Free Web NovelChapter 256: Someone Must Voluntarily Stay Behind To Cover The Rear, Draw The Enemy’s Attention, And Delay Their Pursuit
They are waiting, waiting for their commander to issue what was very likely the final order they would ever carry out in this lifetime.
Shinichi Higashino slowly raised his eyes and calmly swept his gaze across every face, young, weathered, bloodstained, and determined.
Then, he suddenly smiled.
"Looks like Village Hidden in the Cloud has really paid a heavy price this time. They’re dead set on keeping us here."
"But that’s understandable. We’ve been strolling in and out of their village like it’s our own backyard these past days. We smashed their Raikage building again and again. If I were them, I’d want to skin us alive too."
As his words fell, the squad members first froze for a moment. Then someone burst out laughing.
The laughter spread like contagion. One after another, from suppressed chuckles to carefree roaring laughter, it echoed through the dense forest.
All around them were enemies ten times their number that were tightening the encirclement.
And yet they laughed here, laughed freely, laughed without restraint.
At that moment, Shinichi’s smile slowly faded, and his eyes returned to calm stillness.
"Less than fifty kilometers ahead lies the border of the Land of Lightning. As long as we break through this final encirclement, we can successfully escape and rendezvous with Hokage-sama and the main force at the Land of Frost front."
"However, the Village Hidden in the Cloud has clearly decided to completely block us here. Their forces outnumber ours ten to one, and the encirclement is rapidly closing. If we want most of the people to break through successfully, someone must voluntarily stay behind to cover the rear, draw the enemy’s attention, and delay their pursuit. So..."
At this point, Shinichi slowly swept his gaze across everyone present.
"Who’ll do it?"
As his words fell, the forest clearing first sank into dead silence. Then, in the next second, like a volcano suppressed for too long, it finally found an outlet and exploded violently.
"I’ll stay behind!"
"Me! Me too! Count me in!"
"The hell you will! Your wife just gave birth to your son a few months ago! Your family is still waiting for you back in Konoha! Let a bachelor like me do it instead!"
"Bullshit! You already know I’ve got a son! You haven’t even left behind a seed, so get lost!"
"I specialize in Wind Style! I counter Lightning Style best! I can hold them off longer if I stay!"
"My leg’s injured! I can’t run far anyway! Perfect chance to stay behind and fight the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s bastards to the death!"
"No! I’ll do it!"
"Let me do it instead!"
Shouts, arguments, and even profanity-filled yelling instantly filled the small clearing.
Not a single person retreated. frёeωebɳovel.com
Not a single person tried to avoid it.
Every single person fought and scrambled to take that certain-death mission onto themselves, as though it wasn’t a hopeless death sentence at all, but some kind of supreme honor.
Voices rose and fell one after another, each more anxious and louder than the last.
A moment later, all the arguing abruptly stopped.
Everyone’s gaze silently turned toward the center.
Toward the young captain who, from beginning to end, had merely watched them argue quietly without saying a single word.
Seeing everyone looking at him, the boy suddenly smiled again.
That smile appeared especially abrupt and especially bright beneath the oppressive night and murderous atmosphere.
Like the light of dawn tearing through heavy storm clouds, clean, open, carrying an unbelievable warmth.
"Captain." Kizashi Haruno scratched his already hopelessly messy hair and asked in confusion, "What are you smiling about?"
Hearing this, Shinichi’s smile deepened.
"I’m smiling because every single one of my battalion members values loyalty and righteousness. Every one of you is admirable."
"So I can’t help but feel happy, so..."
At this point, Shinichi slowly stood up.
It was only a simple movement, yet it seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds. The instant he fully straightened his body, a mountain-like pressure suddenly erupted from him.
At the same time, an ominous premonition rose in everyone’s hearts.
"So, none of you are allowed to die here! Therefore, I’ll handle the rear guard!"
"What?!"
Like thunder exploding on flat ground, the entire forest clearing instantly fell into absolute silence, followed by...
"Captain! How can that work?!"
"If you leave, who’ll lead us?! The squad can’t function without you!"
"What kind of Shinichi Battalion has no Shinichi?!"
"If anyone’s staying behind, it shouldn’t be you! You’re still young! You still have a long future ahead of you! Leave this kind of thing to old men like us!"
"No! Shinichi, you can’t do this!"
As vice-captain, Shinku Yuhi stepped forward and grabbed the boy’s shoulder with great force, as though trying to press both the boy’s body and his thoughts back down.
"Senior Shinku." Shinichi shook his head.
He slowly removed Shinku Yuhi’s heavy hand and swept his gaze across the flushed faces filled with shock, anxiety, and anger before softly speaking: "Five years ago, when I was still at the Ninja Academy, someone asked me a question that left me in a difficult position."
"He asked me, if one day in the future, as a captain leading my squad on a mission, we were pursued by enemies and trapped in a hopeless situation where someone had to stay behind to cover the retreat, what would I do?"
"At the time, my answer was this: if such a day really came, then naturally the one protecting the teammates and bearing the greatest risk should be me, the captain!"
"So today..."
At this point, Shinichi’s voice became very soft, as though he were merely speaking of something utterly ordinary.
"It’s time for me to fulfill that promise."
After his words fell, only the sound of the wind sobbing through the forest remained.
"It was only something a child said, how could you..."
"And besides..." Shinichi raised a hand, stopping one member from continuing.
"The one Village Hidden in the Cloud truly wants to kill is me! To put it bluntly, everyone here is just a bonus. Aside from me, no matter who stays behind, as long as I’m still alive, the pursuit will never stop. So from beginning to end, there has only ever been one person who can stay behind."
"That person is me!"
"Then we’ll risk our lives to send you, Captain..."
Shinichi raised his hand again to stop him and directly issued an order: "All members of the Shinichi Battalion, listen carefully! You all..."
"No! Shinichi! You can’t give that order!"
Shinku Yuhi abruptly interrupted him.
This vice-captain, who was usually steady and composed, was now emotionally shaken, his voice trembling.
"If Kurenai finds out I watched helplessly while you went to your death, she’ll never forgive me for the rest of her life! I won’t forgive myself either!"
"I believe that once Kurenai knows I made this choice to fulfill my promise, she’ll understand that you, senior, simply failed to stop me."
Shinichi shook his head, then said seriously: "Then, senior Shinku, from this moment onward, you’re the captain. You’ll be responsible for bringing them all home safely."
After speaking, he gave no one any chance to argue, persuade him, or even say goodbye before decisively turning around.
As he turned away, the squad members immediately became agitated and tried to rush after him together, only for Shinichi to stop them with a shout.
"Stand down! That’s an order! Carry it out immediately!"
That shout was like an invisible wall, forcibly halting everyone’s steps.
