CHAPTER 21

c21 - This Country…

The last Iwagakure ninja, desperately fleeing, was filled with rage and disbelief.

"Those three brats… they're not ordinary Genin! They've barely set foot on the battlefield, yet their strength is monstrous! If they continue to grow at this rate… could they become legends like the Sannin?!"

He clenched his teeth, frustration boiling over. His squad had been annihilated, and the golden opportunity to eliminate Konoha's rising stars was slipping through his fingers. But more troubling was the strange sensation creeping through his body.

"Something's wrong… My chakra flow is sluggish, like something is interfering with my system…"

Unfortunately, he would never uncover the truth.

Without warning, a tide of kikaichū burst from the ground, their silent, creeping ambush now unleashed. They swarmed him, devouring flesh, bone, and even the remnants of his uniform.

"Aburame… Damn it…"

The ninja's last thoughts faded as the insects left nothing behind.

---

Aburame Shibi reappeared, his movements as quiet as the insects under his command. He adjusted his dark sunglasses, glancing at the empty ground where his prey had once stood.

"Even his corpse was tainted with that strange toxicity… What kind of technique is this? And when did he even get poisoned?"

Shibi had seen many deadly jutsu in his time, but Yuuji's abilities intrigued him. Poisoning the air itself? It reminded him of that man—the infamous Hanzō of the Salamander.

"This boy… If he reaches his full potential, he may become someone even more terrifying."

Shibi pushed down those thoughts for now.

"Shibi-sensei, you sure took your time," Yuuji said, shaking his head. "Even if you wanted us to get some battle experience, you were a little too relaxed…"

It wasn't an exaggeration. Against ten battle-hardened Iwagakure ninja—half of them already Chūnin—most fresh Genin squads would have been wiped out without their Jōnin leading them.

Only a handful of teams, like Hatake Kakashi's, could have survived such an encounter.

"I needed time to eliminate their commanding officer," Shibi replied in his usual low, even tone. "Besides, my insects were underground, ready to intervene if necessary. But I underestimated you all."

Despite his detached words, there was no mistaking the praise in them.

Umino Ikkaku let out a loud laugh, clapping Yuuji's shoulder so hard it almost knocked him off balance.

"Haha! You little brat, you're something else! Keep this up, and you'll be Konoha's next Kakashi!"

"Ikkaku, stop jinxing people," one of the others muttered, shaking his head.

---

The squad continued their journey, moving swiftly through the war-torn terrain.

Half a day later, they arrived at Konoha's western front headquarters.

This was one of the most heavily fortified bases on the entire battlefield. Situated at the border near Amegakure, it served as Konoha's frontline against both Iwagakure and Sunagakure. The ninja stationed here were under the overall command of one of Konoha's legendary Sannin—Tsunade Senju.

After successfully delivering their supply scrolls, Shibi led Yuuji and his teammates toward a separate tent. They were about to meet someone far more famous than they expected.

The Yellow Flash.

"Namikaze Minato," Shibi greeted as they entered.

Minato turned toward them, a warm smile crossing his face. His golden hair was slightly disheveled, but his presence radiated confidence. He wasn't just a Jōnin anymore—he had recently ascended to the Kage-level and was leading crucial battles across multiple fronts.

"Shibi, it's been a while," Minato said. "I didn't expect you to be leading a team."

"I was given three promising recruits," Shibi replied simply. "And you? I heard you clashed with A and B not long ago. Now they've sent you to the western front? Isn't that spreading you a bit thin?"

Minato sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Orochimaru-sama is recovering in the village for now. He'll be back soon, but until then, I have to keep things in order here. Jiraiya-sensei is tied up monitoring Kumogakure's movements and handling Kirigakure's landings along the coast, so he can't be reassigned either."

That left Minato, one of Konoha's youngest elite fighters, to hold the line.

Despite his easygoing nature, Yuuji could tell that Minato was under an immense amount of pressure. But his ability to adapt and learn at an incredible rate had already turned him into one of Konoha's most reliable warriors.

Minato turned his attention to Yuuji's team.

"You must be Shibi's students," he said kindly. "You're lucky—Shibi is a very well-rounded shinobi. If you pay close attention, you'll learn a lot from him."

His words of encouragement were brief, as duty called him elsewhere. Before long, he and Shibi had stepped away to discuss battlefield strategy.

---

Outside the tent, Kazue glanced around at the base.

"The situation here seems less dire than on the eastern front," she observed.

Konoha's eastern front was locked in brutal battles. The Hyūga and Uchiha Clans were at the forefront, leading Konoha's efforts to counter Kirigakure's assaults and Kumogakure's relentless aggression. The Raikage had even sent his Jinchūriki into battle, making that theater of war the most intense so far.

For now, things seemed more stable in the west.

Here, Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure were clashing in an ongoing battle for dominance. The three villages had turned the Rain Country into a wasteland, using it as their battleground rather than fighting within their own borders.

But Yuuji shook his head.

"Don't get complacent, Kazue. The western front might decide the fate of this war."

Kazue raised an eyebrow, but Yuuji wasn't joking.

The war in the west had always been a slow, grinding conflict. Konoha was struggling to hold its ground. By the end of the Third Shinobi War, Iwagakure would push Konoha to its limits, nearly reaching Kikyō Pass.

If not for Orochimaru's ruthless tactics and Minato's legendary speed, Konoha might have lost.

But Yuuji wasn't just thinking about the larger battle.

He turned westward, gazing at the ever-raining country beyond the border.

Amegakure.

The Hidden Rain Village—a place that had suffered more than any other during the war. A land where the rain never stopped.

"A country that's always crying," Yuuji murmured.

Kazue and Guy both paused, assuming Yuuji was mourning for the war-torn land.

But then—

"…This country would be great for growing rice."

"…"

Kazue and Guy stared at him in stunned silence.

"…Yuuji-san's perspective on things is really strange…"

Yuuji simply smirked, his gaze still on Amegakure.

"Yahiko should still be alive at this point… Danzo hasn't made his move with Hanzo yet."

Yahiko—leader of the original Akatsuki—was a naive idealist.

But in the brutal world of shinobi, idealists didn't last long.

"If things play out the way they did before… he's already doomed."