Chapter 40

"Ah, I feel so much better after a bath."

Ayane walked over from the other side of the forest, her long hair still wet, with a few droplets of water on her skin, her complexion rosy.

Behind her, Ruri followed silently.

Shiro glanced at the two of them, quickly took out a kunai from his ninja tool bag, and said to Ayane and Ruri, "Before you come over, say the password."

"Password?"

Ayane was taken aback.

Ruri, standing beside her, expressionless, began to form hand seals, gathering chakra in her mouth, and then spat it out:

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball attacked Shiro head-on.

Shiro rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the fireball's attack.

Seeing the trees behind him burned by the fireball, he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Is this how you answer the password?"

Ruri smiled, seemingly ready to release another fireball.

Shiro stood up, his lips twitching, "T-That's enough. It was just a joke, no need to attack with a fire technique, right?"

"Isn't this more convincing?"

Ruri said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, more convincing than just a password..."

Shiro sighed, rubbing his sore bottom.

"Ayane, I thought we really had a password set before."

Ayane walked over and said.

Shiro was about to say something when Ruri looked around, not seeing Shomatsu's figure, and asked, "Where did Shomatsu-sensei go?"

"He went to look for food. The food in the backpack is running low, and we need to resupply at the checkpoint tomorrow."

Shiro took out the backpack and said.

"I really want to eat Ichiraku ramen. I've been eating dry rations and wild game for so long, I almost forgot what ramen tastes like."

Ayane patted her small stomach, sitting on a rock and complaining.

"Just bear with it. Things will get better after the war ends."

For the past few days, the food Shiro and the others ate was mostly cold rations. They would only forage locally when the food was scarce, but the food was very simple, such as fishing in the river or finding some wild vegetables and mushrooms in the forest to satisfy their hunger.

"Why don't you invent a portable ramen, Shiro?"

"Rations might be a better idea, but ramen is out of the question."

Shiro shook his head, ignoring Ayane's request.

"Alright, we'll eat more when we go to the checkpoint tomorrow. Did you and Shomatsu-sensei notice anything unusual here just now?"

Ruri carefully observed the surroundings, maintaining a high level of vigilance.

"No, Shomatsu-sensei and I were just chatting about the next Hokage."

Shiro spoke honestly.

"Huh, are you interested in that, Shiro?"

Ayane was a bit curious.

Shiro glanced at Ayane.

"Because Shomatsu-sensei is the closest to the Hokage position among the jōnin. In ten years, after the Third Hokage grows old, the calls for Shomatsu-sensei to become Hokage will be the loudest. Even the Sannin would be at a disadvantage. It can be said that he deserves it."

Shiro analyzed rationally.

Neither Ruri nor Ayane argued with Shiro's perspective.

Indeed, the White Fang of Konoha is currently the most popular jōnin in Konoha, even surpassing the Sannin.

"The village is a country. To advance politically, it's not just about the support of the common people. Shomatsu-sensei doesn't have the support of the ninja clans, and his personality is not suitable for being Hokage. Sometimes, fame is a double-edged sword, both a means of advancement and..."

Ruri leaned against a tree, her arms crossed, her expression very serious. She didn't finish her sentence.

As a seed-type ninja from a major clan, Ruri was not ignorant of politics, but she had no interest in it.

Shomatsu's reputation, strength, and character are indeed sufficient, but relying solely on the support of the common people is not enough to become Hokage.

In Ruri's eyes, the so-called common ninja are not a cohesive whole. Their factions are complex, and their interests are too scattered. Without someone to integrate them, they will never amount to anything.

In contrast, most of the ninja clans have already formed a community of interests. They know what they want to do, what they will get, and what they will sacrifice, with a consistent goal.

"Listen, the so-called Hokage... is just a boring game of power at the top, irrelevant to the bottom."

Hearing Ruri's statement, Ayane seemed a bit worried: "Ruri, isn't that a bit too harsh? I think being recognized by the whole village is necessary to become Hokage."

"Are you an idiot? If not, the Hokage's reputation in the village would have been ruined long ago. You are from a major clan, don't you have the height and insight to see the essence of the Hokage? For me, as long as I have the power and the will, the position of Hokage is within reach. Shomatsu-sensei lacks that will, so he is an excellent Konoha jōnin but not the right material for Hokage."

Ruri's face showed a confident smile, as if her views were never wrong.

