Taking in rogue ninja could be a trivial matter… or a very dangerous one.
Shinju felt there were still other secrets hidden inside Curtain Village, so after disguising himself, he slipped in!
...
At a tavern outside Curtain Village, Shinju—disguised as Sasuke—ordered a glass of milk…
Then, putting his social skills to full use, he grabbed a kind-looking middle-aged man.
"Hey, man, I heard Curtain Village takes on commissions too. Are they reliable?"
The man politely replied, "For the same job, Curtain Village charges far less than Konoha or the other villages… As for reliability? As long as they don't screw it up, it's fine."
Shinju nodded—fair enough—and asked again,
"I heard Curtain Village doesn't accept just anyone's commission. Is that true?"
Hearing that, the man immediately puffed up with pride.
"Of course. If you want to enter Curtain Village and post a commission, they do strict identity screening. Ordinary folks can't even get the ID badge." (o´Д`o)ノ
As he spoke, the man lifted his badge and shook it.
Shinju studied its design carefully, memorized it, and after the man left, crafted a copy.
At the front gate of Curtain Village, Shinju raised the badge. The guards opened up and let him through.
Suddenly, an inconvenient voice rang out: "Yo~ isn't that Sasuke from Konoha? What business do you have in my Curtain Village? Don't tell me you were sent to investigate us?"
At those words, all the guards tensed at once!!
One after another, unfriendly gazes locked onto Shinju!
Shinju turned toward the voice and saw it came from a rogue Kirigakure ninja.
So, Shinju—who excelled at making things up—spun a lie:
"That stupid place Konoha? I've had enough of it!"
"I'm here to join Curtain Village. I want revenge on Konoha!" (눈‸눈)
The guards hesitated and looked toward a tall ninja in their ranks—the captain.
The captain, apparently a genius, said, "I've long heard Uchiha Sasuke of Konoha is powerful… Too bad the current Hokage, Shinju-sama, is overwhelmingly strong, so you never got a chance to show your ability…"
"I understand how you feel, Sasuke. Go on in!"
With that, the gates swung open. Shinju passed through—so easily he was stunned!
Was Sasuke's identity really this convenient? ◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞
After Shinju walked a few hundred meters in, he heard the guards whispering behind him:
"You just let him in like that?"
"What if he's lying?"
"You don't get it. Sasuke defecting isn't rare at all — he's got a history of it. Last time he got dragged back by Konoha's insanely capable Sixth Hokage…"
"Think about it—who wants to be bossed around and suppressed every day? Who wants to live in someone's shadow? If it were me, I'd run too. ~_~"
"If he joins our Revolutionaries, Gengo-sama will be thrilled!"
"Ohhh, so that's why. You're wise!" (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ
Not far ahead, Shinju—thanks to excellent hearing—caught every word and thought, So that's how it is.
Sasuke's rebellious streak was really infamous…
...
Walking inside Curtain Village, Shinju realized the place wasn't as prosperous as he had imagined—worse than many small nations' villages.
And black-robed ninja filled the streets, adding to the oppressive mood.
To gather intel, Shinju approached a fruit stand, bought a few apples, and casually asked,
"Hey man, I'm new here. Has the village always been like this?"
The fruit seller was surprisingly friendly.
"No. Land of Silence used to have a daimyo. After Gengo showed up, he kicked the daimyo out. He didn't take the title, though—just became the ruler of the Land of Silence…"
Shinju, curious, continued, "And while ruling, did he accomplish anything impressive?"
The man shook his head. "You've seen it yourself—nothing changes with or without him. And his followers are super annoying—they don't even pay when buying things…"
As he said this, he nervously pointed at a black-robed figure.
Shinju nodded. He was beginning to get a clearer picture of Gengo.
After that, to infiltrate more deeply, Shinju grabbed a black-robed follower.
In a secluded corner, Shinju used Mind Body Switch Technique to check the rogue ninja's memories.
"His memories are full of stuff like 'revolutionaries,' 'overthrow the daimyo,' and 'create a new world for ninja.' It's like he's been brainwashed!"
"This Gengo has real cult-leader potential."
Shinju muttered while changing into the black robe.
"I want to see what kind of charm this Gengo has, to make so many people follow him so blindly."
When he stepped onto the street to search for Gengo's whereabouts—
—someone immediately locked onto him!
A black-robed man rushed over, fixed Shinju's collar, and scolded,
"Your collar's a mess! Gengo-sama's speech is about to start. How can you be so sloppy!"
Shinju quietly dispelled the Dust Release light he was about to form, forcing a smile.
"Left in a rush…"
Close call. He almost acted on instinct…
...
Pure Land.
Shinigami rubbed its eyes.
Weird. A moment ago it looked like a figure flashed right in front of it!
Where'd it go?! (꒪⌓꒪)
Back in Curtain Village, the black-robed man who'd fixed Shinju's collar suddenly broke out in cold sweat.
"What the… why am I sweating so much?!"
"I really need to cut back…"
...
Evening.
Before a church-like building in Curtain Village.
A giant curtain hung out front, with a newly built wooden stage beneath it—this was where Gengo would make his speech.
Shinju, now in a black robe, blended into the crowd, waiting for Gengo to appear.
He had come to Curtain Village for two reasons: to uncover the village's secrets, and to find the missing Sai and the ANBU.
Gengo was the key to everything.
Soon, Gengo stepped onto the platform—black-robed, sporting a full beard and a strange braided hairstyle!
"First, I want to thank everyone standing here!" ❛‿˂̵✧
"Overthrowing the daimyo's rule and building a world for ninja—your support for my ideals, for the revolution—makes you the ones driving the birth of a new world!!" (•‾̑⌣‾̑•)✧˖
"With your support, the day of true revolution draws near!"
At this point, his voice surged, and the black-robed crowd erupted into cheers.
In the audience, Shinju sensed something wrong.
Gengo wasn't handsome, nor a great speaker—but there was something in his voice, some kind of charm invading the listeners' minds…
On stage, Gengo continued his fiery speech: "Today, I've prepared something special!"
"Let me introduce the thug standing in the way of our revolution!!"
As his voice fell, the giant curtain behind him was pulled open—
Revealing the tightly bound Sai.
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