In the cold winter, pure white snowflakes drifted down in a steady stream, wrapping the entire Konoha in a thick quilt. The sparse pedestrians along the road had snow covering their hair, and all hurried past.
The aroma of Ichiraku Ramen had spread through this ordinary morning long ago, soothing the hungry stomachs of the workers who had risen early.
"Uncle Teuchi, another bowl of pork-bone ramen." Senba, sitting in the corner, continued to devour the ramen before him like a storm. Then he waited eagerly for the next bowl to arrive.
Since they had hurried back overnight, most of Konoha was still asleep. Because Teacher Genma had to submit the mission, he had made arrangements with the three of them to eat sukiyaki the day after tomorrow and divide up their payment while they were at it.
After saying goodbye to Uchiha Yue, who was anxious to hurry home and look after her younger sister, Senba and Iruka went straight to Ichiraku Ramen to fill their already empty stomachs. A man living alone was indeed generous—if he said he was going out to eat, then out he went.
At that moment, only a few people were in Ichiraku's shop, so an extra-large bowl of pork-bone ramen soon arrived in front of Senba.
Just as Senba was happily slurping down ramen with pickled cucumbers, more than half the ramen in Iruka's bowl remained. He was still turning over Teacher Genma's words in his mind.
"Iruka, you can't use your own standards to demand things of others. Senba's actions have already been very restrained. You've never been on the front lines of a battlefield, so you don't know how dark human nature can be. I know this may be a major shock to you, but you have to understand that even the most luxuriant tree must take root beneath the earth and endure the nourishment of darkness."
"Besides, none of Senba's actions violated the village's rules. Both we and the merchant company that commissioned the mission are very satisfied. They've already expressed in the mission document that they hope to sign a long-term protection contract with Konoha in the future, and you're the only one who has a problem with it."
"If you keep going like this, you'll eventually have to part ways with Senba. Or, as you said yourself, once you've accumulated enough merit to become a Chunin, you could apply for a position as a Ninja teacher. That place might suit you better."
Those words drifted through his mind all the way back, leaving him somewhat confused. He always felt that Senba now possessed a sharpness that had not been there before, rather than the tendency to back down whenever trouble arose that he had shown when the group had first formed.
"Senba." Iruka kept his head lowered, his chopsticks ceaselessly prodding at the ramen as he called softly.
"What is it, Iruka?" Senba set down his empty bowl, took out a tissue, and wiped the broth from the corner of his mouth. Then he waved at Uncle Teuchi. With a beaming smile, Teuchi indicated that he understood and turned around to start preparing another large bowl of ramen. He liked children who enjoyed their food so much.
"Do you still remember what kind of person you wanted to become when you became a Ninja?"
"Someone who can live to a ripe old age." Senba chewed on the crunchy pickled cucumber, his tone extremely solemn.
But you said back then that you wanted to become a Ninja like the Hokages of past generations, one who protected Konoha's Will of Fire. Iruka looked at Senba, who cheerfully accepted his new bowl of ramen and began inhaling it like a storm, and felt a little distressed.
"Living to a ripe old age and protecting Konoha aren't contradictory." As if he knew what Iruka was thinking, Senba gulped down the delicious broth before looking toward him.
"Iruka, I grew up in Konoha. Every blade of grass and every tree here makes me feel comfortable, and I love the ramen and grilled meat here. So I absolutely have to live out my days in Konoha. If anyone wants to throw Konoha into chaos or destroy it, I guarantee I'll make them pay ten times over."
"And to accomplish that, I have to work hard at cultivation. As long as I don't violate the village's rules, what's wrong with finding ways to gather resources and improve my strength?"
"So I'm also protecting Konoha. What's the difference between the two?" Senba said, then slurped another mouthful of ramen and drank some broth. Ah, that hits the spot.
Although Iruka felt that something seemed to be missing from Senba's words, after thinking it over, he unexpectedly found that they seemed quite reasonable. Could I really have been too stubborn?
Feeling that his thoughts had become even more confused, Iruka could only nod silently before quickly sweeping away all the ramen in front of him.
Watching Iruka's departing back, Senba gave a slight shake of his head and continued slurping his noodles.
As expected, I have no talent for talking people around. Iruka's temperament really is better suited to teaching at the Ninja Academy.
Watching Iruka leave, Senba suddenly felt that he had lost his appetite. After finishing his ninth bowl of ramen, he rose and headed toward the Senju Ancestral Home. He wanted to check on Grandpa's condition and pay a visit to Grandma Senju as well. She probably had plenty of questions for him.
Amid the heavy snowfall, Senba's figure gradually vanished from sight. The cold wind howled past, carrying snowflakes that buried his clear footprints.
"Kusagakure attacked? Its leader killed? Suspected to be the work of Kirigakure's assassination squad? Last night?"
Genma Shiranui stared at the document in his hand with a face full of question marks. They had still been in the Land of Grass last night.
"That's right. Our investigators in the Land of Grass witnessed it with their own eyes from a distance using detection techniques, so they used special methods to send the news back."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his back to Genma Shiranui, as if admiring the snowy scenery outside the window, and told him the news sent back by the spies.
Genma Shiranui did not quite understand what the Hokage meant. He was only a Special Jonin, and surely he had no standing to offer an opinion on something like this.
"After Kusagakure was dealt a heavy blow, the commissioned missions in the Land of Grass will experience a brief lull. Ōnoki and I both hope to bring the Land of Grass's missions into our hands." Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his seat, a trace of delight flashing in his eyes.
"Originally, Kusagakure held roughly half of the missions within the Land of Grass, while Konoha and Iwagakure split the remaining half. Now, in the commission documents you brought back, the Shirakawa Merchant Company—Little Inukai, no, Shirakawa—is willing to sign a long-term protection contract with Konoha. That gives us legitimate grounds to enter the Land of Grass and claim Kusagakure's share of the missions. That alone will be enough to make Ōnoki anxious."
At that point, Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer hold back his smile. He understood Ōnoki too well. That man would never be the first to start a war; he was completely opposite to the people of Kumogakure.
With that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly handed the mission documents to the Anbu, then looked back at Genma Shiranui. "For this mission, I've decided to raise its rank by one level. You'll receive the rewards according to a B-Rank Mission. Judging by your performance, if you complete one more B-Rank Mission, Senba and the others will be able to apply to become Chunin."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage. Then I'll take my leave."
Watching Genma Shiranui's back as he left, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his pipe to his lips and recalled another piece of intelligence sent back by the investigators: the circumstances surrounding the death of the samurai named Tetsuzo.
"Looks like I was overthinking it. That's fine, too. There's nothing wrong with becoming the next Tsunade."
As his sigh faded away, a look of disappointment appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.
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