Ayane pouted, somewhat indignant.

"Alright, alright, you two, it's still early for the next Hokage to be chosen. The most important thing right now is to complete the mission assigned to us."

Shiro quickly came over to mediate.

Shiro had long understood Ruri's personality.

She did not have much respect or awe for the position of Hokage.

She respected only the Third Hokage, named Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Respect for a powerful ninja, not out of respect for the position of Hokage.

As long as you follow this line of thinking, Ruri's mindset is actually very straightforward and easy to understand.

Not long after, Shomatsu returned from hunting, bringing back two wild rabbits and some fish, which were to be enjoyed for dinner that night.

Before that, they had to find a safe place to hide in the vast forest.

◎

The next day, they arrived at the nearest checkpoint.

The place had already been destroyed, with buildings collapsing and over ten Konoha ninjas lying in the ruins, blood pooling on the ground.

Along with Shomatsu's team, a small squad of ANBU also arrived.

This squad consisted of one squad leader and three members.

The squad leader was a jōnin, one of the members was a special jōnin, and the other two were chūnin.

Shiro was desperately trying to save a Konoha ninja lying in a pool of blood, with his entire chest cavity blown apart by an explosive tag, hovering on the brink of death.

Despite this, the Konoha ninja's will to survive was very strong.

Because the checkpoint's buildings were completely destroyed, Shiro had to perform emergency surgery outside, but he had little confidence in the survival rate.

By the time they arrived, the Konoha ninja had already missed the optimal time for surgery.

Whether he could survive or not was up to fate and his own strength.

Shomatsu and the others did not disturb Shiro's surgery and began searching for other clues in the ruins.

"It was a large-scale earth technique that directly collapsed the checkpoint's buildings. Then came a sudden attack, leaving the people here no time to defend. In the first encounter, they were almost completely wiped out."

The ANBU squad leader, wearing a mask, briefly explained after a professional inspection.

"One jōnin, six chūnin, and eleven genin, unable to resist?"

Shomatsu's eyes were serious.

"Likely the special Sand Hidden Village unit your team encountered two months ago."

The ANBU squad leader said.

"Have their identities been verified?" Shomatsu looked at the ANBU squad leader.

"The leading male and female Sand Hidden Village jōnin are the son and daughter-in-law of Sand Hidden Village advisor Chiyo, and they are among the top experts in the Sand Hidden Village puppet corps. As for the earth technique user who can easily divide the battlefield, there is no information yet."

Shomatsu nodded after hearing this.

At this moment, Ayane walked over and reported to Shomatsu, "Shomatsu-sensei, some of the supplies at the checkpoint have been taken, and the rest have been burned. What should we do next?"

"Let's check other checkpoints. By the way, can another ANBU squad be dispatched?"

Shomatsu looked at the ANBU squad leader.

"Impossible. At any time, two ANBU squads must remain in the village. Another ANBU squad is assisting in the front lines, gathering intelligence. The only ANBU squad available for dispatch now is ours. Even with the help of the security forces, the village's defenses have become very weak."

"Still, I hope more personnel can be dispatched, preferably experts in tracking. I know the village is short on personnel, but this is not the time to be concerned about that."

"Understood, I will report to the Hokage. Whether more personnel can be dispatched depends on the Hokage's decision."

"Thank you."

The ANBU squad leader made a gesture, and the other three ANBU members nodded in understanding, using the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

"Will it work, Shomatsu-sensei?" Ayane asked.

Shomatsu shook his head, unsure if the village would dispatch more personnel for the investigation.

Relying solely on Ayane's Byakugan, the scope of investigation was still too limited.

The enemy unit also had excellent sensor ninjas and was skilled in counter-reconnaissance, deliberately targeting weakly defended checkpoints to create chaos within Fire Country. Over time, this could put significant pressure on the front-line Konoha ninjas.

However, Fire Country is vast, and the Sand Hidden Village unit's movements are often unpredictable, making it difficult to track.

Back to Shiro, he had finished the surgery and was now bandaging the external wounds of the injured ninja.

"Shiro, how is it? Will he wake up?"

"It all depends on his will to survive. I've done all I can."

Shiro packed up his medical kit and put it back in his backpack.

Shomatsu patted Shiro's shoulder.

"You've done enough. Medical ninjas are not gods."

Shiro did not intend to say anything in response to Shomatsu's comfort.