While Konoha was holding a meeting to discuss how to proceed after being attacked during such an important mission, Iwa was also having a meeting in the Kage's Office.

Onoki, the Kage of Iwa, hunched over, said to one of his consultants,

"How the hell did we fail such a simple mission? We knew the path they would take, the number of ninjas they would deploy, the timing of the mission—everything about them was taken into consideration. So how the hell did we end up taking the loss?"

"We don't know, sir. According to the report, they were unlucky because they encountered Yukihiro on this mission. He is considered an S-rank ninja, at least when it comes to kenjutsu, and his ninjutsu is also nothing to scoff at."

"They had only one Jonin, and we sent 20 ninjas. Are you saying one Jonin managed to kill 15 of our men and save everyone too?"

Another consultant spoke up,

"Sir, the report mentions they fell for an ambush, which is why they suffered such a loss."

"Are you a fool? That’s exactly why I'm so angry! We made so many preparations to ambush them, not the other way around!"

"Sir, Konoha has many clans that excel in sensing and tracking techniques. I believe it was the Inuzuka brat on the team who somehow sensed them. Also, according to Kazuki's statement, one of the genin, who we hadn't taken into consideration, was more powerful than him. He alone managed to hold Kazuki off until Yukihiro handled our Jonin. Even the other genin were somehow able to compete against our chunin."

Onoki's expression stiffened upon hearing this. With a serious demeanor, he said,

"How the hell is Konoha able to produce such geniuses again and again? First, that Yellow Flash was able to handle thousands of our ninjas, and now these brats can hold their ground against a trained Jonin. Hah! I'm getting too old for this shit."

Even though Onoki was visibly pissed, one of the consultants gathered the courage to ask the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Sir, what should we do about them now?"

"What the fuck are you talking about? Obviously, we have to deal with them as soon as we can; otherwise, the future of Iwagakure will be even darker than now."

"But sir, if we want to successfully eliminate them, we will have to send at least 30 more ninjas, with three or four of them being Jonin. And even though we’re in better condition than Konoha, we are still facing a shortage of ninjas. It will take at least three days to assemble the team, and even more time for them to reach the Land of Noodles. I don’t think we have that much time for this."

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"What if we set another ambush on their way back? Can we manage to send our ninjas there at least?" Onoki asked.

"Sir, we can manage that, but I don’t think they’ll be stupid enough to use the same path again. There’s a very high chance we’ll just waste manpower without results."

"So, we don’t have any way to deal with some brats and a single Jonin? How did Iwagakure become so weak?" Onoki said, his anger rising.

"Sir, there are ways we can handle the situation, but in most cases, we would lose more than we would gain. If you make a move yourself, we could easily eliminate them, but Iwagakure would become a laughingstock among the other villages. Alternatively, we could recall some Jonin from other missions early, but that would also damage our reputation."

"Leave it. It's not worth it. We've already taken too many losses for such a simple mission. But make our spies in Konoha active and have them find out more about this f***ing team. Now, you can go."

Onoki sat deep in thought. For three consecutive Great Ninja Wars, Iwagakure had always been on the losing end. Their single goal during each war was to acquire fertile land so that the village could become self-sufficient. Not only had they failed to obtain fertile land, but they had also lost a significant number of shinobi.

Despite Onoki’s power, he hadn’t been able to secure what his village needed most—fertile land. The main reason for this was Konoha's ability to consistently produce geniuses capable of single-handedly changing the course of battles. Since the founding of the village, Konoha had been the only one to produce multiple S-rank ninjas at the same time.

Onoki had a sinking feeling that it was Iwagakure’s fate to be stuck with infertile land. Despite being one of the most united hidden villages, Iwa still struggled with shortages, from fertile land to finances. Onoki was sure that if he left this team alone, they would no doubt grow into Jonin of those same genius ranks. He was determined to eliminate them as soon as possible, to avoid dealing with unknown variables in the next Great Ninja War.

…

While higher-ups were racking their brains over the mission Team 13 had faced, Team 13 was enjoying their time in the Land of Noodles, trying various types of noodles. By the time the meeting ended, they had already tasted most of the noodle varieties available in the village. Afterward, Yukihiro called the team for a meeting.

"So, did you guys enjoy your stay here?" Yukihiro asked.

"Yes, sensei. The village isn’t as large as Konoha, but the variety of noodles is unimaginable. I didn’t even know some of them were edible," Kaida said.

"Hahaha, I know! The first time I tried them, I had the same reaction. Have you tried the noodles with stone toppings?"

"Yes, sensei," Ryota said, patting his pocket.

"Well, I’m glad you enjoyed your stay, but it’s time for us to head back. I got a letter from the Hokage's office stating that we need to carry those two back just as we brought them. The village doesn’t want to take any risks this time. Also, we have to take a different route on our way back, and since we’re ordered to return as soon as possible, we’ll be leaving in 30 minutes. You’ll need to take a soldier pill."

"But we’ll still have to stop so *Renji-sama* can take his much-needed rest," Ryota said with clear disdain.

"Hahaha, don’t worry, Ryota. This time, we won’t be taking any breaks. They’re going to take soldier pills too," Yukihiro said, laughing.

"They’re ninjas? I thought they were part of the Civil Council," Kaida said, surprised.

"Well, calling them ninjas is a bit of a stretch. They barely have enough chakra to qualify as genin, but their political skills are very high, especially Hiroto-sama. He’s made many deals with other villages that have benefited us greatly during peacetime. Due to their low chakra, they can’t use movement jutsu, so even if they had taken the soldier pill before, we still would have had to carry them. Plus, they’d have needed a full day's rest afterward, which is why they hadn’t taken it."

"And now they can take the soldier pill because they can rest all they want in the village," Kaida finished Yukihiro's sentence.

"Exactly. Now, get ready. We leave in 30 minutes."

Thirty minutes later, they set off for the village. Since both Renji and Hiroto had already taken their soldier pills, they didn’t have to stop for breaks. Despite taking a longer route, they reached the village in just a day and a half.

********

(A.N.: Thank you for reading! If you liked the chapter, please don’t forget to vote for the novel ^~^)