In the afternoon in Konoha, sunlight filters through sparse clouds and spills onto the bustling streets.
The atmosphere of peace after the war was like a warm breeze, caressing everyone's face. Shops lined the streets, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and laughter mingled into a symphony of prosperity.
However, in this peaceful scene, one figure seemed out of place.
The Third Mizukage of Kirigakure, a middle-aged man with a gloomy face and somewhat vacant eyes.
Accompanied by two Kirigakure Anbu guards, they walked slowly along Konoha's main road.
His steps were somewhat stiff, and his gaze seemed to casually sweep over everything around him.
Brand new buildings, a dazzling array of goods, and Konoha with relaxed smiles on their faces.
His lips moved slightly, uttering a whisper that was almost audible only to himself, his voice hoarse and lacking inflection.
"Is this... Konoha's peace? It's... a nauseating warmth."
His fingers unconsciously curled up, as if resisting this ubiquitous vitality.
"A false prosperity... built on the suffering of other villages... Chiyo Uchiha..."
His whispers were interrupted by a sudden, escalating argument.
Mizukage's slightly dull gaze shifted slightly, like a puppet being pulled by invisible threads, slowly turning towards the source of the sound.
Near the exit of the Training Ground on the street corner, three young ninjas are getting into a small argument.
"It's all your fault!!"
Obito Uchiha, sporting a head of spiky hair that screamed defiance, had his goggles pushed up to his forehead. His face was flushed red with excitement as he waved his arms, almost jumping up.
"The last enemy was already cornered by my Great Fireball Technique! You insisted on rushing in to finish them off! And what was the result?"
The mission target was almost scared unconscious by the aftershock of your Lightning Cutter! We spent ages calming him down! That's why we're only just finishing writing this report!
Leaning against the wall, Kakashi Hatake, with his silver hair and a black mask covering half his face, revealing only his lifeless, listless eyes, stood there.
He yawned lazily, his voice full of mockery.
"Ha, the logic of those at the bottom of the class is always so peculiar."
If it weren't for someone's Great Fireball that nearly burned down the client's warehouse, we wouldn't have needed to spend those extra ten minutes cleaning up the mess.
Moreover, quickly and accurately eliminating the last remaining threat and preventing further complications is a fundamental quality of a ninja.
Oh, I forgot, you might be unfamiliar with the word 'precision'."
" Kakashi! You arrogant jerk! Say that again if you dare!"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Obito suddenly grabbed Kakashi's collar, veins bulging on his forehead.
"My Fire Style technique is incredibly powerful! It's a strategic deterrent! What do you know!"
"All I know is that the 'unexpected losses' section of the mission report will need a few more lines."
Kakashi let him grab him, his tone as calm as if he were simply stating that the Tenten.
"That's enough, you two!"
Standing between the two, Rin Nohara, with her warm brown short hair and bright eyes, tried to separate them with a mixture of helplessness and anxiety.
She first gently patted Obito's hand, which was tightly gripping Kakashi's collar.
" Obito, let go first."
Then he turned to Kakashi, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.
" Kakashi, you too, say less."
The task was eventually completed, despite some minor setbacks, but the client was ultimately very satisfied.
We're a team, so we need to stick together!
Lin's voice was gentle yet carried a firm strength, which eased the tense atmosphere slightly.
Obito reluctantly let go, but still glared at Kakashi defiantly.
Kakashi looked away, seemingly unconcerned, but his slightly relaxed shoulders betrayed that he had taken Rin's words to heart.
The Third Mizukage's gaze, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, swept coldly and slowly over the emotionally charged Obito and the indifferent Kakashi.
His gaze finally settled fixed on Rin Nohara.
At that moment, a faint crimson light suddenly flashed in the depths of his previously empty eyes, then vanished in an instant, so fast it seemed like an illusion of light and shadow.
Almost at the same instant, Rin Nohara, who was trying to reassure her teammates, stiffened slightly.
A faint, almost imperceptible red light flickered across her eyes like a ripple, her pupils momentarily lost focus, and her words of advice paused almost imperceptibly.
All of this happened so fast that even Obito and Kakashi, who were standing right next to her, were completely unaware. Rin herself seemed to only feel a sudden, slight dizziness, which she shook her head off and returned to normal.
"Alright, alright, let's stop arguing here and hurry up to the Hokage Building to hand in the mission report."
Rin smiled again, took Obito's arm, who was still sulking, with one hand, and gently nudged Kakashi's back with the other.
