Chapter 176 Kikyo Castle (2)

That evening, the sandstorm unique to the edge of the desert blew up as expected, covering the majestic Kikyo Castle with a layer of yellow coat. The crossbows covered with gray cloth on the top of the city inadvertently revealed their true appearance, adding a touch of solemnity to the once peaceful and busy city, and also making the Konoha ninjas feel heavy-hearted, full of awe and anticipation for the upcoming war.

Ye Shan sat cross-legged at the highest point of the city wall, his hands on his knees, staring straight at the desert in the distance. The expression in his eyes kept changing, as if he was reminiscing about the past.

The sound of "click, click" footsteps interrupted Ye Shan's recollection. He turned slightly and a slightly immature face came into view. It was a Chunin who was about seventeen or eighteen years old. There was hesitation on his face, as if he had something to say.

"Is there something wrong?" Ye Shan asked gently.

The Chunin scratched his hair in embarrassment and replied hesitantly: "Master Hayama, I have something to tell you."

Seeing the encouragement in Ye Shan's eyes, the Chunin plucked up his courage and said in a trembling voice: "Do you think we can defend Kikyo Castle?"

After saying that, the Chunin, fearing that Ye Shan might get angry, hurriedly added: "I don't doubt your ability, I'm just worried..."

Ye Shan smiled slightly, propped himself up with his right hand and walked to the young man, brushed off the dust on his uniform and asked, "How old are you?"

"Sixteen years old."

"During the last Ninja World War, you were still transporting supplies to the rear, right?"

"Yes, I did stay behind and didn't go to the main battlefield last time, but the cruelty in the rear is no less than that in the front."

The young man's cheeks were red for some reason, and he spoke with confidence. It was obvious that he had seen blood in the last war and was not a real rookie. Come to think of it, those who could be sent by the village to garrison Kikyo Castle were all elites, and Sarutobi Hiruzen was not so stupid as to not know the importance of the matter.

After many bloody experiences, Ye Shan's heart had long become as hard as iron. However, facing the young people in the village, he still retained some warmth. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "I naturally know the cruelty and hardship in the rear. Every Konoha ninja grew up this way. Moreover, serving the village is not divided into the front line or the rear. Our goal is the same, which is to maintain peace."

"I can't give you an accurate answer to your question right now, but we can make a deal. If Kikyo Castle is defended, you have to treat me to a barbecue, and it must be the most high-end one in the village; if the castle is not defended, how about I teach you a B-level ninjutsu?"

The young Chunin was immediately delighted, because that was a B-level ninjutsu, which was hard currency in the entire ninja world. If he could practice it successfully, it would be enough to take his strength to a higher level.

"it is good!"

“Hahahaha” Ye Shan felt cheerful: “Then we have a deal. The loser should remember to fulfill his promise.”

"Ok!"

The young Chunin left happily, and both sides tacitly did not mention whether there would be any deaths. After all, this was an unlucky thing, especially before the war.

Keeping a yearning for a better life in despair and adversity is not only a good medicine for all human beings, but also the only way for ninjas, an extremely dangerous profession, to overcome fear. If a person lives in the shadow of death every moment, it may not be the enemy who kills him in the end, but his own broken heart.

War is not simply about wielding mighty forces and making strategic plans to win battles thousands of miles away, nor is it as simple as the time, place, and cold casualty figures of battles in books. For ninjas like Yeshan who have experienced it personally, war is a demon from hell that devours lives all the time. It means broken families, blood and flesh, and wailing everywhere.

Ye Shan quietly watched the young ninja walk down the city wall with light steps. His vision became blurred, perhaps because of the strong wind and sand. A familiar yet unfamiliar name unconsciously emerged from the bottom of his heart.

"Yamashiro Tatsu..."

Ye Shan's best friend in this strange world died in the mission, died to save his life, and died in the cruel rules of the ninja world. There is a saying in the previous life that the world is not kind and treats all things as straw dogs, which also applies to the ninja world.

In the last war, no matter how bad the situation was, Ye Shan had trustworthy partners. He was not alone in his heart. He could complain about the incompetence of the higher-ups in front of his partners without restraint; he could sleep comfortably when he was tired; he could trust his back between life and death... But now, looking around, although there are many ninjas in Konoha, there is really no real partner.

Even though Ye Shan's current strength is no longer the same as before, and to be arrogant, there are not many people in the entire ninja world who can kill him, but Ye Shan still longs for a companion to accompany him. This has nothing to do with strength, but is caused by the natural attributes of human beings. In the final analysis, humans are extremely fragile. Unlike lions and tigers that can roar alone in the mountains, humans are ultimately social animals, and the importance of companions is self-evident.

