Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 219 The Three from Konoha, My Name is Night

Even after winter sets in, the leaves remain bright and full of life.

Even if there is snow, no one would associate him with words like cold or hunger.

A man dressed in a black combat suit with a green vest in the Konoha uniform and a high black ponytail stood at the main gate of Konoha, looking out at the forest that was already covered with a layer of snow.

Just then, a light footstep sounded behind him, and he instinctively turned his head to look at the source of the sound.

Upon seeing the familiar figure in the long white robe, the man exclaimed in surprise, "Hiruko? I never expected that the person the Third Hokage made me wait for would be you."

Hiruko tied the Konoha headband around his neck, looked at the man expressionlessly, and said in a detached tone, "Nara Shizuku, I didn't expect the Third Hokage to send you with me."

The two were classmates in the same year, but Hiruko had only recently been promoted to Jonin, while Nara Shizuku was already an elite qualified to participate in the Jonin Conference.

Nara Saltwater had a deep impression of Hiruko. Back in the Ninja Academy, Hiruko was an eccentric person who gave people a gloomy feeling, but his talent was not particularly outstanding.

If someone with talent like Orochimaru is unconventional, that's called the aloofness of a genius.

However, for someone like Hiruko, who lacks talent, to be unconventional can only be described as being a loner.

"It's quite a coincidence. We haven't seen each other for so long. I never expected to meet again in this kind of setting."

Nara Shizuku didn't think much of Hiruko, and casually said politely, "Didn't you have a good relationship with Orochimaru and Jiraiya when you were in school? It seems we'll have to rely on you for this trip to the front lines."

However, upon hearing his words, Hiruko's already cold face darkened, and a trace of jealousy and malice flashed in his red eyes as he looked at Nara Salt Water.

He was indeed a friend of Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru at the Ninja Academy, but this already limited friendship disappeared long after graduation when the three became disciples of the Third Hokage.

He is not Jiraiya, he doesn't have Jiraiya's good fortune, he is not Orochimaru, he doesn't have Orochimaru's talent, and he is not Tsunade, he doesn't have Tsunade's background.

He was just a commoner ninja without any talent, an insignificant figure in the entire Hidden Leaf Village. His greatest achievement in this life was probably becoming a Jonin. How could he compare to those three with unlimited potential?

During this time, Hiruko often heard news of Jiraiya and his two companions from other people, praising their illustrious achievements and dazzling glory.

On the contrary, he gradually faded into obscurity. The difference between him and the others was like heaven and earth. Over time, his feelings towards the three of them gradually changed from envy to resentment, and he attributed his ordinariness to the injustice of fate and Konoha.

And what he hates most are guys like Nara Shizuku who come from ninja clans!

"Heh heh." Hiruko chuckled darkly, ignoring Nara Shizuku's polite words, and said coldly, "Hasn't that last guy arrived yet?"

Konoha's tradition is to form teams of three, and it's clear that one person is still missing.

Sensing Hiruko's indifference, Nara Shizuku shrugged nonchalantly, clasped his hands behind his head, and said, "They're probably on their way already, after all, there's still half a day until the agreed time..."

Before he could finish speaking, a slight tremor suddenly came from beneath his feet, causing him to swallow the rest of his words and look up at the village in the distance.

"Aaaaaaaah! I'm here! The front lines! The battlefield!!"

Suddenly, a tall cloud of dust rose from the street as a green figure came charging towards them, accompanied by a strangely passionate howl.

"...Who is that guy?"

From afar, Hiruko could clearly see the man's attire: a comical green bodysuit, a ridiculous hairstyle, and thick eyebrows.

"I remember it was..." Nara Shizuku opened her mouth, "Might Guy? How could it be him? Wait, if I remember correctly, this operation was supposed to be classified, right?"

Matt Dae?

Hiruko pondered for a moment, then frowned and said, "I don't recall any Jonin dressed like this."

"He's a genin."

Hearing Nara Shizuku's slightly helpless tone, Hiruko immediately looked at him with a strange expression.

"He is indeed a genin." Nara Shizuku shrugged. "And because he only knows taijutsu, he hasn't passed the Chunin Exams for several years, and people even ridicule him as a 'perennial genin'."

"..." Hiruko was speechless for a moment.

If he didn't know Nara Shizuku's character, he would have thought the other person was joking.

Genin?

Or is he just a genin who only knows taijutsu and is ridiculed as a "perennial genin"?

Should we send this piece of trash on an S-class mission with them?

