The Village's Commendation Order

The Land of Fire, East Coast.

On a high Earth Wall, the conversation between the two people and the beast was coming to an end.

"Taiichi Sage, as a newly born sage, I eagerly await the day you grow stronger. The Ninja World is small, but the world is vast. As your contractor, I truly hope to one day explore it together with you."

If it were anyone else, they might just take it as a slug's blessing, but Taiichi, who had some understanding of the inner workings of the Ninja World, could hear the difference in it.

The Katsuyu seemed to have been confined to the Shikkotsu Forest for too long, perhaps out of boredom or a desire to explore further.

They even used the honorific title "Taiichi Immortal" (太一仙人).

"Katsuyu Sage, I also look forward to that day, to explore a wider world."

Taiichi gave an affirmative answer, regardless of whether the Katsuyu truly harbored such thoughts, it was indeed his own genuine wish.

The Katsuyu had left, leaving only Tsunade and Taiichi on the Earth Wall.

"Why do I feel like your last words were hinting at something, Taiichi?"

Tsunade was quite perceptive; even if she didn't realize it at the time, looking back now, she felt that there was something more to their earlier conversation.

"Haha, Teacher Tsunade, you're finally getting it!"

Taiichi looked at Tsunade, who seemed a little confused, and couldn't help but laugh out loud. However, he quickly gave in under the pressure of Tsunade's iron fist.

He rubbed his head, which had just been punched again, and explained, "The Ninja World is really small. Right now, if I fly at full speed, I can travel from the northernmost Land of Lightning to the southernmost Land of Wind in less than a day, not to mention the existence of the Flying Thunder God Technique."

Taiichi stood atop the Earth Wall, facing the sea breeze, gazing up at the sky.

"But does the Ninja World really only exist in this world? Katsuyu probably thinks the same way. She's lived for over a thousand years. Even the most interesting things become boring after a while. If she has the chance, she wants to explore the outside world. For example, what's it like on the moon?"

Tsunade remained silent, deeply impressed by Taiichi's grand vision—a vision that transcended the ninja village and the Ninja World.

After a long while, Tsunade patted Taiichi on the shoulder, "Go ahead and do it, your teacher supports you!"

Taiichi turned around and gave Tsunade a bright smile, "Sensei, I'll take you with me then!"

Looking at Taiichi's radiant smile, Tsunade smiled back, "Then we'll have to thank Sage Taiichi!"

When Tsunade and Taiichi returned to the Camp, it was nearly noon.

The moment the two appeared, Nara Kaoru, like a cat drawn by the scent of fish, rushed over.

If a ninja hadn't told him that Tsunade had been taken away by Taiichi using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he would have already sent people to search for their Commander. "Lady Tsunade, you're finally back! There's a pile of documents waiting for your approval before they can be issued and implemented. You can't keep playing hide-and-seek with us!"

Taiichi's ears perked up; he had overheard something interesting. This wasn't the first time Tsunade had done this; it seemed she had abandoned her advisors and run away multiple times.

She was already lazy enough, leaving everything to her advisors, and now she's often unavailable when needed, so it's no wonder Nara Kaoru complained in public.

"Hey, hey, Xun, let's talk this out!"

Tsunade quickly stopped Nara Kaoru, who was about to continue complaining, and pulled him toward the Central Army Tent.

"Let's go, let's go to the Central Army Tent now. There's still a lot to do there, isn't there?"

Before Nara Kaoru could figure out what was going on, she was pulled along unsteadily, and she didn't have the mind to complain any further.

The two had only walked a few steps, pulling and tugging at each other, when they ran into another person – it was Fugaku Uchiha, who had come to join the fun after hearing the commotion.

Tsunade had just learned from the Katsuyu that the Senju and Uchiha shared the same ancestor, and now, upon suddenly seeing Fugaku, she felt rather awkward.

Is this referring to one's own grandchildren or grandfathers? Isn't this all a mess?

"Oh, it's Fugaku! Good morning, have you eaten yet?"

After uttering some incoherent and nonsensical words, Tsunade had already dragged Nara Kaoru back to the Central Army Tent in a flash.

Fugaku Uchiha looked up at the sky with a puzzled expression, confirming that it was already noon. He couldn't understand what Tsunade was up to.

However, he seemed much kinder to me just now.

As Fugaku wondered if it was just his imagination, Taiichi slowly approached.

"What's wrong? Why are you spacing out?" Taiichi greeted him.

Fugaku turned to look in the direction Tsunade had left, his tone hesitant, "Lady Tsunade... she seems a little different?"

Taiichi aback for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant. He suppressed a laugh and nodded firmly, "It's definitely different. The more you know, the more you realize how absurd this world is!"

