บท 331: Chapter 328 : Rescue
Renjiro's words surprised Fujin's team. Unlike Renjiro's teammates, who had spent almost four months in the Land of Water, they hadn't heard of these atrocities happening in the Land of Water. To know that a village was committing such atrocities on their citizens was shocking.
Even Fujin, who had some ideas regarding the civil war, was shocked. He thought, 'No wonder such a massive rebellion is happening here. I initially thought that it was just the clans with Kekkei Genkai against normal clans. But this is disturbing.'
Fujin let out a sigh and wondered, 'Is this the act of some lunatics in the Mizukage faction or has Obito made the Mizukage commit such atrocities?'
Renjiro said, "Makoto, check who all are alive and can be saved. Heal them."
Fujin objected, "This place just had a conflict. If we spend time here, we could once again be attacked."
Fujin was opposed to Renjiro's decision. After all, Renjiro's squad was captured not long ago. And seeing the horrendous state, he doubted whether any of them would be able to live a normal life after experiencing such a horrifying incident.
Renjiro shook his head and said, "The situation is different. If we see any ships coming, we will run away. If not, we will save as many here as we can."
Fujin sighed and asked, "Would they even want to live after experiencing such an incident?"
Renjiro replied, "That isn't something we should decide."
Fujin said, "Alright. I'll help out Makoto. But keep an eye on your chakra levels, Makoto. Running away will be difficult if it is low."
Makoto nodded. The group immediately began looking for survivors. The village had around 450 people. However, only 60 were alive when they arrived. And among those 60, 20 were in a very critical state and couldn't be rescued without complicated medical treatments.
Makoto healed most of them while Fujin healed their external wounds. Among the survivors, 24 had lost one or more limbs. Only 16 were well physically. However, their mental health was a complete mess. It wasn't a surprise though. Not only did they undergo tremendous physical pain, but they also lost their loved ones. And the streets were still covered by their blood.
The Konoha group spent half a day on the island. Fortunately, no one sailed to the island. After putting everyone to sleep using Genjutsu, Fujin asked, "What are you planning to do with them? Leaving them here wouldn't be wise."
Renjiro nodded and replied, "Yeah, the trauma is too intense. I'll build a ship for them to sail away towards nearby islands. As for whether they survive or not, it's their fate."
Fujin nodded. Though Konoha was doing well, they couldn't interfere anymore in this matter. Until then, no other country had interfered in the Civil War happening in the Land of Water. But once Konoha stepped in, the remaining 3 villages would also have to step in. It would make the situation very complicated and could lead to an all-out war between the 5 villages with the Land of Water as the battlefield.
During the night, the Konoha ninjas built a boat large enough to carry 40 people. The next day, they asked whether the people wanted to stay on the island or leave. Knowing that the Mizukage's forces could return, everyone chose to evacuate.
However, one young boy, around 6 years old, approached Renjiro. He was very skinny, had pale skin and white hair. He looked into Renjiro's eyes and asked, "Can you train me to become a ninja?"
His voice was surprisingly calm and steady. Renjiro bent down to his level and asked with a kind smile on his face, "What is your name, brave child?"
The kid answered, "I am Kyushu Hayami."
Renjiro asked, "Hayami-kun, why do you want to become a ninja?"
Fujin noticed as the boy struggled to control his emotions. He clenched his fists and said, "They made my mother and sister scream in pain for a long time before killing them. I don't want to be helpless while my loved ones are harmed."
Fujin and the other ninjas sighed on hearing his words. Renjiro let out a sigh as well. He said, "It's unfortunate what happened here. But, to become a capable ninja, you will have to train extremely hard for years. Are you willing to do that?"
The boy answered, "I will train as hard as you want me to."
Renjiro placed his hand on his head gently and said, "Alright. I will train you to be a ninja."
He looked at the survivors and asked, "Are any of your relatives alive?"
The boy shook his head. An old man approached and said, "Hayami-kun never talked much with anyone. But he was very close with his mother and sister. Please take good care of him and take him away from this country."