Was the Third Hokage joking?

Under the strange gazes of Hiruko and Nara Shizuku, the figure stood panting in front of them.

"Hoo! Hoo! You must be my companions?"

Might Guy, panting heavily, grinned at Hiruko and the other man, his white teeth gleaming brightly: "Hello, I'm Might Guy, skilled in Konoha Fluid Techniques. Nice to meet you!"

"Konoha-style taijutsu?" Nara Shizuka was taken aback, then asked instinctively, "Does Konoha have this kind of taijutsu style?"

"It didn't exist before, but it does now!" Might Guy struck a pose, grinning, "I created it!"

"..."

His teeth are so bright, and what's with that intimate tone? It feels so weird. Is this guy an idiot?

A similar thought flashed through Nara Shizuku's mind when he saw Might Guy raise both hands holding the pastry box, grinning and saying, "This is a gift for meeting you, please accept it."

The cake was clearly fresh out of the oven, as it was still steaming.

"……Thanks."

Nara Salt Water's eye twitched. After hesitating for a moment, she accepted it out of politeness and couldn't help but ask, "You ran so fast just now, were you worried the cake would get cold?"

Matt Day scratched his head, looking puzzled, and asked, "How did you know?"

Looking at Might Guy, who exuded a silly aura, Nara Shizuku still thought he was unreliable, but her impression of him improved slightly. She took the initiative to smile and said, "My name is Nara Shizuku. I am skilled in shadow magic. Nice to meet you."

Please give me your guidance.

Might Guy flashed his white teeth again and muttered to himself, "Nara Saltwater, so it's the Nara clan. Minato was right, the Nara clan are all very clever."

After saying that, he turned to look at Hiruko, who hadn't said a word, and handed him the cake, grinning, "This is for you."

"I'm saying you..."

Hiruko didn't take the cake. Instead, she looked at him coldly and said, "If you don't have the talent to become a ninja, you should just give up. I bet you can't even afford to eat."

Upon hearing this, Matt Day paused for a moment, but quickly broke into a bright smile: "Youth is about striving. Even if you end up achieving nothing, at least you leave behind evidence that you lived. Effort will never betray you!"

After saying that, he flashed a set of beautiful white teeth, gave a thumbs-up, and winked at Hiruko: "Don't worry, although I don't know ninjutsu or genjutsu, that's precisely why I can put all my efforts into taijutsu."

"If we ever encounter enemies or danger, I will never hold you back! My youth is about never giving up!"

A blast of cold air shot straight to Nara Shiso's head, causing him to involuntarily gasp and rub his arms, which were covered in goosebumps.

He's fallen into his habit of embarrassing others again.

This guy in front of me isn't young, so why is he still such a hot-blooded idiot?

Given Hiruko's personality, it's impossible for him to accept such a guy's kindness, right?

However, upon hearing Mighty's inexplicable words, Hiruko remained silent for a long time.

"Useless effort...it's disgusting."

A moment later, he uttered a sentence with a cold expression, a strange light flashing in his red eyes.

However, under Nara Shizuku's astonished gaze, she still accepted the cake from Might Guy, walked out of the Konoha gates without looking back, and said indifferently, "Hurry up and leave."

Might Guy blinked, clenched his fist, and raised his arm: "Whoa! Let's go!"

Having said that, he quickly followed, standing shoulder to shoulder with Beiruhu.

"Hey, Hiruko-senpai, what are you good at?"

"...Medical ninjutsu."

"Really? What a coincidence! My wife is also very skilled in medical ninjutsu."

"...You talk too much nonsense."

Looking at the two completely different yet strangely matched figures behind her, Nara Shizuku raised her hand and slapped her forehead.

What a terrible combination.

I have a feeling this mission won't go too smoothly.

--------

The Land of Rain, on the riverbank that divides the north and south.

"Little Stone! Aren't you going home yet? The floodwaters are rising!"

"Okay, Grandma, I'll go back after I get the water!"

The boy, called "Little Stone," put down the bucket on his shoulder, sat on the hillside slightly out of breath, and looked out at the rushing river in the distance. A big black dog sat down beside him with its tongue lolling out.

Although Xiao Shi had promised the old woman in the village that he would go back early, he now wanted to rest here for a while, since he didn't know when the rain would stop again.

He is seven years old this year. His parents died a few years ago from an illness. They sold almost everything they could to pay for his medical treatment, leaving him, his sister, and his grandfather with a house that could barely keep them sheltered from the wind and rain.

