"Have there been any missions suitable for me lately? I'm not picky."
After Hanzō's death, the village had strictly controlled the movement of shinobi in and out to keep the news from spreading, so no one had been able to get missions.
They couldn't go on like this. Missions were the village's main source of income.
"There is a mission that suits you."
Konan had been wondering how to bring it up, but Aoki Tsuki had unexpectedly asked for a mission himself. Having such a thoughtful subordinate really saved her a lot of trouble.
"I checked the records. You spent some time patrolling the Land of Wind's border before, didn't you?"
"That's right. I know Jonin Tomohisa, who's stationed at the border, quite well. Do you want me to persuade him to submit? That's easy. I'll handle it, and I guarantee he'll obediently join Lord Pain."
"I believe you can do that, but what I wanted to discuss is something else. Take a look at this first..."
It was a letter requesting aid, sent back to the village by Jonin Tomohisa. The war had ended, but border patrol members had recently been disappearing one after another.
That had caused panic, leaving Jonin Tomohisa no choice but to ask the village to send help.
"Understood. I'll take care of it."
Aoki Tsuki went back and told Shioame, Ryōta, and Shinichi to come with him on a mission.
The group raced along the road and reached the border outpost before dark.
"This brings back memories. We were still Genin the last time we came here to patrol."
"Yeah. Back then, I hated and feared the shinobi from Sunagakure. Now that I'm a Chunin, I've realized I'm still a little afraid."
As Ryōta and Shinichi walked through the outpost, they looked at the Genin soldiers around them and reminisced.
"You're right to be afraid. Shinobi from the Five Great Shinobi Villages really are a cut above us, and Sunagakure is considered one of the weaker ones."
A look of recollection appeared in Shioame's eyes. "I once fought people from Iwagakure with my squad. Two of us were killed in the first exchange, and even the captain was killed in the end."
"Are you some kind of captain's jinx? You've got me a little scared, haha..." Aoki Tsuki teased.
He'd heard that Shioame had gone through five or six captains since becoming a shinobi.
"Don't talk nonsense. Captain Tsunodahara and you are both doing just fine, aren't you? If word gets out, what captain would dare take me afterward?"
"Captain Tsunoda and I survived thanks to our wits."
If the two of them hadn't surrendered early that night, who knew which mass grave they'd be buried in by now?
As they talked, the squad entered the outpost.
"I'll go in and have a chat with Jonin Tomohisa. You three guard the main entrance, just in case."
"Understood!!"
Jonin Tomohisa had already received word and came out to welcome them. When he saw that Aoki Tsuki was leading the team, a smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Haha... seeing you here puts me completely at ease, little brother."
"You're too kind, big brother. My paltry skills are only good for dealing with small fry. We'll mostly be counting on you."
"Too modest! I've seen what you can do before. I'm counting on you, counting on you."
Tomohisa had been stationed at the border for years and had his own rules for survival. Trading compliments was a basic principle.
"We'll rely on each other and get through this together."
"Well said. We'll get through it together. It's cold outside, so come in and sit down."
As soon as the two entered the building, Shioame and the others took up positions at the door and stood guard.
Once inside, the two chatted about all sorts of things before getting down to business. As it turned out, it wasn't just the guards on Amegakure's side who had disappeared. Something similar had happened on Sunagakure's side as well.
Both sides had suspected the other was responsible. Only after talking had they discovered there was another enemy lurking in the shadows.
"The other side is very cautious and likes to target people who are alone. I've been having everyone patrol in squads. At first, it worked very well, but a couple of days ago, an entire squad disappeared.
"Going by the pattern, they might strike again in the next couple of days."
"I see. Then I'll take my squad along the border tomorrow."
Aoki Tsuki had come to solve the problem. When it was time to step up, he had to step up.
Tomohisa breathed a sigh of relief. Young people really were bold. He offered a kind reminder: "If anything happens, send up an alarm and hold the enemy off. I'll bring people over quickly."
"You can count on me to handle it."
With the first matter settled, it was time for the second. Aoki Tsuki weighed his words for a few seconds.
Then he asked, seemingly casually, "Big brother, how many years have you been stationed at the border?"
Unfortunately, Jonin Tomohisa knew nothing of Panda's culture and was completely unaware of the danger hidden behind that way of asking questions.
At the mention of the past, a look of recollection appeared on his face. "Fourteen or fifteen years. I can't remember clearly. Time doesn't mean much to me, and it's quite nice staying here."
"Don't you miss home, then? Before I came, I made a special trip to your house. Your daughter is almost old enough to marry, and she asked me to bring you a letter."
As he spoke, Aoki Tsuki took an envelope from his clothes and handed it to Tomohisa.
Tomohisa excitedly opened the letter and read it for a long time. His eyes filled with tears, and he said gratefully, "Thank you. As long as she's doing well in the village, I'm content. Of course I miss home.
"But I'm afraid Lord Hanzō wouldn't allow me to return. I was young back then. I made a mistake and talked back to him, so he sent me here as punishment.
