"Achoo!"
Kusana rubbed his nose, feeling as though someone was cursing him.
Of course.
Before long,
he stopped caring.
As a Grass ninja, he had that much self-awareness. There were simply too many people who wanted to curse him.
So,
it was no big deal!
Rarely free for once, Kusana walked through the Grass Ninja outpost.
During this period, Kirigakure had been pressuring Konoha nonstop. Its army had advanced aggressively toward Konoha's border, demanding that Konoha return the Three-Tails.
But Konoha...
had remained silent and offered no response.
On the other battlefield, Kirigakure and Sunagakure were still fighting fiercely. Pakura, the Sand ninja, had single-handedly led troops with her Scorch Release, suppressing Kirigakure so thoroughly that they could barely lift their heads.
This greatly eased the situation on Sunagakure's other front!
After the Third Kazekage's mysterious disappearance, she and Rasa had once again taken up the banner of Sunagakure's younger generation. For a time, her reputation in the village rivaled that of Rasa, the next Kazekage who had turned the tide and stopped Kumogakure's invasion.
She had even vaguely earned the title of Sunagakure's hero!
Meanwhile, the Land of Grass...
continued moving forward at its own pace, slowly but steadily.
"Leader!"
"Ah, Kawaisuke!"
Perhaps because he had suddenly come over without saying anything beforehand,
the factory immediately became especially tense. Even the factory director came running over with an anxious look.
"Don't be nervous. I was just bored and came to take a look! Everyone should get back to work. Don't mind me!"
Kusana looked at the man before him, dressed in the Land of Grass's green protective work uniform and sporting neat short hair.
He was quite familiar with this factory director.
The first person to come for an interview, the first person to step forward to serve food,