Sakumo, You Are Too Weak!

After a moment, the group of Konoha Ninja headed back toward the main camp under the leadership of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hatake Sakumo followed closely by Hiruzen's side with a hesitation on his face. Seeing Sakumo's expression, Hiruzen let out a light chuckle and asked, "Sakumo, what's wrong?"

Hearing Hiruzen take the initiative to speak, Hatake Sakumo spoke in a muffled voice, "It's nothing. Thank you for the rescue this time. If it wasn't for you, I'm afraid not a single one of the comrades I led out would have made it back alive."

Saying this, he glanced back at Yamashita Daimaru and the others not far behind who were chatting and laughing with their comrades. Then he turned back to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression solemn as he said, "All of this is because of my problem as the captain. If I had been careful enough..."

"Alright, Sakumo, stop blaming yourself. It has nothing to do with you. You've already worked hard enough, and I've seen it all." Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him, offering soft words of comfort.

"As a ninja, the moment everyone puts on their Konoha Forehead Protector, they have already prepared themselves to give their lives for Konoha, including you and me. As long as it's for the greater good of the village, we can face death at any moment."

"You also participated in the war in the Land of Grass a few years ago. Let me ask you, on a real battlefield, does a ninja's identity matter? Not at all! On the battlefield, no one goes easy on you because of who you are. Every ninja fights for their own beliefs and their own country!"

Sakumo lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "I know it doesn't matter. I just didn't want to watch