In this afternoon with still dust and wind, accompanied by the cool breeze, Ye Shan missed his lost companions so much that he could not control his sadness. But he could not show it, because the eyes of many ninjas in Kikyo Castle were watching him all the time. Even if he showed a little sadness, it would be a huge blow to morale.

So Yeshan suppressed the nostalgia and sadness in his heart, his face remained calm, as if he was confident of victory in the upcoming attack and defense. This encouraged the ninjas who were preparing for the battle, and they worked with more strength.

The emotions in Ye Shan's heart were unknown to outsiders. At this time, Kakashi and Obito were in a dilemma. After being thrown into the border patrol by their unreliable master, the two little ones were exposed to the wind and rain every day. Although it was boring and hard, their chakra concentration and ninjutsu training had made great progress. Even Obito, who had a carefree personality, became calm, which surprised the patrol captain Uchiha Masato who had been secretly observing them.

If things continue to develop in this way, Uchiha Masato will be very happy. Everyone in the Uchiha clan knows that Ye Shan is now the executive deputy clan leader. If he can train Ye Shan's apprentice well, maybe with just a word from the other party, he can escape from the suffering and become a middle or high-level official in the family. So naturally, he will increase the workload for the two little ones intentionally or unintentionally.

But things became complicated at noon today, because the Border Patrol Command received a falcon from Kikyo City, which brought news that no ninja was willing to accept.

"The Sand Village will start a war tonight at the latest!"

Those few words almost cost Uchiha Masato his life. His first reaction was to run away as fast as possible, preferably running back to the family in one breath. But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he looked up and saw the people in the command center staring at him, and their words changed to: "Prepare for battle!!!"

As soon as he said this, Uchiha Masato slumped down in his favorite chair as if his body was hollowed out, and he wanted to slap himself a few times.

For Uchiha Masato, who was taught that family is supreme, the interests of the village are not as important as his own life. At this critical moment, the best strategy is to run away. The army of Sand Village may be on the way to kill him. Why should he be a hero?

Several ninjas who realized what was happening gasped. One of the middle-aged ninjas ignored etiquette and stepped forward to snatch the note from Uchiha Masato's fingers. He took a closer look and felt a shudder spread from his heart to his whole body. He shouted at the top of his voice: "Prepare for battle!!!"

"..."

Uchiha Masato stared blankly at the usually respectful vice-captain, feeling speechless. Prepare for war? What war? Do you really think you are the Hokage? Now we need to think about how to escape!

Not long after, several ninjas finished reading the note in an excited mood, and stuffed the wrinkled and wet note back into Uchiha Masato's hands. They blushed and stiffened their necks, shouting to prepare for battle, which made Uchiha Masato feel overwhelmed.

"Shut up, everyone!"

The command center suddenly became quiet, but every pair of bloodshot eyes fell on the person in charge, Uchiha Masato, and the emotions contained in them were self-evident.

Uchiha Masato took a deep breath, glanced at the few people he had been with day and night, and slowly said: "The Sand Ninja is coming with great force, and we only have less than fifty people in our base. In my opinion, we should discuss the preparations for war later."

This was said very skillfully. Uchiha Masato was worthy of being born into a large family. He cleverly left the words of escape to his subordinates so that he would not have to bear all the responsibility if the village investigated in the future. However, he underestimated the determination of the ninjas here.

The middle-aged ninja immediately stepped forward, looked into his captain's eyes and said in a deep voice: "Sir, why are you saying such mysterious words when we are facing a powerful enemy? The ninjas of Konoha can only die in a frontal charge. To die with your back to the enemy is a coward!"

"Hahaha, that's right!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there were several voices of agreement, making Uchiha Masato embarrassed.

"Of course I know the honor of Konoha ninjas! But don't forget, there are still several very good seedlings here! We will die, and it's always good to take a few people with us before we die, but those seedlings are the future of the village, and they are Konoha's hope to survive the war! We must not let them die here."

Having said that, Uchiha Masato knew in his heart that running away was a cowardly act, but he had more important things to do, and that was to protect Uchiha Obito, the seedling that the Uchiha clan had high hopes for, at his own risk!

The Uchiha clan can do without the veteran Uchiha Masato, but it cannot be without the star of hope Uchiha Obito, even though Obito does not look satisfactory at the moment!