Naruto: As a genin, I just want to live a normal life.

Page 90

"However, I hope you can be like Jiraiya, occasionally sending letters back to this old man to tell him about recent events. While ensuring your own safety, you can also gather intelligence for the village..."

"I am satisfied."

"I will," Bai Xing said, bowing.

Seeing how sensible Shirahoshi was, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt immensely gratified. This reminded him of his eldest son's team becoming Chunin the previous year, and some events that occurred on the battlefield in Sunagakure with his son...

"Before I leave the village, I would like to ask you to do me a favor."

"You say."

"You should know about Shinnosuke's situation, right?"

"Uh... I don't know... Could you tell me?"

Without the command of a Level 3 commander, Shirahoshi was just an ordinary Genin, and battlefield intelligence was usually only discussed on important occasions, so Shirahoshi had no way of knowing it.

“Indeed. I believe many people will find out about this soon enough.” Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, looking forlorn as he stood by the window, his back to Shirahoshi. The white glass mirror reflected the middle-aged man's helpless and conflicted face.

"Second class."

"Everyone is disabled."

"Wh...what! How could this happen?!" Bai Xing never expected that something like this would happen in Class 2.

“You heard me right,” Hiruzen Sarutobi continued. “Nara Hayao lost an eye, Yamanaka Taichi lost a leg, and Akimichi Yumi took a secret pill made by the Akimichi clan. Even if she is saved, she can no longer be a ninja.”

"And all of this."

"Shin-chan was too complacent and let his comrade fall into the enemy's trap."

"It was also my fault; I spoiled this child too much in the past."

"Hokage-sama!" Shirahoshi interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi, bowing and saying, "Before I leave, I will try to help Shinnosuke resolve his inner conflict."

"After all, Shinnosuke and I were classmates, so it's only right that we help each other out."

"I will do my best in this matter!"

"Hmm! You're such a good kid—" Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced back at Shirahoshi, growing more and more fond of her the more he looked at her. But unfortunately, she was also a victim of the war, which prevented her from advancing in rank, or rather, made her unwilling to advance.

—As for whether he was afraid of death: given that he was able to go to the battlefield, make the decision to gather intelligence, and cover for his comrades, no one would think that way.

PS: In the original story, Sarutobi Shinnosuke is a member of the Anbu, but those who can join the Anbu are basically people who have experienced a lot of darkness, so according to the original development of this book:

Without the main character, Sarutobi Shinnosuke would be completely devastated by the fact that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio became Chunin directly after graduating in their first year, and then spent the next six months being taken to the battlefield for training, only to have them all die. In the end, under the persuasion of Sarutobi Hiruzen, he became an Anbu member to protect his comrades.

However, because the Chunin promotion was delayed by two years (they were eliminated by the protagonist in the first year, and the Uzuhara clan was promoted in the second year), the three of them did not participate in the assessment, which gave them time to develop and thus escaped a certain death.

Chapter 92 The Journey to the Ninja World: The Beginning

boom--

"Run!"

call out!

"Ahhhh-"

A kunai was stuck between the left eyes of a young man with a pineapple-shaped head, and no matter how he tried to cover it with his hand, the bleeding never stopped.

"feather!!"

"Heart to heart..."

"Get out of the way—Ninja Art: Partial Expansion Technique!"

puff!

A two-meter-tall puppet made of wood, bamboo, and a special material shot out a sharp knife from its center. The blade was covered in an unknown purple liquid and went straight into the right hand of a red-haired girl.

"Ahhhhh!!"

The pain caused the girl to withdraw her right hand, and the blond-haired man immediately abandoned his attack upon seeing this...

However, while leading his companions to safety, his left leg was severed by a suddenly appearing spiraling blade imbued with wind-style chakra...

"Hahaha--"

In a darkened room, a young man with a stubble-covered face wakes up from a nightmare.

His breathing went from rapid to steady, and his eyes went from fear and panic to blankness and numbness.

The dream is over.

But in reality, nothing has changed.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked down at his intact hands, then gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with various thoughts: visiting and apologizing to the three's parents, only to be told that Shinnosuke had also tried his best, and that the battlefield incident was no one else's fault.

"How can I accept this!"

"I should be the one who's crippled! It should be me!!"

"The son of the Hokage. Hahaha—"

How could Sarutobi Shinnosuke not understand? It was clearly because of his status as the Hokage's son that they forgave his poor command. It was his recklessness that led the team into an enemy ambush, and his arrogant charge into a one-on-one fight with a Jonin, only to find out the enemy had more than three Chunin...

After blaming himself, Sarutobi Shinnosuke got out of bed and went to the bathroom to look at his face, which hadn't been groomed for several days.

After a quick wash, I opened the door.

He glanced down and saw the food his mother had left for him last night at Biwa Lake.

"elder brother?"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke paused for a moment, then looked in the direction of the sound: there was his three-year-old brother Asuma peeking out from his room.

"Are you okay?"

Sarutobi Asuma didn't know what had happened to Sarutobi Shinnosuke, but he knew that Shinnosuke had been listless and dispirited ever since he returned home after the war, and that he had only eaten a little bit of food, even less than Asuma himself.

"No." Shinnosuke said, and then walked down the steps.

