Uchiha Jin turned to leave.
Shisui stood frozen, staring at Jin's back in shock, cold sweat beading on his brow.
His thoughts were in chaos.
Jin's final words hit like a hammer.
He did not like Uchiha Yoshio and the other two, yet even he had to admit they were among the clan's sharper blades. At twelve or thirteen they had already awakened the Sharingan.
That said enough.
They were not on Shisui's level, but across Konoha's younger generation they were formidable.
And Jin had said he killed all three.
That meant Jin had the strength to enter Class A. His public face was a mask. Even among the Uchiha he would count as a talent.
So why hide.
He could not make sense of it.
He wanted to chase after Jin and demand an answer, but the muster left him no room. He could only press the turmoil down and think.
Report this.
Once, he would not have hesitated.
But this was Jin.
After running the choice through his mind again and again, he could only sigh.
He would find time to speak with Jin at length, then decide.
Jin had shared something this weighty on the quiet. It was trust. And it told Shisui Jin was not a bad person.
He disliked Yoshio's crowd himself.
"Jin-kun, you…"
"You have handed me a cruel dilemma."
"How am I supposed to face you."
Meanwhile, Jin returned to the squad and drew everyone's envy at once.
A chain mail underlayer.
Every shinobi wanted one, but forging was difficult and out of reach for most. Even Nara Kazama could not hide his envy. The Nara were a house of means in Konoha, yet as a branch member he received fixed monthly rations. For coveted gear he would have to trade war merit.
Jin was different.
Shisui had gifted it in person.
At the same time, it made everyone more certain that Jin was not simple stock. He was no ordinary branch scion.
Especially Nara Kazama.
His strength was nothing special, but as a Nara he had inherited the one thing that mattered: a working brain. He saw more.
"Jin-kun, amazing."
"What is your relationship with Shisui-kun. He just handed you something like that."
Voices circled him.
Kudo Shin spoke with warmer respect as well. War had sanded away his youthful swagger. He knew the gulf between clans and civilians. If you wanted to live, let alone rise, standing near the noble houses mattered. They heard things faster. A whisper at the right time could be the difference between life and death.
Jin did not make a fuss.
A vest like this could not be hidden. Let them think what they liked. It was a small thing.
Only Ishikawa Itsuki's stare brimmed with jealousy and spite. Jin marked it down. Small men could not accomplish much, but they could certainly spoil things.
A chunin in a green vest approached.
"Squad Seven, your assignment."
His tone was flat. His eyes flicked once to Jin's mail, then he handed over a scroll and walked off.
Kudo Shin's expression hardened.
He cracked the seal, read, and spoke solemnly.
"Our mission is to escort supplies to the front."
"Move."
He wasted no words. A veteran knew when to talk and when to act.
Jin and Kazama fell in behind him.
Only Itsuki wore a sour look. He resented everyone. In school he had been top three, his greatest pride. In the squad no one cared. No awe in their eyes, just indifference. He could accept Kudo Shin's attitude, but who were Nara Kazama and Uchiha Jin to look past him. So they were born to clans. Their marks were middle of the pack. Why did they not respect an excellent student.
Was birth everything.
His glare slid to Jin's underlayer. A piece he might never touch in his life.
Why.
Because he was a civilian.
The more he thought, the hotter he burned. He never considered that their marks ranked low precisely because they had not bothered to compete. A Class B ribbon impressed civilians. Nobles did not care.
Before long they reached the supply depot. With the scroll, they drew three wagons of materiel and an eight person civilian escort.
Yes, there were storage scrolls, but cost kept them scarce. Anything that was bulky or of lower priority still moved by hoof and hand.
"Honored shinobi, do we depart now."
"Yes. We march."
Facing the civilians, Kudo stood very tall.
He had been born a civilian, but the moment he became a shinobi he crossed a line. Among Konoha's great houses his status was small. Before true civilians, his pride as a ninja rose sharp and clear.