· Sakumo Hatake pulled a sealing scroll from inside his flak jacket and tossed it onto the Stone ninja who had lost both of his legs.
The moment the scroll touched him, countless white bandage-like strips burst out from the seal, wrapping the Stone ninja from head to toe.
Once the prisoner had been completely bound into a cocoon-like bundle, Sakumo hung him from a tree branch before turning to Hideki Sato.
“You did well.
At your age, I certainly couldn’t defeat three Special Jonin so easily.” Faced with Sakumo’s praise, Hideki merely nodded, as though it were only natural, before glancing up at the cocoon hanging from the tree.
“Is it fine to just leave him there?” Sakumo reached out and lightly tapped the cocoon.
“He’s been completely sealed.
An Anbu squad will come shortly to recover him, so he’s no longer our concern.
The Hidden Stone wouldn’t send only a single squad to infiltrate our borders.
Let’s keep moving.” Hideki nodded and followed Sakumo deeper into the forest.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Together, Hideki and Sakumo eliminated the overwhelming majority of the Hidden Stone infiltrators.
As for the few who slipped through the net, there was little they could do.
The Land of Fire was simply too vast, and they certainly didn’t have anything resembling an all-seeing map.
Hideki’s gains over the past week were equally remarkable.
Life-and-death battles were the greatest whetstone for any shinobi.
Without exaggeration, the current Hideki could easily defeat three versions of himself from a week ago.
Even without relying on Charmeleon, he could now defeat a Special Jonin on his own.
After cutting down the last Stone ninja, Sakumo gave his wrist a light flick, sending the blood from his blade splattering onto a nearby tree.
Then, with a smooth and practiced motion, he sheathed his sword before looking at Hideki.
“This mission has been completed successfully.
I have another assignment to attend to, so you’ll have to return to the village on your own.” Before Hideki could reply, Sakumo disappeared into the forest in a flash.
As one of Konoha’s few Kage-level combatants, the White Fang had no time for rest—especially during such a tense period.
Left alone, Hideki continued toward Konoha with Charmeleon by his side.
After walking for some time, Charmeleon suddenly stopped.
Its expression became serious as it stared into the forest ahead.
It could sense an icy, sinister aura rapidly approaching.
The presence felt like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, capable of delivering a fatal strike at any moment.
Seeing Charmeleon’s reaction, Hideki immediately became alert.
His muscles tensed as he prepared to retreat into the Pokémon world with Charmeleon if the situation turned dangerous.
A few moments later, rustling sounds came from the bushes.
Suddenly, a head poked out from the undergrowth.
The moment Hideki recognized who it was, the tension in his body disappeared.
“Hideki?
What are you doing here?” Nawaki looked at him in confusion before quickly running over.
He rubbed the tip of his nose proudly and grinned.
“Hideki, you’ll never guess what kind of mission I completed in the Land of Rain!
It was an A-rank mission!
Orochimaru-sensei already said he’ll recommend me for the next Chunin Exams.
Once I become a Chunin, I’ll be one step closer to becoming Hokage!
Hahaha!” At that moment, Orochimaru stepped out from the same bushes Nawaki had emerged from.
Behind him followed two unfamiliar shinobi, who were most likely Nawaki’s teammates.
Orochimaru’s cold gaze swept over Hideki and Charmeleon before he spoke.
“Hideki Sato…
if I remember correctly, you’re Tsunade’s student.
Why are you here?” His voice gradually turned colder.
“A Genin appearing alone on the border of the Land of Fire…
unless you intend to betray the village…” Just then, another figure suddenly appeared between Hideki and Orochimaru.
It was Sakumo Hatake.
Although Sakumo had already left, he had sensed a powerful chakra rapidly approaching Hideki’s location and immediately returned.
His arrival spared Hideki from having to explain everything himself.
As Tsunade’s student, Orochimaru would never harm him without reason, but explaining the circumstances would still have been troublesome.
However, after Sakumo mentioned that Hideki would officially be promoted to Chunin as soon as he returned to the village, Nawaki’s cheerful smile instantly froze.
He had never imagined that while he was still proudly celebrating his chance to take the Chunin Exams, Hideki had already become a Chunin.
The enormous gap between them left even someone as optimistic as Nawaki feeling discouraged.
Afterward, Hideki returned to Konoha together with Orochimaru’s team.
Upon arriving in the village, he first went to Hiruzen Sarutobi to receive his official Chunin appointment papers and Chunin flak jacket before heading straight home.
Although he hadn’t suffered any physical injuries during the week-long mission, the constant fighting had left him mentally exhausted.
After taking a quick bath, he collapsed onto his bed and immediately fell asleep.
When he finally woke up again, it was already noon the following day.
Just then, an unusual clattering sound came from the kitchen.
Curious, Hideki slowly walked toward the source of the noise.
When he looked inside, he found Kushina wearing an apron and holding a spatula while attempting to cook…
something.
Watching Kushina busily working in the kitchen, a warm feeling naturally welled up inside Hideki’s heart.
Noticing him leaning against the doorway, Kushina immediately put down the spatula, hurried over, and wrapped her arms around him.
“You’re finally awake!
I was just about to wake you up after I finished cooking.” Hideki gently patted her head and asked softly, “Kushina, when did you get here?” “I came over right after breakfast.” “Then why didn’t you wake me?” “You looked like you were sleeping so peacefully, so I didn’t want to disturb you.
Besides, you just came back from such an important mission.” Looking down at Kushina in his arms, Hideki couldn’t help lowering his head.
Kushina’s cheeks flushed slightly as she noticed what he was about to do, but she didn’t move away.
Just as their lips were about to meet, the unmistakable smell of something burning drifted into the room.
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