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

Chapter 222 If I die, even if it's Jiraiya, it's not my fault.

In the nearest dilapidated ruins to the village where Ye and the others were.

A Konoha squad of about fifteen ninjas, led by a senior ninja, advanced on their search.

Under the dim sunlight in the distance, the leader, a Konoha Jonin with a face full of scars, looked very grim. Judging from the clan crest on his shoulder, he was clearly a member of the Shimura clan.

"Damn white-haired brat, making me lead the charge," Shimura Jonin muttered resentfully.

This force was commanded and led by Jiraiya, and was used to intercept the remnants of the Rain Village and to guard against the Northern Dawn.

Therefore, this operation naturally cannot be carried out in a grand manner, nor can it be carried out in a large-scale manner into the Land of Rain.

The original intention was to take advantage of the rainy and foggy weather in the Land of Rain to silently bypass the central part of the Land of Rain, so as to avoid any risks.

But who could have imagined that after a heavy rain, the weather would turn sunny and calm.

There was no other way; thousands of people couldn't just stand there waiting. To prevent their whereabouts from being discovered, Jiraiya had no choice but to dismantle the army.

They dispersed into several detachments, and each detachment was further divided into several smaller teams, separating from the main force that was advancing at a constant speed and starting to explore from the left and right flanks respectively.

He led the largest main force in the center, advancing in a "V" shape.

The detachment's advance position is generally no more than a few kilometers away from the area where the main force is located.

This ensures that the enemy remains undetected, allows for timely support upon enemy discovery, and covers a sufficient area.

It's like a giant octopus, with several tentacles extending out, and then the main body and tentacles branching out.

If any node is attacked and encounters a potential enemy, the other tentacles can quickly gather, grab the prey, and have the main force in the middle devour it.

Under this arrangement, Shimura Jonin became the rightmost and frontmost squad.

It would be strange if he was in a good mood to be sent out to lead the charge before dawn.

Moreover, as a veteran Jonin who has been a Jonin for over a decade and has participated in over a dozen battles, he is actually very clear about his current situation.

That is, it's dangerous, very dangerous.

Jiraiya's main force was indeed not far from them, and another nearby squad could provide support at any time.

However, this also carries risks. For example, if a small squad or even a platoon were ambushed by a large number of enemies, by the time they sent out the signal and another squad arrived, their bodies would probably be cold by then.

However, from Jiraiya's perspective on the overall operation, compared to the consequences of being discovered by the enemy and causing the interception operation to fail, this potential loss was absolutely acceptable.

So, to put it nicely, their squad was like a "reconnaissance squad," but to put it bluntly, they were just there to "clear mines"—cannon fodder!

Rather than a reconnaissance team, they were more like bait thrown out. As long as an enemy dared to take the bait, the other "tentacles" would roll over, trap and devour the enemy.

This is the tragedy of being used as bait: the fish is caught, but the bait is basically useless.

"Tsk, that brat is clearly retaliating against me for questioning him in the meeting earlier."

Shimura Jonin's eyes flickered slightly as he thought to himself, "If it weren't for my useless cousin, you wouldn't have had the chance to trample on me..."

He's a seasoned veteran. Four years ago, when the Second Shinobi World War had just begun and Hanzo hadn't yet overturned the table, he was already frequently confronting the people of Sunagakure within the Land of Rain. Back then, he was also full of passion.

Fighting Sunagakure while constantly drenched in cold rain and soaked in mud was certainly tough, but what truly wore down his courage and passion was watching his comrades' corpses being stuffed into body bags and transported to the rear.

That included several of his friends from the Shimura clan, people who would never live to see the spring flowers bloom in their clan.

Terrified, he even sent a letter back to his clan, begging his elder brother Shimura Danzo to let him return to the rear, in order to leave the front lines. But the reply he received was only indifference, with no trace of kinship.

No wonder that guy dreamed of becoming Hokage but never succeeded. Look at what happened to Hiruzen Sarutobi after he became Hokage.

The Sarutobi clan transformed from a second- or third-rate ninja clan before the village's founding into a mainstay of Konoha, boasting one of the top three Jonin in the entire village.

Then look at his useless cousin. After becoming the Hokage's assistant and the leader of Root, he not only failed to fight for the clan's interests, but also acted coldly towards them. He was definitely an ungrateful wretch.

