Konoha's lexicon of ninjas

Chapter 61 Konoha Cannot Lose! (Fourth update, please subscribe and vote)

"Huh, he seems to have grown a little taller again?"

While washing up in the morning, Hoshino Hideichi noticed something was wrong.

I measured myself immediately after washing up, and sure enough, I had grown 2 centimeters longer than I had a week ago. I am now 1.3 meters tall.

He's already tall for his age, almost catching up to Uchiha Shisui and Kurama Sanyou, who are two years older.

Improving physical fitness is amazing!

"My physique improved once before, and my physical strength is slightly better than Kakashi's. I underestimate him a little, but our chakra levels are about the same."

"Now that my physique has doubled again, I can now say I have 2 chakra."

Hoshino Shuichi was beaming with joy; a week had passed since he earned the title of [Physical Skills Expert].

Of course, the second version is compared to the current Kakashi, not the adult version.

However, improved physical condition means that his growth potential will also be improved accordingly.

This also requires him to continuously cultivate and explore.

After all, even the Senju clan, and even Hashirama Senju himself, were not born with an abundance of chakra.

However, the thought of the Sage Body and the Uzumaki Clan's physique quickly calmed Hoshino Shuichi down.

He only needed 2 calories after two rounds of physical enhancement.

Without improvement, in terms of chakra reserves, he would at most reach the level of a Chunin in his lifetime.

"We still need to work harder!"

"Compared to Nagato, who mastered six mainstream ninjutsu at the age of ten, I am nothing now."

"As for his chakra reserves, let alone compared to Naruto, he should still be far behind even top-tier ordinary people like Jiraiya."

Of course, Jiraiya is currently at his peak.

Jiraiya's chakra level is the ceiling for people with special constitutions.

After packing his gear and slinging his scroll over his shoulder, Hoshino Hideaki went out the door.

After gathering at the usual spot, Minato Namikaze announced the mission directly: "The destination of this mission is the River Country."

"Shuichi should know that we clashed with the Sand Village ninja in the Land of Rivers last year, right?"

Xingxia Xiu nodded.

He certainly remembered that many Konoha ninjas were injured at that time, and he participated in their treatment.

Upon seeing this, Kurama Yasunari immediately asked, "So, is it related to our previous mission, Minato-sensei?"

Minato Namikaze nodded: "It is indeed related."

"The daimyo of the Land of Rivers did not ostracize Sunagakure because of that incident. According to intelligence, Sunagakure found an iron mine in the Land of Rivers, and the big merchant from the Land of Fire lost out in the competition."

"Furthermore, there are signs that Sunagakure is joining forces with Amegakure."

"However, the Anbu and Root are in charge of the Amegakure area."

"Our mission is in the Land of Rivers. After the last conflict, the two sides were locked in a stalemate for a while. However, as the competition for iron ore intensified, the Land of Wind and Sunagakure became even more greedy and began to target the Land of Fire's business activities in the Land of Rivers."

"Therefore, our mission this time is to wipe out the Sand Ninja and protect the merchants and caravans of the Land of Fire."

The three, including Hoshino Shizuka, nodded in unison: "Understood!"

"Alright, let's go!"

Minato Namikaze gave the order and set off first, with Shuichi Hoshino and the other two following closely behind.

After leaving the village, we walked along the main road for a while, then turned into the dense forest and headed straight southwest towards the River Country.

At noon, Hoshino and the other three rested at the border of the Land of Fire and ate grilled fish by the river.

On April 6th, in the 40th year of Konoha, around 1 PM, the four crossed the border and entered the Land of Rivers.

"Mr. Minato, I'd like to visit that village again."

Uchiha Shisui suddenly said.

Minato Namikaze paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay!"

Hoshino Shuichi seemed to be deep in thought, and then changed direction.

Before long, the group arrived at the village where they had completed their mission in the Land of Rivers last year. However, the village was now in ruins, with no trace of human habitation. The houses were dilapidated and had become the home of many animals.

A year has passed, and everything has changed; the people are gone.

Seeing this, Uchiha Shisui was stunned. Kurama Sanyou asked, "Have all the people here been moved away?"

