blogombal Chapter 314 The Village's Order of Commendation
Chapter 314 The Village's Order of Commendation
Chapter 314 The Village's Order of Commendation
The Land of Fire, East Coast.
On a high earthen wall, the conversation between the two people and the beast was coming to an end.
"Taiyi Sage, as a newly born sage, I look forward to the day when you grow up. The ninja world is small, but the world is vast. As your contractor, I truly hope that one day we can explore together."
If it were someone else, they might just take it as a slug's blessing, but Taiichi, who knew the ins and outs of the ninja world, could hear the difference.
The slug seemed to have been confined to the Wet Bone Forest for too long, or perhaps it was tired of it, or perhaps it wanted to go further and explore the outside world.
And now, they've even used the honorific title of Taiyi Immortal.
"Slug Sage, I also look forward to that day when I can explore a wider world."
Taiyi gave an affirmative answer, regardless of whether the slug truly had such thoughts, it was his own genuine hope.
The slug had left, leaving only Tsunade and Taichi on the earthen wall.
"Why do I get the feeling that your last words were hinting at something, Immortal Taiyi?"
Tsunade is quite perceptive; even if she didn't realize it at the time, looking back now, she feels that there was something more to their previous conversation.
"Haha, Tsunade-sensei, you're finally getting it!"
Taiyi 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. Now, if I fly at full speed, I can travel from the northernmost Land of Clouds to the southernmost Land of Wind in less than a day, not to mention the existence of the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Taiyi stood atop the earthen wall, facing the sea breeze, gazing up at the sky.
"But does this world really only consist of the ninja world? Slug 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, captivated by Taiichi's grand dream, which transcended the ninja village and the ninja world, reaching beyond the realm of ninjas.
After a long silence, Tsunade patted Taichi on the shoulder. "Go ahead and do it. Your teacher supports you!"
Tai turned around and gave Tsunade a bright smile: "Sensei, I'll take you with me!"
Looking at Taiichi's bright smile, Tsunade smiled back, "Then I'll have to thank Sage Taiichi!"
When Tsunade and Taichi returned to the camp, it was nearly noon.
The moment the two appeared, Nara Kaoru, like a cat smelling fish, quickly came looking for them.
If a ninja hadn't told him that Tsunade had been taken away by Taichi 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 as he 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 that 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 camp.
"Let's go, let's go to the central command 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 continue complaining.
The two had only walked a few steps, pulling and tugging at each other, when they ran into another person—it was Uchiha Fugaku, who had come to join the fun after hearing the commotion.
Tsunade had just learned from the slug that the Senju and Uchiha clans shared the same ancestor, and now that she suddenly saw Fugaku, she felt rather awkward.
Is this their own grandchildren or their own grandfathers? Isn't this all a mess?
"Oh, it's Fugaku! Good morning, have you eaten yet?"
After spouting some nonsensical and incoherent words, Tsunade had already dragged Nara Kaoru back to the central army camp in a flash.
Fugaku Uchiha looked up at the sky with a face full of questions, and confirmed 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, Taichi 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?"
Taiyi was taken 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 did not understand the deeper meaning in Taiichi's words, he felt that it was very sophisticated.
The two walked arm in arm, swaying as they headed out of the camp. No one knew where they were going, but they could faintly hear the sounds of ninjutsu being fired from afar, as if they were sparring with each other.
The following day, the commendation order from the village finally arrived at the front-line camp under the escort of an ANBU ninja.
The news spread like wildfire, and before the ANBU ninjas even reached the central army camp, it had already reached the camp itself.
Everyone looked overjoyed. Indeed, after such a great battle, although Kirigakure had not yet admitted defeat, it was clear to everyone that Kirigakure would not attack Konoha again.
This means they have essentially ended their battle with Kirigakure ahead of schedule.
Before the war, he was determined to sacrifice himself for the village. Now, not only is he alive and well, but he also has a large amount of merit to receive. How could he not be happy?
All the Jonin in the camp arrived at the central command 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 out here!"
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 people had arrived, didn't think much of it.
She looked at the cat-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 bag, opened the seal in front of everyone, and began to read it aloud.
"In the 47th year of Konoha, as winter approached, the Hidden Mist tribes, with the force of thunder, crossed the border and invaded. In this time of crisis, we, the ninja of Konoha, upholding the Will of Fire," used our flesh and blood as shields and ninjutsu as blades, fighting the enemy for a hundred days, and finally achieving victory—"
The opening is a long string of praise, and no one will find it tedious or annoying. On the contrary, they would love to hear him praise them for a while longer.
