The truce with Sunagakure was a matter of days later.
The location for signing the truce agreement was re-determined, and the Konoha delegation traveling there was not attacked. The signing of the truce agreement also passed peacefully.
Although the war was over, the border of the Land of Fire still required ninjas to be stationed there.
Furthermore, withdrawing and returning to the village was not a one or two-day affair. Unused supplies needed to be inventoried, and many injured people required care.
There were also the bodies of the fallen, which needed to be identified and transported back to the village.
Sakumo's team was now idle. With the war over, there was no need to go behind the Sunagakure camp to carry out sabotage.
Leaving aside the other three, Shiraishi, being a medical ninja, was in a state of being conscripted and had to stay with the medical unit every day.
Once these injured people recovered and returned to Konoha, things would be much smoother.
On this day, Shiraishi worked as usual in the medical unit, cooperating with other medical ninjas to treat the wounded.
In reality, he was mostly assisting. The medical ninjas performing surgeries were all experienced and highly skilled adults.
Shiraishi did not complain about this; in fact, it made his workload much lighter.
This continued until early December, when the Konoha ninjas on the front lines began to break camp and return to the village, and only then did Shiraishi finish his work with the medical unit.
The return journey from the front lines to the village was not very fast, taking three or four days in total to get back.
During this time, they had to care for the injured and protect important unused supplies, so they could not move too quickly, otherwise they would have been back in the village within a day.
Upon returning to the village, Shiraishi experienced the treatment of a 'hero' for the first time.
Konoha's high-ranking officials, led by the Third Hokage, along with a large number of Konoha ninjas and villagers, came to welcome the ninjas returning from the front lines.
After a day of rest, Konoha held a large funeral ceremony the next day.
Only over five hundred bodies could be brought back, and less than one-tenth of those had their integrity preserved.
Moreover, many bodies could not be found, or were so mutilated that it was impossible to distinguish whether they were allies or Sunagakure ninjas. The number of such ninjas was even greater.
The weather in December was already very cold.
On the day of the funeral, the weather was also not very clear, and sunlight was rarely seen.
Sakumo's four-person team, dressed in pure black mourning clothes, stood before the newly added gravestones, observing a moment of silence.
This war with Sunagakure, which lasted over two years, was no less intense than the War in the Land of Rain, and its casualty rate even surpassed that of the War in the Land of Rain.
The overall skill level of the ninjas comprising Sunagakure was far superior to that of the Hidden Rain Village ninjas.
"I don't see Tsunade-sama here."
Ayane glanced around and whispered.
Shiraishi also looked around. Orochimaru and Jiraiya, two of the Sannin, were there, and even Jiraiya's disciple Minato was present, but Tsunade was nowhere to be seen.
"After all, this war directly caused her to lose two of the people closest to her, so it's understandable that she wouldn't want to attend such a funeral. However, after everyone leaves, she'll probably come secretly by herself."
Not wanting others to see the Sannin's vulnerable side, and then choosing to mourn alone, Shiraishi believed that Tsunade's heart had become soft.
However, the strength of each person's inner self varies, and their ability to cope with bad news also differs from person to person.
Shiraishi could fully understand this.
"You guys go back first, I'm going to discuss something with Lord Hokage."
After the funeral, Sakumo left this sentence and walked towards the Third Hokage and the other high-ranking officials.
Shiraishi and the other two did not object, exchanged glances, and left the cemetery park.
"It seems this year's New Year's festival will be very quiet."
Ayane said as they walked, seemingly lamenting.
Shiraishi and Ruri also nodded slightly after hearing this.
It was already December, and many families were torn apart by this war. Although the festival would proceed as usual, it was certain that it would not be as lively as in previous years.
Not just civilians, but a considerable number of ninjas from various ninja clans also sacrificed their lives.
"What's next? The war is over, it feels so sudden."
"That's because our team didn't participate in direct combat, which is why it feels that way."
Shiraishi replied to Ayane's sentiment.
"Don't you two let your guard down just because the war is over. If you die, it will be very difficult to find ninjas who can match my rhythm."
Ruri poured cold water on them from the side.
Shiraishi chuckled and said, "It's alright, safety first has always been my guiding principle."
The end of the war did not mean that ninjas lost their purpose.
