Captive

Hoshino Maki's words made the burly figure of Pashira before him tremble incessantly.

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

He had assassinated daimyo of other nations, attacked other ninja villages for secret techniques, and kidnapped and slaughtered for rare Kekkei Genkai—none of it uncommon.

One could say his hands were drenched in blood, regardless of gender or age.

But even so, he felt he still had the right to curse the youth before him as shameless.

Dragging this man along to meet the Shinigami was now his greatest wish.

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

The ninja carrying out this ambush mission were all elite forces of the village; the first wave of explosions had already cost them dearly. If these people were to meet their end here, the front lines would surely collapse, dealing a devastating blow to Kumogakure.

And if Konoha were to step in then—

Though the possibility was slim, no one dared gamble that Konoha wouldn't act.

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

"When."

"Hm?"

"When did you set up the puppets."

Pashira admitted he had lost, but he wanted to understand how.

"Not telling you."

Hoshino Maki tilted his head and blurted out.

Pashira's face flushed red at the words.

As a victor, letting a recognized loser know where he went wrong before personally finishing him off was a form of courtesy—but the other party clearly didn't see it that way.

"Are you insulting me?!"

Pashira couldn't hold back, stepping forward as the rock beneath his foot spread with cracking fissures.

Hoshino Maki looked at him like he was an idiot: "So I can tell you and let you go back to inform the other Cloud Ninja? Got a screw loose?"

Pashira didn't understand the latter part of the remark, but he got the first part.

Not killing me?

Pashira couldn't grasp the other's intent.

In the Ninja War, there was no such thing as exchanging prisoners. Being captured by the enemy meant being tortured for information and then killed.

Of course, attractive female ninja might also suffer inhuman torment.

Only a very few captives had the chance to defect and become traitors—yes, even becoming a turncoat required connections!

Someone like Pashira, an Elite Jonin, naturally had the opportunity to defect, but he would never do so.

The only reason he was willing to talk to this youth he wanted to punch to death was to find a chance to help his comrades escape.

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

Hoshino Maki's words not only puzzled Pashira but also shocked the Sunagakure Shinobi beside him.

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

An Jonin couldn't help speaking up.

His father and brother had both died at the hands of Kumogakure, and now letting a powerful Cloud Elite Jonin, who should be executed, survive right under his nose—how could he stay calm!

"Of course I'm not letting him go. First, escort them back to the village. I'll handle the rest with the Elders."

Hoshino Maki had his own plans, though the original scheme had been disrupted by this sudden turn. Still, the captives before him gave him new ideas.

Others who had objections fell silent when Hoshino Maki invoked the Elder Council.

"I suggest you don't try anything rash."

Hoshino Maki's gaze fixed on Pashira as the chakra inside him suddenly surged into high gear—he naturally understood what Pashira intended.

"My heart is linked to the puppets. If I die, the puppets will instantly detonate the Explosive Tags. You don't want Kumogakure to lose so many elites, do you?"

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

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

Pashira stared at the youth before him, saying nothing.

That smile was too fake.

Hoshino Maki turned his head, looking at the subdued Cloud Ninja and the survivors standing clustered together, already surrounded, and clicked his tongue: "All elites, huh~"

"At least fifty Jonin, I'd say? I don't know Kumogakure's strength exactly, but there's no way all these Jonin can escape our encirclement. Even Konoha couldn't stomach that loss. Your front lines must be under a lot of pressure right now, right?"

Hoshino Maki held the expressionless Pashira's gaze for a long time: "I'm not fishing for intel, just making a small deduction based on the situation. I know the ninja code, but enduring humiliation for the sake of the village is also a ninja's duty, isn't it?"

"You see, only I would consider the value of you staying alive. Any other ninja—I think you know better than I do."

Pashira, who had remained silent all along, finally spoke, forcing out a few words in a hoarse voice: "What do you want."

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

"Impossible."

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

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

Hoshino Maki nodded casually and handed him the scroll and brush.

Pashira understood less and less.

At a time like this, he should be doing everything to annihilate the enemy force, then swiftly link up with the front line to turn the tide of battle in one decisive stroke.

Was this man a military idiot?

Pashira didn't know, but since there was a chance to pass along information, he wouldn't refuse. He quickly wrote it down.

Of course, to prevent any tampering, he deliberately composed it in Kumogakure's cipher and applied a unique Lightning Release seal as protection.

Hoshino Maki watched him. In truth, from their exchange just now, he had already gleaned a crucial piece of intelligence:

The AB Combo was not on the front line.

This information was critical. Even if Dodai was a retainer of every past Raikage and the examiner of every generation's peerless Lightning Plow Hot Blade, no matter how favored he was, it could never surpass that of a biological son.

If the Fourth Raikage couldn't be propped up, that would be one thing. But the man's ability and character were both outstanding. If the two marched together, the commander would inevitably be the Fourth Raikage.

Hoshino Maki wasn't afraid his deduction might be wrong. As the next Raikage, the Fourth would not allow Kumogakure to lose this elite force. His presence would actually make a Cloud withdrawal more likely.

This was also why Hoshino Maki didn't want to keep fighting.

The enemy had the Third Raikage, a man who could 'stand alone against ten thousand troops,' and the AB Combo, who could match Minato Namikaze.

Not to mention anything else—currently, Sunagakure had no one who could handle a controlled Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

Let alone the fact that Kumogakure had plundered so many secret techniques and ninja tools over the years. Whether they had other hidden experts behind them was anyone's guess.

Take this big fool in front of him, for example. He and Kojima were both Elite Jonin, but if the two fought to the death, Hoshino Maki felt Kojima's odds of victory weren't high.

It was only because Kumogakure was too arrogant, not sending their top-tier combat power. Otherwise, whether it was the AB Combo or treasures like the Bashosen, none of them were things Rasa could have handled in the original history.

If it truly escalated to an all-out war, Sunagakure's chances of victory were slim.