Chapter 17 Hokage?
Konoha 36 years, June.
The climate in the forest started to get a little sultry.
It has been three months since Shiroshi left the village to perform the mission.
During the period, they encountered a total of eleven waves of enemies. Except for the lineup of five Jonin in the first month, the Sunagakure troops they encountered after that were all very weak in combat effectiveness.
Sometimes Sakumo doesn't even need to take action, he just needs to stand by the side, and the three of them can cooperate to destroy several times the number of enemies.
As the number of battles increased, the battle experience of the three of them was also accumulating, and their cooperation was getting better and better.
In order to study new tactics, Shiroshi used local materials to make smoke bombs in the wild.
Fortunately, when he went on the mission, some simple and small instruments were sealed in the scroll. When he was resting, Shiroshi would take it out and make smoke bombs.
This kind of thing, Sakumo is no stranger to it.
If Ruri and Ayane paid attention to the accumulation of hard power, then Shiroshi was undoubtedly the one with the best knowledge and the most flexible mind among the three.
Sakumo appreciates the fact that he can still study with a calm and not anxious attitude and enrich himself during the war.
So, Sakumo proposed special training for Shiroshi.
Teach Shiroshi some practical knife skills.
In the field of medical ninjutsu and research, he was unable to help Shiroshi, but as a Jonin who is good at swordsmanship, Sakumo felt that he could teach Shiroshi the skills of swordsmanship and give him a certain fighting ability.
In this way, with Ruri and Ayane, the overall combat effectiveness of the three will be greatly improved.
Shiroshi was slightly surprised that Sakumo proposed special training, but he did not refuse.
When he was free, he would practice swordsmanship with Sakumo.
The weapon he used was a standard ninja sword, which was slightly longer than the White Fang Short Sword, but in terms of chakra conduction, it was several levels worse than the White Fang Short Sword.
After all, ordinary weapons cannot conduct chakra. Once they encounter a sophisticated weapon that can conduct chakra, they are easy to break.
In the afternoon, when the sun is still strong.
"Hey, remember not to come and peek."
Ruri and Ayane held clean new clothes to avoid someone coming over to peek while they were bathing, and came to remind them.
Shiroshi assuredly replied: "Don't worry, you can go any way, even if I die, I will watch over Sakumo-sensei."
"I'm talking about you, not Sakumo-sensei."
"..."
No matter how crazy he was, he wouldn't peek at a twelve-year-old girl taking a bath.
The vigilant stare of Ruri's eyes made Shriroshi's heart a little hurt.
"It's okay for Shiroshi-kun to come and take a peek because I'll make Shiroshi-kun physically unable to become a qualified man again."
Watching Ruri and Ayane leave, Shiroshi sighed and said, "Really, what time is it, we're not out camping."
"There's no way. It's better to let them relax when they've been fighting or rushing in the past few months. And it's very close to a sentinel in Konoha, so it's safer than the rest."
Sakumo added on the side.
Shiroshi had no choice but to nod, agreeing with Sakumo.
In the dense forest, there is a gentle breeze, and the breeze is mixed with a bit of irritating warmth.
Under such circumstances, Shiroshi also wanted to take a peaceful nap under the shade of a tree.
"Is the situation on the front lines still unclear?"
Shiroshi sat under the shade of a tree and took out a water cup to drink.
"Ah, although there are Orochimaru and a few others,
But the opponent is the third Kazekage himself, and it is not so easy to succeed."
Sakumo also sat down and said to Shiroshi.
Although the quality of the Konoha ninjas on the front line is generally stronger than that of the sand ninjas, the lack of decisive and powerful ninjas on the same level as the contemporary Five Kage is also the reason why the front line has been deadlocked.
"In this case, if Hokage-sama appears, maybe he can turn the tide of the battle at once."
