"Show?"
Minato Namikaze didn't understand what Haruki meant, but the confidence in his words was obvious.
Could it be?
He was extremely smart and quickly thought that Haruki's great confidence either meant he had his own means or there were ninjas secretly protecting them.
But he inclined to the latter.
Because Haruki was one of the Twin Gems of Konoha.
Medical ninjas were quite rare.
Tsunade once established three major principles to protect medical ninjas.
Simply put, no matter what situation they encountered, medical ninjas must be the last to fall in battle.
This was especially true during a great war.
Medical ninjas wouldn't be sent to dangerous places.
Minato Namikaze took a deep breath and asked, "Teacher, is there someone protecting us?"
Haruki shook his head and said, "No protection. Even the Hokage doesn't know I'm out on a mission. So where would the protection come from?"
Minato Namikaze's heart skipped a beat.
The last two years were the most intense period of the war between Konoha Village and Sunagakure.
Originally, under the leadership of The Third Kazekage, known as the strongest Kazekage, and the siblings Chiyo and Ebizo, they hoped to end the war in one battle. But after a long - standing stalemate, it had turned into the current local war.
Although the situation had eased, Sunagakure was still an enemy.
The fates of him and Haruki were obvious.
Haruki didn't explain either.
Looking at the cautious way the Sand Ninjas were advancing, he couldn't help but smile.
The people coming were not afraid of his strength but worried that he would escape.
Over the years, even though he hadn't killed a single Sand Ninja, his role was no less important than that of any Jonin.
He had saved many Konoha ninjas who would have died.
"Don't worry. Teacher won't harm you."
Haruki's calm voice rang in his ear.
Minato Namikaze felt a little more at ease.
"Teacher, should we set up booby traps?"
"No need to waste time."
Haruki pointed at the corpses on the ground and said, "With this time, let's do something more meaningful, like having a class."
"..."
Minato Namikaze twitched the corner of his mouth. He realized how carefree Haruki was, but this made him feel even safer.
"Do you know why they became bandits?"
Haruki really started the class.
Minato Namikaze subconsciously looked at the still - burning base.
The flames mixed with the tragic scene made one think of the word "hell" for no reason.
"War."
Minato Namikaze thought for a moment and gave his answer.
"Right. They used to live in peace and contentment like us, but the war made them homeless. Unable to make a living, they had no choice but to turn to a life of crime. Since they weren't ninjas, they could only target ordinary civilians."
Haruki's eyes were calm, and he asked again, "Minato, what do you think is the relationship between the Land of Fire and Konoha Village?"
Minato Namikaze hesitated and said, "They should be allies."
Allies?
In the original story, the Fire Daimyo seemed to be on an equal footing with the Hokage in the early stage, and even slightly superior. But in the later stage, he became a heartless pawn.
When it came to choosing a new Hokage or being asked for money, he probably only said things like 'I'm with that' and 'I agree'.
"The correct way to put it is that Konoha is a military organization of the Land of Fire with a certain degree of independence. The Land of Fire provides economic support for Konoha, and in return, Konoha protects the Land of Fire."
Haruki read out the explanation from the original story in a rote manner.
"Minato, do you think the Hokage should protect Konoha Village or the Land of Fire?"
Minato Namikaze looked startled.
He had never considered this question before.
Or rather, no ninja would ever think about such a question.
During the Second Great Ninja War, the ones who died the most were not ninjas, but the civilians in the Land of Rain.
But no one cared.
"Should protect both?"
Minato Namikaze's tone was somewhat uncertain.
"Protect? What have we protected? Is this devastated situation the result of our protection?" Haruki retorted.
Minato Namikaze couldn't help but say, "This isn't just the fault of our Konoha."
"You're right. It's a problem of the whole world."
Haruki looked at the distant blue sky and the approaching Sand Ninjas.
"Minato, if one day you become the Hokage, will you only shelter the tens of thousands of people in Konoha Village?"
"Of course not."
Following Haruki's line of sight, Minato could already clearly see the faces of the Sand Ninjas. Trying to calm his nerves, he said, "I'll also try my best to protect the civilians in the Land of Fire."
"Is that all?" Haruki let out a soft chuckle. "If you only provide protection, they'll still live in poverty. To truly solve the problem, you have to do more."
Minato Namikaze looked a bit confused.
