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The number of rogue ninjas who dared to wear a "scratched" forehead protector from their ninja village on their foreheads was pitifully small... After all, not everyone could openly declare themselves a rogue ninja. Because rogue ninjas, in any village, were universally reviled. No one would welcome them, and even fewer would accept rogue ninjas from other villages, as such individuals would betray their own ninja village, let alone others. Therefore, these rogue ninjas were hated by all, and no one would accept them. At least, that was the current situation. What would happen in the future remained unclear.
"After this job in the Land of Water, we can't stay in this country either. Otherwise, we'll be assassinated by the Land of Water's ninjas. Our strength is enough to cause trouble in secret, but once we're chased by Jonin, you all know what our fate will be." A masked Chunin rogue ninja from Kusagakure, with a hideous scar on his forehead, spoke coldly and expressionlessly, "We've done three big jobs in Kusagakure, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Water, respectively. Now we just need one more."
"Then the four of us will be carefree for the rest of our lives, worrying about nothing."
"At that point, everyone can split up!" The sole Genin rogue ninja among them had a fawning expression on his face. The Genin rogue ninja flattered, "Lord Karime is right. After one more job, we can't continue, or we'll become targets of everyone in the ninja world." Although he had become a rogue ninja, this Kusagakure Genin had no regrets whatsoever. After all, when he was a Genin in Kusagakure, although he was respected by many as a ninja, he was just an ordinary Genin, constantly being ordered around by those guys every day. If he had to live that life for another year or two... he would probably go crazy.
Now, after defecting from Kusagakure, although he was being hunted by Kusagakure ninjas, and possibly even by Konoha ninjas for killing a wealthy merchant in the Land of Fire, he didn't regret it one bit. Because they couldn't catch them. They had already traveled far to the Land of Water, and along the way, they had plundered wealth totaling over twenty million ryo. Even if they eventually split up, he, a Genin, would still get a good share of the money. Then he could do whatever he wanted. No need to be ordered around by anyone. No need to obey anyone's commands. He could kill whoever he wanted; what were all those damn rules for?! Being a wandering ninja was far more free than being a village ninja.
The Kusagakure rogue ninja named "Karime" seemed to be the small leader of this group. Half of his face was hidden by a mask, so no one could see his expression, nor did anyone know what he was thinking. He spoke coldly, "Go tell those two crazy killers to first plunder all the assets of the big rich man in the village. We can't waste any more time here, lest the Land of Water ninjas discover us."
"The Land of Water has many islands. While it's hard for them to search, if we're at sea, it's also hard for us to escape. So we can't stay here long, understood?!" The Genin rogue ninja nodded fawningly, saying obsequiously, "No problem, Lord Karime, I'll go inform the other two Chunin Lords right away and tell them to get to work."
"Go... And be careful, lest someone ambushes you." Karime reminded him expressionlessly.
"..." After watching the Genin quickly leave, the man named Karime, a cold smile appeared on his masked face. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"Just a little rat, trying to get a slice of the pie?!" "If it weren't for you being a sensory ninja, I would have killed you long ago. But it doesn't matter... once you've been used, we won't need you anymore." "A Genin also wants a share... Tch, truly overestimating himself."
However, for some reason today, Karime felt an ominous premonition lingering in his heart, but he couldn't pinpoint why. And they had already massacred the village; if they didn't plunder some valuables, wouldn't that be killing for nothing!? And would they have offended the Land of Water for nothing?! He put away his cold smile, muttering to himself, "Why does it feel like something is about to happen...? Could someone be chasing us? It shouldn't be... The people of the Land of Water have no reason to chase us."
"People from Kusagakure would have to pass through Konoha Village to reach the Land of Water." "As for the people from Konoha Village in the Land of Fire..." "They shouldn't be here so soon, right?!" As he fell into contemplation, even his vigilance relaxed considerably. After all, the only Genin from the Land of Water in the village had been killed, so he didn't feel the need to expend energy on maintaining vigilance.
However, it was this momentary lapse in vigilance that Hinata, hidden in the shadows, seized as an opportunity. Hinata, who had been lurking in the dark for a full 10 minutes, now sent a gust of air current upwards from her feet, and a shallow pit appeared on the ground. By the time her entire being shot out, only then did a muffled thud sound from the ground.
Bang—
The Kusagakure rogue ninja named Karime's pupils constricted. A deadly sense of crisis washed over him, and from the corner of his eye, he saw a figure, terrifyingly fast, rushing towards him. Rogue ninja Karime didn't even have time to utter a single word, instinctively trying to dodge. However, a series of sharp pains erupted from his abdomen.
Pfft— Pfft— Pfft— Pfft...
"Finger Pistol..."