Sakumo shook his head at Shiroshi's opinion and said, "Konoha is different from the other four ninja villages. The Land of Fire is located in the middle of the continent and is surrounded by the four great powers. There are too many things to consider. If the Hokage himself rushed to the battlefield. This would only happen in an emergency as a last resort."
"It's not easy being Hokage..."
"Yeah, it's the Hokage after all."
"Sakumo-sensei have you thought about being a Hokage?"
Shiroshi asked suddenly.
Because there is nothing to do, he hopes to talk about interesting topics to pass the time.
Sakumo smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it, spare me, I'm not the Hokage guy, I don't understand politics at all."
"It's not right to say that, Sakumo-sensei's popularity and appeal is even greater than that of the Sannin."
"Having said that, Hokage-sama is still strong, and I never thought about it."
Shiroshi nodded understandingly.
The reputation of the third Hokage in Konoha is indeed very good. According to Ruri, even the Uchiha clan has a harmonious relationship with the third Hokage, and they have good business dealings with each other.
It can be imagined that the mind and courage of the third Hokage is still very large.
But...how long can this kind of heart and courage last?
The third Hokage is forty-six years old this year. If he works in the Hokage's position for another ten years, it will be the age to abdicate and become a wise old man.
The older you are, the more things you worry about.
The Ambition when you are young will become less and less powerful as you get older.
The Uchiha's police has more power than the Hokage's direct subordinates the Anbu.
The third Hokage doesn't care now, because his strength is strong enough and his prestige is big enough. Even if something happens with the Uchiha, he is confident that he can solve it, even with force.
But this confidence cannot last forever.
Therefore, selecting a new Hokage within ten years to take over the position of the third Hokage is the true way for Konoha to become a strong village.
At that time, Sakumo will only be in his thirties, the golden age when a ninja is at his peak.
It is estimated that the strength at that time will be even stronger than now.
With his reputation, strength, loyalty, and personality, even if he doesn't want to be Hokage himself, everyone will try their best to force him to become Hokage.
"Anyway, if Sakumo-sensei is willing to fight for the position of Hokage, it will definitely bring a new trend to the village."
"You, I said that I'm not interested in becoming Hokage anymore. I think my life is good now. Because once I become Hokage, I can't go out and perform missions as often as this and fight side by side with my fellow villagers."
"What a pity…"
Shiroshi sighed.
"Let me go find something to eat. The food in the backpack is not very sufficient. The task of guarding the two of them will be handed over to you."
"Sure."
Seeing Sakumo's retreating back, Shiroshi looked at it for a while and then withdrew his gaze.
…
"Ah, I feel so comfortable after taking a shower."
Ayane walked over from the other side of the woods with her wet long hair, her skin was still red with a little water vapor.
Behind her, Ruri remained silent.
Shiroshi glanced at the two of them, and quickly took out the kunai from his ninja bag, and said to Ayane and Ruri, "Before you come over, say the secret code."
"Signal?"
Ayane was stunned.
Ruri started to seal with an expressionless face next to her, chakra accumulated in her mouth, and she spit it out:
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The huge fireball attacked Shiroshi frontally.
Shiroshi fell to the side, dodging the fireball's attack.
Seeing the trees behind him being burned by the fireball, cold sweat broke out on his face.
"How do you like my answer?"
Ruri smiled and seemed to be preparing to release the second fireball.
Shiroshi stood up, the corners of his mouth twitched: "Yes, yes. It's just a joke, you don't need to use a jutsu directly?"
"It's more convincing, isn't it?"
Ruri said confidently.
"Yeah, it's more convincing than a simple password..."
Shiroshi sighed and rubbed his aching buttocks.
"Shiroishi-kun is also great, I thought we really had some secret code before."
Ayane walked over and said.
Just as Shiroshi was about to say something, Ruri looked around and couldn't find Sakumo, so she asked, "Where has Sakumo-sensei gone?"
"Going to find ingredients, there is not much food in the backpack, and I need to go to the sentry to replenish it tomorrow."
