Kudo Shin wasn't stupid.
He didn't really understand why Nara Kazama and Uchiha Kai had co to that conclusion, but as soone who had lived through war, he knew one thing:
Noble clans were different from commoners.
They had more thods, more information.
If the two of them reached the sa judgnt, it was safer to believe than to dismiss it.
As for Ishikawa Itsuki?
Shin couldn't care less whether that guy lived or died—what did that have to do with him?
That was why he hadn't pulled rank as captain, but instead spoke in a tone of discussion.
Itsuki, of course, didn't get it. He just shrugged.
"I don't think so fog ans anything. I'm not about to suffer in the middle of the night for no reason."
Shin only nodded, ignoring Itsuki's sarcasm. He turned to Kazama and Kai instead.
"Let's move," Kai said.
Kazama nodded.
The three of them reached an agreent and slipped cautiously into the mist.
Inside the forest, they moved with extre care, making no sound at all.
"Stop. Sothing's wrong ahead," Kazama whispered.
Kai and Shin halted imdiately. They hadn't sensed anything, but if Kazama said so, they trusted him.
He was a Nara, after all—he had his clan's secret techniques.
Kazama's hands flashed through seals.
"Shadow Neck Binding Jutsu!"
Whoosh!
A pitch-black shadow shot out from beneath him at frightening speed, surging toward the front.
Monts later, Kazama's voice ca sharp and low:
"A standard Mist squad. I've restrained one of them."
"Move in," Kai ordered coldly. "Kill the other two. Leave the restrained one alive.
We'll make him talk."
Neither Kazama nor Shin objected.
Without another word, Kai darted forward, Shin right on his heels.
In just five seconds, Kai spotted three silhouettes.
He didn't even bother with ninjutsu—he simply drew a kunai and hurled it.
The blade pierced one Mist ninja's throat cleanly.
"Enemy atta—!"
The second tried to shout, but before he could, Kai appeared behind him and slashed his neck open.
Ten seconds later, Shin arrived.
Two corpses lay at Kai's feet, and Shin couldn't help but shiver.
He was… grateful.
Had he not listened to them, the enemy might've crept right up to their camp while he was still asleep.
The thought of that outco made his blood run cold.
While he stood dazed, Kazama arrived, thodically snapping the restrained Mist shinobi's limbs before releasing his clan's technique.
"Talk.
How many did Hidden Blood Mist Village send this ti?
How did you infiltrate?
What's your plan?"
…
But the Mist ninja only glared, eyes full of hate.
"I'll never talk. Kill !"
Kazama's face remained calm.
Instead of replying, he glanced at Kai and Shin.
"I'm not from Yamanaka, I can't directly pull mories.
But Nara has… other ways. thods that work just as well."
He paused, his tone level.
"It's just… a little bloody. Kai-kun, Captain—you two should step aside."
Kai instantly understood.
Kazama was about to use a clan secret technique. Such things weren't for outsiders to watch.
The "bloody" excuse was just a courtesy.
They were shinobi; blood hardly frightened them.
Shin hesitated, but when he saw Kai step away, he followed.
A short distance away, Shin asked quietly,
"Kazama's words had another aning, didn't they?"
Kai nodded. "He's invoking a clan secret. We're not supposed to see."
"Ah… I see."
Shin finally understood.
Though he was a Chuunin and their squad leader, in truth…
he was starting to feel outclassed.
Both Kai and Kazama were stronger than him.
So this was the difference—noble clan heirs, even "diocre" ones, were still on another level.
But Shin felt no jealousy.
As a commoner, he knew his limits. That gap couldn't be changed.
Instead, he was determined to maintain good relations with them.
That was the only way he could maximize his own chances of survival.
As for Ishikawa Itsuki… Shin didn't even bother with him.
That kind of person wouldn't live long anyway.
Ti passed slowly.
After about ten minutes, Kazama reappeared.
But his expression was grim.
"The situation is bad.
According to that Mist shinobi, they infiltrated Uzushiogakure half a month ago.
And right now, there are four thousand hidden Mist Ninja in the Land of Whirlpools."
Hiss—!
everyone felt their scalps prickle.
Even Kai's face went pale.
He trusted his own skills, but against four thousand shinobi? There was no surviving that.
"What do we do?" Shin panicked.
Kazama's face darkened, his voice edged with anger.
"The worst part is—we can't even withdraw without orders. Doing so would count as desertion."
Yes.
He was panicking too.
Four thousand enemy shinobi!
What good was his stealth against that kind of overwhelming force?
Numbers alone would grind him down.
The revelation weighed on him like a mountain, suffocating him.
He turned sharply toward Kai.
"Kai-kun, this is dire.
Hiding no longer matters—we'll have to fight for our lives.
Do you have a plan?"
Shin also looked at Kai.
In the face of this deadly news, he didn't care anymore about being captain.
Survival was all that mattered.
He spoke firmly:
"From now on, we will follow Kai-kun's lead.
I'll obey completely."
Yes.
He knew his own worth.
Under normal circumstances, he could play the role of captain.
But in a crisis like this, he was completely out of his depth.
Kai and Kazama—at the very least, they were far stronger than him.
So, showing good sense, Shin imdiately adjusted his position.
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