It's Too Troublesome to be Hokage

"You think Konoha ninjas are going to believe that nonsense?"

Nara Shikano's voice was low and steady.

"A man who massacred his own clan claiming he's just here to make money and support his family?"

"Well..."

Oyashiro En scratched his head with a dry chuckle.

"I admit it sounds a bit… absurd."

He fell silent for a moment, then raised his hands in a helpless gesture.

"But if you search my memories, you'll see—I'm not lying."

The old patriarch let out a noncommittal "Hmm."

Then raised his right hand.

Yamanaka Inoichi stepped forward in quiet understanding, lifting his palm toward Oyashiro's forehead.

"Wait—wait!"

A flash of panic crossed Oyashiro's face.

"I want to know… after the memory scan, what are you going to do to me?"

Nara Shikano remained composed.

"That depends on what your true intentions are."

Under normal circumstances, an elite jonin from a foreign land—one who concealed his identity and infiltrated the Land of Fire—would've been executed on sight.

But Oyashiro En was a mission employer.

That alone bought him a sliver of time.

"Fine!" Oyashiro grit his teeth, then sighed.

"Do whatever you want to me. Execute me, gouge out my eyes—just…"

His voice softened, breaking.

"Spare my daughter, Chino."

"She's too young to remember. Don't tell her about me. Don't let her grow up with this blood-soaked legacy. Please…"

Nara Shikano did not respond.

Yamanaka Inoichi silently placed his palm on the jonin's forehead.

The spiritual link activated.

As the scan deepened, Inoichi's expression gradually darkened—from focused, to troubled, to almost distressed.

Finally, he pulled back and stepped beside Nara Shikano, voice low.

"Uncle Shikano... what he said is true."

"There's no plan to destroy the Land of Fire. No threat to Konoha. His only intent… was escape."

Shikano narrowed his eyes.

"You sure? You're not being fooled by a Blood Dragon Eye illusion?"

He immediately caught himself.

"...Forget it. That's impossible. He's taken a chakra-suppression drug. He can't mold chakra, much less perform a genjutsu. And even if he could, there's no way he'd confuse you."

He looked over at Oyashiro.

The man now clutched his head, face twisted in agony.

Brain scans by the Yamanaka Clan may reveal truth—but they came at a heavy price.

For a living person, it's like being skinned alive.

"Is it true?" Shikano's voice was soft but heavy.

"That he wiped out the entire Chinoike Clan?"

"Yes." Inoichi confirmed.

"He did it. He left only one survivor—his daughter, Chino."

Shikano's brow relaxed slightly.

A murderer of his own kin. A clan-killer. The kind of man who could be executed with a clean conscience.

But—

"There's a hidden story behind the massacre,"

Inoichi continued hesitantly.

"He did it… to avenge his wife."

Shikano fell silent, his gaze steady.

Inoichi began to explain.

The Valley of Hell, located in the Land of Hot Springs, was a toxic, barren land filled with miasma.

After being exiled there by the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, the Chinoike Clan had lived on the edge of survival for decades.

Resources had become nearly nonexistent.

The clan elders came up with a "solution": population reduction.

Those first to be sacrificed were the weak—

The elderly. The sick. The disabled.

And finally, the children.

In that purge, Oyashiro En's wife had been among those discarded.

Driven by rage, grief, and despair, he slaughtered the entire clan—all except his infant daughter.

Shikano clenched his fists. Sweat broke out on his palms.

If he hadn't acted…Chino would have been next.

Shikadan looked silently at Oyashiro En, who now knelt on the ground in pain and silence.

His heart twisted.

The ninja world had seen countless clan exterminations. But few were as tragic—and grotesque—as this.

Only one other came to mind—

The future Uchiha Massacre.

Shikadan wasn't interested in comparing who deserved more sympathy—Uchiha Itachi or Oyashiro En.

He felt only one thing:

'This world is twisted.'

"I'm sorry, Oyashiro En."

Nara Shikano inhaled deeply.

"I don't know how to judge your actions. But… we'll see this escort mission through. We'll ensure you reach the capital safely."

"You're not going to execute me?"

Oyashiro raised his head weakly, his eyes bloodshot from pain—real pain, not chakra-induced transformation.

In his mind, there had been four possibilities:

Recruitment into Konoha as a bloodline asset.

Immediate execution.

Being dissected for bloodline research.

Forced breeding as a bloodline breeder.

He hadn't expected this fifth option.

"The Blood Dragon Eye is a rare doujutsu..."

He glanced between the three ninja, trying to understand.

Shikano's face was unreadable.

"Konoha has better options."

"...So polite."

Oyashiro chuckled bitterly, collapsing to the ground.

"You Konoha ninja… really are different from Kirigakure. Hard to believe you're both shinobi villages. Maybe one day… we'll work together."

His final words barely left his lips before he passed out.

With the hidden threat removed, the escort team returned to their normal routine.

Inoichi and Choza resumed night watch.

Shikadan and the old clan leader rested in silence.

No one spoke for the rest of the night.

The next morning.

The caravan prepared to set out for the capital of the Land of Fire—Kyoto.

Last night's battle had gone unnoticed by most of the caravan.

Even Oyashiro En came to politely greet Nara Shikano at breakfast, though his face remained pale from the mental trauma.

Shikano offered him a curt nod.

He understood Oyashiro's motivations—but he wasn't ready to forgive them.

Oyashiro Shiro En didn't push it.

Merchants weren't known for pride.

His true interest wasn't Shikano the man, but the Nara Clan's drug reserves behind him.

Better to turn conflict into potential cooperation.

The deer-pulled carts rumbled forward.

Half a day later, after repelling a group of bounty hunters and scattering some desperate refugees, the caravan finally arrived—

Kyoto.

At the city gates, the escort teams split.

Might Guy's team, who had taken the [Caravan Escort Mission], left with the merchants.

Asuma Sarutobi's team, who had accepted the [Bounty Hunter Capture Mission], followed the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to the daimyo's mansion.

Located at the heart of the city, the mansion was a grand structure—polished, elegant, and clearly steeped in wealth.

The Konoha ninja passed the gates unimpeded.

The daimyo had already been informed of their arrival, and of their request.

Support.

In a world of fragile alliances and hidden blades, the Hokage had sent a message with only two words:

"Give me money."

The daimyo didn't object.

He greeted the Konoha shinobi cordially, then sent a palace attendant to escort them out.

"That went better than expected!"

Akimichi Choza chuckled, patting his belly.

"Looks like I'll finally get a proper meal in Kyoto!"

Just as he finished—

A crude voice rang out:

"So these are the Konoha shinobi, huh?"

A group of rough-looking men approached, wearing tattered armor with a fire-symbol cloth badge tied at the waist.

They swaggered forward, one of them sneering.

"Tch. Bunch of bumpkins."

-End Chapter-

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