Chapter 202 Time

Konoha was unbearably hot in the summer, and passers-by looked hurried. Patrolling ninjas had appeared on the streets without anyone noticing. They monitored the streets in groups of two, and any slight movement would attract their presence, which would then be dealt with quickly.

The war broke out in an unexpected way. First, the Sand Village took Kikyo Castle without declaring a war. Before the Konoha Village could dispatch troops, the vanguards of the Cloud Village, the Iwagakure Village, and the Mist Village crossed the border and defeated several small countries. For a time, reports of defeat came one after another, like a dark cloud pressing on the heads of every Konoha ninja.

It is worth mentioning that the Rain Country showed great resilience in this war. Although the Rain Ninjas suffered defeat after defeat, they were always able to organize their forces to fight back and dragged the Sand Village into a war of attrition. This is the only good news that Konoha Village has received so far.

All ninjas understood that during the Third Ninja World War, Konoha Village had really reached a crossroads in its destiny. It could either be completely destroyed or continue to maintain its position as the overlord of the Ninja World. There was absolutely no third option.

Without the skin, where will the hair be attached? Konoha Village turned into a huge war machine overnight. All the noisy sounds disappeared, leaving only the fighting!

The Fire Country Daimyo immediately allocated trillions of dollars and even organized hundreds of thousands of civilians to transport food. In theory, food and weapons and other supplies should be transported by Konoha ninjas, but everyone with a discerning eye knew that Konoha Ninja Village no longer had extra ninjas to serve as a logistics supply team. Facing the simultaneous attack of the four major countries, the Hokage almost immediately sent all the ninjas in the village to fight the enemy, but it was still stretched.

War eliminates all conflicts. In the face of survival issues, the power of Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen has been consolidated. This is written into national laws and village rules. No one has any reason to object, otherwise they will be immediately punished for treason.

Therefore, in this unusually hot summer, every day, ninjas would gather at the gate of Konoha and there would be a long line to see them off. Items symbolizing prayers for safety were snapped up, and almost every household was burning incense and praying for their loved ones to return safely.

There were not many male ninjas left in the village, and even the Uchiha clan's security department had been withdrawn, leaving the streets empty.

So when Yeshan walked on the street wearing Konoha's standard vest and a forehead protector, passers-by cast scrutinizing glances at him, as if wondering why he did not go to the battlefield. However, many patrolling ninjas came forward to salute him.

It was half a month after the outbreak of the Ninja World War. With the annoying cicada chirping, Ye Shan finally recovered from his injuries. If it weren't for Tsunade's medical ninjutsu, Ye Shan would definitely have sequelae, but even so, he still had a real chance of passing through the gates of hell.

Thinking back to the fact that his kidneys and intestines were growing in the opposite direction against common sense, Ye Shan felt a sense of luck, but at the same time he also felt a dull pain in his waist and abdomen.

It takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone. Half of Ye Shan's internal organs were damaged. It was impossible for him to recover at this time. However, the situation on the battlefield did not allow him to recover slowly. Just yesterday evening, the Konohagakure troops suffered a great defeat in the northern part of the Land of Fire. Not only was the commander Jiraiya seriously injured, but more than half of the troops were lost! If no reinforcements are sent, the Hidden Cloud Village will sweep away the northern territory.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen had no reserve forces to serve as support. He wanted to send all the students from the ninja school out, but this practice of killing the chicken to get the eggs was ultimately useless.

To be fair, Konoha Village has done well enough and has withstood the crazy attacks of the four major countries. Anyone would have to give it a thumbs up and say it's awesome.

Soon, the village's landmark building, the Hokage Building, appeared in Yeshan's sight. The red wall, symbolizing the will of fire, looked even more dazzling under the scorching sun. What was different from usual days was that there were fewer ninjas on duty and there was a more dilapidated atmosphere.

An Anbu ninja instantly appeared in front of Ye Shan, half-knelt respectfully and said: "Hokage-sama is attending the freshman entrance ceremony at the Ninja School today. If Ye Shan-sama has anything to do, I can lead the way."

Ye Shan was in a daze for a moment. Time passed so quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the school enrollment season again. He just didn't know how many students would be enrolled this year.

"No, I can go there myself, you can continue with your mission."

"Yes!"