The people already knew that Renjiro and the rest were from Konoha. They wanted to evacuate to the Land of Fire, but Renjiro declined their request as he wasn't able to guarantee their safety.
Renjiro said, "Alright. I'll take good care of him."
At the same time, he thought, 'The boy's chakra is a bit dark. He might become an expert in Yin release.'
The Konoha ninjas saw the survivors sailing away in the boat. After they left their sight, the group began running towards the Land of Fire once again. Renjiro carried Hayami as they ran across the seas. Seeing people run on the water was a first for Hayami. However, despite his young age, he didn't seem interested in it. His mind was still affected by what had happened to his family.
Due to the break, Renjiro's squad had to eat another soldier pill to continue moving. After travelling for over a day, the group finally reached the shores of the Land of Fire!
The group took a break at a patrol camp before continuing their journey to Konoha. During this time, Fujin interacted a bit with Hayami. Though the kid was polite, he wasn't very responsive.
Fujin thought, 'Recruiting talented kids not from the village… It leaves a threat of young kids being sent as spies by enemy villages. Even if that isn't the case, the loyalty of such ninjas can also be questioned. But, I guess Hiruzen doesn't even consider this issue. The Will of Fire… What a convenient tool.
I need to come up with a similar ideology to ensure the loyalty of my members. But… though it seems simple, it is very difficult. After all, what fuels this ideology is the sacrifice of the previous generations. If the older generations don't sacrifice themselves for the next generation, then this ideology will collapse in no time.
Sigh, I hope I can come up with something good enough to influence a few people. Otherwise, the only way would be a curse seal.'
A few hours later, the group reached Konoha and arrived at Hiruzen's office. Hiruzen looked at Renjiro and said, "It's good to see you all unharmed."
At the same time, he looked at Fujin meaningfully and thought, 'For them to have returned so quickly, Fujin should have used his summons to fly over. It was the right decision to send him over.'
Renjiro nodded and replied, "Thank you. Unfortunately, our mission was interrupted."
Hiruzen looked at Hayami and asked, "So, who is this young friend?"
Renjiro let out a sigh and said, "On our way back, we encountered a village in the Land of Water that was destroyed by Kirigakure ninjas from the Mizukage faction. We rescued and healed a few survivors. Kyushu Hayami was one of them. He wants to become a ninja, so I brought him with me."
Hiruzen observed the boy carefully. With a smile, he said, "Alright. We will take good care of you, Hayami. I have a lot of hopes for you."
He looked at Renjiro and asked, "Should I make living arrangements for him, or will you be taking him to the Senju clan compounds?"
Renjiro looked at Hayami. Hayami also looked back at him with eyes full of hope. Renjiro said, "I'll make arrangements for him in the Senju clan compound."
Hiruzen wasn't surprised. Over the last few decades, especially since the start of the Second Great Ninja War, the Senju clan frequently took in orphans. Hiruzen nodded and said, "Alright. I will leave it to you then."
He looked at Hayami and said kindly, "Hayami-kun, can you wait outside the room for a while? We have some matters to discuss."
Hayami obediently said, "I can."
He walked out of the room.
Hiruzen asked, "So, how did the mission go?"
Fujin replied, "It went well. I had a small confrontation with Mei, but no conflict happened. Since everything went well, I created some curiosity in her and handed her the scroll. She was grateful and said she owes us a favor."
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Good. The mission can be considered a complete success. Though your mission was cut in half, it can be considered a success as well, Renjiro. I have already moved the kids you sent over into the academy."
Renjiro nodded. They discussed some more details. Finally, Renjiro said, "I'll be needing some time off. It's been a while since I returned home."
Hiruzen nodded and replied, "You can leave. Send me a mission report later."
The group left the office. Renjiro looked at Fujin and said, "Meet me tomorrow at noon in Yakiniku with Hoka. It's been a long time since we have been together."
Fujin replied, "Yeah, it's been a while. Alright, I'll call him."
Renjiro nodded. He took Hayami with him and the group went their separate ways.
[A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week's Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.]
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