Fugaku looked at Taiichi with surprise. Although he didn't understand the deeper meaning behind Taiichi's words, he felt that they were very sophisticated.

The two walked arm in arm, swaying as they headed out of the Camp. No one knew where they were going, but the faint sounds of Ninjutsu attacks could be heard in the distance, as if they were sparring with each other.

The following day, the commendation order from the village finally arrived at the front-line Camp, escorted by an Anbu Ninja.

The news spread like wildfire, and before the Anbu Ninja even reached the Central Army Tent, it had already reached the Camp itself.

Everyone looked overjoyed. Indeed, after such a great battle, although Mist Village had not yet admitted defeat, it was clear to everyone that Mist Village would not attack Konoha again.

This means they have essentially ended their battle with Mist Village ahead of schedule.

Before the war, they were determined to die for the village, but now they are not only alive and well, but also have a large amount of merit to receive. How could they not be happy?

All the Jonin in the Camp arrived at the Central Army Tent immediately, almost at the same time as the Anbu Ninja.

Tsunade looked amusedly at the group of Jonin gathered outside, knowing what they were thinking—they simply wanted to know as soon as possible what the village's reward was.

"Come on in, everyone! What kind of appearance is this, crowding outside!"

With a whoosh, the Central Army Tent, which was originally somewhat spacious, became extremely crowded after more than twenty Jonin squeezed in.

Tsunade glanced at everyone and, finding that quite a few had arrived, didn't think much of it.

She looked at the Anbu- faced ANBU ninja who had delivered the message, "Just read it aloud, let everyone hear it, they've all been waiting for this moment!"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

The cat-faced ninja readily agreed without hesitation. He took out a scroll from his Ninja Tool Pouch, opened the seal in front of everyone, and began to read it aloud.

"In the 47th year of Konoha, as winter approached, the Mist Village tribes, with the force of thunder, crossed the border to invade. In this time of crisis, we, the Konoha Ninja, upholding the Will of Fire," used flesh and blood as shields and Ninjutsu as blades, fought the enemy for a hundred days, finally achieving victory—"

The opening is a long string of praise, and no one will find it tedious or annoying; on the contrary, they'd love to hear more of his praise.

But all the praise will eventually run out, and soon the real reward will arrive.

"To recognize achievements and boost morale, after deliberation within Root and confirmation by the Third Hokage, the following commendations are hereby awarded."

At this point, many perceptive Jonin sensed something was amiss. Tsunade frowned, glancing at the cat-faced ninja who had spoken—was this guy from Root?

"First, all ninjas who sacrificed their lives in this battle will be posthumously honored as 'Konoha Heroes,' and their names will be engraved on the Memorial Stone."

"Secondly, all participating ninjas will be commended----"

Third, commendations will be given to Commander and Captain at all levels.

Fourth, individuals who performed exceptionally well in battle, such as Taichi Matsushita and Might Duy, were commended.

May the Will of Fire rise like the sun, shining through the ages; may the name of Konoha travel on the wind, spreading far and wide!

This is a special commendation, and is hereby proclaimed to the entire army.

Up to this point, everything was going smoothly. The commendation order rewarded everyone from the dead to the living, from team members to Commander, with comprehensive and substantial rewards. The village had really gone all out, and everyone was very satisfied.

But things rarely go as planned, and the cat-faced ninja's reading was not yet finished.

"Furthermore, upon receiving this order, Taichi Matsushita is instructed to immediately return to Konoha with the messenger ninja; the village has other arrangements for his mission."

The previously cheerful Central Army Tent immediately fell silent. Everyone stared at the cat-faced ninja who had finished reading the report, their eyes gleaming with an inexplicable light.

If you were to say there's a problem with this command, then really there isn't.

Sending a Jonin back to the village for a mission is no problem at all.

But at this time, in this location, and in the context of this commendation order, it feels truly out of place.

It was as if they were afraid Taiichi wouldn't accept the order.

This commendation order was drafted by Root, which is unusual since it should be drafted by the Hokage's Office. When did it become Root's responsibility to do it?

Tsunade looked at the silent crowd, then at the cat-faced ninja, and waved her hand.

The cat-faced ninja tactfully handed the scroll in his hand to Tsunade.

Tsunade took the scroll, carefully examining its material and various Secret Rune, while casually asking, "Who is the current leader of Root?"

"It's Lady Mitokado Homura," the cat-faced ninja answered crisply. After all, it wasn't a secret; any Jonin would know that Tsunade was still checking the scrolls. "Why was this commendation order drafted by Root? Do Root do things like this?"

