The world of Naruto is a richly detailed and exciting one, and author Masashi Kishimoto explored many aspects of this universe during the original story, from international politics to the combat system to the concept of ninja going rogue. Some ninja are noted for being missing-nin, and no one becomes a missing-nin without good reason.
Ninja are expected to remain loyal to their village of origin and follow orders, even if it means their own death. Most of the heroes in Naruto are loyal and honest, but missing-nin are a different matter entirely, and missing-nin face many hardships in this rogue lifestyle.
10 Missing-Nin Won’t Be Forgiven
Ninja are often surprisingly sentimental in this world, mostly for the sake of upholding classic shonen values such as personal loyalty and belief in oneself despite the odds. But the politicians and military leaders feel differently, and they won’t forgive a missing-nin for any reason, even if they were once friends.
Missing-nin can’t go back on their decision once they choose to go rogue, and they can expect only hostility from their former village. Even if a missing-nin sincerely regrets their actions and tries to make amends, their home village will still be hostile to them.
9 Missing-Nin Will Be Hunted Down
When a ninja decides to betray their village and become a missing-nin, their home village won’t just stand idly by. A missing-nin will know many sensitive secrets about their home village and may even possess unique kekkei genkai that the village doesn’t want to have loose in the world.
So, the village will send ninja to capture or kill the missing-nin at any cost, and the missing-nin will have to spend their days and nights looking over their shoulder to escape their pursuers. The missing-nin might also make it into the Bingo Book.
8 Missing-Nin Are Often Alone
In theory, most missing-nin are solitary figures for a number of reasons, primarily because they can no longer rely on their allies from their home village for support, and their former allies see them as treacherous monsters. The missing-nin may proceed alone so they can keep a low profile, too.
Even a rogue ninja must feel lonely like this, and they can only accomplish so much operating alone. Even if they find an employer or client out there, it’s unlikely that they can shake that feeling of alienation and loneliness.
7 Missing-Nin Are Rarely Trustworthy
When a ninja goes rogue as a missing-nin, burning bridges with their former village and comrades is just the start. Going rogue like this suggests that the missing-nin is treacherous by nature and untrustworthy. If this ninja will betray one ally, they’ll betray another.
Some missing-nin, depending on the exact circumstances, might prove to the world that they are totally untrustworthy. Even other criminals and outlaws might refuse to trust a missing-nin and expect a knife in the back. Even the Akatsuki organization might not trust them.
6 Missing-Nin Might End Up Working For Horrible Clients
Missing-nin typically abandon their home village so they can find work elsewhere if their home village is at peace. A peaceful village will have few jobs for its ninja, prompting opportunistic ones to go rogue and seek work from other clients. But they might not like their new clients.
A missing-nin will likely end up taking jobs from shady and dishonest people, such as the cruel business magnate Gato who hired Zabuza and Haku for a job before turning on them. In contrast, a village will have access to honest and fair clients.
5 Missing-Nin Might Attract Bounty Hunters From Other Villages/Nations
A village will send specialized hunter-nin to track down a rogue who abandoned the village, and the ANBU black-ops ninja are often asked to handle rogue Leaf ninja. But that’s not all. Even if missing-nin eludes or kills their pursuers, other bounty hunters might take their turn.
It’s conceivable that a village will reach out and hire bounty hunters to help capture a missing-nin, and this means the missing-nin has even more enemies to watch out for. Going rogue means getting chased all over the world.
4 Missing-Nin Might Feel Guilt
Ninja are not supposed to feel or act upon their emotions during a job, but many scenes in Naruto prove that heroic and villainous ninja still do act on their emotions quite often. Even the cool-headed Shikamaru acted somewhat rashly after Asuma Sarutobi’s death, and he butted heads with Tsunade over it. Grief and regret might come into play, too.
This must be the case for some missing-nin too, who may recklessly go rogue to find new jobs, then realize later that they had made a huge mistake. Now it’s too late, and they will feel guilty about abandoning their home village and the friends who trusted them.
3 Missing-Nin Must Endure A Lot Of Stress
Going rogue has many negative implications, and some of them feed off of each other. When a shinobi becomes a missing-nin, they face a lot of mental as well as physical hardships, and being chased by hunter-nin must be stressful, or at least annoying and tiresome.
A missing-nin will have a lot more enemies than friends, and they must constantly stay on their toes or soon meet a grisly end. No doubt this leads to a stressful and unpleasant lifestyle, even if everything goes according to plan, and such a lifestyle must be mentally taxing day after day.
2 Missing-Nin Can’t Easily Access Their Home Village’s Resources
Going rogue from a village means cutting ties not just with the people who live there but also the village’s resources, which is a lot. Even a poorer village will have far more resources than a typical ninja will have access to on their own.
If someone goes rogue from the Hidden Leaf Village, for example, they’ll lose access to the village’s defenses, intelligence network, shops, and far more. A missing-nin must do everything themselves, and they might not be up to the job, even if they resort to theft and raiding.
1 Missing-Nin May Not Have A Reliable Squad To Command
Ninja have ranks, usually from genin to chunin to jonin, and having a higher rank means commanding a squad, which can really boost a ninja’s career nicely. Belonging to a village means belonging to a squad as well, either as a regular member or as the leader.
Solitary missing-nin will have none of the benefits of having a team, and they might struggle to form a new one for themselves. Even if a missing-nin tries to recruit new allies, missing-nin tend to meet up with shady and dishonest people, and it’s tough to form a reliable team of selfish outlaws like that. There is “no honor among thieves” after all.
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