Nobody here was foolish.
Xin and Nawaki's conversation left Sarutobi Sasaki feeling a bit uncomfortable.
After all, he was a member of the Sarutobi Clan, and hearing someone talk about the clan's integration policy like that was awkward.
Only the Sarutobi and Shimura clans could pull off claiming to be civilian families while secretly being powerful.
"Don't worry. I didn't mean anything by it-just surprised, that's all," Xin said with a reassuring smile, though it didn't seem to help much.
Before long, Minato, Nawaki, and the others returned from their skirmish with the enemy. Only one person had suffered a minor injury; the rest were unharmed.
"Gather up the wounded-we're heading back to camp," Xin ordered, hiding Ophis under his raincoat and playing with a piece of jerky to amuse him. Once everyone was assembled, they began their trek back to camp.
"What's the situation on the front lines?"
Xin asked, falling in step with Sarutobi Sasaki. Sasaki responded respectfully, "Lord Xin, the front lines are still chaotic. The Stone, Sand, and Rain Villages are all attacking our Leaf forces, while also fighting amongst themselves. But under Lord Orochimaru's command, we've managed to hold our ground, though the fighting has been fierce."
"That's good to hear," Xin replied.
Orochimaru had always been skilled, especially in battlefield command.
He was far better than Danzo, the so-called Hokage advisor.
Xin recalled that after the Rain Country conflict ended, Orochimaru had been in charge of the war against the Sand Village in the Land of Wind.
And he hadn't disappointed the Third Hokage. Under his leadership, Konoha had triumphed over the Sand Village.
Orochimaru's reputation had skyrocketed, even overshadowing Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Unfortunately, his achievements made certain people uncomfortable.
As Orochimaru started down a darker path, conducting forbidden experiments and aligning with Danzo, he ultimately lost his chance to become the Fourth Hokage, leaving the door open for Minato.
If Orochimaru hadn't gone dark, hadn't conducted those forbidden experiments, and hadn't joined forces with Danzo or experimented on Konoha's own ninjas, there wouldn't have been any opportunity for Minato to become Hokage.
The squad escorted the wounded back to camp, where their battle merits were confirmed, earning them a much-needed break.
"Finally, we're back," Nawaki sighed, lying in the tent.
"I used to hate this tent, but now I miss it like crazy. I wonder how long we'll get to rest this time."
People are full of contradictions-Nawaki was no exception.
Before heading into battle, all he wanted was to fight.
But after spending some time on the front lines, he couldn't help but miss the days of doing menial tasks in camp.
....
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