Friends Who Have Eaten Together

Dozens of experts from Kumogakure arrived one after another, regrouping around Lao Da. Every one of them wore a grim expression, and their moods were far from pleasant.

They felt disappointed in themselves and even more worried for Lao Da, as this was the second major failure he had suffered in the recent period.

He had been thwarted by Minato Namikaze at the border before, and now he had been thwarted by Jiang Feng. Comparatively speaking, this failure was more severe; they had lost over a dozen experts.

This failure was not just Lao Da's failure, but also Kumogakure's failure. The meticulous plans laid out by the advisors, involving nearly a hundred experts, had been aborted because of this setback.

People often say that failure is the mother of success, but how many can remain steadfast and unwavering after suffering consecutive major setbacks?

A continuous string of failures is a quagmire. No matter how high-spirited one once was, once they fall into this mire, they risk becoming demoralized and never recovering.

So, is Lao Da that kind of person?

He is not. Absolutely not.

He would feel self-reproach for the failure and regret for the aborted plan, but he would never be crushed by defeat!

Everyone has moments of failure; no one can remain victorious forever.

As long as one doesn't get too arrogant in victory, a failure or two doesn't really amount to much.

Lao Da quickly pulled himself together. After analyzing the situation, he made a decision: "Although the plan to ambush Tsunade has failed, we have already penetrated deep into the heart of the Land of Fire. It would be a pity to return to the village empty-handed without doing anything."

"Next, we will consolidate our forces and advance toward Konoha."

"However, we are not going to attack Konoha directly. Our primary mission is to clear out the scouts along the way, using our superior numbers to kill as many Konoha ninja operating on the outskirts of Konoha as possible..."

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Everyone was encouraged by Lao Da. There was no trace of self-pity over the recent failure. Lao Da quickly rallied his troops, transformed them into a vanguard unit on the spot, and charged toward Konoha.

Led by a Kage-Level expert and consisting of twenty to thirty Jonin, the vanguard unit was naturally invincible, slaughtering many Konoha ninja they encountered along the way.

It wasn't until they were more than seven hundred kilometers from Konoha that Lao Da and his men finally encountered a worthy opponent: a large, temporarily assembled force led by Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya, which had sallied forth from Konoha.

Ninja are not soldiers who are completely removed from civilian life, and there is no concept of permanent border garrisons. Even if some personnel are stationed at the borders, they can at best serve as an early warning system when the enemy launches a large-scale invasion.

The number of nearly a hundred Cloud Shinobi was neither too many nor too few. It was not difficult for them to break into smaller groups, follow merchant caravans, or take small paths to sneak into the Land of Fire, eventually regrouping at Tanzaku Town.

But now that nearly a hundred men had consolidated their forces and were rampaging through the Land of Fire without restraint, it would be impossible for Konoha not to notice.

Whether it was the number of Kage-Level experts, the number of Jonin, or the total number of ninja, this temporarily assembled Konoha defense force was at least twice the size of the unit led by Lao Da, enough to easily crush the Kumogakure vanguard.

However, the Cloud Hidden forces were not routed, because Lao Da had decisively led his subordinates to flee at the first sign of trouble after his sensory ninja detected the enemy's main force.

Deep in enemy territory, outnumbered, and with neither the timing, the terrain, nor the morale on his side, only a fool would fight such a battle.

The Konoha forces pursued Lao Da and his men until they were driven out of the Land of Fire. Once the situation within the borders had stabilized, they left Jiraiya to temporarily garrison the border area, while Minato Namikaze, who possessed greater mobility, was sent back to Konoha first.

Minato Namikaze returned in triumph, but before he could even see his girlfriend to reassure her of his safety, he was intercepted by another person's "would-be" girlfriend, who hounded him for news about that other person.

"Minato-sensei, do you have any news about Jiang Feng? Did you run into him on the way back... Is he still alive..."

The tearful young Kurenai Yuhi blocked Minato Namikaze on his way home, her face streaked with tears.

Minato Namikaze was instantly at a loss. He was not good at dealing with women—not in the way Jiang Feng claimed to be, but truly, genuinely bad at it.

"Jiang Feng is still alive, and he's practically unscathed... While we were pursuing the Cloud Shinobi, we heard quite a bit of news about him.

Not long after he sent you all away that day, he defeated the Raikage's son, A, and fought his way out of the encirclement with Lady Tsunade. I imagine it won't be long before his name is celebrated throughout the ninja world."

Minato Namikaze was filled with emotion. Having crossed blades with the AB Brothers, he knew exactly how strong the young Lao Da was.

For Jiang Feng to carry a burden like Tsunade and still manage to defeat Lao Da and break through the encirclement was nothing short of a miracle. Perhaps the strength of his friend was no longer inferior to his own.

Gege is not only perfectly fine, but he also defeated the Raikage's son and is about to become famous across the ninja world?

The young Kurenai Yuhi immediately stopped sobbing, overjoyed. She firmly believed that sooner or later, Gege would inevitably carve out a reputation no less formidable than Minato Namikaze's—not just a good name, but a fearsome one.

Yet, she never imagined that this day would come so soon.

There is no woman in the world who does not love the strong, just as there is no man in the world who does not love a beauty. The massive surprise left the girl feeling nearly dizzy with joy.

After a long while, the girl finally recovered from her excitement and asked Minato Namikaze one last question: "Since Jiang Feng is fine, why didn't he return to Konoha?"

"Because he is Jiang Feng."

As Minato Namikaze said this, he instinctively looked toward the northwest. He vaguely guessed where Jiang Feng was now, and he understood why Jiang Feng would go there.

It wasn't just him; Jiraiya, who knew Jiang Feng well, the Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Uchiha Clan Head Fugaku, and others, all guessed where Jiang Feng would go and why he would go there after learning what had happened that day.

Thousands of kilometers away from Konoha, in the Land of Rain.

This country was shrouded in rain all year round. Traces of the Second Ninja World War were visible everywhere, with broken walls and ruins creating a desolate scene.

Jiang Feng, carrying Tsunade, who was still pale and weak in the limbs, walked through the rain with a firm and resolute expression. He answered Tsunade's question with a blank face.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a real weirdo?"

"You aren't the first to say that to me, and I don't think you'll be the last."

"That's because you really are a strange kid. Aside from you, no one would immediately travel thousands of kilometers after narrowly escaping death, just to return the corpse of a stranger to the land where she was born."

"She is not a stranger."

"You have only met once; how can she not be a stranger?"

"She ate at the same table as me, and I bought her two bowls of noodles. Therefore, she is a friend I have shared a meal with."

"Traveling thousands of kilometers just to return the corpse of a newly acquainted friend is still a strange thing that only a weirdo would do."

Jiang Feng looked toward the village in the misty rain ahead: "But what if I just wanted to come and see some friends in the Land of Rain, and by the way, deliver the beautiful girl and her companion's bodies?"

"Then this wouldn't be a strange thing that only a weirdo would do, would it?"

"You brat, you have friends in the Land of Rain, too?"

This time, Tsunade was not surprised, because she already knew what kind of person Jiang Feng was: very strange, and also very handsome—handsome enough that even Tsunade had to admit he was indeed a very charming young man.

Such a strange yet handsome kid could naturally become friends with anyone.