"I don't know," the cat-faced ninja replied curtly as always.

Tsunade had also finished inspecting the scroll, and everything was normal. But thinking about it, it made sense; even if it were fake, Root had the ability to make it look real.

The most crucial part of the scroll is the Third Hokage's signature; that's what's truly difficult to forge.

She put down the scroll in her hand, raised her head and looked at the Cat-faced Anbu again, "Does the Hokage-sama have any other instructions?"

"No." The same old Root- style approach.

Tsunade knew she wouldn't get any useful information from this Root ninja, so she waved him away.

To her surprise, the Root ninja remained unmoved, which made Tsunade was already annoyed, even more so.

"What, is there something else?"

"Lady Tsunade, as ordered, I must accompany Taichi Matsushita back to Konoha without delay."

Now, without Tsunade even saying a word, all the Jonin present were Jonin.

What is this, some kind of escort mission?

Taiichi isn't a criminal. The previous orders could be considered normal personnel transfers, but what about now? He really has to return to Konoha accompanied by members of Root.

Everyone knows what Root is. They were the ones who attacked the ninjas from the same village, and they even attacked Taiichi's comrades.

"Cat-face, what do you mean by this? Is this how Root treats its frontline heroes?"

Once one voice of dissatisfaction is heard, another follows.

"Mitokado Homura? Does being the leader of Root give him the right to act like this?"

"Lady Tsunade, let's go find the Hokage to settle this matter. Did the Hokage also agree to this?"

Seeing that everyone's emotions were getting increasingly agitated, Tsunade knew it was time to stop. She waved her hand to signal everyone to calm down, and then said loudly, "Taiichi? Has he arrived yet? If not, go and find him!"

Looking around, everyone belatedly realized that none of the people they had been talking about were present.

"I'll go find it!"

Hyuga Hiashi stepped forward at this moment, as he was the Taiichi the fastest.

With Hiashi's departure, the camp fell silent. No one spoke, and no one left; everyone waited for the outcome.

This is clearly an attempt by the village's established power to suppress Taiichi, the village's rising star. It remains to be seen how Taiichi will react later.

The cat-faced ninja was also quite uneasy. He had thought it was just a simple messenger mission, at most accompanying Taichi Matsushita back to Konoha, but he hadn't expected there to be so much going on.

Judging from everyone's indignant expressions, they might not even be able to leave today.

Just as everyone was eagerly waiting, Hiashi, who had gone out, found Taiichi outside the Camp.

At this moment, Taiichi was training his Taijutsu on the Training Ground. Although entering Sage Mode would gradually enhance his physical abilities, Taijutsu training was not just about strengthening the body.

It also includes body coordination, muscle memory, the connection of moves, and most importantly, the all-round development of the body.

Therefore, Taiichi has time, he will practice Taijutsu without stopping, regardless of wind or rain.

Hiashi sensed Taiichi's arrival, but seeing that Hiashi did not interrupt him, he completed all the movements one by Isshiki before turning around and finishing his stance.

"Did the Hyuga clan leader want to see me about something?"

Hiashi snapped out of his reverie after observing Taiichi's actions and blurted out the question that had been bothering him.

"Taiichi's movements seem to have some similarities to my Hyuga Gentle Fist."

He realized his rudeness as soon as he finished speaking. Not only was it rude to allow others to watch someone else exercise, but he had also said it in a certain way, which was even more impolite.

This is an attempt to pry into others' cultivation secrets, a plan that will inevitably lead to enmity.

"This is a training method I once saw in an ancient book. I made some appropriate adjustments myself, and it does have some elements of softer Gentle Fist."

Taiichi was prone to making up lies. Of course, he couldn't tell Hiashi that this was the Taijutsu being calculated by the panel, so he could only cite ancient texts. Anyway, it wasn't copied from Hyuga's Gentle Fist, so he wasn't afraid.

Hiashi had only misspoke, so he wouldn't pursue the matter further. He explained his purpose to Taiichi and waited for Taiichi's reaction.

"Mitokado Homura again, Root again, they're like persistent ghosts. Danzo is dead, but I didn't expect this organization to still have successors."

Taiichi muttered to himself, not at all worried that Hiashi would overhear him. He had the confidence to do so now. Even though the whole of Konoha knew that he was at odds with Root, he wasn't afraid.

"Let's go, let's go meet this Root ninja and see what kind of skilled fighter they've sent to 'accompany' me to Konoha."

Seeing Taiichi's fearless and courageous attitude, Hiashi opened his mouth but said nothing.

He had originally wanted to persuade Taiichi to prioritize harmony and give the elder face, but now it seemed best to give up.