The Kumogakure's envoy team slunk away in disgrace.
"This... this means we've completely antagonized Kumogakure, right? This Uchiha Jin is just too reckless..."
Koharu, with her brow furrowed tightly, whispered to the other three, still visibly shaken.
Orochimaru secretly rolled his eyes.
He suddenly felt like cutting open these four old fogies' skulls, as he wanted to study how their thought processes differed from normal people's.
'Kumogakure had just rubbed your faces in the dirt, and Jin helped you vent your anger.'
'But not only were you not grateful, you're also complaining about him now.'
"Hiruzen, Danzo, Koharu, Homura, your behavior today has deeply disappointed me."
Mito suddenly spoke.
At these words, the internal strife squad trembled like failing students called out by their teacher, bowing their heads and stammering:
"M-Mito-sama, w-we..."
"Did Hashirama and Tobirama teach you that the strategy for dealing with enemies is constant concession?"
Mito, who had been retired from the forefront for many years, was truly furious this time.
She never would have thought that Hiruzen and the others could be so spineless.
Kumogakure just made up that lousy excuse about Madara attacking their village, and these guys actually managed to squeeze 2 billion ryo out of them?
Mito didn't even dare to imagine:
If this money was paid, what if tomorrow, Iwagakure sent people saying their Four-Tails was also stolen by Madara?
And the day after, Kirigakure sent people saying their Three-Tails was stolen?
Would they have to pay them all?
Wasn't that just absurd?
"Yes, Mito-sama, you are right to scold us."
Hiruzen and the others bowed their heads, not daring to refute.
Looking at Mito, who was truly angry for the first time since he'd known her, Jin suddenly felt a bit happy in his heart.
'Thank goodness the old lady passed away early.'
'If she knew that more than ten years later, Kumogakure would attempt to kidnap Hinata to steal the Byakugan, and after being stopped by Hiashi, they would instead demand that Konoha hand over Hiashi's corpse…'
'And that faced with Kumogakure's blatant reversal of blame, the spineless bastard Hiruzen actually accepted it…'
'What would she do then?'
It was really laughable.
That would be like a kidnapper trying to kidnap a child, then getting shot dead by the child's father after being discovered, but then the kidnapper's family is suing the victim, and finally the judge actually ruling that the victim's family had to compensate the robber.
In his previous life, when Jin saw this part of the plot, he was utterly dumbfounded.
You have to understand, although Konoha was already declining at that time, the Uchiha Clan were still around.
Although Orochimaru had defected, there was still Uchiha Shisui, a loyal and powerful fighter, wholeheartedly letting the Konoha Council use him as a pawn.
But even in such a situation, Hiruzen could still tolerate Kumogakure defecating on his head.
Jin thought, 'Weren't you quite impressive when exterminating the Uchiha Clan?'
'Why so cowardly when facing outsiders?'
"Jin-kun."
Mito spoke again.
"Grandma Mito,"
Jin responded.
"The Eight-Tails seems to still be in the Land of Fire. Can you go handle this matter?"
Hearing Mito's words, the corners of Jin's mouth turned up uncontrollably.
He clapped his hands and said:
"Piece of cake."
Danzo's face changed dramatically, and he instinctively cried out:
"Mito-sama, if he goes-"
Like Hiruzen, Danzo had also witnessed Madara controlling the Nine-Tails as a child.
'If Uchiha Jin obtained the Eight-Tails, wouldn't it be even harder for us to control him?'
"Hmm?"
However, before Danzo could finish, Mito's glare shut him up.
"Tsunade, let's go back."
Mito didn't say anything more.
She just turned and left with Tsunade.
If she stayed any longer, she felt her already limited lifespan would shorten by a few more years.
"Tch~ Cowards!"
Tsunade, however, made a disdain gesture she learned from Jin towards the four of them.
It infuriated the four, who had held Konoha's highest power for twenty years, turning their faces black with anger.
"Damn it!!!"
After Mito had gone far away, Koharu, enraged, kicked a nearby tea table.
"We are all enduring humiliation for the sake of Konoha! What do they understand!?"
"Calm down, Koharu."
Homura comforted her:
"Mito-sama's time is short. Don't lose your composure at a time like this."
…
As Jin was preparing to leave Konoha, he ran into the little loli duo, Rin and Kurenai.
"J-Jin-sama, are you going out?"
Kurenai mustered her courage and asked.
The impact of Jin humiliating A earlier was too great for her.
She still hadn't fully recovered.
"Yeah, I'm going to capture the Eight-Tails."
Hearing Jin's reply, Rin's expression became a bit strange.
She thought to herself, 'Didn't you already capture the Eight-Tails?'
'Are you going to capture it again?'
"By the way, want to come along and see?"
Jin invited.
"Huh? C-can we?"
Kurenai looked incredulous.
They were just rookies who had just entered the Academy, not even Genin yet, so could they really participate in an ultra S-Rank mission like capturing a Tailed Beast?
"It's just like bringing a dog that's been tied up outside back home, not like we're going to fight."
Jin said with a laugh.