Under the pale moonlight, Inoichi furrowed his brows in thought.
He'd just realized something—guessing people's intentions was actually pretty fun!
No wonder Shikaku always sneaked glances at others like a scheming fox.
After mulling it over, Inoichi nudged Shikaku with his elbow and muttered:
"Hey… should we tell Jiraiya-sama about this?"
"No!"
Shikaku immediately clamped a hand over Inoichi's mouth, scowling.
"You idiot! I swear, I should ask Sensei to send you back for remedial training! What was the first lesson he taught us?!
Never pin your hopes on people understanding each other!"
Despite having his mouth covered, Inoichi wasn't upset—instead, his eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Mmph! So… we pretend we don't know?"
Shikaku sighed, glancing at Chōza, who was snoring loudly beside them, then nodded resignedly.
"Yeah. No need to interfere. Besides, those three brats are more grateful to Jiraiya-sama than devoted. Total future ingrates!"
"What about us?" Inoichi asked, intrigued.
Shikaku facepalmed.
"I think you haven't been punched enough."
Some things were better left unsaid.
Konohagakure, Tea Street No. 66
That night, Rinjin received two less-than-welcome guests.
Uchiha Fugaku and Teuchi.
They'd heard about Nawaki's death and Tsunade's breakdown.
Admittedly, like Rie, they hadn't been close to Nawaki.
But bullying their kind-hearted Tsunade-sensei?
Absolutely unacceptable.
"Sensei, are we doing this?" Fugaku cracked his knuckles, eager.
"Doing what?"
"Kicking ass! I bet it's Danzo! Let's beat him up!"
Rinjin rubbed his temples, staring at Fugaku like he'd grown a second head.
This little shit… since when did he act like the Raikage?! Did I really teach him?!
A glance at Teuchi, who looked equally fired up, made Rinjin want to scream.
What did I do to deserve these muscle-brained disciples?!
For exactly one second, he wondered if it was his fault.
Then he dismissed the thought.
No way. I'm too smart to raise these two blockheads!
Must be Konoha's bad influence!
Exhaling sharply, Rinjin shook his head.
"It's not Danzo. I already checked."
"Wha—Sensei, you went without me?!"
"Yeah, because you'd just wreck everything! Listen—even if it is someone from the village, you two stay out of it! This is Tsunade's fight. If you interfere, it changes everything!"
When they opened their mouths to argue, Rinjin smacked both their heads without hesitation.
"Don't make me beat you senseless! Stick to your own goals! You think I can't handle this?! Coming here to meddle—looks like you've had it too easy! Need a refresher course, huh?!"
His knuckles popped ominously.
Fugaku and Teuchi wisely shrunk back.
Clearly, their teacher wasn't budging.
Defeated, Fugaku stood up, grumbling.
"Fine… at least let us visit Tsunade-sensei!"
Rinjin finally relented, waving them off.
Relieved, the two hurried away.
As their footsteps faded, Rinjin's eyes narrowed, mind racing.
Right now, Danzo wasn't the prime suspect.
If anything, Hiruzen seemed shadier.
And then there was the real mastermind—Madara Uchiha.
The Flying Thunder God mark on Madara had been removed.
But Black Zetsu's was still active.
Based on its movements, that little creep had been lurking near the Land of Grass.
Rinjin knew—but pretended he didn't.
A secretly planted mark like this?
Save it for the critical moment.
Which meant playing along with Madara and Zetsu's shadow game.
If he wanted to squeeze more out of the old fox, he'd need to dig another trap.
Most importantly, Rinjin had to cement his image as trustworthy in Madara's eyes.
Then—rip off the mask and wreck him!
Like how he always used Flying Thunder God with one hand.
Necessary?
Nope.
Just theater—in case he ever lost an arm and needed to pull a fast one.
The plan was set. Now, Rinjin pondered:
Was it worth it?
What else did Madara have that was valuable?
Aside from that special chakra-secreting brain… not much.
And honestly?
A single brain didn't justify his usual 'triple-pay-for-half-effort' policy.
Fugaku and Teuchi emerged from Tsunade's room, faces grim.
"Sensei… count me in."
Fugaku's eyes were bloodshot.
Rinjin shook his head firmly.
"Wait till we find the culprit! Teuchi, go back to your shop. Fugaku, head to the Land of Grass and bring your juniors home!"
Fugaku's lips parted, words dying in his throat. Finally, he sighed.
As they stepped outside, Fugaku grabbed Teuchi's sleeve.
"What're you gonna do?"
Teuchi stared down the bustling street, voice icy.
"Wait. When Sensei finds the bastard… I'll pound him into paste."
The quiet venom in his tone was unmistakable.
If someone messed with Rinjin, they might've bet on the fight for fun.
But hurting Tsunade—the woman who'd saved their lives and sanity time and again?
Death wish.
Fugaku's grip tightened.
"Good. I slipped an Amatsukami mark into Sensei's pocket. He won't slip away."
"Me too."
A beat. Then Fugaku punched Teuchi's shoulder, grinning.
With a final nod, they vanished into the night—
—each carrying a silent oath.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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