone who should have been executed—survive right in front of him. How was he supposed to stay sane?!

"Of course we're not letting him go. We'll escort them back to the village first. I'll discuss the rest with the Elders."

Hoshino Maki had his own plans. Naturally, the unexpected situation had thrown them off, but the prisoners before him had given him a new idea.

When the others who had objections saw Hoshino Maki invoke the Elder Council, they said no more.

"I advise you not to make any rash moves."

Hoshino Maki kept his eyes on Pashira. The Chakra inside him suddenly began circulating at high speed, and Hoshino Maki understood what he was planning.

"My heart is connected to the puppet. The moment I die, it'll detonate the Explosive Tags. You don't want Kumogakure to lose so many elite forces, do you?"

"I know what you're worried about. Sunagakure won't use genjutsu or other interrogation methods on you. To be honest, I think we'll have plenty of opportunities to work together in the future."

Hoshino Maki strode up to Pashira, patted his thick upper arm, and spoke with a smile.

Pashira stared at the boy in front of him without saying a word.

That smile was too fake.

Hoshino Maki turned to look at the subdued Cloud Ninja and the survivors gathered nearby, already surrounded. He clicked his tongue. "These are all elite forces."

"There must be at least fifty Jonin, right? I don't know how strong Kumogakure is, but there's no way all these Jonin can escape our encirclement. Even Konoha couldn't afford a loss like this. The pressure on your front line must be immense, right?"

Hoshino Maki held Pashira's impassive gaze for a long moment. "I'm not fishing for information. I'm just making a few small deductions based on the situation. I know a ninja's code, but enduring humiliation for the sake of the village is part of a ninja's duty, isn't it?"

"Remember, I'm the only one who'll consider the value of keeping you alive. If it were up to other ninjas... I think you know better than I do."

Pashira had remained silent until now. At last, he spoke, his hoarse voice forcing out a few difficult words. "What do you want?"

"Write a letter telling the Cloud Ninja to withdraw."

"Impossible."

Pashira shook his head. "Lord Dodai won't obey my orders."

"That's fine. Just write down the situation."

Hoshino Maki casually handed him a scroll and a pen.

Pashira understood less and less.

At a time like this, they should be doing everything they could to wipe out the enemy forces, then quickly join the front line and turn the tide of battle.

Was the person in front of him a military idiot?

Pashira wasn't sure, but he wouldn't refuse a chance to send information out. He quickly wrote the letter.

Of course, to stop his opponent from tampering with it, he wrote it in Kumogakure's code and added the Cloud Ninja's unique Lightning Release seal to protect it.

As Hoshino Maki watched him, he realized he'd learned an important piece of information from their conversation:

The AB Combo wasn't at the front line.

That was crucial information. Even though Dodai was a trusted retainer to generations of Raikage and the examiner of the Double Lariat, no amount of favor could outweigh the Raikage's own son.

If the Fourth Raikage were incapable, that would be one thing. But he was outstanding in both ability and temperament. If the two of them went on a campaign together, the Fourth Raikage would certainly be in command.

Hoshino Maki wasn't worried that his deduction might be wrong. As the next Raikage, the Fourth Raikage wouldn't allow Kumogakure to lose this elite force. His presence would actually make Kumogakure more likely to withdraw.

That was also why Hoshino Maki didn't want the fighting to continue.

The enemy had the Third Raikage, who could "stand against ten thousand troops alone," as well as the AB Combo, who could fight Minato Namikaze to a draw.

Never mind the rest—right now, there was no one in Sunagakure who could deal with a controlled Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

And Kumogakure had seized so many secret techniques and ninja tools over the years. Who knew if they had other powerful fighters backing them up?

Take the hulking fool in front of him. He was an Elite Jonin, just like Kojima, but Hoshino Maki doubted Kojima would have much chance of winning if the two fought to the death.

It was only because Kumogakure had grown too arrogant and hadn't sent its very best fighters. Otherwise, neither the AB Combo nor treasures like the Bashosen would have been something Rasa could handle in the original timeline.

If this escalated into an all-out war, Sunagakure would have little hope of winning.