Renjiro's words shocked the rebels. To be killed and then blown up to pieces was extremely cruel. However, most Kiri ninjas didn't doubt his words. They had seen the horrendous acts committed by the Mizukage faction. They had no doubts that they would do something as heinous as that.
Mei was a bit doubtful of the accuracy of Renjiro's words, but she knew that nothing good would happen by pursuing such an old matter. Even if Konoha were the one to kill her, she wouldn't be able to get justice for Chou. Instead, her followers might pressurize her to make a new enemy and reduce their chances of victory in the war. After all, it was unreasonable to expect everyone to see the bigger picture.
She let out a sigh and said, "What a tragedy."
She looked at Fujin and asked in a serious tone, "I hope you can tell me what you meant by that statement."
Her first question was just to satisfy the people who believed in and followed her. However, the answer to the second question was what she wanted to know. She had a feeling that it would have a significant impact on her campaign.
Fujin replied, "Sure."
He took out a scroll from his jacket and tossed it at Mei. Mei caught the scroll and opened it while Fujin said, "You have underestimated the Mizukage faction. Your estimates regarding their finances are way off. I'd be very careful if I were in your position."
Fujin's words confused the Kiri ninjas. Some thought, 'Why would we hide from them if we had underestimated them?'
However, they became serious as they noticed the change in Mei's expression. Her face had a very grim expression. She thought, 'I thought they were all tired of the situation in the country and went rogue. But the majority of them were rogue only in name. They did bounty hunting and sent money back to the village.
If that is indeed the case, we have heavily underestimated their finances. And their resolve as well. We thought that if we stayed hidden, their forces would begin disbanding in large numbers and our chances of victory would increase. In fact, we even tried to recruit them… WAIT!'
Her eyes widened as she realized, 'No! We managed to recruit a few of them. But, with this information, there is a chance that they are spies that infiltrated our forces. Shit, we are in danger.'
The rebel camp was currently hiding and engaged in a guerilla campaign. But if they had spies among their ranks, then it was only a matter of time before they encountered a trap or were assaulted by a massive force!
Fujin studied her expressions. They were as per his expectations. He had already read the scroll and was waiting for an opportunity to hand it over to her.
Mei looked at him and let out a sigh. She said, "I don't know how to thank you for this information. Its value far exceeds the 40 million Ryo we agreed upon. I'd have returned the money if my finances weren't so tight. Unfortunately, I have nothing of equivalent value that I can offer you right now. We owe you a favor."
Fujin nodded and said, "Good luck with your campaign."
Mei nodded. The Konoha ninjas finally took their leave. Fujin looked at the skies for a second before leaving. As soon as they left, Ao asked, "What information did he provide?"
Mei rolled back the scroll and said, "We might have a problem. I'll need your help later. For now, let's leave."
Mei didn't want to spread the news. It might cause unnecessary suspicions. The Kiri ninjas under her command quickly boarded the ships and left the island. While alone, Mei informed Ao of the information sent by Konoha. Ao was stunned as well. They decided to properly inspect every rogue ninja they took into their forces in the last 3 years and to limit their participation in critical activities.
Meanwhile, the Konoha ninjas ran rapidly across the seas. After creating some distance, Renjiro asked, "How did you come so quickly?"
Fujin replied, "We had some aid. I'll tell you later."
Renjiro was puzzled. But he understood that Fujin didn't want that information to spread. So he didn't push him for an answer.
As for Kaito, he had seen Fujin look up at him. After they left, he ended the summoning jutsu and returned to Mount Muteki.
Fujin asked, "Did they do anything after capturing you?"
Renjiro shook his head and said, "No. She didn't want to get into a conflict with us. Besides, she profited heavily from our encounter."
Fujin nodded. Mei received 11 talented kids, 40 million Ryo and a critical piece of information that could save the lives of hundreds of her allies. Her gains were too high. And the only cost she had to pay was the time she used. By comparison, Konoha didn't get much.
Fujin thought, 'It's rare to see Hiruzen suffer a loss in diplomacy. I guess he wants the rebels to win and used this as an opportunity to provide them some assistance. It should also create goodwill between the two villages when Mei wins in the future and could provide an opportunity to ally in the next Great War.
Considering how brittle the ties between Konoha and Suna are, this could provide more breathing space for Konoha. After all, Konoha doesn't have the same domineering power as it did during the previous Great Wars.
Hmm, thinking about it from this point of view, he didn't exactly suffer a loss. After all, 40 million Ryo isn't much. And the information was useless in our hands. And the kids originally belonged to Kiri too. So getting 3 capable jounins, and a prospective ally for the next war is more than enough gain for such a small cost.
That said, I wonder if Hiruzen would have taken the same steps if he had known how strong Naruto would be during the next Great War or that the next war wouldn't be fought between the villages?'
Unlike Fujin, Hiruzen didn't know what the future generation would accomplish. Though he was hopeful about their futures, he had to make his calculations based on the ninjas that were active currently. And he didn't know that the next Great War would be fought between the Alliance of Shinobi Villages and Akatsuki. So his calculations were very appropriate.
As they moved, Nara Kazuki asked, "Did you bring any means of transportation?"
Fujin replied, "Nope. Did you guys consume any soldier pills?"
Kazuki replied, "Yes, around a day ago."
Fujin said, "Alright, let's just run all the way back to the Land of Fire then. We will rest in a Patrol camp."
Fujin's casual reply stunned the Nara. He muttered softly, "Run for two days straight. Great!"
Makoto and Itaru chuckled at his sorrow. As for the others, they were already used to the laziness of the Nara clan ninjas.
They quickly formed a basic plan on how to travel, which places to avoid and how to use their sensors to avoid any more confrontations.
The group travelled for half a day straight and reached close to the outer ring of islands in the Land of Water. Once they exited it, they would leave the area officially controlled by Kirigakure. However, Makoto sensed something.
He turned his attention towards a small island to their right. Smoke could be seen coming from the island. He said, "Something horrible is happening there. It's as if death is spreading across the island."
His words surprised the rest. Fujin extended his chakra field as well and said, "There are no ninjas there. But I can feel numerous people dying by the minute."
Renjiro said, "Let's check it out."
The Konoha ninjas changed their directions and entered the island. They headed straight to the village on the island.
But, as soon as they got close to it, they slowed down. Everyone's eyes widened! The scene in front of their eyes was straight from a horror story!
The houses in the village were all damaged. Some had a few cracks, others had crumbled. However, that wasn't the worst sight. The entire village was dyed in blood! Corpses, that were sliced open, littered the streets. Among these corpses were a few people that hadn't died yet, but were not too far away from it.
Fujin frowned. He walked into the village and asked softly, "Who did this?"
Renjiro let out a sigh and said, "It is likely the Mizukage faction. Over a dozen villages and towns in the Land of Water have been eliminated by them in this manner. Mostly due to suspecting some people with bloodlines among them or if their village had any dealings with the rebels."