"If we don't go soon, Minato-sensei might scold us again."
This bizarre and brief scene was Mei Terumi Mizukage, who happened to be passing by the street corner and was about to greet her Mizukage.
Mei Terumi originally saw the Mizukage and, out of courtesy, intended to go over and greet it.
After all, she was still a ninja from Kirigakure, and she felt resistant to the fact that Chiyo Uchiha had forcibly "invited" her to Konoha.
Upon seeing the Mizukage arrive, they would go to greet it.
But just as she raised her hand, a smile about to bloom on her face, she keenly noticed that Mizukage seemed a little different.
Especially his eyes, they were completely different from before.
Mei Terumi's heart sank suddenly, and her raised hand froze in mid-air.
The Mizukage's gaze... how could it be...?
That scary?
Could it be that she's been controlled by Chiyo Uchiha?
She decisively lowered her hand, quickly turned and hid in the shadow of a shop, holding her breath.
As an elite member of Kirigakure, her intuition was screaming warnings.
That was definitely not a normal look of observation or sentimentality; what it contained filled her with inexplicable fear and unease.
She carefully observed the Mizukage and found that his attention was completely drawn to the brown-haired female Genin, and he showed no reaction to her presence.
What happened?
Was there anything special about that girl?
Mei Terumi frowned deeply, her doubts growing wildly like vines in her heart.
She watched Lin leave with the two boys, and then watched Mizukage stand there for a few seconds before resuming her gloomy and indifferent expression, as if nothing had happened, and continue walking slowly forward.
Mei Terumi emerged from the shadows, her gaze shifting as she watched Mizukage's retreating figure.
She abandoned the idea of going up to say hello; a strong sense of foreboding enveloped her.
This is too unusual. We must... be very careful.
She decided to hold back for the time being, but kept the matter firmly in mind and secretly became more vigilant.
Night quietly descends, gradually silencing the hustle and bustle of the day.
The lights were on full display.
The nights in Konoha are not entirely silent.
However, the area on the edge of the village, especially the ancient forest near the Barrier, appears particularly secluded and quiet.
The moonlight was fragmented by the dense canopy of trees, casting only scattered, dappled spots of light on the moss-covered ground.
The occasional rustling of nocturnal animals adds to the eeriness.
"Lin, what's wrong? Why do we have to talk about this in a place like this so late at night?"
Obito Uchiha rubbed his arms; although it wasn't cold, the surrounding environment made him feel a little uneasy.
He looked at Rin Nohara, who was leading the way, his tone carrying confusion and a hint of barely perceptible complaint.
"And Kakashi came along too, what a downer."
Kakashi Hatake had his hands in his pockets, his exposed eyes scanning the dark shadows of the surrounding trees warily. His voice was colder than usual.
"You loser, use your Sharingan to take a good look around."
"It was highly unusual for Lin to suddenly use an emergency contact signal to summon us to this place so close to the village's edge."
He always felt a vague unease lingering in his heart, as if he were being watched by something unseen.
Rin Nohara stopped and turned to face the two of them.
Her face wore her usual gentle, even somewhat apologetic smile, but in the dim moonlight, that smile seemed to lack its usual liveliness, appearing somewhat... stiff and formulaic.
"I'm sorry, Obito, Kakashi."
Lin clasped her hands together and made an apologetic gesture.
"Because it happened rather suddenly, and it needed to be kept secret."
As she spoke, she took a Scroll out of her ninja tool pouch.
The Scroll was of a very ordinary style, the format commonly used in Konoha for Scroll, and it even had a blurry mark that looked like a stamp from the Hokage's Office.
"Look! This is the emergency mission Scroll that was just issued tonight!"
Lin showed the Scroll to the two of them, her tone carrying just the right amount of eagerness and excitement.
"It was given to me directly by Minato-sensei through special channels."
He said the intelligence was extremely urgent and needed to be dealt with immediately, without alerting too many people.
"An emergency mission?"
Upon Obito immediately perked up, instantly forgetting his previous complaints, and his eyes lit up.
"Was it Minato-sensei gave the order directly?"
Wow! As expected, only Mirai Hokage like myself can shoulder such a heavy responsibility!
What level is it? Level A? Or is it Level S?
He excitedly leaned closer to see the words on the Scroll.
Kakashi's brow furrowed even more.
