Ah, a shower after a long day truly feels good."
Ayane walked over from the other side of the woods, her long hair still damp, her skin slightly moist and glowing with a healthy, rosy hue.
Behind her, Ruri followed in silence.
Shiraishi glanced at them both, quickly pulled out a kunai from his ninja pouch, and addressed Ayane and Ruri, "Before you come any closer, tell me the secret password."
"Password?"
Ayane was taken aback.
Ruri, standing beside her with an impassive expression, began to form hand seals. Chakra gathered in her mouth, and she unleashed it:
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball hurtled towards Shiraishi.
Shiraishi dove to the side, narrowly evading the fireball's attack.
Seeing the trees behind him scorched by the fireball, a cold sweat broke out on his face.
"How's that for a password?"
Ruri smiled, seemingly ready to unleash a second fireball.
Shiraishi stood up, his mouth twitching. "Th-that's enough! I was just kidding. There's no need to use a Fire Release jutsu to attack me directly, is there?"
"Isn't this more convincing?"
Ruri said, completely justified.
"Yes, it's much more convincing than a simple password…"
Shiraishi sighed, rubbing his slightly sore backside.
"Shiraishi-kun, really. I thought we actually had set a password earlier."
Ayane walked over and said.
Just as Shiraishi was about to say something, Ruri looked around, not seeing Sakumo, and asked, "Where did Sakumo-sensei go?"
"He went to find food. We don't have much left in our backpacks, so we'll need to resupply at the outpost tomorrow."
Shiraishi said, pulling out his backpack.
"I really want to eat Ichiraku Ramen. Always eating rations and wild game out here, I've almost forgotten what ramen tastes like."
Ayane rubbed her little belly, sitting on a rock and grumbling.
"Bear with it. Things will get much better once the war is over."
These days, Shiraishi and the others mainly ate cold rations. Only when food was scarce would they forage locally, but even then, the meals were simple: fish from the river or wild vegetables and mushrooms from the forest to fill their stomachs.
"Shiraishi-kun, why don't you invent a portable ramen?"
"I might consider a soldier pill, but ramen is out of the question."
Shiraishi shook his head, ignoring Ayane's request.
"Alright, just eat more when we go to the outpost tomorrow. By the way, you and Sakumo-sensei didn't notice anything unusual here earlier, did you?"
Ruri carefully observed her surroundings, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
"No, Sakumo-sensei and I were just chatting about the next Hokage."
Shiraishi told the truth.
"Oh, Shiraishi-kun is interested in such things?"
Ayane was a little curious.
Shiraishi glanced at Ayane.
"Because Sakumo-sensei is the closest Jonin to the Hokage position. In another ten years, after the Third Hokage gets older, Sakumo-sensei will likely have the most support to become Hokage. Even the Sannin would fall short. He would truly be worthy of the title."
Shiraishi analyzed rationally.
Neither Ruri nor Ayane refuted Shiraishi's opinion.
It was true; the White Fang of Konoha was indeed the Jonin with the highest public support in Konoha right now, surpassing even the Sannin.
"The village is like a country. To advance in political status, one needs more than just the support of the common people. Sakumo-sensei doesn't have the support of the ninja clans, and his personality isn't suitable for being Hokage. Sometimes, reputation is a double-edged sword; it's both capital for advancement and also…"
Ruri leaned against a tree, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression very serious. She didn't finish her sentence.
As a prodigy from a prominent clan, Ruri was not ignorant of politics, but she simply had no interest in it.
Sakumo's reputation, strength, and character were indeed sufficient, but relying solely on the support of commoners was not enough to become Hokage.
In Ruri's eyes, the so-called commoner ninjas lacked a unified front. Their factions were complex, and their interests too dispersed. Without someone to integrate them, these people would never amount to anything significant.
In contrast, most ninja clans had already formed a community of interests. They knew what they wanted to do, what they would gain, and what they would sacrifice. Their goals were consistent.
"Listen, the so-called Hokage… is just a boring game of power succession among the upper echelons, irrelevant to the lower ranks."
Hearing Ruri's statement, Ayane's face seemed a little worried. "Um, Ruri, isn't it a bit inappropriate to say that? I think one can only become Hokage by being recognized by everyone in the village."
"Are you an idiot? If not for that, the Hokage's reputation would have already been ruined in the village. You're also from a major ninja clan. Don't your standing and understanding allow you to see what the essence of the Hokage truly is? For me, as long as I have power and the will, the Hokage position is within reach. Sakumo-sensei simply lacks that will, which is why he's an excellent Konoha Jonin, but definitely not material for Hokage."
Ruri displayed a confident smile, as if her opinions were never wrong.
