Two Missions

"You're here?"

Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked kindly at the three of them.

"How have your recent rest and team coordination been? Not bad, I hope?"

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage. We get along very well."

Shisui Uchiha spoke with a slight bow, though he was somewhat unnatural as he said it.

Whether he thought of how, despite meeting over the past few days, Hidezawa had mostly just practiced swordsmanship with Yugao while everyone otherwise did their own thing, with no real coordination at all—

Or of how he had actually questioned the Hokage's decision, as well as this "well-intentioned lie," both left him deeply unsettled.

"That's good."

Hiruzen Sarutobi actually knew the situation within their team, but he did not point it out.

Bonds took time to form. He had no intention of rushing things, whether for Shisui or Hidezawa.

He wanted to resolve the Uchiha problem. Although the Nine-Tailed Fox Incident had made him suspicious of the Uchiha as well, he would not make a subjective judgment outright like Danzo.

Besides, he knew the Uchiha were not united internally. Perhaps in the future, he could rely on Shisui to resolve those troubles.

As for Hidezawa, although his purpose in joining the Anbu had not been entirely pure and he had come carrying Danzo's mission—

During the previous operation against Orochimaru, he had taken the initiative to protect his teammates and faced Orochimaru head-on. That had greatly improved Hiruzen Sarutobi's impression of him.

And there was Naruto's matter as well. He did not want Naruto to be harmed by Danzo, so naturally, he would find a way to prevent Hidezawa from continuing to be influenced by Danzo.

"This time, I have a mission for you. It is a dangerous mission, and I hope you will prepare yourselves mentally."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Hidezawa and the other two immediately answered in unison. Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, took out a map, and spread it open.

"For this mission, I want you to make a trip to the Wind Country."

The Wind Country?

Hidezawa's expression fell when he heard that. The Wind Country was a godforsaken place!

Though it was somewhat impolite to say so, it was a place surrounded by wind and sand, where the ninja village's funding was constantly cut by the Daimyo, forcing their Kage to pan for gold to make money.

Hidezawa truly could not bring himself to like the place. Still, Kabuto seemed to be undercover in that hellhole right now, didn't he?

Served him right.

"I believe you all know that Sunagakure is our ally, but this ally of ours is currently doing some dangerous things."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed at the map, then spoke in a low voice.

"According to reliable intelligence, Kirigakure has appeared within the Wind Country and has been continuously harassing Sunagakure. At the same time, Iwagakure appears to be planning a move south.

These two villages may very well come into direct conflict, and that will affect Konohagakure.

If Kirigakure is included, the situation will become even more critical. For Konohagakure's sake, I hope you can go and gain a rough understanding of the actual situation."

In the ninja world, conflicts and wars between the Five Great Ninja Villages were never isolated incidents.

Now Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure were once again making moves on the vibrant, flourishing land of the Wind Country. Konohagakure, situated at the center of the ninja continent, had no choice but to worry.

If the situation developed further in an uncontrollable direction, Konohagakure, as Sunagakure's ally, could hardly say whether it would be dragged in.

Konohagakure was truly in a period of generational decline now, hollow within. Naturally, preparations had to be made early for everything.

"We understand."

Hidezawa and the other two immediately nodded to show they understood. Whatever the underlying reasons were, it would be bad if Konohagakure was affected.

"Also, you must be careful around Sunagakure's people."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up again at the right moment to offer a reminder.

"Although Konohagakure and Sunagakure are allies, this ally of ours shares many things with us.

Moreover, they did many bad things after the war. After all, they only allied with us because they lost."

Clearly, Konohagakure did not trust Sunagakure at all. Otherwise, there would have been no need to dispatch Anbu for this mission; it could have been accomplished through diplomatic means.

"We will certainly be careful."

Hidezawa and the other two nodded again. It was clear that this mission would indeed be rather troublesome.

"Then go make your preparations."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat back down, then let out a sigh.

"Originally, I planned to have Kakashi go with you this time, but unfortunately, we found more traces of Orochimaru, so he has gone to deal with that matter.

I'm sorry that I cannot provide you with reinforcements, but I believe you can handle all of this. Keep yourselves safe. I'll be waiting for your return in Konohagakure."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke calmly, but his words deeply moved both Shisui and Yugao.

Even Hidezawa, an old hand like him, had to admit that the Third Hokage's Anbu was truly completely different from the Root boss he knew.

In Root, it was, "If you don't complete the mission, bring your head back." Here, it was, "Keep yourselves safe. I'll wait for your return."

Though it carried a hint of empty promises, it made one feel deeply trusted. Danzo truly could not compare.

"No wonder someone else got to be Hokage!"

Hidezawa muttered as he left the Hokage Office with Shisui. They quickly dispersed on the spot, each returning home to prepare, and agreed to gather that night before setting out.

New mission acquired

Investigate Sunagakure's secret

On his way home, Hidezawa glanced at his mission panel and began considering the situation surrounding this mission.

"Kirigakure's harassment, Iwagakure moving south..."

Hidezawa felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. After thinking it over, he suddenly seized upon a key point.

"Isn't this the part where Fourth Kazekage Rasa, so he could focus on fighting Iwagakure over the interests of the small border nations, sold that Pakura woman to Kirigakure in exchange for Kirigakure backing off?"

Hidezawa remembered Scorch Style Pakura rather clearly. In a sense, she was much like Madara Uchiha: both embodied the ninja principle of "high offense, low defense."

The difference was that she had been stabbed into a porcupine by a pile of kunai, while Madara had Black Zetsu reach into his chest for a nice little chat.

"So that's what this is. This mission just got a lot easier."

Hidezawa nodded, but what annoyed him was that his system had not settled the mission yet. That meant he still had to follow through on it.

And just then, Hidezawa suddenly stopped. His gaze turned toward the shadows nearby.

"Quite perceptive. It seems leaving Root has not made you slack off."

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows. Seeing this man, Hidezawa raised an eyebrow slightly.

This guy had been one of the people who, together with Danzo and Orochimaru, had lured him into Root back then—Danzo's eternal lackey, Aburame Ryūma!

"Lord Danzo knows you are going to the Wind Country, so he has a mission for you."

Aburame Ryūma pulled out a scroll and handed it over, then spoke indifferently.

"The mission details are inside. Lord Danzo awaits your report."

"I understand."

Hidezawa nodded. Then, seeming to think of something, he asked with a rather strange expression.

"Just me alone? Can I request additional personnel? The Wind Country is not our territory, after all. If someone—say, Kano—could come with me..."

"Hmph. Don't you have your Anbu teammates?"

Aburame Ryūma snorted. Though he wore sunglasses, Hidezawa seemed to be able to feel his gaze turn cold.

"Kano has other missions. Do not disappoint Lord Danzo."

After saying that, Aburame Ryūma turned and left without looking back. Hidezawa watched his retreating figure thoughtfully.

"Kakashi went to investigate Orochimaru, and Kano has a mission... Could it be..."

Shaking his head, Hidezawa simply hurried home. After tightly shutting the door, he opened the scroll and began reading.

But the moment he read it, his expression became spectacular. Right now, he wanted to curse.

"You old bastard, you've gone too far!"

New mission acquired

Resolve Scorch Style Pakura