NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Warmth, Then Shock
“Ugh, so annoying!” Lightning grumbled, his voice full of frustration as he reacted to the laughter of his teammates.
But his words only made them laugh even harder.
“Alright, enough. Let's clean up the battlefield,” Bear eventually ordered, bringing their laughter to an end.
The four Anbu members swiftly and skillfully destroyed or buried the bodies of the rogue ninjas they had just killed.
Afterward, they set new traps in the surrounding forest, resetting the area for potential threats.
As night fell, the weather remained gloomy. The sky was void of the moon and stars, shrouded in a blanket of oppressive darkness, like an ink-black abyss.
The ever-present mist and rain in the area only deepened the sense of suffocating bleakness, making the entire world seem swallowed by shadow, with no trace of light in sight.
The four Anbu members—Bear, Wind, Lightning, and Hui—gathered in a damp cave for the night, taking time to rest and prepare for the next day’s mission. A small campfire burned in the center, casting faint warmth and dim light that barely illuminated their surroundings.
As Anbu, they were trained to operate in the shadows. Lighting a fire outdoors was risky, as it could expose their position. Usually, they relied on their uniforms to stay warm and ate tasteless ration bars or soldier pills when they needed energy.
But tonight, they made an exception. The constant dampness of the environment had seeped into their bones, and the thick mist outside meant the light wouldn’t travel far.
Plus… tonight was a special occasion.
“Today’s New Year’s Eve,” Lightning said, tossing another piece of wood onto the fire, his voice distant as he stared into the flames. He was clearly lost in thought—homesick, perhaps.
Unlike Bear, Wind, and Hui, Lightning had a family. He had a clan. His life circumstances were not suited for an Anbu, yet here he was.
Hui heard Lightning’s words and also drifted into his thoughts. While he had no family in this world, the image of a small figure appeared in his mind.
I wonder how Tsunade is doing. Is she asleep yet? Does she miss me?
His mind wandered, thinking of the people who had become his family here—Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, Uzumaki Mito, and the other members of the Senju clan.
“Time really flies. Hard to believe it’s already been seventeen years since Konoha was founded,” Bear mused, his voice thick with nostalgia. At over forty years old, he was one of Konoha’s original shinobi and civilians.
Wind chuckled softly, his lips curving into a faint smile as though some forgotten memory had resurfaced. Despite living a solitary life without attachments, even the coldest and most isolated people had a soft spot buried deep within.
“Such an important day, and here we are, suffering in this damp cave, without even a decent meal to enjoy,” Lightning grumbled, clearly bitter about the situation. “Damn this war. I wish it would just end already!”
Lightning’s frustration boiled over, making it clear he was itching to get back to the frontlines, fight, and end the war so he could return home to Konoha.
“It’ll end,” Hui said with a soft smile. “We just have to trust the Hokage and all of our comrades in the village. Besides, the reason we’re here, enduring all of this, is so that the people back home can sit down and enjoy their dinners in peace.”
As a transmigrator who knew the events of this world, Hui was confident in Konoha’s eventual victory in the Ninja World Wars. The village wouldn’t lose.
“You really live up to your name, Light. Always so understanding,” Bear remarked, admiration evident in his voice. Initially skeptical of Hui due to his young age, Bear had quickly come to respect him.
He saw Konoha’s future in the boy, which made him more than willing to stay on the Heichuan Line rather than requesting a transfer to the frontlines.
“I believe in the Hokage too!” Lightning eagerly chimed in. He was a diehard fan of the Second Hokage—Tobirama Senju.
Suddenly, Bear turned to Hui with a curious expression. “Light, what’s your goal for the future?”
“My goal?” Hui blinked, surprised by the question. He paused for a moment to think before answering. “I guess... my goal is to protect the people I care about.”
“A noble goal,” Bear nodded thoughtfully. Then, after a brief moment of silence, he added, “Light, have you ever thought about becoming Hokage?”
Hui, Lightning, and Wind all froze at the unexpected question.
“Hokage? I’m only six years old, Captain. I’ll be seven soon, but that’s still way too far from becoming Hokage!” Hui replied, shaking his head in disbelief.
Becoming Hokage was something that had never even crossed his mind.
Not to mention, the mere thought of being buried under stacks of paperwork like the Hokages he had seen made his scalp tingle with dread. The position was far from appealing.
Bear laughed heartily. “I was just asking about your long-term goals, not suggesting you become Hokage right now! And besides, it’s not up to me who becomes Hokage anyway. If it were, I’d pick… Lightning! He’s always going on about becoming Hokage.”
Lightning puffed out his chest dramatically, sitting up straight. “If I were Hokage, no worries! Bear, you’d be the head of the Anbu. Wind, you’d be my deputy. And Light... well, I’d graciously make you the captain of Squad One.”
“Get out of here! If you became Hokage, Konoha would be doomed!” Wind scoffed, rolling his eyes. The group burst into laughter again, their teasing and banter bringing a sense of warmth to the cold, damp cave.
Despite the war, despite being away from home, their camaraderie provided a sliver of comfort on this special night.
This was what it meant to have comrades.
But then, in the midst of the lighthearted atmosphere, Hui’s expression suddenly changed. His eyes widened, and his body tensed.
He sucked in a sharp breath, his voice low and urgent. “At the entrance of the cave, ten o’clock direction. Three hundred meters away... three Jōnin... and twenty-four Chūnin.”
His words hit the group like a thunderclap.
All at once, the warmth in the cave evaporated, replaced by a chilling, suffocating tension.
Their eyes filled with shock.
