Battle honors no one saw coming

Fuguki Suikazan was utterly dumbfounded.

He was exhausted.

Sweat covered his forehead, and he could barely breathe. He crouched there with his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

Seeing those Hidden Leaf ninja charging toward him, he wanted to curse his head off.

What the hell?

Jin Uchiha had run him in circles all day. He had failed to cut the bastard down, and now he had turned around only to run straight into the Hidden Leaf's main reinforcement force?

His luck was fucking rotten.

He must have forgotten to check his fortune before leaving today. How else could he have run into something this maddening?

He felt like crying.

If he had known things would turn out this badly, he never would have come out here throwing his weight around, intent on killing this Hidden Leaf squad.

But who could have imagined it?

Who could have expected a monster like Jin Uchiha to turn up in a Hidden Leaf squad of cannon fodder?

So, well...

He let out a helpless sigh.

He shot Jin Uchiha a vicious glare, then turned and ran without another word.

That was right.

Those dozen or so large Hidden Leaf ships carried at least three thousand ninja, and every one flew the Uchiha clan crest.

There was no need to guess. These were definitely the Hidden Leaf's elite.

Even with his titles as a Hidden Mist Elite Jonin and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, all he could do against a force like that was run like hell.

What else could he do?

Staying would be handing them his head on a fucking platter.

The moment Fuguki Suikazan fled, Jin Uchiha dropped the two people he was holding and collapsed onto the ice-cold ground.

That settled it.

The Hidden Leaf's main force had arrived. This slacker could go back to coasting along and staying alive.

Shin Kudo stared in bewilderment.

Kazama Nara was speechless too.

Watching Jin Uchiha switch into full slacker mode in a single second, the two could only roll their eyes. For a moment, they did not even know where to begin complaining.

They exchanged a glance and could only sigh helplessly.

About five minutes later.

Shisui Uchiha arrived with a group of Jonin. His brows furrowed when he saw the three people before him.

Hidden Leaf ninja?

Why was there someone from the Nara Household here, and someone from the Uchiha?

Still.

Although the details remained unclear, everyone's expressions relaxed considerably.

"What happened here just now?"

"Could one of you explain?"

Shisui Uchiha was the first to speak.

Had they been in private, Jin Uchiha would certainly have answered.

But after considering the setting, he waved a hand and pretended to be utterly exhausted, leaving Kazama Nara to explain.

When it came to talking, someone from the Nara Household was always a safe bet.

Kazama Nara did not let him down.

He recounted everything their squad had experienced, from their arrival at the Land of Whirlpools Garrison right up to the present.

Of course, everything he told them was true.

Only the matter involving Itsuki Ishikawa received a little unavoidable "polishing."

After hearing him out, the Jonin all fell silent.

They were stunned.

Who could have imagined that a cannon-fodder squad of freshly graduated genin would hold out under the noses of the Hidden Mist's main force for nearly three days, then spend more than half of today escaping Fuguki Suikazan, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?

It sounded like a made-up story.

Still.

Everyone had seen Fuguki Suikazan fleeing just now with their own eyes. There was no faking that.

"All right, I understand the situation."

"For now, you three should get some proper sleep. Some ANBU personnel will come to speak with you later."

"You don't need to worry about anything else."

"It's our turn to act."

Shisui Uchiha spoke calmly and unhurriedly.

But the commanding confidence behind his words was impossible to conceal.

Immediately afterward.

The dozen or so large Hidden Leaf ships drew up to shore, and wave after wave of Hidden Leaf ninja jumped down from them.

In less than four hours, a full Front Lines camp rose at their resting spot, complete with neatly arranged defensive fortifications of every kind.

By comparison.

These Hidden Leaf elites and their previous army of cannon fodder were worlds apart.

Jin Uchiha and the other two were led into a tent.

About two hours later.

An ANBU squad entered the tent and questioned all three of them thoroughly.

That was hardly surprising.

The previous Front Lines camp had fallen almost a week ago.

No one could be certain whether they had switched sides during that time.

However.

Once the three piled up the nearly fifty severed heads of Hidden Mist ninja, along with a large stack of Hidden Mist forehead protectors, marked Kunai, Soldier Pills, and Shuriken...

The ANBU squad's doubts finally settled.

With that much evidence piled before them, it took little imagination to understand how much the three had suffered over the past few days.

If they still refused to believe them, could they even call themselves human?

Not to mention.

If the ANBU showed even the slightest hesitation and word got out, every ninja in the Hidden Leaf would be up in arms.

These men had survived hell and earned enormous merit, only to face suspicion afterward. Who could guarantee they would never find themselves in the same position?

"All right, I understand."

"We'll have to take all these Hidden Mist heads, forehead protectors, and other items for the records. We'll also need to investigate further and verify everything."

"Once the results are in, your achievements will be converted directly into Contribution Points."

"That concludes the preliminary investigation. The paperwork will be sent back to the village, and Lord Hokage should issue a final judgment within two days at the latest."

"Rest easy."

"Your squad won't receive any new missions during this time."

"Just don't leave the Frontline Camp."

After saying that, the ANBU personnel turned and left.

Jin Uchiha and the other two had nothing to worry about either. They dropped onto their bedding and fell asleep.

Their achievements were genuine, and the village was short on manpower right now.

Even Shadow Hokage Danzo would not dare pull any tricks at a time like this.

This Frontline Camp was nothing like their previous cannon-fodder camp.

The Hidden Mist could not break through.

With that settled, why waste any time instead of catching up on sleep?

Their nerves had been stretched nearly to breaking over the past few days. Now that they finally had somewhere safe, they absolutely had to get some proper rest.

That sleep...

Lasted through nightfall and into the next day.

When they opened their eyes again, it was already the following afternoon.

The three ate a little something to fill their stomachs, then returned to the tent and gathered to chat.

Until the village's investigation results came back, they would not have to go out and fight for their lives anyway.

With time to spare, of course they had to unwind.

Over those days, even Shisui did not come to see him.

Jin immediately understood. Until the investigation ended, the three of them were effectively being confined by another means.

Their circumstances were simply too unusual for them to be thrown straight into jail.

Even so.

Until the investigation was completely settled, no one would be allowed near them.

Otherwise, given Shisui's personality, he would have come to see Jin long ago.

The days drifted lazily by.

Two days later.

The ANBU squad captain from before entered their tent again.

"The verification is complete."

"All of your squad's battle achievements have been confirmed and formally entered into the records."

"In addition, Lord Hokage has personally issued these orders."

"Shin Kudo, you are promoted to Elite Jonin and will be transferred to another squad as its captain."

"Jin Uchiha and Kazama Nara, you are granted exceptional promotions to Chunin."

"Your specific assignments will be determined by the command here at the Front Lines."