For the Clan!

"Oyakuro, weren't you supposed to be home with your daughter today?"

Hoshino Maki rubbed his lower back with Medical Ninjutsu as he invited him to sit.

Oyashiro En had no official position in Sunagakure; he was merely one of Hoshino Maki's aides. Aside from helping him take care of some personal matters lately, he still had plenty of free time.

"I was spending time with my daughter, but I heard something and came to report it to you."

"What is it?"

Hoshino Maki twisted his waist. It was almost completely healed.

"It's like this..."

Hoshino Maki narrowed his eyes as he listened to Oyashiro En. He began weighing the matter in his mind.

"I understand. Go home and wait for news."

After Oyashiro En left, Hoshino Maki walked over to the mirror. His appearance began to change. His skin darkened and grew dry, several deep lines appeared on his forehead, and wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes. His features shifted as well. Before long, he looked like someone from the Land of Water.

After calibrating his voice several times, he spoke with a thick accent from the Land of Water.

"Those at the back, stop lining up! We're done for the day!"

A surly-looking Sunagakure Shinobi shouted, then got up to leave.

"Didn't you say five o'clock? Why are you closing at two?"

A young man who still looked rather boyish was sweating profusely. He'd been waiting in line for three hours, and it was almost his turn. He hadn't expected the man to suddenly tell him he'd waited for nothing. His anger flared, and he couldn't help questioning him.

At that, a wave of agreement erupted from the long line behind him.

Bang—!

"What's the matter? Got a problem?!"

The shinobi slapped the table and glared fiercely at the crowd.

The people who'd just been clamoring in outrage shrank back like startled quails, leaving the young man standing out all the more.

The young man was hot-blooded, but his anger faded as quickly as it had come. Realizing he'd become the one to stick his neck out, he grew a little timid. But he couldn't back down now, so he stuck out his chin and stubbornly said, "It's true! I'm going to the Kazekage Building to report you!"

The man wasn't the least bit afraid. Instead, he laughed and strode forward, grabbed the young man by the collar, and threw him hard to the ground over his shoulder.

"Report me? I'm from the Chiyo Clan. Who in Sunagakure would dare touch me?"

The scene fell silent. The people in line watched the young man lying on the ground and groaning in pain, but no one spoke.

The man looked around, gave a contemptuous snort, spat at the young man, and strode away.

Only then did the people in line dare to crowd around him.

"Hey, why'd you have to provoke him? If you'd just been nice, he might've processed a couple more applications. Maybe he'd even have gotten to me."

"We came all the way to Sunagakure. We're already living at someone else's mercy. Why stick your neck out? At least they're processing our applications at all."

"Young man, learn from this. The people handling these matters are all from the Great Clans. You can't reason with them. Forget three o'clock—even if they left at noon, nobody would do a thing."

"Some of us just aren't lucky. People with connections don't even have to come in. One word, and everything's taken care of."

"..."

The young man wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and struggled to his feet. He didn't brush the dust off his clothes. He only stared, bewildered, at the people surrounding him, all pointing fingers and lecturing him.

Was I wrong?

But the notice clearly said five o'clock!

Everyone's blaming me, so it must be my fault.

But what exactly did I do wrong?

In the crowded throng, a flash of light flickered past, capturing the bewildered look on the young man's face.

That night, Hoshino Maki sat on the floor of his study.

He hadn't turned on the floor heating. Instead, he'd brought over a bundle of dry branches and lit them in a copper basin, listening to them crackle and pop.

The flames reflected in his eyes, flickering, flickering.

He seemed to be back at the border outpost that night. He'd sat by the campfire, chatting and laughing with the young shinobi, telling them about the bright future he'd envisioned for them.

Have I really made Sunagakure better?

If things keep going like this, will Sunagakure's council of elders under Chiyo's leadership become a one-clan dictatorship, with the Elder Council reduced to a mere formality?

If Chiyo and I ever disagree, will I still be able to put my ideas into practice?

Even if Chiyo wholeheartedly supports me, what will her clan do if she's gone? Will they still be the same?

He wasn't foolish enough to assume that because she'd lived a long time in the anime, she would live a long time in reality. After all, the one thing the Ninja World never lacked was accidents.

When all was said and done, Sunagakure's people and the Chiyo Clan respected him largely because of Chiyo's support. Without it, he'd have been no more than a puppet, even if he became Kazekage—just like the leaders who'd come before him. The only difference was that he'd be Chiyo's personal puppet.

