"Leaving again?"
The next day, at Sunagakure's gates.
Yubi leaned against the gate, watching Sasori approach from a distance.
With both hands behind his head, he opened his eyes a crack. "You... you came back without even saying a word. So secretive."
"Are we that close?"
Sasori walked straight past Yubi, treating him like air.
But despite his heartless words, his honest body still betrayed him... before he had gone far beyond the gates, he stopped and turned to look back.
"You know... that hurts my feelings."
Yubi touched his chest, pretending to look wounded.
Clearly, having just successfully completed a mission, Sasori was already preparing to set out again without a moment's rest.
Although Sasori had only stayed briefly this time, he had noticed that everyone in the village seemed full of praise for Yubi.
From villagers to shinobi... everyone was talking about Yubi, the little miracle doctor.
Some praised his good nature... others called him adorable. In short, although Sasori had not learned the whole story, he knew what Yubi had done for the village.
After all, even on the front lines, people talked about Yubi.
"Are you happy?"
Sasori stared at Yubi and asked flatly.
"What can I do... I'm just too popular." Speaking in a joking tone, Yubi walked over.
Sasori frowned.
More than half a year had passed in the blink of an eye, and they were both nine now.
"What's so great about staying in the village?"
Sasori's tone changed, suddenly taking on a questioning edge.
To him... Yubi was simply wasting his talent.
He had rested for too long.
Medical shinobi... treating illnesses and saving lives... the fellow before him was better suited to killing.
Yubi belonged on the battlefield, not in the village.
"Miss me? Want me to go on missions with you? Having nobody to compete with must be boring..." Yubi cleared his throat loudly, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, then... suddenly reached out and patted Sasori on the shoulder.
"Don't worry... give it a little longer, and I'll head out on missions with you. There are still a few things keeping me tied up in the village."
"I know... you really want to team up with me. After all, we worked pretty well together on our previous missions."
Sasori's eyelid twitched, and he glanced at Yubi's hand on his shoulder.
His expression turned cold.
There should be a limit to being shameless, shouldn't there?
"Don't act so familiar with me. I'm not interested in wasting time on weaklings... stay away from the battlefield too long, and you'll gradually lose your ability to survive. You certainly won't be able to stand on the same starting line as me."
With a smack.
Sasori knocked Yubi's hand off his shoulder, then continued on his way without looking back after saying his piece.
"Still as prickly as ever."
Watching Sasori's retreating back, Yubi smiled. "But... he really does feel more dangerous now."
All I can say is... that's you for you. Always growing.
He thought to himself.
Soon, a newly assembled Sunagakure squad also set out through the gates.
Upon seeing Yubi, the captain leading them greeted him warmly. "Yubi."
"Captain Shinji."
Yubi bowed politely.
Aside from his outstanding abilities, the greater reason the villagers liked Yubi... was his modesty and courtesy, his lack of arrogance or impatience.
Despite being called a genius and receiving so much praise, he still put on no airs whatsoever.
"Have you seen Sasori?"
Shinji asked.
"He just left."
Yubi pointed toward the gates.
"Ah."
Hearing that, Shinji shook his head, said goodbye, and hurried after him with his men.
Elsewhere, in the Land of Fire... Konoha.
At that moment, in the Hokage Building.
All of Konoha High Command was present, headed by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Lately... our village's battles against Sunagakure haven't been going very well."
Sarutobi took a puff from the pipe in his hand and spoke gravely.
"According to the intelligence from the front lines, Sunagakure's fighting strength has suddenly been replenished. Based on past circumstances, given their village's manpower and their deployment across multiple fronts... moving troops around and providing support should be very difficult. Apart from their clashes with us, there's also Kirigakure and Iwagakure... Sunagakure's primary concern is the Land of Earth. Rasa is leading their forces on that front... he should be the strongest of Sunagakure's younger generation right now... like the Third Kazekage, he possesses a kekkei genkai for the Sand Manipulation Technique, but his kekkei genkai controls gold dust rather than iron sand. It's precisely because of him that, despite constantly coveting the Land of Wind and making underhanded moves, the Land of Earth has never managed to cause Sunagakure any substantial trouble."
Utatane Koharu spoke.
"Although Sunagakure's manpower has been replenished, these aren't fresh forces... some are still fighting with injuries. Their physical condition simply isn't as much of a burden."
Mitokado Homura added.
At present, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others at the table still looked relatively young.
They had yet to become as old as they would be in later years.
"Were they forcibly sent back to the battlefield after only brief treatment... it seems Sunagakure is struggling to sustain this war too." Sarutobi sighed.
By now, one of the major players in this Shinobi World war, Hanzō of the Land of Rain, had already left the stage.
Only Konoha and Sunagakure remained locked in a fight to the bitter end.
Logically speaking, one-on-one, Konoha had absolutely no reason to fear Sunagakure.
They could handle them easily.
But the problem was... the other Three Great Shinobi Villages were attacking Konoha far more fiercely than they were Sunagakure.
Especially Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning... Kumogakure had always taken a hard-line approach and advocated developing military strength. Old grudges from the First Shinobi World War meant that Kumogakure had always "harbored resentment" toward Konoha.
In this Shinobi World war, geography and certain "historical reasons" had led Kumogakure to focus almost exclusively on attacking the Land of Fire, with hardly any harassment of the Land of Wind.
So, besides Sunagakure... Kumogakure was also their foremost enemy.
Sunagakure could hold Iwagakure steady on the battlefield... because the Land of Earth was not fighting in earnest. But for Konoha, holding off Kumogakure was not so simple.
Because their opponent was serious!
Simply put, the pressure Konoha faced was beyond anything Sunagakure could compare to.
"Kumogakure and Iwagakure are also fighting fiercely."
Someone said.
Almost every Shinobi World war descended into utter chaos.
For the time being, the village could not possibly negotiate peace with Kumogakure... the Raikage's personality was well known. He was overbearing and immensely ambitious.
The high-profile launch of this Shinobi World war had included the Raikage's slogan advocating military expansion to reshape peace in the Shinobi World.
It sounded very impressive.
In reality, he was simply telling Konoha... in this Shinobi World war, I'm coming for you.
As for the Land of Wind, it wasn't that Konoha had never considered peace talks... but the fighting between the two sides in this war had been so brutal, with so many deaths on both sides, that easing tensions was difficult.
On top of that, Sunagakure kept believing that Konoha was about to lose... and showed no intention of yielding at all.
As such, they could only fight to the end.
That was the current situation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a headache coming on.
"Large numbers of wounded appearing on the battlefield... indicates that Sunagakure's medical capabilities have improved. This war has gone on this long, and Sunagakure has suffered severe losses. If they had possessed such capabilities before, they would have put them to use long ago... rather than ending up in this predicament."
At that moment, someone at the table suddenly spoke.
Everyone looked over.
It was Danzo.
"What do you mean?"
Sarutobi stared at Danzo. He knew this old friend all too well. "Do you know something?"
"Leave Sunagakure's affairs... to me for now."
Rather than answer, Danzo simply rose and said those words, then... turned and left.
"..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi.