CHAPTER 75
Even if it means death, the mission must be completed.
The bridge must be built.
Let the Land of Waves break free from Gatō's control.
From poverty to prosperity.
This was Dazna's dream—his goal.
For this goal,
He was willing to sacrifice everything.
Dazna's experiences were worthy of sympathy, and his resolve was worthy of respect and admiration.
However—
Poor people often have something pitiful, but also something detestable.
From Kurenai's perspective,
Dazna had treated the lives of Konoha's ninja as expendable tools for the sake of his own ideals.
That was the most unforgivable aspect of his actions.
Lying about a mission's difficulty was an extremely serious offense for any ninja village and any shinobi.
The difference in mission rank meant a fundamental difference in the strength of enemies encountered.
This was not merely a matter of payment.
The previous Hokage had long established strict rules regarding mission classification.
The reason missions are divided into D, C, B, and A ranks—and ninja are divided into genin, chūnin, and jōnin—
Is so that the appropriate level of shinobi is dispatched to the appropriate level of danger.
This ensures that village resources are not wasted (such as sending jōnin to perform D- or C-rank tasks).
More importantly, it ensures that the ninja undertaking the mission have a realistic chance of survival and success (genin handling D- and C-rank missions, jōnin leading A- and B-rank missions).
Every level exists for a reason.
Every regulation has its purpose.
Dazna's actions were a direct provocation of the rules of the ninja village.
Not to mention abandoning the mission—
Even directly punishing Dazna would be considered completely reasonable from the perspective of a shinobi village.
It could even be said that some form of punishment was necessary.
Otherwise, what message would that send to future clients from outside the village?
That they could freely misreport mission ranks without consequences?
If fear disappears, deception becomes the norm.
Especially since Dazna's deception nearly caused the total annihilation of Team Eight.
No matter how severe the punishment, any shinobi village would consider it justified.
The only reason this situation had not escalated further—
Was because Kurenai was not a cold-blooded ninja.
Abandoning the mission was what she believed to be the best possible decision.
Kakashi, standing at her side, also agreed with Kurenai's judgment.
Receiving no corresponding reward while forcing three freshly graduated genin to risk their lives on a mission of this level—anyone with a sound mind would choose to withdraw.
This was entirely understandable.
As for what would happen to the employer after the mission was abandoned?
That was not something the shinobi village was obligated to consider.
The mistake had been made by the employer first.
One could not expect ninja to repay deceit with compassion.
Just as Kurenai's words fell and she prepared to lead Team Eight back—
"It is only natural for ninja-sama to abandon a mission. Lying about the mission rank was indeed my fault, and I should bear that responsibility. Sigh… but once I die, the bridge will never be completed. The people will remain under Gatō's control. My eight-year-old grandson and my widowed daughter will be left with nothing, and what awaits them after that is…"
Dazna once again displayed his "acting skills."
His face was filled with sorrow, his tone heavy with despair and tragedy.
Leaving aside Kurenai and Kakashi—
The three inexperienced genin of Team Eight were immediately shaken by Dazna's reluctant yet emotional performance.
At this moment, not only Hinata, who was naturally gentle and kind—
Even Kiba, usually rough and straightforward, felt that if their team abandoned the mission here, the uncle in front of them would truly be pitiful.
Even Shino, who was usually the calmest and most rational among them, felt a stir of sympathy in his heart.
If Naruto were present at this moment—
It would be a pity that Dazna had not become an actor.
Although Naruto would probably find his performance somewhat clumsy, given Dazna's identity, such acting ability was already rare.
Watching Dazna's slightly exaggerated performance,
Kakashi could not help but shake his head inwardly.
With Kakashi's life experience, it was impossible not to see that Dazna's expression was largely an act.
At the same time, Kakashi could also tell that much of what Dazna said was true.
This was Dazna's cleverness.
Knowing that he could no longer deceive outright,
He chose to tell the truth—
But wrapped it in a layer of pitiful emotion.
By doing so, he hoped to gain the sympathy of the Konoha ninja before him and persuade them to continue helping.
Dazna did not know how high his chances of success were.
But this was his final gamble.
He had no other choice.
Kakashi saw through it, but said nothing.
After all, this was not the mission of Team Seven.
It was the mission of Team Eight.
The authority to decide rested with Kurenai, the captain of Team Eight.
And in this situation—
Especially after seeing the sympathetic looks his three students cast toward Dazna, and the faint pleading expressions they turned toward her—
Kurenai felt an even greater headache.
Like Kakashi,
She could clearly see through Dazna's somewhat exaggerated acting.
But she could also tell that his words carried a high degree of truth.
That was precisely why—
Kurenai found herself in a difficult position.
There was still anger toward Dazna in her heart, yet abandoning the mission outright felt undeniably cruel.
After all—
Kurenai could not yet be considered a truly hardened ninja.
A fully qualified ninja should be able to make the most rational decision at any time.
That decision must comply with the rules and not violate established order.
In this case, decisively abandoning the mission was a right granted to Team Eight by the village.
It was also the consensus of the entire ninja world.
When an employer conceals the true mission difficulty, the risks increase exponentially.
Kurenai should withdraw and lead her team back to the village.
Hesitating because of a few emotional words from the employer—
Was an irresponsible choice.
Of course, much of this hesitation stemmed from her three inexperienced subordinates.
Inexperienced, and raised in a relatively peaceful era, the three members of Team Eight did not fully understand the sinister aspects of human nature. They were so pure that it bordered on naïveté. Seeing Dazna's pitiful expression, they instinctively placed themselves in his position.
They could truly be described as novices to the world.
Naturally, they hoped their team could continue helping this unfortunate Mr. Dazna.
"Kurenai-sensei… I think… if it's possible, maybe we should help Mr. Dazna. As long as the bridge is completed, isn't that enough?"
Hyūga Hinata spoke timidly.
Her clear eyes looked up at Kurenai, her expression hesitant, her voice soft and trembling. The pleading tone in her words caused the bitter smile on Kurenai's face to deepen even further.
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