In the early morning of Year 49 of Konoha, deep in the forests of the Land of Rice.
"What is Konoha's blessing? This is Konoha's blessing. The Will of Fire sounds nice and all, but can that fire provide warmth for the ninjas fighting out there?"
Yuhara hid in a large tree, watching his teammates freeze like beaten dogs in the damp, chilly morning air. He could not help muttering to himself.
Yuhara himself was basically an "electric stove," so of course he was not afraid of the cold. Tenzo was almost completely merged with the tree, so he probably was not feeling cold either. Shibi Aburame maintained the dignity of a shinobi at all times; whether he was cold or not, no one could tell. As for Aoba Yamashiro? He could only rely on shivering to stay warm.
Compared with the other young ninjas favored by the Fourth Hokage, Aoba Yamashiro's strength was actually the best. His ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu were all well-balanced, and he also possessed decent sensory and intelligence-gathering abilities. A well-rounded talent like him had the qualifications to become a jonin. It was simply unclear why his strength had ultimately stopped at the level of a special jonin.
Aside from Aoba Yamashiro, Shibi Aburame, who used his family's Kikaichū Secret Techniques, also possessed outstanding reconnaissance abilities. That was precisely why, after reaching the front lines, their squad was so often assigned reconnaissance missions.
Compared with an explosive fighter like Yuhara and a Wood Style Ninja like Tenzo, who had yet to fully mature, Shibi Aburame was the true backbone of the squad's combat power. His strength was extremely formidable. In fact, among all of Konoha's jonin, he ranked among the very best.
Moreover, Shibi Aburame's techniques were not flashy at all. He simply used various