A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Shahzaam, kevin Williams, Jose Carrillo, Jose Sierra, Silver, ManyEB, Zhandos Kauzhanov, Vora, kurtis newman, 66835, Alex Rushing, Fredrik Dahlman.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
—————————————————————
"Anyone who, because of war, is forced to leave their homeland and come to a strange, unfamiliar place... Facing an unfamiliar environment and people, their mood won't be good. They'll naturally become numb, even feeling there's no hope for tomorrow. But this is only temporary. Once they've been rooted in the Land of Fire for a longer time, once spring comes and new fields are cultivated, once they have their own families within the Land of Fire—that's when they'll find the hope they need in life. By then, they will no longer be war refugees. They will be people of the Land of Fire. Our compatriots. Our compatriots, whom we need to protect. Does saying this make you feel a bit better?"
Oh, so that's how it is.
The kids nodded, understanding vaguely. After hearing Kazuki's words, they felt somewhat comforted.
The hardship was temporary; things would get better soon.
"Do you have any other questions?"
"Lord Advisor."
A small hand rose from within the group.
"Karin, what's your question?"
Kazuki scanned the crowd, identifying the owner of the small hand.
Having lived in the harsh environment of the Land of Grass since childhood, Karin was sensitive to the topic of war.
"Lord Advisor, will Konoha be affected by the war?"
That's right!
The kids suddenly realized: among the Five Great Shinobi Villages in the current shinobi world, only Konoha wasn't involved in a war.
The others: Kirigakure and Sunagakure fought first, then Iwagakure launched a war against the Land of Waterfalls, followed by Kumogakure also getting involved.
Not bad. She's thinking.
Kazuki gave Karin an appreciative look.
The slightly nervous Karin froze for a moment, then smiled shyly, thinking: Is the Lord Advisor praising me? I'm so nervous, what do I do?
"I can't answer that question for you, because the situation in the shinobi world—what will happen tomorrow—is beyond my control. Since we're on the topic, I also have a question for you."
What question?
The youngsters immediately perked up, straightening their backs, feeling this was a test from Kazuki.
"Do you think Konoha needs to participate in the war? If so, who should we attack?"
"Huh?"
Does Konoha need to start a war?
Who should we fight?
This question seemed to exceed the scope of these newly minted genin's thoughts.
The kids looked at each other. Most wore blank expressions, while only a few were pondering the question.
No one answered for a long while.
Kazuki shook his head.
"Alright, you can think about that question on your own. No need to answer me. Have some hot water, then go do whatever you should be doing. Don't think the cold weather means you don't have missions."
"Oh, right. Hinata, you stay."
Not fair, he's kicking us out already?
Before groans could erupt, everyone's gaze fell on Hinata's face, revealing expressions of sudden understanding.
"Heh heh, we'll skip the hot water. We'll head out first."
Naruto let out a weird laugh, turned, and ran, afraid Kazuki might decide to punish him.
"???"
Has this kid Naruto's courage grown?
The others were momentarily stunned but quickly caught on.
"Run!"
The group pushed and shoved, tumbling out of the command headquarters in a chaotic rush, leaving behind a trail of laughter that made Hinata, who remained inside, blush crimson with embarrassment, unsure what to do.
That kid Naruto is still as mischievous as ever.
Kazuki beckoned to Hinata. Blushing, she took small, hesitant steps toward him, looking embarrassed.
Izumi rolled her eyes internally, placed the freshly brewed tea on the table, and discreetly left.
Though a part of her grumbled:
Why? I was the one who came first... Wahhh... but someone else gets the prize.
With no outsiders left in the command center, the nervous Hinata finally relaxed. She gritted her teeth and nestled into Kazuki's arms, sitting comfortably.
She really liked the feeling of sitting in his embrace and cherished the scent and aura that surrounded him.
Holding Hinata's soft, almost boneless body close, Kazuki asked:
"You've been exhausted lately, haven't you?"
"It's... it's okay."
Hinata shook her head with her eyes closed.
Compared to the past, when her clan relentlessly pushed her to train hard, that was when Hinata felt most exhausted.
In comparison, patrolling in heavy snow and doing some manual labor was nothing.
What others could do, she, Hyūga Hinata, could do as well.
Even though her status was somewhat special.
"Hungry? Want something to eat?"
Hinata's palate had long been spoiled, and with her fairly large appetite...
Often, she felt too embarrassed to eat too much, leaving her not fully satiated.
Kazuki had specifically asked Hinata to stay not just to deepen their bond, but also to let her enjoy some good food.
Like roasted meat.
At a border camp, one couldn't expect complex, fancy dishes. Having roasted meat was already pretty good.
Most people just made do.
So Hinata stayed in the command center for a meal, eating until her little belly was full and round, before leaving satisfied.
The heavy snow and frigid weather slowed the pace of war. It was during this time that an unexpected visitor arrived at the camp.
"Lord Advisor, Sunagakure's Chiyo requests an audience."
"Chiyo?"
You're not joking, are you?
Chiyo should be busy dealing with Kirigakure right now. What's she doing here, and going such a long, roundabout way? Could it be...
Kazuki had a rough guess about Chiyo's purpose.
Should I see her?
This was definitely a case of Chiyo never visiting without a purpose. Taking such a big detour to the northern camp to see him surely meant nothing good—or rather, nothing good for Konoha. Wait, perhaps it was good for Konoha.
"Shisui, go bring her in. Tell her only she can enter. After all, Sunagakure and Kirigakure are at war. Her status is somewhat sensitive."
"Yes, sir."
Shisui vanished from the command center. Kazuki waved off the reporting ninja, indicating he could leave.
Soon after, led by Shisui, Chiyo entered the camp and arrived at the command headquarters.
"Whew~ What heavy snow. It's not easy on these old bones."
"Indeed. At this season, with this weather someone your age shouldn't be running around. Staying in your village to retire is the wisest choice."
"Sigh~ This old woman would like to retire and rest too, but circumstances won't allow it."
Chiyo wasn't someone easily provoked and simply ignored Kazuki's teasing remarks.
Since Chiyo didn't engage, Kazuki saw no need to continue. He got straight to the point.
"So, you, representing Sunagakure, have made such a big detour to find me. What is the matter?"
"To purchase supplies."
Chiyo was very forthright.
Because of the war, the entire Land of Wind was greatly affected. There weren't many places suitable for growing crops to begin with. After the war broke out, a series of problems became prominent.
Thus, to maintain the village's normal operations, Sunagakure needed to continue purchasing supplies.