northernbook Chapter 242 The Northwest Wind, A Game of Chess
Chapter 242 The Northwest Wind, A Game of Chess
The Land of Fire, on its northwestern border.
The wind here seems to never stop.
They rolled down from the barren, rocky mountains of the Land of Earth, carrying dry dust and biting cold, sweeping across the rolling hills with mournful cries.
Unlike the humid, salty, and bustling waters of the Land of Whirlpools, this place is filled with extreme desolation and tranquility.
Not far from a heavily guarded temporary camp, on a rocky mountain eroded by the wind, there was a simple stone table.
On the stone table, a chessboard with crisscrossing lines is carved.
The black and white chess pieces are engaged in a silent battle on the board.
"hey-hey……"
A young man with striking white hair scratched his head and stared at his precarious dragon on the chessboard, grimacing for a long time.
Taking advantage of the moment when the person opposite him picked up his teacup, he quickly moved his fingers, took back a move, and moved a black piece out of a hopeless situation.
Sitting opposite him was Konoha's advisor elder, Mitokado Homura.
He put down his teacup and pushed up his glasses.
The lenses reflected the hazy light of the sky, making it impossible to discern his emotions behind them.
Mitokado Yan didn't reprimand the young man for his little tricks, and didn't even flinch.
He simply picked up a white piece from the chess box.
"Snap—"
The white piece landed precisely on the spot where the young man had just moved his piece, sealing off all avenues of survival once again.
The movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
"Ugh!"
Sitting opposite him was a boisterous young man with long white hair and a Konoha headband on his forehead. He sighed heavily and slumped down on the stone bench.
"Elder Yan, you're really showing me no respect! I haven't played chess in years, can't you let me, a junior, have a turn?"
Mitomon Yan picked up his teacup and blew on it to cool it down.
"On the battlefield, will the enemy show mercy just because you haven't fought for a few months?"
Jiraiya pursed his lips and muttered, "How can that be the same? This isn't a battlefield."
"The chessboard is the battlefield, Jiraiya."
Mitokado Homura took a sip of hot tea, his voice calm, "Any bit of luck or negligence could lead to total defeat."
"Okay, okay."
Jiraiya immediately sat up straight, adopting a serious and earnest demeanor, but that expression only lasted for less than three seconds before he grinned again, "I'm just learning the essence of troop deployment from you."
Mitokado Yan glanced at him and didn't continue the topic.
He understands Jiraiya.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, with a quirky and seemingly unreliable personality, but with his own principles deep down.
Asking him to sit here quietly and play chess is indeed putting him in a difficult position.
"Did the Hokage send you?" Mitokado Homura changed the subject.
"Of course!"
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya immediately perked up, puffed out his chest, and spoke with a smug look on his face.
"The teacher said that the responsibility on the Northwest front is heavy, and we must send a top-tier ninja who possesses both strength and wisdom, and is both handsome and dashing, to help!"
"After much deliberation, he concluded that in the entire Hidden Leaf Village, besides himself, only I could shoulder this heavy responsibility!"
Mitokado Yan held the teacup with a steady hand, as firm as a rock.
He didn't even flinch at Jiraiya's boasting.
"To be honest," he said calmly.
Jiraiya's smile froze, and he awkwardly touched his nose.
"Okay, okay."
He regained some of his composure. "The main purpose is to bring my disciples out to broaden their horizons and let them experience the atmosphere of a real battlefield."
"I spent a lot of time in the Land of Rain recently, watching it rain every day. I was getting moldy and hadn't seen the sun in ages."
As he spoke, he waved to someone not far away.
"Hey...you guys come over here!"
On the other side, two small figures stood up upon hearing the sound and jogged over.
They were two children with rather youthful faces, a boy and a girl, dressed in thick clothes, which Jiraiya had personally chosen for them.
The boy had striking orange short hair, while the girl had smooth blue short hair.
They were all rather thin, a result of years of malnutrition.
But the two children stood up straight.
"oh?"
Mitokado Yan's gaze shifted from the chessboard to the two children.
As an advisor elder of Konoha, having handled countless war-related incidents, he could tell at a glance that these two children were war orphans.
Only children who struggle to survive in the flames of war possess a temperament that is unusual for their age, a mixture of vigilance and resilience.
"Elder Yan, let me introduce you!"
Jiraiya grabbed the two children and pushed them in front of him, his face filled with undisguised pride.
"These are my disciples whom I took in the Land of Rain! Yahiko, Konan!"
"They are geniuses! Real geniuses!"
"Don't underestimate them just because they're young now. In a few years, they'll definitely be powerful ninjas capable of standing on their own! They're my outstanding disciples!"
Yahiko, the boy with orange hair, was a little embarrassed by Jiraiya's praise, but he still mustered up his courage and greeted Mitokado Homura loudly.
"Greetings, Elder Yan!"
Konan, on the other hand, appeared much quieter. She simply followed behind Yahiko and whispered, "...Greetings, Elder."
Then the girl quietly hid behind Jiraiya, revealing only her clear blue eyes, curiously observing this seemingly serious Konoha high-ranking official.
Mitokado Yan watched the two children in silence.
One is as passionate as fire, the other as calm as water.
It's certainly a very interesting combination.
But... bringing such young children to the front lines?