บท 6: Chapter 6: Rescue Our Comrades?
As an Uchiha, the responsibility of interrogation naturally fell on Kei. The Uchiha clan had a fixed reputation for being skilled in genjutsu.
This understanding was somewhat incorrect but deeply ingrained. Not every Uchiha excelled in genjutsu. Even those with Sharingan only had an easier time resisting and casting genjutsu.
Kei's interrogation was methodical. Though the prisoner had strong willpower, Kei's genjutsu was effective enough. Coupled with the severe injuries inflicted by Hyūga Aya, the prisoner's mental state was unstable. Kei also didn't hesitate to use some underhanded techniques during the interrogation.
After nearly a day, Kei extracted the information he needed and even obtained an interesting piece of intel.
"A convoy is transporting Konoha prisoners to the rear of the Iwa-nin forces," Kei relayed this information to his teammates. However, he didn't reveal everything at once.
The world of Naruto was an interesting place. In his ten-plus years living here, Kei had mostly encountered negative aspects, such as the suicide of Sakumo Hatake a few years ago.
But when watching the series, the show was filled with positive energy, emphasizing the concept of "bonds" and the theme that "comrades are more important than missions."
However, in reality?
During the war, comrades were indeed important because they could be crucial in defending against enemy attacks.
History is written by the victors, and Kei understood why Sakumo Hatake faced such outrage.
It was during the war, and without individuals like the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha to single-handedly dominate the ninja world, individual power was minimized.
Hatake's ideas weren't wrong, but he was born in the wrong era. Additionally, Danzo likely fanned the flames, leading to Konoha losing a top-tier fighter.
However, his death served as a warning to Konoha's ninjas: don't harbor unnecessary thoughts. If your doubts cause mission failure, you deserve death.
Without the village, there's nothing left to discuss. Naruto's era was different; they lived in peace and naturally shifted educational focus. Without constant wars, the importance of comrades increased.
In essence, it was a way to tie you to the village. With enough bonds, would you still consider defecting?
Normally, Kei wouldn't care about these people. Whether they lived or died was none of his business. He was too busy trying to survive himself.
But knowing future developments, Kei realized the war would end this year. The Third Hokage appointing Minato Namikaze was a strategic shift.
Minato shared Sakumo Hatake's views and was Kakashi's mentor. Otherwise, Kakashi and Obito's actions, despite winning the war, would have landed them in prison awaiting trial.
"Captain, you don't intend to rescue them, do you?" Aya sneered at Kei. "Don't forget our mission. Are you planning to become the next Sakumo Hatake?"
"We'll follow them into enemy territory," Kei said calmly. "Maybe we'll gather more intel that way."
"You're unreasonable!" Aya's face twisted in mockery. "Do you plan on getting us killed or imprisoned in Konoha?"
"No, do you think that's possible?" Kei shook his head. "There are things I'd rather not say, but our survival thus far speaks volumes. I want to get back alive, and so do you. We need to cooperate."
Aya fell silent, and even Kenta, who had been wearing his innocent smile, turned to listen.
Indeed, they were all in this together, and they were all cunning enough to understand the unsaid implications.
Kei didn't reveal that his knowledge of the future made him consider some political investments for his safety.
Of course, such investments would only matter if Kei returned alive.
"What's your plan?" Aya asked, sitting down and casually throwing a kunai at the half-dead Iwa-nin Chūnin. "If you want to assault their rear, I'm out. I don't want to die."
"I'm not that foolish. I'm only thirteen," Kei replied. "The Iwa-nin are transporting prisoners to the rear, but according to this guy's intel, some Konoha ninjas are held at other locations too."
"That's normal," Aya said, crossing her arms. "Concentrating all prisoners in one place is stupid. Iwa-nin aren't known for their sealing techniques..."
Aya paused, her eyes narrowing as she glanced at Kei. Kenta also stopped smiling, listening intently.
Konoha ninjas were split up to prevent a breakout. They were tortured and interrogated, harboring deep hatred for the Iwa-nin.
With the Iwa-nin focused on the frontline, the guards might be few, possibly just some ordinary Genin tasked with 'cleaning up.'
They wouldn't kill all prisoners, just the troublesome ones, then gather the rest to transport them to the rear for future negotiations or exchanges with Konoha.
But the key issue was whether these prisoners had been consolidated yet. Kei must have gotten some information from the Chūnin to propose this plan.
"How much time do we have?" Aya asked. "And who is this guy?"
"One of the prisoner guards, ordered to the frontline two days ago. He ran into us yesterday," Kei said with a smile.
"That's actually... a good idea," Aya muttered, then nodded. "Two days ago, if we're fast, we could rescue many people."
"Let's move then," Kenta said, smiling innocently again. "Rescue our comrades and complete our mission."
(Chapter end)
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