Shiroshi took out his backpack and said.
"I really want to eat Ramen. I always eat dry food and some animals outside, and I almost forget what ramen tastes like."
Ayane rubbed her belly and sat down on a stone grumbling.
"Just be patient, it will be much better after the war is over."
These days, the food that Shiroshi and the others eat are basically cold products. Only when there is not much food, they will use local materials, but the food is also very simple. Fish from the river, or find some wild vegetables in the forest. and mushrooms to satisfy the hunger.
"Shiroshi-kun, why don't you just invent portable ramen?"
Shiroshi shook his head, ignoring Ayane's request.
"Okay, just eat more when you go to the sentry tomorrow. You and Sakumo-sensei didn't find anything here just now, did you?"
Ruri carefully observed the surrounding environment and maintained a high degree of vigilance.
"No, Sakumo-sensei and I were just chatting about the next Hokage."
Shiroshi told the truth.
"Hey, is Shiroshi-kun interested in this kind of thing?"
Ayane was a little curious.
Shiroshi glanced at Ayane.
"Because Sakumo-sensei is the closest Jonin to the position of Hokage, in another ten years, after the third Hokage has grown old, Sakumo-sensei will be the most appealing to become Hokage. Even the Sannin will be at a disadvantage. He deserves the title."
Shiroshi rationally analyzed it.
Neither Ruri nor Ayane refuted Shiroshi's opinion.
In fact, Konoha's White Fang is indeed the Jonin that is the most qualified in Konoha, and the Sannin are one step behind.
"A Village is a country. If you want to advance politically, you need more than the support of the common people. Mr. Sakumo doesn't have the support of the ninja clans, and his character is not suitable for becoming the Hokage. Sometimes, fame is like A double-edged sword, not only the capital of promotion, but also..."
Ruri leaned against the tree, clasped her hands in front of her chest, with a very serious expression on her face, when it came to the end,
Ruri didn't say anything.
A genius-type ninja trained by a big family, Ruri is not ignorant of politics, but she is not interested in this aspect at all.
Sakumo's prestige, strength, and character are indeed enough, but the support of civilians alone is not enough to become Hokage.
In Ruri's eyes, the so-called civilian ninjas do not have a complete whole at all.
Their factions are complex and their interests are too scattered. If there is no one to integrate them, these people will never have an impact.
In contrast, most 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, and have the same goal.
"Listen, the so-called Hokage... it's just a boring game of alternating power at the top, and it has nothing to do with us at the bottom."
Hearing Ruri who made such remarks, Ayane seemed a little worried: "Well, Ruri, wouldn't it be a little bad to say that? I think it is only when the whole village recognizes you that you can become the Hokage."
"Are you an idiot? If you don't say this, the Hokage's reputation will be rotten in the village. You are also a person from a Great Ninja clan. Don't you stand high enough and know enough to see what the essence of the Hokage is?
For me, as long as I have the power and the thought, the position of Hokage will be at my fingertips. Sakumo-sensei lacks that kind of thought, so he is an excellent Konoha Jonin, but he is by no means the one who should be Hokage."
A confident smile appeared on Ruri's face, as if she never made a mistake in her opinion.
Ayane puffed out her mouth angrily, a little indignant.
"Okay, you two, it's still early before the next Hokage is selected. At least the most important thing in front of you is how to complete the task explained above."
Shiroshi hurried over to be a peacemaker.
Shiroshi figured out Ruri's temperament very early on.
She doesn't have much respect and awe for the existence of Hokage.
All she respects is the ninja who became the third Hokage, named Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Respect for the powerful ninja, not out of respect for the identity of Hokage.
As long as you follow this idea, Ruri's mind is actually very straightforward and easy to understand.
After a while, Sakumo returned from hunting and found two hares and some fish, which were reserved for dinner in the evening.
Before that, they had to find a safe place to hide in this huge hunting ground in the forest.
