Foreseeing the Enemy

"This is too sudden!" Erina was startled at first, but quickly beamed with joy. "Soji, you've become an official just like that? You'd better keep us old teammates in mind from now on!"

She grabbed Todo's scarf with one hand and slapped Soji's back hard with the other, looking even happier than if she had been the one receiving the praise. From the sheltered young lady she was when they first met to the tomboyish, "bro-like" girl she had become, Erina's bright and sunny side had grown increasingly evident as time passed.

By contrast, Akimichi Todo, who had once seemed carefree and always eager to share snacks with his classmates, had taken a completely different path.

Perhaps due to the special relationship between him and Nara Motonari—which was closer than that of actual kin—the little fatty always seemed to shrink back subconsciously in Team Five's daily interactions, like a mouse seeing a cat.

At this moment, held back by his scarf, Todo was also visibly pleased by Soji's promotion, but he maintained a degree of reserve in front of an outsider like Inoue Reina.

He struggled to pull his scarf from Erina's grip and took the opportunity to smooth things over for Soji. "Cough, cough... Erina, don't talk nonsense. Soji has always been diligent and responsible; he will certainly act impartially in the future. What do you mean by 'looking after us'..."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes~ strictly professional, strictly professional~" Erina squinted her eyes with a smile, retracting her words half-jokingly.

As the center of everyone's discussion, Soji displayed the composure of a seasoned general, unmoved by the situation.

He did not let his joy show on his face, nor did he immediately join in the playful banter with his two teammates, nor did he feel uneasy and try to excuse Erina's teasing.

The young man simply straightened his back the moment he received the appointment and, with an incomparably serious attitude, stated his position to the mysterious Miss Inoue Reina.

"Yes, I am grateful for the trust placed in me by my superiors!

However, the position of Coordination Commissioner is of great importance. I am young and inexperienced, and I fear I may fail to live up to the expectations of everyone and the Third Hokage. Why not ask Director Usami or Director Chosokabe to take on this role?"

As the person involved, it took Soji less than a second to understand why this task could not be entrusted to Hanbei or the old director, but knowing it in his heart didn't mean he couldn't play dumb—he understood that some empty words had to be spoken, and some postures simply could not be omitted.

The stern and humorless Miss Inoue did not disappoint Soji.

Following the young man's lead, she quickly provided a response that was well within reason.

"Yamada-kun, there is no need for such modesty. This appointment was proposed by Lord Motonari and, after discussion between the Hokage and the Advisory Council, was ultimately recognized by all. Please, Yamada-kun, do not decline."

"Since that is the case, I will do my utmost to go through fire and water for the construction mission of the Jingu Forest Field Hospital."

"That is good." Inoue Reina stepped back half a pace and bowed in greeting. "Then, in 30 minutes, a combat meeting regarding the next phase of work arrangements will be held at the Temporary Command Post. Yamada-kun's previous duty schedule is temporarily canceled; everything will be arranged after the meeting."

"Understood!"

"Please excuse me, I have other tasks to attend to. Farewell."

"I will see you out."

Lifting the tent flap, Soji escorted her all the way outside.

Only when she used a ninja's speed to quickly depart did the young man subtly clench his fists, a flicker of determined light flashing in his eyes.

...Learning, accumulating, enduring, biding one's time.

The 12 years Soji had spent since his transmigration had been far more difficult than those of an ordinary ninja.

The young man knew well that the path of a successful person was not impossible to replicate, but the road was long and obstructed, difficult to traverse...

Especially in a ninja world where individual violence was the primary standard, for an ordinary person like Soji, whose ceiling was almost visible to the naked eye, the path to success was as winding and treacherous as a mountain trail.

But ten years of planning! Two gambles! One fierce battle!

The boy who was once as humble as dust had finally grasped this unique stepping stone, catching the tailwind of change before the Second Shinobi World War amidst the constraints of many predicaments!

Although, in terms of authority, the identity of Coordination Commissioner was merely a temporary position created for the Jingu Forest mission, the value of this platform—occupying a seat in a project where the village's top brass were personally involved—was far greater than a mere official title!

However, after a brief moment of excitement, Soji quickly regained his composure.

Opportunity and danger were always two sides of the same coin, interdependent...

Having finally touched the key to power as he had wished, the young man knew very well that he had no time to get carried away!

For Soji, if he wanted to use this as a starting point to reach a high position and join the ranks of the elite, his primary task now was to do his best to meet the expectations of his superiors.

Yet, the identity of Coordination Commissioner was only an admission ticket; it could not provide him with any immediate advantages in daily affairs.

To do a good job of coordination and ensure the squad successfully completed their mission, he still had to rely on his own ability and wisdom.

And speaking of ability, the interpersonal networking Soji excelled at was not a method that could yield results in a short time, and his solid individual combat strength was far from the level of sweeping away all obstacles...

In the short term, his record of wiping out the Waterfall Ninja squad might still carry some weight.

But as the saying goes, a lone piece of evidence is not enough; as time passed, it would inevitably invite criticism from all sides...

"The Superman Drug has been used up, and aside from Sudden Rain and Torrential Rain, it will be difficult to derive new variations of the Rain Woman's Heart Technique in the short term.

Fortunately, I managed to improve and organize the flow of chakra in my body by relying on the residual effects of the drug; perhaps there is hope to expand my energy reserves. If..."

Soji clenched his five fingers, subconsciously thinking of the golden finger he had activated a year ago.

--The Accio spell alone had benefited him greatly after long periods of development and study. If he could gain more help during this critical window, perhaps he could successfully overcome the difficulties ahead.

But such an elusive opportunity was something Soji could not control subjectively. Whether the golden finger would come or not was basically up to fate.

With the young man's personality, he naturally could not bet all his chips on such a low-probability event.

Thus, Soji immediately composed himself, his mind quickly turning to other ideas.

"Building new interpersonal relationships in a short time is indeed difficult, but as long as I maximize the use of the relatively stable relationships I have already cultivated, it seems I can also have a positive impact on the current situation."

Setting aside Teacher Motonari, in the guard unit, Erina and Todo were, respectively, a relative of the Third Hokage and a descendant of a Konoha noble clan.

Even though the two were still young and did not yet have the ability to influence their clans' decision-making, their backgrounds were excellent bargaining chips.

Soji, who came from a commoner background, originally had no roots or sources of support in the political sphere. If he could pull on these two tiger-skin banners, his confidence in resolving internal team conflicts would naturally be much stronger than it was now.

Furthermore, before the incident occurred, the youth had shared a brief exchange of goodwill with Usami Hanbei, who represented the younger generation. Using this as a starting point, there might be hope to exploit the friction between the young radicals and the conservatives for his own gain!

Of course...

Beyond the matters directly related to his official duties as a "Coordination Commissioner," Soji did not forget to devote a portion of his attention to the construction tasks currently facing the Frontline Support Battalion.

The instruction from Master Motochika for Erina to prepare "No. 2 Turret" still rang clearly in his ears; it was obvious that he had a plan in motion, an attempt to proactively seek change and break the current unfavorable stalemate.

If Soji could discern the hidden intent behind this matter in advance, he might be able to guide the situation to his advantage and, in the process, elevate his own standing and value!

The question is, what exactly is Master Motochika planning?

The youth furrowed his brows and crossed his arms, falling once again into deep thought.