The Anbu ninjas blended into the underground silently. Yeshan stood in front of the Hokage Building, took a deep look, and then disappeared instantly.

In the Konoha Ninja School, Sarutobi Hiruzen was giving a speech in his divine robe and Hokage hat, with several Chunin teachers standing sparsely beside him. When he heard that Ye Shan had arrived, his voice paused for a moment, and then he smiled and said, "Through my speech, I guess everyone is full of longing and expectations for the ninja life. It just so happens that the famous elite ninja in the village has also arrived. I would like to invite him to come up and say a few words to everyone. I also hope that you will follow his example and practice hard, and strive to become the successor of the Will of Fire as soon as possible!"

Under the gaze of everyone, Ye Shan smiled slightly, adjusted his forehead protector, and deliberately made a few seals in slow motion to use the teleportation technique.

"Oh!"

A cloud of smoke exploded and a group of children exclaimed in surprise. It was not until Ye Shan coughed lightly that they realized that he had already arrived on the stage.

"Hokage-sama."

Hayama made hand seals and saluted, and several Chunins beside Sarutobi Hiruzen hurriedly moved aside.

"Is your injury healed?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with concern.

"Thanks to you, sir, I am almost fully recovered now."

"Please say a few words. Those standing here are the future pillars of Konoha." Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a faint smile.

Ye Shan nodded and looked at the audience. Seeing hundreds of children standing, he couldn't help but be surprised that the number was increasing instead of decreasing.

“Seeing you guys so full of energy and vigor reminds me of what happened more than a decade ago, when I was one of you.”

Ye Shan placed his hands naturally on both sides of his body, with a smile on his face, and said: "I remember that day the weather was gloomy, I stood below, listening to the speech of the Second Hokage, my heart was full of excitement just like you. Classmates, partners, chakra, ninjutsu, these things that I once dreamed of are about to become reality, that feeling is hard to describe in words."

"The Hokage's speech just now has been very comprehensive, so I will not elaborate on it. But please remember one thing, the village is everyone's village, and the country is everyone's country. The country comes first and then the family. Once the village no longer exists, the individual's small family will also be destroyed."

After saying that, Ye Shan nodded to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who understood and continued, "Now, all class teachers will take the students back to the classroom in an orderly manner. Today's ceremony ends here."

After the ceremony, Hayama and Sarutobi Hiruzen came to the principal's office, smoking cigarettes one sitting and the other standing.

Neither of them spoke in the smoke. Ye Shan's thoughts went back to more than a decade ago, when he still had a complete family. His father always spoke seriously about principles, while his mother prepared meals in the kitchen with a smile. Life was not rich, but there was no worry about food and drink.

"Jiraiya is injured and the northern troops are missing a commander. What do you think?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's question interrupted Ye Shan's thoughts. He took a puff of cigarette and said, "Things have come to this point. The village must stabilize the northern front, otherwise it will be completely defeated."

"We can't send out reinforcements. All we can do is send out Kage-level ninjas."

Silence, the office fell silent again.

Sarutobi Hiruzen finished smoking a cigarette, threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it hard, then stood up and walked to the window. He stared through the glass at the children playing outside, wondering what he was thinking.

The two of them stood there until the moon rose in the east and the summer heat faded away, and they never spoke another word.

Late that night, Sarutobi Hiruzen led his direct Anbu to leave the Konohagakure. The only one who saw him off was Shiranui Hayama with a solemn face.

Under the moonlight, Sarutobi Hiruzen's body was a little hunched, even though he was at the peak of his life.

For some reason, Yeshan had a premonition that this would be the last time he saw the Third Hokage of Konoha Village.

The filth and hardship of the past came back to his mind. Those days were so long that they were suffocating. During these unspeakable days, Ye Shan lost his father, his childhood playmate, his mentor, and his best friend.

It seemed that he came to this world just to lose, because he never gained anything.

Ye Shan suddenly wanted to drink a lot, the kind that makes him pass out. But when he thought about it carefully, he didn't even have a qualified drinking partner.

In this world, the best appetizer is always human kindness rather than delicacies from land and sea.

So, Ye Shan brought some wine to the tomb of Shancheng Chen, and got drunk to greet the rising sun.

He didn't eat a single peanut.