..
The next day, they arrived at the nearest sentry.
There has been damage here, a large number of buildings have collapsed, and more than a dozen Konoha ninjas have fallen into the ruins, bleeding all over the place.
The one who came here with the Sakumo's team, there is also a small team of Anbu.
The Anbu of this squad has a squad leader and three team members in total.
The squad leader is a Jonin, one of the three team members is a special Jonin, and two are Chunin.
Shiroshi was trying his best to rescue a Konoha ninja who had fallen into a pool of blood. His injuries were so severe that his entire chest was blown to pieces by an explosive talisman, hovering on the brink of death.
He hasn't died yet, and this Konoha ninja's desire to survive is very strong.
Because the buildings at the sentry site were completely destroyed, Shiroshi could only use first aid outside, but he was not sure about the survival rate.
When they came here, the Konoha ninja had already missed the best time for surgery.
As for whether he can survive, he can only leave it to fate to see if he can survive.
Sakumo and the others did not disturb Shiroshi to perform the operation, and began to search for other traces in the ruins.
"It was a large-scale earth ninjutsu, which directly collapsed the building at the sentry point. After that, there was a sudden surprise attack, which made the people here too late to defend themselves. The first group was almost completely wiped out by the enemy."
The squad leader Anbu wore a mask, and after a professional survey, he briefly explained some problems.
"One Jonin, six Chunin, and eleven Genin, can't they even resist?"
Sakumo's eyes were solemn.
"It's most likely the special sand unit that your team encountered more than two months ago."
The Anbu squad leader said.
"Have you verified their identities?" Sakumo looked at the Anbu squad leader.
"The leading man and woman, are Jonin,they are the son and daughter-in-law of Sunagakure's advisor Chiyo, and one of the best experts in Sunagakure's puppet army. As for the earth-style ninja in the team who can easily divide the battlefield, there is no news yet."
Sakumo nodded after listening.
At this moment, Ayane came over and reported to Sakumo: "Sakumo-sensei, some of the supplies in the sentry were taken away, and the ones that remained were also burned. What should we do next?"
"Look at other sentries later. By the way, can you send more Anbu unit's over here?"
Sakumo looked at the Anbu squad leader.
"Impossible. At any time, there must be two teams of Anbu left in the village. Anbu of the other team will assist in the dark on the front line and collect information. The personnel that the Anbu can send now, We are the only team. Just like this, even with the help of the police force, the defense of the village has become very weak."
"In short, I hope to send some more people, preferably tracking experts. I know the people in the village are also very nervous, but now is not the time to worry about these things."
"Understood, I will report to Hokage-sama. As for whether or not to send additional staff, it will depend on Hokage-sama's decision."
"Please."
The squad leader of Anbu made a gesture, and the other three companions of Anbu nodded in understanding, and left here with the blinking technique.
"Can it be done, Sakumo-sensei?" Ayane asked.
Sakumo shook his head, and he couldn't guarantee that more people would be dispatched from the village to investigate.
Just relying on Ayane's eyes, the scope of the investigation is still too small.
The enemy troops also have excellent perception ninjas, and are proficient in anti-reconnaissance capabilities. They deliberately search for weakly defended sentries to raid, causing chaos within the country of fire. Over time, it is easy to cause huge pressure on Konoha ninjas on the front line.
But the Fire Nation is so big, the sand hidden troops are often erratic, and there is no rule to follow, which makes the search difficult.
Back at Shiroshi's side, He had finished the operation and was dressing the wounded person's external wound.
"Shiroshi, how is it, can he wake up?"
"This kind of thing can only depend on how strong his will to survive is. That's all I can do."
Shiroshi packed the medical kit and put it back in the backpack.
Sakumo patted Shiroshi's shoulder.
"You've done good enough, medical ninjas are not gods."
For Sakumo's comfort, Shiroshi didn't plan to say anything.
(Chapter End)