Ayane puffed out her cheeks in anger, feeling somewhat indignant.
"Alright, alright, both of you. The selection of the next Hokage is still a long way off. At least for now, the most important thing is how to complete the mission assigned by higher-ups."
Shiraishi quickly stepped in as a mediator.
Shiraishi had understood Ruri's personality a long time ago.
She didn't have much respect or awe for the existence of the Hokage.
Her respect was solely for the ninja known as Hiruzen Sarutobi, who became the Third Hokage.
She respected powerful ninjas, not out of reverence for the Hokage title itself.
Following this line of thought, Ruri's intentions were actually very direct and straightforward, easy to understand.
A short while later, Sakumo returned from hunting, bringing back two wild rabbits and some fish. This was to be their dinner that night.
Before that, they needed to find a safe place to hide their tracks in the vast hunting ground of the forest.
◎
The next day, they arrived at the nearest outpost.
The outpost had already been destroyed, with many buildings collapsed. More than a dozen Konoha ninjas lay among the ruins, blood staining the ground.
Accompanying Sakumo's squad to this location was also a small squad of Anbu.
This Anbu squad consisted of one squad leader and three members.
The squad leader was a Jonin, and among the three members, one was a Special Jonin and two were Chunin.
Shiraishi was desperately trying to save a Konoha ninja lying in a pool of blood, severely wounded with his entire chest cavity blown apart by an explosive tag, hovering on the brink of death.
Even in such a state, he wasn't completely dead, indicating a very strong will to live from this Konoha ninja.
Because the outpost buildings were completely destroyed, Shiraishi could only perform emergency surgery outside, but he wasn't sure about the survival rate.
By the time they arrived, this Konoha ninja had already missed the optimal time for surgery.
As for whether he would survive, it was up to fate and his own ability to pull through.
Sakumo and the others did not disturb Shiraishi during the surgery and began searching for other traces in the ruins.
"It was a large-scale Earth Release ninjutsu that directly collapsed the outpost buildings, followed by a sudden surprise attack that left the people here no time to defend. In the first encounter, they were almost completely wiped out by the enemy."
The Anbu squad leader, wearing a mask, briefly explained the situation after a professional assessment.
"One Jonin, six Chunin, eleven Genin, and they couldn't even put up a fight?"
Sakumo's eyes were grave.
"It's likely that special Sand Village unit your squad encountered more than two months ago."
The Anbu squad leader said.
"Have their identities been verified?" Sakumo looked at the Anbu squad leader.
"The two leading Sand Village Jonin, a man and a woman, are the son and daughter-in-law of Sand Village advisor Chiyo, and they are among the top experts in the Sand Village Puppet Brigade. As for the Earth Release ninja in the team who can easily divide the battlefield, there's no information yet."
Sakumo nodded after hearing this.
Just then, Ayane walked over and reported to Sakumo, "Sakumo-sensei, some of the supplies in the outpost were taken, and what was left was burned. What should we do next?"
"We'll go check other outposts later. By the way, can another Anbu squad be dispatched?"
Sakumo looked at the Anbu squad leader.
"Impossible. At all times, two Anbu squads are kept in the village. Another Anbu squad assists in the shadows on the front lines, gathering intelligence. Currently, the only Anbu personnel we can dispatch are from our squad. Even with the help of the Security Force, the village's defenses have already become very weak."
"In any case, I hope you can send more personnel, preferably tracking experts. I know the village is short-handed, but now is not the time to worry about such things."
"Understood, I will report to Lord Hokage. As for whether more personnel can be dispatched, that will depend on Lord Hokage's decision."
"I'm counting on you."
The Anbu squad leader made a gesture, and his three Anbu companions nodded in understanding, then left using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Will it work, Sakumo-sensei?" Ayane asked.
Sakumo shook his head. He couldn't guarantee that the village would dispatch more personnel to investigate.
Ayane's Byakugan alone covered too limited a range for investigation.
The enemy unit also had excellent sensory ninjas and was skilled in anti-reconnaissance. They specifically sought out lightly defended outposts for surprise attacks, causing chaos within the Land of Fire. Over time, this could easily put immense pressure on the Konoha ninjas on the front lines.
However, the Land of Fire was vast, and the Sand Village unit's movements were often erratic and unpredictable, making searches difficult.
Back with Shiraishi, he had finished the surgery and was bandaging the external wounds of the injured ninja.
"Shiraishi, how is he? Will he wake up?"
"That depends on how strong his will to live is. This is all I can do."
Shiraishi packed up his medical kit and put it back in his backpack.
Sakumo patted Shiraishi's shoulder.
"You've done more than enough. Medical ninjas aren't gods."
Shiraishi didn't say anything in response to Sakumo's comfort.