In times of peace, ninjas still had to carry out missions, but compared to wartime, the difficulty of missions would be much lower.
Shiraishi thought that he had never tried to accept a normal mission; all the missions he had undertaken so far involved fighting enemy ninjas.
The lowest level was a B-rank mission, routinely A-rank, and occasionally he would follow Sakumo on S-rank missions, just coasting along and earning military merits.
Considering that Ruri and Ayane in the team were already Chunin, and he was the only Genin in Sakumo's team, Shiraishi was contemplating when it would be best to become a Chunin.
After all, being a Genin in Sakumo's team, which was full of elites, felt a bit out of place.
After chatting for a while, the three parted ways and returned home.
"Speaking of which, will Uncle and Auntie come back for New Year's this year?"
"They'll send some things back."
"Is that so? Don't you feel lonely?"
Shiraishi asked.
"It doesn't matter."
"It seems it's just the two of us keeping vigil again this year."
Shiraishi said casually, with his hands behind his head.
"Yes, another year with no expectations."
Ruri said, then her gaze swept across the gloomy sky, lost in thought.
◎
December passed quickly. Since Konoha and Sunagakure signed the truce agreement, no major events had occurred in the ninja world.
During this period, Sakumo's team only carried out two missions, both relatively simple C-rank missions: eradicating a bandit stronghold within the Land of Fire and escorting a merchant caravan to the neighboring Land of Waves.
Compared to the peaceful ninja world, some minor events did occur within Konoha Village.
That was Tsunade resigning from her position at Konoha Hospital and instead dedicating herself to the cultivation of medical ninjas at the Ninja Academy.
This left many people feeling bewildered.
Shiraishi was one of those who felt puzzled.
Due to her unparalleled medical ninjutsu, Tsunade was unrivaled in the current ninja world.
The strongest among ninjas were naturally the 'Five Kage'.
However, in the world of medical ninjas, the strongest person currently was undoubtedly Tsunade.
In the eyes of medical ninjas, Tsunade was the pinnacle they aspired to surpass.
With Tsunade's abilities, she could perfectly serve at Konoha Hospital while simultaneously cultivating medical ninjas at the Ninja Academy; the functions of both were not in conflict.
After all, her position at Konoha Hospital only occasionally required her to perform difficult surgeries; most injuries could be handled by other medical ninjas.
Regarding this, the higher-ups offered no explanation, merely stating that they respected Tsunade's own wishes.
Although she relinquished her position at Konoha Hospital, Konoha's medical ninjas could still consult Tsunade for difficult medical knowledge.
Tsunade also said nothing about this.
It could be said that in the field of medical ninjas, she was the ultimate authority.
She herself was also very enthusiastic about training more excellent medical ninjas for the village.
Compared to the other two Sannin, Tsunade's prestige was undoubtedly more solid, with an extremely large popular base.
She developed various medicines for Konoha. During the war, she deciphered all the poisons of Chiyo, the elder of Sunagakure, and single-handedly greatly reduced the poison attack capabilities of Sunagakure's puppet corps.
Not to mention, countless Konoha ninjas were saved by her surgeries during the war, making many Konoha ninjas grateful to her, and invisibly accumulating a large amount of connections and popular support.
If one were to say who among the Sannin was most likely to become the future Hokage, Shiraishi believed Tsunade's chances were greater than the other two.
Inheriting the excellent bloodline of her grandfather, the First Hokage, having a solid popular base, countless patients saved by her surgeries, and her outstanding strength as a Jonin... if she herself had the desire to be Hokage, it's estimated that few in Konoha would oppose it.
However, this was just Shiraishi's personal opinion, because Konoha's political environment was very... well, how to put it, very peculiar.
Shiraishi really couldn't find a suitable word to describe it, so he could only use 'peculiar' to describe Konoha's political environment.
The Hokage's most trusted direct subordinates, the Anbu, had their power divided into the Anbu and the Root.
The control of the Root was not in the Hokage's hands, yet it possessed the power to act freely, on par with the Anbu.
The Uchiha controlled Konoha's Police Force, and in some aspects of power, they surpassed the Hokage's direct Anbu.
