Chapter 26: Building a Persona
Thump, thump, thump…
A group of Konoha ninja landed on the river's surface, their sandals splashing as they gathered. Seeing their approach, Ye finally realized his own childishness. He quickly let go of Sasuke and regained his aloof demeanor to save face, becoming a completely different person in an instant. If not for the lingering embarrassment in his cat-masked eyes, Sasuke might have thought the whole display was a genjutsu.
Sasuke surveyed the new arrivals. In addition to Torifune's mobile patrol squad, he saw that Kagejirō had also returned with the support team. He must have run into them while fleeing. Compared to the danger of delivering the intelligence alone, Kagejirō obviously felt it was safer to tag along with his elder cousin, Shinnosuke.
Seeing Shinnosuke, Sasuke felt a pang of envy. The boy was incredibly lucky. Even on the front lines, he was protected by an elite jōnin like Torifune. His temporary teammates were Maru, the eternal genin powerhouse, and Shibi, the young patriarch of the Aburame clan. They weren't poor, cannon fodder ninja like him. With that terrifying formation, they were practically invincible below the Kage level.
"Good kid, you did a good job," Torifune said, holding the unconscious, porcupine-headed jōnin in one hand while clapping Sasuke on the shoulder with the other. He was clearly very satisfied with his nominal subordinate.
As the captain of the mobile patrol, Torifune was responsible for the defense of the entire area. Now, to find such a powerful subordinate among the cannon fodder squads was a point of pride. And he had gotten him for free. How could he not be happy? Based on Shibi's parasite intelligence, he already had a general understanding of the situation, especially Sasuke's amazing performance.
"Thank you for your timely support, Lord Torifune; otherwise, we would have been annihilated," Sasuke said, quickly expressing his gratitude, his words full of praise.
Torifune just laughed heartily, convinced that this subordinate was a capable one who knew how to handle himself.
"Senior, you're also very powerful," Shinnosuke said, a little shyly. He genuinely admired Sasuke's combat strength and his display of the Will of Fire. It was clear that Hiruzen had raised his eldest son well. He had none of the arrogance or prejudice of a great clan's heir.
"Where Konoha's leaves dance, the fire will also endure," Sasuke said, giving Shinnosuke a thumbs-up. "You are the hope of Konoha. I believe that when you grow up, you will be more powerful than us seniors!"
His encouraging declaration showed his deep understanding of the Will of Fire.
"Mmm!" Shinnosuke nodded vigorously, his spirit lifted.
"Hmph," a cold snort came from Kagejirō. "You're just a cannon fodder chūnin with exhausted potential," he whispered sarcastically. "Of course, we'll be better than you in the future."
"Oh? Kagejirō," Sasuke said, feigning confusion, "didn't you ask us to cover your retreat so you could deliver the intelligence first? Why are you back?" He said it loudly enough for everyone to hear, a timely reminder that someone had just fled from his duty. "Do you still have the intelligence? You didn't lose it, did you?" he asked, stepping toward him as if to check.
"Don't come near me!" Kagejirō recoiled in fear, pointing a trembling finger at the exploding tags still plastered all over Sasuke's body. "You idiot, get away from me! Do you want to blow me up?!"
"Oh? I forgot to take these off," Sasuke said, stopping as if he'd just noticed. "I was planning to die with that Sand ninja, you see. I'll take them off right away."
He sincerely apologized to everyone, as if he wasn't trying to remind them of his bravery at all, nor was he trying to imply that someone else had run from the battlefield. In his sincere apology, the other Konoha ninja couldn't help but be reminded of his determination to die for the village. His display of the Will of Fire was beyond question.
At the same time, it also made them realize that anyone willing to cover their body in exploding tags was a ruthless individual.
"Senior, I'll help you take them off," Shinnosuke offered, stepping forward without any fear.
"No, no, I'll do it myself," Sasuke said, quickly moving away from the Konoha prince. If the Third Hokage found out he'd let his son handle live explosives, he'd be in deep trouble.
"Hmph! Why don't you just blow yourself up," Kagejirō muttered after the tags were safely removed. But ninja have extremely sensitive hearing.
Shinnosuke became angry. He stared at Kagejirō and scolded him, "Kagejirō, you've gone too far! Apologize, quickly!"