"Go ahead."

  Link didn’t harshly reprimand Ami for her passion.

  To put it bluntly, if they were to fa oppo beyond his ability to handle, both of his teammates—still slightly below in-level bat power—would likely bee liabilities. Letting them do what they could was better than expeg miracles.

  Ami exhaled in relief and nodded firmly. She knew her request was somewhat unreasonable, but she felt a hint of kindness aleness in her leader’s decision. She stepped forward to aid the most critically injured samurai.

  She worked diligently—removing embedded ons, using chakra to staunch bleeding, and bandaging wounds.

  While she fought to save lives, the Land of Fire mert lounged on the only sofa in the lobby, a look of irritation on his face. The noise of the wounded samurai and the gruesome sight of the bleeding disgusted him.

  [Why didn’t they just die outside?]

  Though selfish and indifferent, he wasirely foolish. He wouldn’t dare provoke the shinobi proteg him. So, he kept his thoughts to himself, closing his eyes to pte his moves.

  With the other merts and officials dead, he now had a renewed ce at g the gold mine. If he could secure ownership, everything he endured would be worth it. A smile crept onto his face.

  Meanwhile, Ami returned, pale and drenched i. Despite her efforts, another samurai had succumbed to his injuries.

  The remaining samurai were unscious, teetering on the edge of life ah. Their survival depended on their own fortitude.

  Link patted Ami’s shoulder in reassurance. She had done her best, and there was o demand more from an eleven-year-old child.

  At the door, Iris kept watch, occasionally gng back at Ami, now slumped against the wall, quickly drifting into sleep from sheer exhaustion. His eyes carried a plicated, unspokeion.

  Time passed slowly. Over an hour ter, Nara Ensui returned. Upoering, he firmed that his three subordinates were unharmed, g the sn mert, and then observed the treated but injured samurai on the floor.

  A subtle smile tugged at the er of his lips.

  …

  Late Night – A New Inn

  [A mark that instantly boosts chakra reserves and physical prowess... If I’m not mistaken, that was likely Orochimaru’s cursed seal.]

  Rested and full after a meal, Link leaned against the wall, keeping watch. His mi repying the se from earlier that day.

  The bck markings spreading from the middle-aged shinobi’s ransf someone on the brink of colpse into a terrifying force—were unfettable.

  Link had initially suspected the attackers were Akatsuki. After all, the anization’s flict with Hanzo the Samander was irrecible. The prolonged civil strife within the Land of Rain only supported this theory.

  In the manga, Akatsuki’s leader, Pain, had openly stated the need for vast amounts of money.

  While the exact purpose was unclear, the cyberpunk-style infrastructure of the Amegakure during Pain’s rule suggested substantial iment into development. When Jiraiya infiltrated the vilge, newly built bars and other structures barely drew notice, likely because such developments were on.

  Given Pain’s destructive capabilities, it was likely the Amegakure suffered signifit damage during Hanzo’s downfall. Restru would have beeable.

  Even Konoha, the wealthiest vilge, required signifit funding from the Land of Fire to rebuild after Pain’s Shinra Tensei. It was no surprise that the Amegakure (and Akatsuki) might be strapped for cash.

  For Link, Akatsuki targeting the gold mine made perfect sehe motive was clear—whether for money or to weaken Hanzo’s influence.

  However, seeing the cursed seal in a brought another potential perpetrator to mind: Orochimaru.

  The Sunagakure had its own reasons for ung the Konoha Crush Pn. Poverty had weakehe vilge, while their ally, Konoha, grew stronger, f them to take a desperate gamble.

  Whether by defeating Konoha to gain substantial bes or quering the Land of Fire ht, the Sunagakure stood to gain a great deal. But such risks required heavy sacrifices, evident in the Fourth Kazekage personally leading the operation, even though his gold dust represehe vilge’s st fallba.

  Reag such a desperate state wasn’t a result of one or two isoted events. It required being pushed to the brink of colpse.

  In this text, Orochimaru had every reason to undermihe Sunagakure, f them into a positiohey’d colborate on his pn.

  If Orochimaru sought to weaken the Sunagakure’s ability to acquire the gold mine and jeopardize their gold dust trade, wouldn’t the Land of Fire also pursue the mine?

  Link’s brow furrowed deeply. This was a clear strategy, one rooted iable flict. Even if Orochimaru’s involvement were exposed, the Land of Fire and Konoha wouldn’t abandon the gold mine.

  The Sunagakure could send more representatives to iate, but destru was always easier than stru. If sabotaged ohey could be sabotaged again.

  Purely a matter of flig is, this was sure to push the frustrated Sunagakure into ht hostility, paving the way for the Konoha Crush P year.

  [Someone’s approag!]

  Link’s thoughts were cut short as he detected movement. He swiftly created a shadow e and readied himself for battle.

  “Rex,” a woman’s voice called out. Moments ter, the female Jōnin from his first B-rank mission appeared before him, followed by two greeed shinobi nding nearby.

  “Red, you’re here,” Nara Ensui greeted, arriving just slightly ter and casually addressing her.

  The kunoichi smiled warmly at Link. “Jōnin, Kurenai Yūhi,” she introduced herself.

  So, it’s her—the genjutsu master… or more specifically, Asuma’s girlfriend whets pregnant.

  Bleam