For example, the Anbu needed a Hokage's order to make an arrest, while the Police Force could detain suspects before a Hokage's order came down.
As a ninja clan, the Uchiha's power was very strong.
However, despite the Uchiha's immense power, the Police Force headquarters was not in the center of Konoha, but in a relatively secluded part of the village, which was not conducive to the Police Force's effective functioning.
There were also many fundamental issues that, in Shiraishi's view, needed to be changed.
Although the First Hokage established Konoha and the Second Hokage pioneered the development framework of the ninja villages, among the things they left behind, there were also many regulations that were out of sync with the times.
If no reforms were made in the future, some regrettable tragedies would inevitably occur.
Thinking about it carefully, Shiraishi felt a bit like he was worrying needlessly again.
The organization's affairs had officially been put on track.
The five people he dispatched were currently following the business group established by Ruri's parents and had already purchased a large piece of land in the Land of Demons that could be used to establish a base.
Shiraishi only needed to wait for the next, more intense war to arrive, and then he could leave Konoha and forge his own path.
His ideals and his way of thinking were incompatible with this village.
◎
January, the beginning of the New Year.
To avoid suspicion, he always attended the festival with Ruri every New Year.
Now that Ayane had joined Sakumo's team, they could openly be together without raising unnecessary suspicion.
A team formed in a squad format, in a sense, was also a bond, and every member of the squad was like family.
"Happy New Year."
Wearing a brand new white kimono with pink cherry blossom patterns, Ayane, who had been waiting on the street for a long time, bowed slightly to Shiraishi and Ruri as they approached her.
"Happy New Year."
The two also bowed slightly, and Ruri didn't show her any cold shoulder.
Unlike Ayane, Ruri wore a light blue kimono, with a blue hair tie in her hair. The area around her hair and neck was somewhat open, allowing a glimpse of her fair and slender neck from the side.
The three exchanged red envelopes, which served as their gifts for the year.
Because the previous month was still wartime, even for New Year's.
Konoha's New Year's celebration this year was a bit quieter.
It wasn't yet time for the evening festival to begin, but many festive decorations had already been hung on the streets.
For example, spring ropes woven from straw, and some people placed pine and bamboo in front of their homes.
On the streets, children were already running with toys, and their joyful laughter could be heard.
Hearing the laughter of these children, even the sadness brought by the war was somewhat dispersed.
"Ruri, your kimono is very beautiful."
"Hmm, yours isn't bad either."
Ryuri glanced at Ayane's kimono. The white background with pink cherry blossom patterns indeed perfectly matched Ayane's pure and gentle demeanor.
"Yes, it's the best gift I've received this year, after all." Ayane said with a smile.
"Speaking of which, where are you two planning to go?"
After hearing Ayane's words, Shiraishi, fearing she might say something unnecessary at that moment, skillfully changed the subject.
"I heard a few new shops opened in the village. Let's go check them out. After we've had enough fun, we can go eat yakiniku with Sakumo-sensei tonight."
The thought of a lavish dinner tonight filled Ayane with anticipation for the festival.
Shiraishi and Ryuri had no objections.
The main focus was the yakiniku tonight.
For this, all three of them planned to eat nothing during the day.
To be honest, Shiraishi wasn't very interested in shopping, but he knew that for Ryuri and Ayane, the joy of shopping was in the atmosphere, not necessarily in buying anything.
Leaving Ryuri aside, Ayane's family background was also quite good, so neither of them had strong material desires.
Otherwise, with Ayane's appetite, an average family would have long been eaten out of house and home.
All things considered, he was the poorest one.
Ryuri and Ayane were discussing and evaluating a certain product, and occasionally, Shiraishi would chime in with some opinions. The atmosphere was harmonious, much like a family.
Time passed imperceptibly, and the sky began to darken.
More and more people came to the streets.
Fine white snow began to fall from the sky, adding a touch of chill, but as more people gathered, this coldness was no longer felt.
Ninjas, usually busy with work, also shed their ninja uniforms, put on new clothes, and joined the night festival.
Gradually, the lively atmosphere grew.
There were open-air plays, with actors in strange costumes and monster masks, performing bizarre tales of gods and spirits, attracting the attention of many children.
Children on the streets jumped and danced, ignoring even the shouts of adults.