That was something he couldn't accept.

With that thought, he stood and took the cloak from the wall. Then his figure vanished.

The matter seemed to have passed. Naoya had assumed that once Oyashiro En found someone important, his problem would be resolved quickly. But Oyashiro En said he didn't know the specifics either and suggested that Naoya wait a little longer.

Under normal circumstances, Naoya would've turned on his heel and left. If this place wouldn't have him, somewhere else would. But now, he felt he should be considerate of the other man's predicament.

Maybe being considerate would save him a million!

The days remained peaceful until Sunday, when news that the Chiyo Family had embezzled investment funds and beaten a newcomer spread through Sunagakure in an instant. If Sunagakure had trending topics, it would've been number one.

Everyone in the village was talking about it when they met. They didn't dare say it openly, but in private, they all condemned the Chiyo Family's arrogance.

More details about the young man were dug up, too.

His parents had died when he was young, leaving him and his younger sister to depend on each other. He'd worked hard and traveled far and wide to earn some money, hoping to return home and give his sister a good life. But when he came back, he found that she'd become a naked corpse.

After asking around, he finally learned that the City Lord's son had taken a fancy to her and tried to force himself on her. She'd refused, but she was no match for the man's size, and he had guards to back him up. In the end, he'd lost his temper, assaulted her, and brutally murdered her.

The young man had tried to assassinate him to avenge his sister, but the man had too many guards. After failing, he took the money he'd hidden outside the city and headed to Sunagakure to seek out a friend. But his friend had died on the battlefield, leaving only his elderly mother, whose legs were impaired and hair had turned white. So the young man decided to care for his friend's mother before thinking about revenge.

But without Sunagakure residency, there were many things he couldn't do. He'd wanted to use all his savings to register as a resident first, but then...

The story became somewhat distorted as it spread, but not by much. The events themselves were already infuriating enough to stir people's sympathy without anyone embellishing them.

An arrogant, derelict shinobi, and a young man who'd avenged his sister and cared for his friend's elderly mother. Side by side, the contrast was stark. Even Sunagakure's own shinobi looked down on the man, though some of them were just as bad—or worse.

Smack—!

"Bastard!"

An old man in a kimono slapped the person kneeling on the floor, knocking him over.

"Everyone in the village is talking about you, about the Chiyo Clan! Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused the clan?!"

The man covered his face and knelt again. His arrogance was gone, replaced by nothing but hurt.

"Father, that vagrant dared to shout at me. That was disrespectful to the Chiyo Clan and to the shinobi. Of course I had to teach him a little lesson. Didn't you say the clan's honor mattered above all else?"

He didn't understand. He'd defended the clan's honor. Why were the villagers, the clan, and even his own father treating him this way?

If what he'd done was wrong, everyone did much the same. Why was he the only one being scolded?

What exactly did I do wrong?

The old man looked at his bewildered son and felt a lump of anger lodge in his chest.

His son had told him about it over dinner that very night, but he'd treated it as an amusing anecdote, a joke, and the old man hadn't given it a second thought. Who could've expected the story to blow up so suddenly—and so dramatically? It had caught him completely off guard.

Life's already so miserable. Why won't you just die?

He cursed the young man in his heart, then slapped his son again.

The harder he beat him now, the better the chance of saving him.

Just as his hand was about to come down, a clean, fair hand suddenly appeared and seized his wrist. A shinobi dressed as an Anbu Ninja had stopped him.

"Lord Chifune, Lady Chiyo has ordered us to take Kōtarō to the Kazekage Building. You can deal with him when he gets back."

Chifune's eyes lit up. He automatically ignored the disrespectful tone. As long as his son came back, they could talk about anything.

"If he really does come back."

The Anbu Ninja flung Chifune's suddenly stiff arm aside. Looking down at Kōtarō, who was sprawled on the floor and had only just realized how serious things were, he said calmly, "I'm not going to drag you there, am I?"

Kōtarō nodded and scrambled to his feet, hurrying after him.

Chifune watched the open doorway as the cold wind poured in and made him hunch over. He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

Before long, the Anbu Ninja brought Kōtarō to the Elder Council Hall by the collar. He threw him down and knelt on one knee. "Kōtarō has been brought here."

"Bring him in."

The atmosphere inside the Elder Council Hall was heavy. No one spoke. Only when Kōtarō was brought in did the stone-faced Elders come to life. Their eyes all converged on him, frightening him so badly he nearly wet himself.