But all the praise will eventually run out, and soon the real reward will arrive.
"In order to recognize achievements and boost morale, after deliberation by the Root organization and confirmation by the Third Hokage, the following commendations are hereby awarded."
At this point, many perceptive Jonin sensed something was amiss. Tsunade frowned and glanced at the cat-faced ninja who had spoken. "Is this guy from Root?"
"First, all ninjas who sacrificed their lives in this battle will be posthumously honored as 'Heroes of Konoha,' and their names will be engraved on the memorial tablet."
"Secondly, all participating ninjas will be commended —"
Third, commendations will be given to commanders and squad leaders at all levels.
"Fourth, individuals who performed exceptionally well in battle, such as Matsushita Taichi and Might Guy, were commended —"
"May the Will of Fire rise like the sun, shining through the ages; may the name of Konoha be carried by the wind, spreading far and wide!"
This is hereby commended and 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 commanders, 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, Matsushita Taichi is instructed to immediately return to Konoha with the messenger ninja, and the village has other arrangements for his mission."
The previously cheerful central military tent immediately fell silent. Everyone looked 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 there really isn't.
There's absolutely no problem sending a Jonin back to the village to carry out a mission.
But at this time, this location, and its inclusion in this commendation order, feels truly out of place.
It was as if they were afraid that Taiyi would not 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 raised her hand to beckon.
The cat-faced ninja tactfully handed the scroll in his hand to Tsunade.
Tsunade took the scroll, carefully examining its material and various secret patterns, while casually asking, "Who is the current leader of Root?"
"It's Lord 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 crisply as always.
Tsunade had also finished inspecting the scroll, and everything was normal. But thinking about it, even if it was fake, Root had the ability to make it real.
The most crucial element of the scroll is the Third Hokage's signature, which is truly difficult to forge.
She put down the scroll in her hand, looked up at the cat-faced Anbu again, and asked, "Does the Hokage have any other specific instructions?"
"No." Root style as always.
Tsunade knew that she wouldn't get any useful information from this Root ninja, so she waved her hand, wanting him to leave.
To her surprise, the Root ninja remained unmoved, which made Tsunade, who was already annoyed, even more annoyed.
"What, is there anything else?"
"Lady Tsunade, as ordered, I must accompany Matsushita Taichi back to Konoha without delay."
Now, without Tsunade even having to say anything, all the Jonin present were already annoyed.
What is this, an escort?
Taiichi isn't a criminal. The previous orders could be considered normal personnel transfers, but what is this now? He really has to return to Konoha accompanied by the Root members.
Everyone knows what Root is. They were the ones who attacked the ninjas from the same village, and they even attacked Taichi's comrades.
"Cat-faced, 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. 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, "Where's 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!"
Hiashi Hyuga stepped forward at this moment, as he was the only one who could find Taichi the fastest.
With Rizu's departure, the camp fell silent. No one spoke, and no one left. Everyone was waiting for the outcome.
This is clearly an attempt by the established forces in the village to suppress Taiyi, the rising star of the village. It remains to be seen how Taiyi will react later.
The cat-faced ninja was also quite uneasy. He had thought it was just a simple messenger mission, at most accompanying Matsushita Taichi 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, Taiyi was training his physical skills on the training ground. Although he could gradually improve his physical fitness by entering Sage Mode, physical training was not just about strengthening his body.
It also includes body coordination, muscle memory, the connection of moves, and most importantly, the all-round development of the body.
Therefore, whenever Taiyi has time, he will practice physical skills without stopping, regardless of wind or rain.
Taiichi sensed Hiashi's arrival, but seeing that Hiashi did not interrupt him, he completed all the movements one by one before turning around and finishing his stance.
"Did the Hyuga clan head 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 the shadow of my Hyuga Gentle Fist."
He realized his rudeness as soon as he finished speaking. It was already rude to allow others to watch someone else exercise, and to say such a thing 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 soft boxing."
Taiichi was prone to making up lies. Of course, he couldn't tell Hiashi what the taijutsu was based on at this moment, 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.
"It's Mitomon Yan again, and 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 worried at all that Hiashi would hear 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 back to Konoha."
Seeing Taiichi's fearless and courageous attitude, Hiashi opened his mouth but said nothing.
He had originally wanted to persuade Taiyi to prioritize harmony and give the elder face, but now it seemed better to give up.