"I'm not late, am I?"
After shopping in the afternoon, the three of them waited at the agreed spot. Soon after, Sakumo, dressed in casual clothes, appeared before them.
He was holding a two-year-old child in his arms, who was snuggled tightly against Sakumo, warming himself.
"No, we still have half an hour until the agreed time. Is this Sakumo-sensei's child? He's so cute."
Ayane looked at the child in Sakumo's arms. Like Sakumo, he had white hair.
He was looking at Ayane with curious eyes.
"Alright, you can come down now, Kakashi."
Sakumo put the child down.
The child was already able to walk independently. After being placed on the snow by Sakumo, he stood there blankly, unsure what to do.
Ayane went up and hugged him. He didn't cry or fuss, but he had a defiant, arrogant expression with upturned eyes, looking very punchable.
Although his eyes were full of life, that expression… it really would be more satisfying to just give him a good beating.
Shiraishi didn't find anything cute about this brat.
"This child is very spirited," Ayane said with a smile.
"He is, a bit. His body has always been healthy. He will become an excellent ninja in the future."
"Sakumo-sensei, today is a rare festival. Can you please not say such buzzkill things? We've finally escaped from our busy missions."
"Sorry, occupational habit."
With his sharp insight into the essence of things, Sakumo unconsciously blurted out those words.
"Ryuri, want to hold him?" Ayane looked at Ryuri.
"No, that brat's eyes are too arrogant. It makes me want to punch him."
Seeing Kakashi's defiant, upturned gaze, Ryuri felt a bit displeased.
Shiraishi nodded beside her, feeling the same way.
This brat would definitely grow up to be a delinquent.
"No way, I think little Kakashi's eyes are a sign of his vigor."
"Where's the vigor?"
"Oh, it seems Ryuri doesn't have the potential to be a good wife and loving mother." Ayane seemed to laugh with a proud tone.
Ryuri snorted and said with disdain, "Excessive compassion only harms oneself and others."
Saying this, she looked at Shiraishi with sharp eyes, as if expecting him to give a fair evaluation.
"Alright, you two, it's such a lively festival, just enjoy it." Sakumo interjected.
Shiraishi breathed a sigh of relief and gave Sakumo a grateful look.
Sakumo patted Shiraishi's shoulder, as if to say: I can only help you this much.
Youthful matters are indeed complicated. With Sakumo's perception, he could naturally sense the ambiguous relationship between the three of them, sighing helplessly in his heart.
Next, the four of them entered a yakiniku restaurant not far away.
This yakiniku restaurant was the old spot where Sakumo's team celebrated its formation.
Sakumo remembered it well.
Because one meal cost him the reward for an A-rank mission.
"Eat a little less. Eating too much is bad for your stomach." Sakumo said seriously before ordering.
He was thinking of their health, not worrying about his wallet.
He, Sakumo Hatake, was a renowned Jōnin in the village, after all.
A mere few hundred thousand ryo… it's better to be cautious.
"But the three of us haven't eaten a single grain of rice all day to prepare for tonight's feast," Ayane said, looking at Sakumo with innocent eyes.
"Is this the magnanimity of the White Fang of Konoha (chuckles)? How disappointing." Ryuri's smile was full of contempt.
"No choice, after all, it's the White Fang of Konoha (chuckles)." Shiraishi also followed suit, fanning the flames.
They had been hungry all day; tonight, they were going to feast.
Sakumo found himself in a difficult position, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. These guys, except for Shiraishi, weren't short on money, so why did they have to pick on his wallet?
He hadn't offended them during missions; on the contrary, he had taken good care of them, hadn't he?
After everyone had chosen what they wanted to eat, Shiraishi called a waiter and asked him to prepare the order.
The waiter saw the selected ingredients and quantities on the order… and worried if their table could finish it all.
However, upon seeing the familiar young girl Ayane, he smiled knowingly.
Not only were the chosen ingredients the most expensive and best, but the portions were also very large. They were definitely big customers of their yakiniku restaurant.
—Two hours later.
Everyone was full and satisfied. When it came time to pay, Sakumo looked at the enormous sum on the bill, his eyes slightly rolled back, displaying a look of utter despair.
