Naruto Infinite New World

The sun hung high in the sky.

A warm breeze gently blew across Gin's robes as he stood on a high vantage point, gazing out at the distant mountains.

The greenery spread over the mountains like a blanket.

His gaze shifted to Sakumo, who was seated on a rock, staring into the distance in the direction of the Cloud Village.

In the forest behind them, shadows of figures flickered in and out of sight.

Gin walked forward.

"The village has sent the order for us to return. What are you still looking at?"

The war was gradually drawing to a close, and the other villages had already pulled back their forces from the front lines, returning to defend their homes.

Konoha had also issued orders for them to return.

From here on, it would mostly be smaller skirmishes, with the villages testing each other's strength and trying to gauge the extent of the damage the war had caused.

Each village would be trying to sprinkle salt on the others' wounds.

This was all to ensure they had more leverage at the negotiation table.

While brute force was the key to achieving peace, negotiations were what ultimately ended wars.

The battles ahead would likely involve squads facing off against squads, with the scope of the conflict broadening but the overall damage decreasing.

After all, skirmishes between small squads wouldn't cause the same level of devastation as large-scale battles.

"Nothing much," Sakumo replied, shaking his head with a sigh.

"It's just... so many people have been left behind here."

This battlefield had seen fewer losses, but on other fronts, countless comrades from the village had fallen.

While victory in the war brought relief, Sakumo was more sorrowful for his fallen comrades.

He had always valued his comrades deeply.

Gin, on the other hand, was indifferent to Sakumo's sentiment. He didn't care much about the lives of others, as long as he was safe.

Seeing Gin's uncaring attitude, Sakumo knew there was no point in discussing the philosophy of war with him.

"Let's go."

Sakumo stood up, his agile form leaping onto a tree branch, swiftly jumping from one tree to the next.

Gin glanced at Sakumo, who had rushed off on his own, and raised his hand in a gesture to signal their departure.

Though Gin was only a Chūnin, no one in the squad had any objections to him taking charge.

Gin led the group as they followed closely behind Sakumo.

A few dozen shinobi remained behind, blending into the shadows as they spread out to establish sentry posts around the area.

Their mission was different from those returning to the village.

They were the main force responsible for monitoring the movements of the Cloud Village.

Meanwhile, the others moved quickly through the forest, leaping from tree to tree, the sound of their movement cutting through the air.

Gin followed closely behind Sakumo. Compared to the other shinobi, clad in green vests or armor, Gin's traditional garb made him stand out as an oddity.

He didn't carry the typical pouch of ninja tools or weapons either.

Sakumo suddenly slowed down slightly.

"Want to race to the village?"

Gin glanced at him mid-jump between the trees.

"Do you think everyone's as childish as you?"

They were adults, after all. Racing like this was childish.

Sakumo didn't respond, his figure flashing ahead.

Gin clicked his tongue and, like a frame skipping in a video, moved forward at a rapid pace.

Well, he was still young. A little immaturity was fine.

The two of them sped forward, their figures flickering as they seemingly teleported through the forest.

Sakumo's distance with each step of Shave was much farther than Gin's Shunpo, but Gin's frequency of using Shunpo was higher than Sakumo's.

For a while, their figures disappeared into the distance.

"Men and their competitive spirit..." A female Jōnin muttered, her lips twitching in annoyance.

Those two were moving so fast, the rest of the squad couldn't keep up at all!

"Those idiots!"

"They're both irresponsible... not good at all."

"Sakumo-sama and Black Demon-sama seem to have a good relationship," a male Jōnin remarked.

By now, Gin had earned as much respect as Sakumo from the other shinobi.

Though Gin was still officially a Chūnin, it was only a matter of time before he was promoted to Jōnin. Many believed he would soon be recognized as an elite Jōnin.

"Good relationship, huh?"

Aburame Shibi, who had been mostly ignored by the others, adjusted his glasses as he watched the two figures disappear from view.

When he had delivered the message of victory earlier, those two hadn't exactly seemed like they had a close relationship.

Gin pushed himself to his limit with Shunpo, but he was still a body-length behind Sakumo.

It was one thing to have a gap in raw strength, but he wasn't about to admit defeat in speed!

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't close the gap. Even when he pushed himself to go faster, he remained just one step behind.

How was Sakumo so much faster, despite Gin's understanding of Shave?

"Gin," Sakumo called out suddenly.

"If you've got something to say, spit it out."

Gin didn't have time for chit-chat. He still couldn't accept that he was slower than Sakumo.

"Do you want to be Hokage?"

Sakumo's question made Gin come to a sudden stop on the tree branch, looking up at Sakumo, who had stopped at an even higher branch.

With the sunlight behind him, Sakumo's figure appeared as a dark silhouette.

"I never thought you'd ask me such a question."

Gin's eyes darkened to a pitch-black hue, allowing him to see clearly even in the glaring light. Sakumo's face became visible.

Sakumo thought for a moment before speaking.

"I just feel like, if you were to become Hokage, it might bring a different future to Konoha."

"Not interested," Gin replied flatly.

He desired freedom, not to be tied down to a village. After all, he wasn't originally from the world of the Hokage.

He wasn't bound by the village's ideals.

He wasn't some village patriot.

Gin couldn't understand why Sakumo would even ask him such a question.

The two of them weren't exactly close, and Gin had no connection to the position of Hokage.

Not to mention, in terms of power and achievements, he wasn't even close to being a contender for the Hokage position.

"Fighting for the village's bonds isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say."

Gin replied dismissively.

He had a clear understanding of himself—fighting for others was not something he would ever do.

Absolutely impossible.

...

After several days of travel...

Gin and Sakumo finally saw the silhouette of the village in the distance.

In that moment, both of them suddenly accelerated.

Sakumo shot ahead in a flash, while Gin used Shunpo to catch up, their figures flickering as they passed each other.

Neither wanted to be the first to slow down, and they even started pushing against each other, trying to knock the other off balance.

After colliding a few times, they separated.

Sakumo's body glowed with white light, his speed increasing even further as he turned into a streak of light.

Not to be outdone, Gin enveloped himself in darkness, utilizing Mokuton to grow additional legs, boosting his speed instantly.

"I'll be the first one to reach the village!!" ×2.

A white and a black figure collided once more, racing toward the village gates.

The two Special Jōnin guarding the gates saw the approaching light and dark streaks, their faces contorting in horror as they tried to run.

But it was too late.

Boom!!

The entire gate was obliterated by the sheer force of the impact.

Gin and Sakumo tumbled onto the ground simultaneously.

(End of Chapter)

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