Just as he was about to reach the living room, Shinnosuke heard a familiar voice, and a flash of anger immediately crossed his eyes: "You've come to laugh at me too?! Laugh at me for being a failed ninja, a failed teacher?!"

wow-

Shinnosuke pushed open the living room door, and the people who came into view, besides his mother Biwako, were Shirahoshi and even his three students from Class 2.

"Teacher!" x3

"Shin-chan, you slept in again today, huh?" Shirahoshi said, then coughed and looked at the three of them. Among them, Nara Yu had a white bandage covering one eye on his head.

Because he was missing half a leg, Taiji Yamanaka sat on the sofa, with a metal elbow-arm crutch placed on the side of the sofa.

Because of the excessively strong Sand Cavern Toxin, the secret medicine pills were taken and the treatment was too late, Akimichi Yumi's right hand had to be amputated, so her right sleeve was empty at this moment, but her left hand was holding a gift.

Before coming over, Shirahoshi asked them for their opinions, whether they had any complaints about Shinnosuke.

However, to Bai Xing's surprise, none of the three complained. Instead, they felt relieved. They simply couldn't adapt to the battlefield environment, and it was a miracle that they were alive to return.

Not to mention, Shinnosuke, as their teacher and captain, did his best to hold off the enemy's pursuit, allowing them to wait for Konoha's reinforcements while they were unable to move, and they were successfully rescued.

"Teacher, this is our gift of gratitude. Even though we can't become ninjas, we are very grateful for your care all this time." Akimichi Yumi approached the stunned Sarutobi Shinnosuke and placed the gift in his hands. The young man's face was filled with disbelief.

"No, no, how could I be qualified? No, I'm not qualified at all..."

“Teacher, we don’t really blame you at all. In the end, it’s just that we haven’t had enough experience.” Nara Yu crossed his arms and leaned back on the sofa where Yamanaka Taichi was sitting, saying, “If we had done more missions and trained during our time as Chunin, we would have been better off.”

"Perhaps they would immediately recognize it as a trap set by the Sand Village ninja."

"Teacher! Don't let my missing leg fool you, I still have two hands, and I can still use the Mind Transfer Technique~ We're planning to open a dessert shop soon, and we'd like to invite you to come and have some~ Please don't refuse."

After finishing his sentence, Taichi Yamanaka pursed his lips and gave Shirahoshi, who maintained a smiling face, a jealous look: "You can come too. But you'll have to pay."

"?" Bai Xing stiffly tilted her head. "Why do I have to pay now?!"

"Hmph! I just don't like you." Yamanaka Taichi would never admit that he was jealous of Shirahoshi's popularity.

"You...really..."

"I really didn't blame you, Shinnosuke-sensei." Akimichi Yumi's expression softened as she took Shinnosuke's hand. "We've already thought of a name for the dessert shop the three of us are opening together: 'Dessert House.' We hope you'll visit us often, sir!"

"It definitely will. It definitely will."

"That's wonderful, Shinnosuke." Biwako wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

When Biwako saw the four off, she kept Shirahoshi behind and told her privately that she could ask her for help if she ever needed anything in the future. Shirahoshi said that it was just what she should do, and she just wanted to help Shinnosuke cheer up. After all, the village had just gone through a war and many places were short of manpower. It wouldn't be good to let her old classmate stay at home and become withdrawn.

Biwako smiled and chatted with Shirahoshi about whether she had anyone she liked, such as someone from the Sarutobi clan. Shirahoshi said no, and Biwako reluctantly let her go.

Shinnosuke overheard the entire conversation between Shirahoshi and Biwako: he then realized that Shirahoshi had gone to the hospital specifically to have the three people undergoing rehabilitation come over to comfort him.

"Hmph. Mind your own business."

"The mistakes I made are none of your business to help me with."

I will remember this favor.

"I will pay you back someday!"

After recovering, Sarutobi Shinnosuke made up his mind to carry out the most difficult task at hand, but he would leave only after the three of them had recovered, opened the shop, and attended the opening ceremony. Later, Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed to go to the border of the Fire and Wind for a long-term garrison.

Furthermore, during the subsequent trip to the border, I will use the wages I receive to have my family order a cake from 'Dessert House' once a month as an after-dinner dessert.

But this is all for later.

nowadays.

Minato Namikaze graduated ahead of schedule, while Kaori Uzumaki's level is still a bit short. Although she has reached the graduation level, the various teams and positions are still in a state of chaos.

Unlike Minato, who was Jiraiya's designated disciple and could graduate early, the others would have to wait until next year at the very least to graduate: to avoid a situation where there was no teacher to lead the group.

Furthermore, several days after the funeral, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Sakumo Hatake, who had made great contributions on the battlefield of Fire and Wind, a white sleeve: embroidered with the Hokage's uniform, which had only the meaning of a symbol of honor.

Another perspective is that this thing is quite an eyesore to those with ulterior motives.

At this moment, receiving the honor of being named Hokage's Half-Sleeve filled Sakumo Hatake with unprecedented glory and pride. Even among the onlookers, Kakashi and Mika Hatake looked at their father/husband who had received the award with great pride.

"Mother, I will become a ninja as excellent as Father in the future."

"I believe in you, Kakashi. *cough cough*"

Kakashi noticed that Mika Hatake was not feeling well and whispered, "Mother, should we go to the hospital to get her checked out? I feel like you need to have a check-up."

"No, no. Mom's perfectly fine. Cough cough cough—" Mika Hatake coughed several more times after saying that.