Hoshino Maki's attention, meanwhile, was on the Anbu Ninja. Young, blond, and bold enough to manhandle the child of a Chiyo Clan leader—could it be him, Minato Namikaze?

Hoshino Maki congratulated himself on his cleverness.

As the most relaxed person in the room, he still had the presence of mind to joke.

"Sorry for the trouble, Yashamaru."

Rasa spoke. Yashamaru nodded and retreated into the shadows by the doorway.

"Kōtarō, you should know why you were summoned. Tell us exactly what happened."

As soon as Ebizo finished speaking, Chōjūrō let out a cold laugh. "There's no need to go to all that trouble."

As he spoke, he pulled a videotape from his sleeve. He waved a hand, and someone came in to put it into the player. After a burst of static, Kōtarō's arrogant figure appeared on the screen.

The video wasn't long, only twenty minutes, but Chiyo couldn't bear to watch halfway through.

It wasn't that she was too softhearted or couldn't stomach it. She was afraid that if she watched any longer, she'd use A Thousand Needles to stab the half-dead fool to death.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Do you have anything to say?"

Chiyo's words jolted Kōtarō into action. He scrambled toward her, trying to kneel at her feet, but halfway there, Hoshino Maki crouched down to stop him, blocking the others' view with his back. He sent him a Sound Transmission: "Mr. Kōtarō, you can't let the clan lose face."

Kōtarō looked up and saw who it was. Hoshino Maki winked at him, and he immediately felt half reassured.

He'd met Hoshino Maki a few times. They weren't close, but at least they were on the same side. There was no reason for him to harm Kōtarō.

Then he saw Chiyo's ominous gaze over Hoshino Maki's shoulder and shivered. He sprang to his feet.

That was right. The Chiyo Clan could never lose face—especially in front of the other clans. He couldn't embarrass Lady Chiyo!

Suddenly, he thought he knew what to do and shot Hoshino Maki a grateful look.

But Hoshino Maki didn't respond. He simply returned to Chiyo's side, as if he hadn't done anything at all.

"Honorable Elders, I have something to say!"

Kōtarō gathered his courage, held his head high, and spoke loudly. "I admit that I left early. I accept any punishment for neglecting my duties. But as a shinobi of Sunagakure and a member of the Chiyo Clan, if anyone dares to provoke me or the Chiyo Clan, I will never go easy on them. That is the honor of a shinobi. That is the honor of the Chiyo Clan. If anyone dares to besmirch it, I will defend it with my life!"

When Kōtarō finished, he saw the Elders looking at him with indescribable expressions.

Confusion, bewilderment, and even a little pity?

Only Ebizo and Chiyo looked livid.

What is this fool talking about?

Honor of a shinobi? What honor do shinobi have?

Assassination, plunder, or espionage?

Has he been reading too many manga and adventure stories?

That alone would've been bad enough. At least it would've been his own problem. But he kept bringing up the clan, as if everything he'd done had been for its sake. Was it not enough to die himself? Did he have to smear the clan with Nine-Turn Large Intestine before he went?

"Get out!"

Ebizo couldn't take it anymore and had him thrown out.

Kōtarō was hauled away by the Anbu Ninja, his face full of question marks. Chōjūrō didn't stop them. With the video, the will of the entire village, and that fool's words just now, the Chiyo Family would have to pay a heavy price.

As his thoughts turned, Chōjūrō covertly swept his gaze over everyone in the room.

Who sent that videotape to my residence?

My own side? No. I can see now how unreliable these so-called allies are. The people I'm close to had no reason to do it. And if they were afraid of Chiyo's retaliation, why record the video in the first place?

He didn't think any of his allies had the ability to profit from the conflict while the others fought.

It couldn't have been Chiyo's side, either. With every other possibility ruled out, the truth came naturally to mind—Rasa!

As the one in control of the Anbu, he already knew that Rasa and Chiyo hadn't joined forces. He didn't know why, but that was good news for him.

Rasa certainly had plenty of reason to stir up a conflict between him and Chiyo. Chōjūrō raised Rasa's threat level in his mind once again.

He'd always thought Rasa was just strong and good at getting things done. He hadn't realized he was also so adept at setting wolves against tigers.

Chōjūrō's gaze had been subtle, but Rasa was strong enough to notice his hostility. He frowned, glanced at him, and then turned away.

Seeing that, Chōjūrō was even more certain.

If you're not feeling guilty, why can't you look me in the eye?