He didn't approach; instead, he subconsciously took a half-step back, his eyes sharply scrutinizing Lin and the Scroll in her hand.
" Minato-sensei gave the order directly? Why didn't he come to us personally?"
And... what kind of urgent mission would require a handover in the dead of night on the edge of a village, all done in such a secretive manner?
His doubts grew stronger.
Although Minato-sensei sometimes gave them extra practice, he had never acted so unconventionally.
Issuing an emergency mission directly, bypassing the mission lobby, is highly unusual.
Lin seemed to have anticipated Kakashi's reaction; her smile remained unchanged, and she explained naturally and fluently.
"It seems that Minato-sensei was summoned away by the Fourth Hokage due to more urgent matters."
He said the mission objective was outside the village, quite far away, and to save time, we should set off directly from here.
He said he would complete the formalities later.
She pointed deeper into the forest.
"Intelligence indicates that a group of roaming thieves, likely composed of missing-nin or wandering ninjas, has appeared near Rōran Town."
Their movements were secretive, as if they were plotting something.
Minato-sensei is worried that they might threaten the safety of caravans along the way, and even damage the Roran Ruins, so we need to go and investigate immediately. If a threat is confirmed, we can eliminate them as appropriate."
Rōran Town?
Obito scratched his head.
"Thieves actually went there? No problem! Leave it to me, watch me catch them all with my Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito immediately rubbed his hands together, eager to try, and his mind was already filled with fantasies of heroically defeating the enemy.
This is a scene where I received high praise from Minato-sensei.
"Wait, Obito!"
Kakashi sternly stopped his hot-blooded companion, his gaze fixed intently on Rin.
"Lin, let me take a closer look at the Scroll."
Are the detailed requirements of the mission, the number of enemies, their estimated level, and the rendezvous method all specified in the mission description?
His sense of unease had reached its peak.
Lin's behavior was too "normal," almost too normal, as if she were reciting a prepared speech.
Furthermore, no matter how busy Minato-sensei is, it's impossible for him not to even send out a Shadow Clone to give a heads-up.
Lin blinked, a hint of embarrassment on her face.
" Kakashi, there is some encrypted information in the Scroll."
Minato-sensei gave us an urgent task and told us not to delay and to set off immediately.
As she spoke, she handed the Scroll to Kakashi, her movements seemingly hurried.
Obito, Obito stepped between the two, blocking Kakashi's outstretched hand.
"Hey! Kakashi! You're being way too paranoid!"
This is a mission brought by Rin! And it was Minato-sensei who gave the order!
You even doubt Rin and Minato-sensei? Could it be... you're afraid of those petty thieves?
"Idiot! This isn't a matter of being afraid or not!"
Kakashi glared at him and tried to push Obito.
"This is against the rules! And something feels really wrong!"
"What's wrong with you! I think you're just a coward! You're afraid to take on emergency missions!"
Obito stubbornly retorted.
"Lin, let's go! Don't pay any attention to this coward!"
As he spoke, he began to pull Lin towards the edge of the forest.
" Kakashi..."
Rin also looked at Kakashi, her eyes filled with pleading and a hint of grievance at not being trusted.
"The mission is really urgent... Shall we go together? With you and Obito there, everything will be alright."
Kakashi looked at Rin's almost pleading eyes, then at Obito's defiant Obito.
His unease grew stronger, but his companions' trust and urging, along with their seemingly reasonable explanation of the mission, put him in a dilemma.
Perhaps... I'm just overthinking it?
Under their gazes, Kakashi's internal struggle lasted for a few seconds.
Finally, he took a deep breath and barely managed to suppress the intense sense of foreboding.
"... All right."
"However, we must remain on high alert throughout the journey and report any unusual activity immediately."
"Great! That's more like it!"
Obito immediately cheered, his earlier displeasure vanishing completely.
A sweet smile of relief appeared on Lin's face.
"Okay! Let's get going!"
The three-person team then lingered, with Rin leading the way and Kakashi and Obito following closely behind. They quickly emerged from the forest, crossed the invisible Barrier at the edge of Konoha, and sped towards Rōran Town.
After leaving the area of Konoha, only the cold moonlight illuminated the road ahead.
Kakashi remained vigilant, keeping a close eye on the distance and his surroundings.
Obito, on the other hand, seemed quite excited, constantly talking about how he was going to perform later.
Just then...
A sudden change has occurred!
Five figures emerged from underground.
They launched a direct attack on the three of them.
"Careful!!"