The education he'd received had never told him how to do this.
"There are tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of civilians in the Land of Fire. They're just like you, but they lack opportunities. If these civilians become ninjas, even the most ordinary Genin, they'll stir up a tempestuous storm and form a vast ocean - like power."
Minato Namikaze imagined such a scene and couldn't help but feel a sense of fear.
He suddenly understood Haruki a bit.
But precisely because he understood, he felt a mix of bewilderment and shock.
He also quickly realized the difficulty, which was even more troublesome than becoming the Hokage.
"Shh." Haruki put his index finger to his lips and smiled. "Today's lesson is over."
With a flash of white light, more than a dozen ninjas from Sunagakure surrounded them.
"Lord Haruki, long time no see. You probably never thought you'd end up in my hands, right?"
The leader of the Sand Ninjas showed a smug look. Catching him would be a great achievement. "Do you still remember me?"
Oh!
Haruki pondered for a moment, then looked up and suddenly realized.
"Oh, I remember. You're the one who had a one - on - one fight with the Legend of the White Fang and almost got sliced to death."
The smile on the Sand Ninja leader's face froze instantly.
He said furiously, "Bastard! I'm Nobu Arimura! I'm the one who'll kill you today!"
Haruki calmly said, "Why bother remembering a dying man?"
"Humph! You're still being stubborn even when you're about to die."
Nobu Arimura took a deep breath. His expression changed like a Sichuan opera face - changing act, and he suddenly burst into laughter. "I'll see if your other parts are as tough as your mouth today!"
After he finished speaking, the group of Sand Ninjas also laughed.
Haruki remained unmoved.
Seeing that Haruki didn't react at all, Nobu Arimura felt like he was talking to a brick wall and thought he himself was a fool.
"Stop laughing!"
He waved his hand forcefully, stopping the ninjas behind him. Then he looked at Haruki and said,
"No wonder you're one of the Twin Gems of Konoha. You've been through so much, and even now, you're still so calm. I'm actually quite impressed. If it weren't for you and Princess Tsunade turning the tables and breaking Lady Chiyo's poison back then, your Konoha would have been defeated long ago. What a pity, such a great person is going to die at my hands."
Haruki was too lazy to talk to him anymore. He casually took out a kunai from his satchel.
"Kunai? Are you joking?"
Nobu Arimura mocked, "A medical ninja picking up a kunai. It seems that Lord Haruki isn't as calm as you appear. Well, let me send you off then!"
An invisible whirlwind began to spin.
In an instant, a huge amount of chakra blew away the remaining wood ashes in the bandit camp, and the ashes flew up into the sky layer by layer.
Minato Namikaze's body trembled suddenly.
He deeply felt the strength of the jonin across from him at this moment.
Without knowing much about Haruki, he couldn't help but feel worried.
"Minato."
Haruki stood in front of him, his expression unchanged. "Watch closely."
"What?"
Because of the howling wind, Minato Namikaze shouted loudly.
Haruki casually raised his hand, and the kunai flew towards the center of the wind pressure.
Nobu Arimura showed a cruel smile.
Wind Release: Blade of Wind!
An A-rank Ninjutsu.
He released his hand, and the wind in front of him expanded rapidly in an extremely exaggerated way, bursting out terrifying waves.
The transparent wind turned into countless blades.
But the kunai still penetrated the wind curtain.
Nobu Arimura was slightly stunned.
But then he didn't care anymore. Although he didn't know why this kunai wasn't shattered, Haruki definitely could be.
However, the next moment.
It was like the clouds breaking and the sun rising. A white flash shot straight into the sky.
Haruki suddenly appeared above the kunai.
Nobu Arimura looked at him, and his thoughts couldn't even catch up.
Silver-brilliant chakra gathered in Haruki's hand, like a blue star on a summer night, and then crashed into Nobu Arimura's head.
The skin split open, the bone marrow exploded, and the flesh flew everywhere.
The kunai turned back.
The white flash vanished in a cloud of blood mist and then reappeared in another.
Minato Namikaze watched this scene in shock.
The kunai was like a death talisman.
There was only death.
In the end, all he could see was the white flash.
Haruki stopped in front of Minato Namikaze, with the kunai on his index finger. He smiled faintly, with not a single drop of blood on him.
The warm sunlight shone on him.
"Wanna learn? I'll teach you."