Chapter 39

Year 36 of the Wooden Leaf, June.

The climate in the forest began to feel a bit stifling and irritable.

Baisei has been on a mission out of the village for three months now.

During this period, he encountered eleven waves of enemies. Apart from the formation of five jōnin he met in the first month, the subsequent Sand Hidden Village teams he encountered all had very weak combat capabilities.

Sometimes, there was no need for Suomao, the jōnin, to take action; he just needed to stand by while Baisei and his two companions worked together to eliminate enemies several times their number.

As the number of battles increased, Baisei and his two companions accumulated more combat experience and their cooperation improved.

To develop new tactics, Baisei used local materials to make smoke bombs in the wild.

Fortunately, he had stored some simple small instruments in a scroll when he left, and he would take them out during rest periods to make smoke bombs.

Suomao was already used to this.

If Ruri and Ayane focused on building their physical strength, Baisei was undoubtedly the most knowledgeable and agile-minded among the three.

His ability to maintain a calm and composed mindset amidst the war, continuing to learn and enrich himself, was something Suomao greatly admired.

Thus, Suomao proposed to give Baisei special training.

He would teach Baisei some practical knife techniques.

In the fields of medical ninjutsu and research, he could not help Baisei, but as a jōnin skilled in knife techniques, Suomao felt he could teach Baisei how to use a knife, giving him a certain level of combat ability.

This would significantly enhance the overall combat strength of the three when combined with Ruri and Ayane.

Baisei was slightly surprised by Suomao's proposal but did not refuse.

During free time, he would practice knife techniques with Suomao.

The weapon he used was a standard-issue ninjatō, slightly longer than the White Fang short sword, but in terms of chakra conductivity, it was several levels below the White Fang short sword.

After all, ordinary weapons could not conduct chakra with nature transformations, and they would easily break when faced with high-quality weapons that could conduct chakra.

In the afternoon, when the sunlight was intense.

"Hey, remember not to come and peek, okay?"

Ruri and Ayane, holding clean new clothes, came to remind them to avoid anyone peeking while they bathed.

Baisei assured them, "Don't worry, go ahead. I'll make sure to keep an eye on Teacher Suomao, even if it costs me my life."

"I'm talking about you, not Teacher Suomao."

"..."

No matter how perverted he might be, he wouldn't peek at a twelve-year-old girl taking a bath.

Ruri's wary look at perverts hurt Baisei's heart a bit.

"Ayane doesn't mind if Baisei comes to peek, because I'll make sure Baisei can no longer be a proper man physiologically."

Ayane smiled gently, as if hinting at something.

While her words felt like a warm breeze, they also made one shiver.

Watching Ruri and Ayane leave, Baisei sighed, "Really, at a time like this, they still want to take a bath. It's not like we're on a camping trip."

"There's no choice. These past few months have been either in battle or on the move. It's good to let them relax a bit. Besides, we're close to a Wooden Leaf checkpoint, which is safer than other places."

Suomao added from the side.

Baisei had no choice but to nod in agreement with Suomao's point.

In the dense forest, a gentle breeze blew, mixed with a bit of stifling heat.

In such a situation, Baisei felt like taking a peaceful nap under the shade of a tree.

"Is the situation at the front still unclear?"

Baisei sat under the shade of a tree, taking out a water cup to drink.

"Yeah, although we have Orochimaru and the others, our opponent is the Third Kazekage himself, not someone to be taken lightly."

Suomao also sat down and said to Baisei.

While the quality of Wooden Leaf ninjas on the front lines was generally higher than that of the Sand Hidden Village ninjas, the lack of a decisive powerful ninja on the level of the current Five Kage was the reason for the ongoing stalemate.

"In this situation, if the Hokage were to appear, it might turn the tide."

Shaking his head, Suomao replied to Baisei, "Wooden Leaf is different from the other four ninja villages. The Land of Fire is located in the center of the continent, surrounded by four major countries. There are too many things to consider. The Hokage personally going to the battlefield is a last resort in an emergency."

"Being a Hokage is tough..."

"Yeah, after all, he is the Hokage."

"Has Teacher Suomao ever thought about becoming a Hokage?"

Baisei suddenly asked.

Since there was nothing to do, he hoped to chat about something interesting to pass the time.

Suomao chuckled, "Forget it, spare me. I'm not cut out to be a Hokage. I don't understand politics at all."

"That's not true, the calls for Teacher Suomao to become Hokage are even louder than those for the Three Sannin."

"Even so, the Hokage is still in good health. I've never considered this issue."

Baisei nodded in understanding.

The Third Hokage had a very good reputation in the Wooden Leaf Village. According to Ruri, even the Uchiha clan had a harmonious relationship with the Third Hokage, with good trade relations between them.

One can imagine that the Third Hokage had a broad mind.

But... how long can this broad-mindedness and resolve last?

The Third Hokage is already forty-six years old. If he stays in the position of Hokage for another ten years, it will be time for him to step down and pass the torch.

The older one gets, the more things one worries about.

The youthful ambitions of one's younger days become increasingly difficult to achieve as one ages.

The Uchiha security force has more power than the Hokage's direct subordinate ANBU.

This is both a sign of trust in the Uchiha and a warning to them.

The Third Hokage is not concerned now because his strength and prestige are sufficient. Even if something unexpected happens with the Uchiha, he is confident he can handle it, even by force.

But this confidence cannot last forever.

Therefore, selecting a new Hokage within the next ten years to take over from the Third Hokage is the true path to making Wooden Leaf a strong village.

At that time, Suomao will be in his thirties, the golden age of a ninja's peak strength.

His strength is likely to be even greater then.

With his reputation, strength, loyalty, and character, even if he himself does not want to be Hokage, people will find ways to force him into the position.

"In any case, if Teacher Suomao were to strive for the position of Hokage, he would certainly bring new ideas to the village."

"You keep saying I'm not interested in being Hokage. I think my current life is great. Once I become Hokage, I won't be able to go out on missions as often or fight alongside my comrades in the village."

"That's a shame..."

Baisei sighed.

"I'll go find some food. The food in our backpacks is running low. The task of protecting the two of them is up to you."

"Understood."

Watching Suomao's retreating figure, Baisei looked for a while before turning his gaze away.