Later, he finally waited until Hanzo declared war and the stubborn Sunagakure retreated. He was finally free from the cold rain, watching his comrades lie in bed groaning in pain, and watching them rot like salted fish.

However, not long after returning to Konoha, he was transferred to become Jiraiya's subordinate because of his past experience fighting in the Land of Rain, and returned to this battlefield that was like hell...

Thinking of this, Jonin Shimura's face grew even more gloomy, and he cursed, "Aren't they just defeated soldiers from Amegakure? Aren't they just a bunch of peasants? They're not elite ninjas from Sunagakure, what can they possibly do? Is it really necessary to be so nervous?"

Thinking that he was sound asleep in his warm bed not long ago, but now he was dragged back to the battlefield in the rain to feel the fear of death, he wanted to just use a wind jutsu to shred that white-haired brat to pieces!

"Uncle... Captain Shimura."

A younger member of the same clan approached and whispered enticingly, "Why don't you rest here for a bit? We've all walked so far and are getting a little hungry."

Hearing this, the already frustrated and angry Jonin Shimura finally found an outlet for his anger, coldly rebuking, "Idiot! This is a battlefield, not your backyard. If you want to die, go find a secluded place and kill yourself!"

He did indeed resent Jiraiya and Danzo Shimura, but since he had lived this long, he wasn't stupid; he was very aware of the consequences of complacency on the battlefield.

He didn't want to become bait to be eaten, nor did he want to become a bloated, nauseating corpse soaked in the rain in these ruins, nor did he want to be eaten by those wild dogs that feed on carrion. He just wanted to live and go home!

Merit? Merit is nothing compared to my life!

He had dozens of men under Orochimaru who were rewarded for their fearlessness, but it was uncertain whether those small wooden boxes containing their remains actually contained their own!

Just as Shimura was reprimanding his junior clansman, the three-person team at the front, responsible for sensing, suddenly stopped and gestured to Shimura behind them, indicating that they had detected "enemy activity".

"Hiss! Stop!"

Upon seeing this, even the already paranoid Jonin Shimura's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly raised his hand to signal the group to halt.

Instantly, the other Konoha ninja stopped in their tracks with perfect understanding, scattered in all directions, and used their Body Flicker Technique to find suitable positions to hide and keep watch.

Just as the three-man squad was about to throw an explosive tag, a sudden noise came from that spot.

Suddenly, a filthy black dog sprang out from the ruins of the farmhouse, its eyes gleaming with a sinister and ferocious yellow light as it turned to look in their direction.

"Little Black! Run!"

At the command given in a young, trembling voice, the black dog darted out without hesitation.

Swish! !

Without hesitation, the Shimura Chunin swung his arm, and two kunai slashed through the air with a sharp whistling sound as they shot towards the black dog.

Even from a distance of over 100 meters, and even in dim lighting, the gun still managed to hit the black dog accurately, but only in the thigh.

"Aww!"

All that could be heard was a pitiful howl, but the dark figure did not stop at all, struggling to get up and continue to flee.

By this time, it was too late for Xiao Shi to run away.

With a single blink, the three Konoha ninjas blocked Xiaoshi from three directions.

No matter how precocious Xiao Shi was, he was still just a seven-year-old commoner. Surrounded by three Konoha ninjas wielding weapons, the fear that came from his very bones made his legs almost stiff, and he stumbled and fell to the ground after taking a few steps back.

"Phew! Thank goodness. I thought it was someone important, but it was just a kid and a black dog."

Upon seeing the two figures that had suddenly appeared, Jonin Shimura involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief, then stopped the ninjas who had drawn their weapons, saying, "Don't kill that brat, capture him alive."

He certainly wasn't pitying the brat who was obviously a commoner from the Land of Rain; he just wanted to take this opportunity to find out the location of the nearest settlement from the brat.

In any case, a commoner kid wouldn't pose any threat to them. A few candies would be enough to get him to tell the truth, and once they found the nearest settlement, they could rest there for a while.

"Captain Shimura," the Shimura clan chunin licked his lips and whispered, "I'm about to throw up from eating soldier rations these past few days. What do you think of that dog...?"