Although it wouldn't bankrupt him, it was just one yakiniku meal, and it still pained him greatly.
However, if this kind of thing happened several times a year, his bankruptcy as a captain would only be a matter of time.
"Thank you for the meal, Sakumo-sensei."
He watched the three of them look utterly content, especially Ayane, who had eaten the most heartily.
"You three should at least consider my wallet a little."
"But among our team, only you, Sakumo-sensei, are a Jōnin."
"After all, he's the Jōnin-sama with the greatest magnanimity."
"Exactly, an eligible Jōnin considers his teammates. Thinking about it this way, he truly lives up to being the White Fang of Konoha."
Seeing them praise him with one compliment after another, Sakumo felt an even greater headache.
Just moments ago, they were calling him the White Fang of Konoha (chuckles) and saying he had a narrow mind.
Their change of attitude was too fast.
After a while of joking, Sakumo took Kakashi to play elsewhere, and Shiraishi and the others didn't disturb them.
It was very late, around midnight.
A thick layer of snow had accumulated on the road.
The festival had also turned from lively to quiet, and many shops began to close.
"This year's festival was a bit happier than usual. Participating in the festival with clan members always feels a bit restrictive. I wish it could be like this every year from now on." Ayane said, with her hands behind her back, head down, carefully stepping on the snow, then suddenly looked up and smiled at Shiraishi and Ryuri.
"Of course, it can be like this every year. We are companions in a team," Shiraishi replied.
"Yes. Speaking of which, I really liked this year's gift, so I'll thank you too, Shiraishi-kun…"
"Huh?"
Ayane's sudden mention of this made Shiraishi realize things were getting troublesome, and he was about to use an excuse to change the subject.
Something soft touched Shiraishi's cheek. Ayane's delicate, fair, and translucent profile was right in front of him, instantly freezing him in place.
Ryuri also froze, forgetting to move.
"Although it's not my first kiss, this is a unique mark I've left on Shiraishi-kun, very memorable. Well then, goodbye." Ayane smiled shyly and ran away lightly in the falling snow.
While Shiraishi was still in a daze, Ryuri next to him had already turned crimson with anger.
It was the humiliation of her most cherished 'toy' being snatched away without hesitation by someone else.
This humiliation filled her mind with dark thoughts of wanting to destroy everything.
There were no other thoughts.
"Th-th-this—shameless! How utterly shameless! Filthy! Promiscuous woman!"
Saying this, Ryuri formed hand signs, gathering all her chakra.
"Die! Fire Style: Great Fire—"
"Wait! Don't cause trouble in the village!"
Shiraishi reacted, immediately rushed forward to stop Ryuri, tackling her onto the snow to prevent the Fire Style jutsu from being cast.
After all, it wasn't very auspicious to have the Anbu show up during the New Year.
Ayane, who was some distance away, naturally heard the commotion behind her, but her mind was no longer on it.
She touched her lips with her finger; Shiraishi's scent lingered there.
This year would be a great start.
◎
Mid-January.
Sakumo's team of four gathered at the Konoha Village gate.
"This mission is to eliminate an illegal organization within the Land of Fire. It seems there are ninjas involved, so it's a B-rank mission, which can be upgraded to A-rank at any time. It's not a very difficult mission, but we mustn't be careless…"
As Sakumo explained the mission, he suddenly noticed that the atmosphere in the team was a bit strange.
Ayane wore a gentle, harmless, innocent smile, as if unaware of the peculiar mood in the team.
Ryuri's extremely fierce glare directed at Ayane made Sakumo suspect she would tear Ayane limb from limb.
"Shiraishi, what's wrong with those two?"
Sakumo looked at Shiraishi, the most ordinary and normally behaving medical ninja in the team.
"Nothing, girls sometimes have their monthly…"
Ryuri immediately stepped aside and stomped on Shiraishi's foot, making him turn pale and unable to speak.
"Sakumo-sensei said the mission is dangerous, so don't leave my sight, or I can't guarantee your safety."
Hearing Ryuri's veiled threat, Shiraishi could only nod in agreement.
Ever since that day, Ryuri's expression had become terrifying.
Reasoning with a woman in extreme anger was futile.
Sakumo scratched his head. For some reason, the team's cohesion seemed to have become more difficult.