Uchiha Shisui's expression changed slightly. He was naive, but not simple-minded, much less stupid.

Having personally slaughtered all the men in the village, he had realized something.

Hoshino Shuichi, however, thought of Orochimaru, and Danzo as well.

Those who dared to attack even Konoha ninjas, especially those from the surrounding area, should be best off dead.

If used for human experiments, it would probably be worse than death.

"Perhaps I should have realized this back then, but there's always a reason why someone is pitiful. Besides those who came to the Land of Fire to plunder, the other villagers also benefited!"

Hoshino Hideichi was very clear-headed. Although he was unwilling to massacre the village, he wouldn't be a saint and say that he should forgive and understand.

He's not qualified!

Of course, if Orochimaru had taken the people from these villages to do human experiments, that would indeed be rather inhumane.

What a twisted world!

……

Everyone noticed that Uchiha Shisui was acting strangely. Hoshino Shuichi stepped forward and patted Uchiha Shisui on the shoulder, saying, "Everyone must bear the consequences. If you kill someone, you must be prepared to be killed. If you rob someone, you must be prepared to be punished."

"Perhaps the women and children in this village did not participate, but they enjoyed the spoils of the robbery, and this is the consequence they have to bear."

"They may seem pitiful, but those who truly need our pity and protection are the innocent people in the Land of Fire who have been robbed and killed."

People are always hypocritical; as the saying goes, where you sit determines where you think.

Now their backside is on the side of the Land of Fire, on the side of Konoha.

Not the land of rivers, nor this village in front of us.

Of course, Hoshino Shizuka was unaware that Uchiha Shisui had previously participated in the massacre of the village's adult men.

But even if you know, what then?

As mentioned before, Hoshino Shisui is on Konoha's side; he is Uchiha Shisui's comrade and teammate.

"Thank you, Shuichi."

Uchiha Shisui thanked him, his expression having returned to normal.

Upon seeing this, Minato Namikaze immediately ordered, "Let's continue on our way!"

The group set off immediately, and in less than 10 minutes, the four of them appeared on a hilltop outside a small town.

Minato Namikaze said, "This river valley town is the first stop for merchants from the Land of Fire when they enter the Land of Rivers."

"Although Konoha still has a share of the missions from the Land of Rivers, the expulsion of merchants from the Land of Fire this year means that a portion of our missions have also been taken over by the Sand Village."

Looking at the town ahead, Hoshino Shuichi asked, "So, Minato-sensei, we should be the vanguard of this operation?"

Minato Namikaze nodded: "Not bad!"

"Because Sunagakure did not intend to directly escalate into a large-scale war, it did not deploy a large number of troops on the border of the Land of Rivers. Instead, it chose to establish de facto ownership of the Land of Rivers in key strongholds, namely towns."

Hoshino Hideichi pondered, "I'm afraid the daimyo of the Land of Rivers doesn't want to completely break with the Land of Fire. Right now, the goal is to get Sunagakure to actually take over the Land of Rivers. After that, the daimyo of the Land of Rivers might use the minerals as a bargaining chip to make peace with the daimyo of the Land of Fire."

"Therefore, it's not just the daimyo of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind, and the Sand Village who don't want to start a full-scale war, but also the daimyo of the Land of Fire."

"If Konoha loses this battle, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire will certainly suffer losses, but he will not lose everything."

"On the contrary, Konoha lost more than just the amount of missions from the Land of Rivers."

Minato Namikaze listened with admiration. He had intelligence to support his analysis, while Shuichi Hoshishita was able to analyze so much without making any mistakes, even after only hearing a little bit.

"Such keen political acumen! With that kind of talent, he's absolutely the best candidate for Hokage!"

Minato Namikaze secretly admired him, saying aloud, "That's a very insightful analysis!"

Uchiha Shisui was secretly amazed: "As expected of Shuichi, he has a keen eye!"

Kurama Sanyo, however, was completely bewildered. He felt that Hoshino Shuichi's explanation was convoluted and he only understood a little bit of it.

That means Konoha cannot lose!

(End of this chapter)