Rejecting Shinobi Village Control Did Not Mean Letting the Group's Leader Become a Petty King

When Jino and his family returned to the campsite after being expelled from the migration group, Luma refused to raise the rope barrier at the entrance.

"They stole communal grain."

"The inventory numbers were duplicated," Gen said.

"That only proves the accounts were a mess. It doesn't prove they didn't steal."

"It doesn't prove they did, either."

Jino carried his mother, who could no longer walk, on his back, with his two children following behind.

The youngest child still clutched the severed strip of blue cloth.

Behind the rope barrier were carts they had pushed together, rations they had shared, and companions they had traveled hundreds of miles with.

Yet Luma treated the removal of their identity cloth as proof that their expulsion was complete.

"The group will not accept a Shinobi Village takeover."

He looked at the Western Border guards behind Gen.

"And you have no authority to demand that we take anyone back."

"Rejecting outside control doesn't mean every internal decision can go unexplained."

Gen did not cut the rope barrier.

"Restore Jino's family's share of relief supplies first. Whether they rejoin is for the group to decide after they've had a chance to defend themselves."

Luma countered, "If we hold a meeting for every expulsion, who will still dare deal with grain thieves?"

"First prove that any grain was actually missing."

The inventory ledger was brought to the center of the camp.

The migration group had merged with other groups three times.

Each time, they had retained the old cart numbers and added settlement identifiers in front of them.

The supply clerk had omitted those identifiers when copying the records, causing six sacks of grain to appear in the outgoing entries for both the old carts and the new ones.

Jino's family had received no more than