Oh, right, there's also a black dog he named "Little Black".

There was a time when the family was starving and almost slaughtered the black dog for meat, but he and his sister protected it so that their grandfather could spare its life.

Xiao Shi witnessed his parents being tormented to death by illness. At that time, not only his parents but also many other villagers died from that strange disease.

My grandfather told me that a doctor, a man and a woman, once passed through their village with their daughter. The couple were really good people; they treated the villagers for free, but unfortunately, they couldn't cure the strange disease in the end.

The male doctor even contracted the disease and unfortunately died in their village, while the female doctor disappeared the next day, leaving the village without saying goodbye with her daughter.

"This world, this country, is terminally ill and beyond saving," Grandpa said.

At that time, young Shi didn't understand what it meant. Now he is the main breadwinner of the family. He can fetch water for the family, take the black dog named "Xiao Hei" to sell firewood, and then rush home to cook for his younger sister.

Therefore, he also heard a lot of news from adults.

Some say that on the other side of this river lives a group of rebels, and the people there are suffering terribly. Others say that everyone there is doing well, with enough to eat and wear, and a fulfilling life, without having to live in fear of war.

Xiao Shi is considered a poor child who has matured early, far more mature and sensible than children his age. It's unclear whether the rumors are true or false.

Although the daimyo had already sent people to guard the riverbank and prevent people from crossing the river, many desperate people who wanted to take a gamble still secretly built boats to cross the river.

At least half of the people in their village have left, most of them having lost their families and having no ties to them.

The rest are mostly families, with the elderly and the young, having nowhere else to go, so they have no choice but to stay.

Xiao Shi also wanted to go and see, but his younger sister was too young and his grandfather was in poor health, so he had to give up the idea.

However, as long as Grandpa and his sister are healthy and happy, Xiao Shi feels that it's all worth it.

Thinking of this, Xiao Shi turned to look at the black dog, reached out and touched its swollen belly, and encouraged it, "Little Black, you must have a lot of puppies, then we can go to the city to sell them and give you extra meat!"

"Woof woof woof!"

The black dog, upon hearing that it could eat meat, barked a few times with its tongue lolling out, completely unaware that its little master had already set his sights on its unborn cub.

Suddenly, the black dog looked behind Xiao Shi, its body tensed instantly, and its originally docile eyes turned fierce.

Xiao Shi reacted almost instantly and reached for his waist with his right hand without hesitation.

But the next moment, just as he was about to get up and draw the tattered knife from his waist, a hand was placed on his shoulder.

That undeniable force pressed him to the spot, making his hand, which was already gripping the broken knife, tense up in place.

"Little Stone, it's me."

Hearing the person behind him mention his nickname, Xiao Shi turned around in surprise and saw a very familiar face that had lost its youthful innocence.

"You, you are..." Xiao Shi paused for a moment, then the face quickly matched the one in his memory. He exclaimed in surprise, "You're Skinny Monkey!"

Hearing him call out his nickname, the boy couldn't help but twitch his eye. He turned his head and, sure enough, saw the strange looks from his companions.

"Pfft!"

Finally, someone couldn't help but laugh and joked, "Captain Hu Ping, why does he call you Skinny Monkey?"

These words immediately drew laughter from everyone else, filling the air with a joyful atmosphere.

"Laugh, laugh, laugh! I'll let you laugh your fill when we get back!" Hu Ping's face immediately darkened, and he slapped Xiao Shi's head impatiently. "And you, you brat, I'm changing my name to Hu Ping now, and you're not allowed to call me by my nickname anymore!"

"Oh yeah, you've gotten so much stronger, Tiger Ping." Xiao Shi rubbed his head, grinned sheepishly for a moment, and then asked in confusion, "Didn't you go to the north? When did you come back?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Ping did not answer, but instead turned to look at the figure to the side.

"Your name is Xiao Shi, right?"

A voice, somewhat cold but conveying a sense of peace, came from behind, and a broad figure cast a shadow that enveloped Xiao Shi.

He subconsciously turned his head to look, but only saw a black robe. When he looked up again, he saw that somewhat ordinary face and those scarlet vertical pupils that seemed to have some words engraved on them.

"My name is Night, the traitor those nobles call me." He gently patted Little Stone's head with his large hand and smiled slightly. "The enemies of the Rain Kingdom are coming soon. Could you help me notify your village to evacuate?"

(End of this chapter)