Chapter 37: An Internal Team Discussion

Konoha’s White Fang, Sakumo Hatake—a ninja who abandoned his mission for the sake of his comrades and ultimately took his own life in atonement.

Their own team had just done something strikingly similar, yet in a far more wretched manner. Not only had they failed their mission, but they had also abandoned the very comrade they were tasked with rescuing. Was this not a far more egregious act than that of Sakumo Hatake?

Yuhi Shinku and Kawaki Aoba both understood what Kurenai was worried about, though they also knew her concerns were largely misplaced; such a fate could never befall someone like Yuhi Shinku. Though he felt a twinge of shame, Shinku had to admit that he lacked the standing to warrant the treatment Lord Sakumo Hatake had received. As a Jonin—and certainly no fool—Shinku had long since pieced together the truth behind the White Fang incident. It was nothing more than the result of petty infighting among the village’s elite. Furthermore, the White Fang did not have to die. He believed that no matter how despicable the village leadership might be, they could never have intended for him to perish. Yet, who could have guessed that a ninja as formidable as the White Fang would prove to be so "fragile"? It was a tragedy that no one had wanted to witness.

Shaking off these stray thoughts, Shinku turned his gaze toward Kawaki Aoba. He was satisfied with the boy's strength and potential; his performance was consistently impressive, and he possessed the ruthlessness required in critical moments. Still, Shinku wanted to test him.

"Aoba, this is the first mission failure for our team since its formation. What is your take on this?"

Aoba was taken aback for a moment. Not overthinking it and assuming Shinku-sensei was merely trying to put Kurenai at ease, he replied directly, "Though I feel ashamed that our lack of strength led to the mission's failure and prevented us from saving our comrade from Konoha, if given another chance, I would make the same choice again. Because, in my view, it was the only correct decision."

"You all saw the Third Kazekage puppet in the hands of Sasori of the Red Sand, didn't you? Compared to our current mission, bringing that intelligence back to the village for the Hokage to see was clearly of far greater importance."

Aoba paused, deciding to insert some of his own foresight. Although he had forgotten the exact date the Third Great Ninja War began, he was well aware that the disappearance of the Third Kazekage was the spark that ignited it. Since they had encountered Sasori—who had defected while carrying the Third Kazekage’s puppet—it stood to reason that the Third Great Ninja War could erupt at any moment. Aoba felt he should provide some warning to Konoha, which seemed blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation.

Why was Aoba so certain Konoha was ignorant? The answer was sitting right next to him. Aoba glanced at Asuma Sarutobi. Indeed, if Hiruzen Sarutobi had truly realized that the Third Great Ninja War was imminent, he would never have allowed Asuma to come to such a dangerous place as the Land of Wind for a mission, let alone without a squad of Anbu for protection.

Before he could continue, Asuma, who had been sitting in silence, interjected. "Is intelligence prioritized over the mission and our comrades from the village? Aoba, your perspective is far too extreme." Asuma frowned at him.

With words and expressions like that, Aoba didn't even need to ponder it to know that Asuma was trapped in his own idealism. However, the topic he raised suited Aoba just fine.

"What are you thinking, Asuma? Nothing is absolute. Intelligence and missions both have their priorities, and as for comrades, there are degrees of closeness. For instance, if you were in danger, I would choose to save you first, even at the risk of failing to deliver intelligence back to the village. But as for strangers in the village—and it sounds cruel to say this—I’m sorry, but I truly cannot sacrifice my life to save them. In the situation we just faced, the value of bringing that intelligence back to the village far outweighed the life of that spy."

Hearing the first half of the sentence, Asuma had felt relieved, thinking his friend hadn't turned into such a cold, unfeeling person. But upon hearing Aoba claim that intelligence was more important than life, his heart sank once more.

"Asuma, you want to refute me, don't you?" Sensing Asuma's emotions clearly through his Observation Haki, Aoba simply smiled and voiced the thoughts for him. This left Asuma speechless.

All three members of the team turned their eyes toward Aoba. Under their gaze, the smile on Aoba’s face gradually faded.

"Shinku-sensei, what do you think would happen to a village that lost its Kage?" Aoba asked.

Shinku frowned. He had been pondering this himself: what would Sunagakure do now that they had lost the Third Kazekage? Recalling the specific instructions the Hokage had given before they left Konoha, Shinku tentatively replied, "They would provoke conflicts at the borders of the two nations, giving the village a chance to vent its unstable emotions while simultaneously demonstrating their strength to the other villages."

Heaven help him, this was the absolute limit of what Shinku could imagine based on the intelligence he possessed. Aoba, however, clearly disagreed with this assessment. Or, more precisely, he felt Shinku-sensei’s perspective was far too conservative.

"It seems you are underestimating the importance of this intelligence, Shinku-sensei. If I am not mistaken, the Third Great Ninja War is likely upon us."

"Ahem, Aoba," Shinku’s mouth twitched as he quickly interrupted. "I understand your desire as a young person to express your views, but that is simply too absurd. The Third Kazekage was killed by their own genius, Sasori of the Red Sand, and turned into a human puppet. While that is indeed shocking, to suggest that this alone would trigger a Great Ninja War..."

Shinku trailed off, but Aoba understood the rest of his sentiment regardless of whether it was spoken. He felt helpless; he knew the future, yet due to his age, he found it difficult to convince even his own teacher. It was a frustrating experience. But no matter how difficult it might be, he was determined to try.

"Shinku-sensei, please don't refute me yet. And you two, don't make those faces. Listen to my analysis carefully. Sunagakure is different from our Konoha. Without the Third Kazekage, their supreme leader, it will be difficult for them to speak with one voice. At this point, divisions will emerge, and they will likely split into at least two factions."

In truth, if one were to speak of internal unity, the situation within Konoha was actually far more chaotic than in Sunagakure, but Aoba certainly couldn't say that.