Chapter 65: Concern Leads to Chaos
Kūren lasted for a shorter time than Hiiro Rinko had imagined.
Of course, part of the reason was that Rinko could use Yang Release to enhance the effect of his Medical Ninjutsu, allowing him to inflict torture without any scruples.
As a user of the Reversed Cursed Technique in his past life, Rinko's understanding of the human body was profound. This provided an excellent foundation for his training in Medical Ninjutsu, Yang Release, and taijutsu, but it also meant he knew exactly how to inflict the most intense pain.
Naturally, the creators of Medical Ninjutsu—a technique meant to heal others—probably never imagined, nor wished to see, it being used for torture.
It's tragic, but technology is just like that. Once created, how it's used is no longer up to the creator.
To be honest, Rinko was actually quite grateful to Kūren.
He served as an emotional venting bag, a practice dummy for Yang Release, Yin Release, and Medical Ninjutsu, 'donated' intel and a bunch of Water Release notes, and after he died, Rinko even harvested his nerves to make some nifty little gadgets.
There will never be another brother as good as you. (Wipes tear).
Though the latter obviously wouldn't consider him a brother. Even when his mind was on the brink of shattering from torture, he didn't forget to curse Rinko. In a way, that counts as being unforgettable.
The intel Rinko got from Kūren wasn't much of a surprise. The so-called 'big operation' was just Ame taking the initiative to force the small-scale skirmishes with Suna and Konoha into a large-scale battle, where Hanzō would then annihilate large numbers of enemy shinobi.
In the end, Ame's strategic wiggle room was small. Although they had the home-field advantage, their numbers were overwhelmingly insufficient compared to the other participating parties.
And since the battlefield was their own country, the longer it dragged on, the more damage the Land of Rain would suffer. Their earlier choice to fight small-scale skirmishes was essentially to marshal enough resources.
With the goal of "driving the enemy out of the Land of Rain," they had to inflict unbearable losses on the other parties in as short a time as possible.
Of course, in Rinko's view, Ame actually had the option of siding with Konoha or Suna. From a profit standpoint, that would have been the superior choice.
But the Amegakure led by Hanzō had always held the banner of 'independence' high. Relying on this stance, his prestige within the Land of Rain was even higher than the Daimyō's.
Since he reaped the benefits of this stance, Hanzō also had to bear the costs—at least for now, he absolutely could not compromise with any other Hidden Village.
So Rinko could generally deduce Ame's strategy. The intel he extracted from Kūren's brain was mostly about the hidden geography of the Land of Rain, Ame's logistical movements, and data on other Ame Jōnin.
As for where Hanzō planned to ignite the flames of large-scale war, even Kūren didn't know.
After all, Amegakure was the local power. While they lacked strategic depth, their tactical space was always broader than Suna's or Konoha's.
After obtaining this intel, Suna held a few meetings to analyze and study it, but there wasn't much else they could do to prepare.
What else could they do? Send someone to solo-kill Hanzō?
Can't be done. (Wags finger).
Besides, Suna had always been prepared for a large-scale engagement. If nothing else, not a single one of Rinko's strategic-level heavy puppets had been deployed yet.
As for the various armaments he prepared for 'legion warfare,' they couldn't be exposed in these small skirmishes.
Not just weapons, but ninjutsu, techniques... once exposed, they would inevitably be studied by the enemy. In a one-on-one fight, you can reveal a trump card and keep it hidden by killing the opponent, but in a war, you can't kill everyone so cleanly.
Since they would be countered eventually, they had to be unleashed at the moment they could cause maximum damage.
And just as the storm was about to break, Chiyo, who had mysteriously taken a group of elites and left the battlefield, finally returned to the Land of Rain. She also brought back news that Konoha was about to launch a large-scale counterattack.
Rinko, who had wanted to ask what Chiyo had been doing, more or less figured it out and decided not to ask.
After returning to camp from his routine mission in disguise, he found Pakura—who had gone on that secret mission with Chiyo—waiting in his tent.
At this moment, Pakura, who had already made a name for herself as the 'Scorch Release User,' was acting out of character, pacing anxiously in the tent. Seeing Rinko lift the flap and walk in, the clearly distracted kunoichi jumped, instinctively hiding something behind her back.
Even when Rinko asked what was wrong, she just bit her lip and gave vague answers.
But after hesitating again and again, she finally handed the object behind her back to her lover.
"This... is something Lady Chiyo asked me to pass to you."
It was a collection of Uzumaki Clan ninjutsu scrolls.
"That Old Hag. If she didn't tell me at the start, why give this to me now?"
Sitting on the bed, Rinko flipped through the thick stack of books, then tossed them into his wrist scroll. He didn't have the intense reaction Pakura expected; he just complained normally, like he usually did when Chiyo pulled a prank on him.
"Looks like Konoha's intelligence department is failing. Without its original 'heart,' inertia alone can't maintain its functions."
"Rinko... aren't you angry?"
Seeing her lover focus on Konoha's intel failure instead, Pakura couldn't gauge his emotions.
She sat timidly next to him, explaining incoherently, "Lady Chiyo did it because of a village mission. If you're really angry, Rinko, please don't blame her..."
"Angry? Of course I'm angry. She hid this from me for over two months just for this? Didn't she think about how much extra work this creates for me?"
Pushing up his plain glasses, Rinko's expression instantly hardened.
He looked down at Pakura from the side. His gaze made the girl, who usually acted as aggressive as her Kekkei Genkai, even more flustered. She was practically wringing the hem of her shirt to shreds.
"Although the Sealing and Barrier Corps are pretty good now, they're still far behind the Uzumaki Clan. If I had gone, the casualties would have been much lower."
"Eh? But those were your clansmen, Rinko."
Pakura was first stunned by his tone and expression, then reacted, asking somewhat foolishly.
"Eh... have you considered the possibility that I haven't been an Uzumaki since the day I was born, but a Hiiro?"
The descendant of a First War deserter squinted and quipped, "My birth parents might have had thoughts about this, but I have never met these so-called 'clansmen' before."
"Even if she really didn't want me to interfere, I would have just pretended not to know."
"Really? You're not just comforting me, are you?"
Blinded by concern, Pakura cupped her lover's face with both hands, staring into his eyes, trying to find any trace of deception.
In response, Rinko let out a muffled sigh. Then, he decisively pushed Pakura down onto the bed and casually raised a soundproof barrier around the tent.
"Since you don't believe I'm not angry, then apologize to me properly, Pakura~"
"W-w-wait! At least let me shower fi—Mmph!"