"At first, I thought the village would call me back after a few years, but now I don't care anymore."
The guy had completely given up.
"Big brother Tomohisa, I have some good news for you. Work at the border for another couple of years, and you should be able to go back."
Tomohisa wasn't delighted to hear that. He was stunned. "Why?"
"Because Hanzō is dead."
After those words, the room suddenly fell silent. The two of them stared at each other, eyes wide.
Aoki Tsuki felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so he lit a cigarette and smoked in silence.
It took quite a while for Tomohisa to recover. "How did he die?"
"He was killed, of course. Isn't that the fate of us shinobi?"
"He was so powerful. Who could have killed him?"
"If Lord Hanzō had been ten years younger, no one could have killed him. The problem was that he'd grown old and lost his drive. His strength had declined badly in recent years.
"The man who killed him is called Pain. He's a powerful newcomer from the village, and he's in charge of its affairs now."
Not someone from the Five Great Nations or another village, but a shinobi from their own village.
"Big brother, we shinobi settle things with our fists. The strongest becomes the village leader, and no one has anything to say about it. We all remember Lord Hanzō's contributions to the village.
"But he couldn't stay leader for his entire life, could he? He had to give someone else a chance eventually. Isn't that right?"
"So you came to persuade me to submit?"
Aoki Tsuki had started by asking after his well-being and helping him solve his problem, then brought out a letter from home to appeal to his emotions.
So this was what he'd been building up to.
"What do you mean, submit? You and I are both shinobi of Amegakure. Our loyalty is to the village, and we fight for the village, whether it's Hanzō or Pain.
"As long as they can lead us to a better life and make Amegakure stronger, what difference does it make who's leader?"
"Is that really what you think?" Tomohisa was a little skeptical.
Aoki Tsuki nodded solemnly. "It really is. Forgive me for saying this, but if I were strong enough, I'd want to be leader too.
"Speaking of which... if I became leader, you'd support me just the same, wouldn't you, big brother?"
That was tantamount to asking Tomohisa where he stood: whether he supported Lord Pain, the current village leader, or continued to follow the dead Hanzō.
The atmosphere in the room grew even more oppressive. Tomohisa's next answer was very important.
Tomohisa was silent for a long time before he spoke. "Lord Hanzō's supporters are all dead, aren't they? If I don't support the new leader, I'll end up like them too, won't I?"
"Of course not."
"Uh..."
"I believe you'll make a wise choice, big brother. There are barely any Jonin left in the village now. If the Jonin stationed elsewhere were gone too, Amegakure would exist in name only."
"How could that be? Could that news have been true...? Half a year ago, I heard from someone who came by that a lot of Jonin had died in the village."
"That's right. Lord Hanzō joined forces with Danzo of Konoha to carry out a secret mission, but he was the only one who escaped back. The losses were devastating, and that's how things ended up as they are now."
He certainly wouldn't say that the secret mission had been to surround and kill Pain.
Depending on which parts of the same event were told, the effect could be completely different.
"So that's what happened. No wonder..."
Tomohisa thought Pain had taken advantage of Hanzō's weakened state to seize the leadership. In any case, he couldn't accept that someone so powerful had suddenly been killed by a shinobi no one had ever heard of.
"To be honest, big brother, I did come with a mission this time. We just hope you can make your position clear, so things will be easier for everyone."
"Sigh... I'm just someone who's been pushed to the sidelines. Even if I opposed it, what good would that do? Wouldn't I still have to stand guard here?"
In politics, not opposing something was the same as supporting it.
Perhaps pride or conviction made it difficult for him to state his position clearly. Aoki Tsuki immediately picked up on that.
"Don't worry. In another two years, once the village selects a new batch of Jonin, someone can come relieve you. I think Kurokawa would be good. He's capable and cautious enough-a suitable successor."
A dark face wrapped in a headscarf flashed through Tomohisa's mind. Kurokawa was a little clever, and he seemed to have had a conflict with Aoki Tsuki back then.
"He's all right, I suppose."
"Haha..." Aoki Tsuki laughed happily.
"Then it's settled. I now have the honor of serving as an adviser to the village, so I do have some influence with the leader. Rest assured, big brother. I guarantee you can return to the village and retire in a couple of years."
"No wonder you're so enthusiastic. So you got something out of it." Tomohisa suddenly understood.
"It's just a nominal post. Nothing to take seriously. But you're right. In fact, those who support the new leader are mostly the village's young people. Everyone's been dissatisfied with the state of the village for a long time.
"What's wrong with young people wanting to get ahead? When you're old, you should step down when it's time. At least you can keep some dignity that way."
"All right, I understand." Tomohisa nodded.
"Good. I'll find time in the next couple of days to take some people and deal with the one causing trouble. You can guard the outpost without worrying."
With that, Aoki Tsuki took his leave.
Tomohisa watched Aoki Tsuki's retreating figure, silent for a moment. Then he sighed. Whether he accepted it or not, Hanzō's era had come to an end.