Upon hearing this, Shimura licked his lips unconsciously.

They have been on the battlefield for almost a month. Although they can occasionally chew on some jerky, they eat soldier's rations most of the time.

Soldier rations are food that ninjas eat when they go out to fight. They are made from powdered carrots, buckwheat flour, wheat flour, sweet potatoes, licorice, Job's tears, glutinous rice flour and other ingredients.

Similar to compressed dry rations, although they can instantly restore chakra and fill you up, the taste is really unpleasant and hard to swallow, and eating too much will cause indigestion.

That's not all; what's even more unbearable is the weather.

Damn the Land of Rain! Even though the sun is still shining, it keeps drizzling, and the ground is all muddy. He's barely dry, feeling like a moldy salted fish, smelly and rotten.

However, he was a ninja after all. If he hadn't mentioned it, they could have endured it. But they were still human, and humans get tired and hungry. When reminded by his subordinate, their desires, which had been dormant for several days, surged wildly.

The most primitive instinct of living organisms is not reproduction, but to ingest food to obtain energy for survival.

If a campfire were lit and succulent dog meat were roasted over it, just imagining the fragrant dog meat glistening with oil on the fire would make Jonin Shimura's saliva start to flow.

"We're ninjas, haven't you forgotten the three ninja prohibitions? Material things will numb a ninja's heart. Don't let me hear such complaints again!"

Shimura Jonin sternly reprimanded him with a righteous tone, his face full of fat, and then said seriously, "That dog might run home. Take a three-person team to scout over there... and remember to bring it back."

"yes!"

Knowing that he had agreed to his suggestion, Shimura Shinobu was overjoyed and accepted.

Watching him lead three ninjas in pursuit of the direction the wounded black dog had fled, Jonin Shimura breathed a slight sigh of relief and turned to the others, ordering, "The rest of you, rest where you are, conserve your energy, and be on guard."

After saying that, he looked around and his gaze settled on a ruin that was more than five meters high. It looked like a once well-off family’s house, or even the former residence of a merchant.

But now, it all no longer exists. It seems to have been turned into scorched earth by fire-style ninjutsu. Most of the village has been destroyed.

In that courtyard, now reduced to ruins and broken walls, only one house remained connected to the other half, its main beam lying on the ground, stubbornly supporting the wall that should have been washed away.

However, this sturdy courtyard wall can serve as cover, blocking most attacks even if enemies suddenly appear.

After confirming that there was no one there and no danger, Jonin Shimura kicked open the dilapidated wooden door, plopped down, and leaned against the relatively dry wall.

Bang!

A ninja dragged a small stone and threw it in front of him, but the brat seemed to be terrified and kept his head down.

"Hey, be gentle, he's just a child, not an enemy."

Shimura, feigning displeasure, criticized his subordinate, then looked at the disheveled Koishi and, trying his best to soften his tone, asked with a smile, "Child, are you lost?"

Seeing that the brat was too scared to run away, and realizing that their captain was planning to use a trick, the other ninjas stopped paying attention to this side and instead found their own guard posts to rest.

However, when asked by Jonin Shimura, Koishi kept his mouth shut and remained silent.

"If you don't go home for too long, your parents will worry," Shimura Jonin continued with a smile. "Tell me where you live, and I'll send someone to take you home."

"..." Xiao Shi still pursed her lips, lowered her head, and whispered, "I don't have parents..."

Upon hearing this, Shimura Jonin was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered and sighed, "Her parents are dead? What a pitiful child."

As he spoke, he reached out to touch Xiao Shi's head, but the moment he raised his hand, Xiao Shi timidly took a few steps back to avoid him.

Jonin Shimura didn't care and lowered his hand that was hanging in mid-air.

"Although I hate that white-haired brat, I am a person who knows the rules."

With a smile on his face, he stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and said, "Since he said not to kill innocent civilians indiscriminately, then even if you don't want to talk, I won't kill you..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shi's tense body subconsciously relaxed, but what he heard next made him tremble again.

"As ninjas, we have many methods, even capable of making the dead speak."

The Jonin Shimura's eyes were devoid of any smile as he looked down at Koishi and said, "I hope that you, as a commoner brat, can survive this process."

"If I die, even if it's Jiraiya, it's not my fault."

(End of this chapter)