"I'm sorry, Kōki, we've caused you trouble. You are definitely an excellent ninja, worthy of our emulation, but we hope to be an asset to you rather than a burden. So please give us some time, and we will definitely catch up with you." Akimichi Tsuyoshi said to Kōki with a serious expression.
He's always been the least thoughtful member of the Ino-Shika-Cho, but that doesn't mean he's brainless; he simply trusts his childhood friends. He's grateful for Kōki's help during the mission and is also captivated by Kōki's charisma.
Moreover, he shared the same belief as Nara Yūsuke: Kōki was undoubtedly the future of Konoha.
"Just like Tsuyoshi said, you are worthy of our following, so please don't stop for us, and please believe in us, you are never alone behind us. Because the three of us are behind you, and in the future, more and more people will follow in your footsteps just like us."
Yamanaka Kenji looked at Kōki with complete trust, and his words just now came from the bottom of his heart. Having been saved by Kōki many times, he had long since acknowledged Kōki's place in his heart.
"Therefore, we are prepared to separate from you, Kōki, once we embark on the battlefield. Only in this way can we truly hone our skills and stand confidently behind you as your supporters, not as those you shelter."
After listening to what the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had to say, Kōki was stunned. He hadn't expected that he had only done what he could, yet he had earned their approval.
At that moment, he admitted that he was moved.
He was somewhat captivated by the feeling of being trusted, yet he remained clear-headed.
He was grateful for his companions' trust, but he would not stop because of their trust; becoming a god was his ultimate goal.
Looking at Kōki Nara Yūsuke's earnest and sincere expression, Yuki opened his mouth, unsure of what to say, but finally said in a deep voice, "Three seniors, you must live. Only by living can you see the changes I bring to Konoha."
Perhaps the fate of ninjas is the battlefield and death, but he hopes that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio can survive on the battlefield, because only by surviving is the most important thing, and only by surviving can they see the future they want to see.
Becoming a god is his ultimate goal, but when it comes to those who trust him, he can also consider changing Konoha as a small goal to achieve before becoming a god.
"Of course, don't underestimate us. We are the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, renowned Shinobi World. The battlefield won't spare our lives." Yamanaka Kenji's feigned pride broke the serious atmosphere among them, bringing smiles back to Kōki and the others' faces, and making the gathering joyful again.
Cheers to our future!
In this joyful atmosphere, Kōki and his friends concluded their last gathering before heading to the front lines.
Early the next morning, Kōki woke up from his dream, washed up, quickly tidied himself up, and then went to the gate of Konoha.
There were already quite a few ninjas he didn't recognize gathered here. Of course, there were also people he knew, namely the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, whom he had parted ways with just yesterday. However, they were all standing in their respective ninja clans at the moment, and after simply greeting Kōki, they returned to their ranks.
The ninjas here were all drawn from the troops that Hiruzen Sarutobi used to defend against other ninja villages, and they will be sent to the battlefield to support the front lines.
The temporary commander of this unit was Yamanaka Kenji Inoichi Yamanaka's cousin, until Orochimaru took over command on the battlefield.
The thousand-strong force quickly assembled and, led by Inoichi Yamanaka, headed towards the front lines.
As they marched toward the front lines, many people cast curious glances at Kōki, Kōki that there was such a young ninja among those heading to the battlefield.
Furthermore, Kōki's green vest revealed that the short-statured Kōki was already Chunin.
As for higher-ranking Jonin, they didn't even consider it, because they didn't believe there were such lowly Jonin.
In their minds, even a genius like Kakashi was only Chunin, still a bit far from becoming a Jonin.
How could Kōki, who has always been relatively unknown, possibly become Jonin?
It's not surprising that they were so ignorant, because all the information about Kōki had been sealed away by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It was after that graduation exam that Hiruzen Sarutobi gave everyone present the order not to divulge the exam results.
Because Hiruzen Sarutobi considered Kōki's importance and needed to keep a low profile to avoid attracting too much attention, he did not allow information about Kōki to circulate in the village.
This led to the fact that only those who witnessed the graduation exam and some Anbu knew that there were even more talented young ninjas in Konoha than Kakashi.
Furthermore, Hiruzen Sarutobi deliberately transferred Kōki to the Anbu, so even fewer people knew about Kōki.
Therefore, in the eyes of ordinary ninjas, Kōki, this suddenly appearing young ninja, might have some talent, but he wouldn't exceed their expectations.
After running for several hours, the group successfully arrived at Konoha's camp at the front line.
In front of Konoha's camp, several people stood there to welcome the support troops. When Kōki got closer, he recognized who was greeting them.
It turned out to be Shikaku Nara waiting for them here with several Jonin.
After Kōki and the others approached, Shikaku Nara spoke up, " Inoichi, thank you for your hard work. I'll have someone take over the people behind you. Now, you and all the Jonin in your team, assemble with Lord Orochimaru. We need to hold a pre-battle meeting."
Hearing Shikaku Nara's words, Inoichi Yamanaka nodded, "Okay, no problem."
Then he shouted to the thousand-strong force behind him, " Jonin, stay behind. The rest of you, follow the lead ninja. They will assign you to your respective teams according to your strengths."
At Inoichi Yamanaka's command, the thousand-strong force began to disperse, but many others remained.
As most people left, those who remained stared in surprise at the small, motionless figure.
Only then did they realize that the short figure was not the Chunin they had thought of, but a genuine Jonin.
This result surprised them greatly, because they knew almost all Jonin Jonin in the village, but this person was definitely not among them.
However, based on the wartime records, they did not voice their doubts, but instead turned their attention to Shikaku Nara, who was giving orders, hoping that Shikaku Nara could provide an explanation.
To their disappointment, Shikaku Nara did not offer any explanation in the face of their curious gazes. He simply stood there, waiting for the Genin ninja in the support force to leave.
After everyone who was supposed to leave had left, Shikaku Nara still didn't explain, but instead led Kōki and the rest of the group towards Orochimaru's direction.