"No. It's too dangerous."
Kazuki Utsuki rejected Sora Uchiha's plan without a second thought.
Beneath his mask, Sora frowned and spoke in a low voice:
"Monkey, what's the Anbu's duty?"
Kazuki Utsuki hesitated for a moment. "To carry out orders."
"What's our mission?"
"To rescue Jonin Tsunade."
For some reason, Kazuki Utsuki now felt immense pressure coming from Sora Uchiha, even though he was the senior one.
"Exactly. Our mission is to rescue Jonin Tsunade. Given the situation, she may already be in danger, yet we're standing here worrying about whether it's dangerous?" Sora Uchiha narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in his pupils. "I'm small, so I'm even harder to spot in terrain as complex as the back mountain. Given the circumstances, my plan is the right choice."
Kazuki Utsuki fell silent. He knew Sora Uchiha was right. His instinctive refusal had only come because, deep down, he still thought of Sora as a child. Now, after giving it some thought, he understood the reasoning. He let out a heavy breath.
"Fine. Remember, avoid fighting the Waterfall ninjas whenever possible. I'll find the captain as quickly as I can and join up with you."
Sora Uchiha nodded lightly, his gaze profound. He wondered if Kazuki Utsuki truly had the Will of Fire ingrained in his heart.
What would the old Third Hokage think when he learned what Sora had done?
Kazuki Utsuki placed a heavy hand on Sora Uchiha's shoulder. He gave him one last, lingering look, then immediately hurried off into the distance.
Sora Uchiha hid in place, the weeds concealing him completely. He regulated his breathing and made himself as inconspicuous as possible, waiting in silence.
Before long,
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosive Tags detonated one after another. A huge mushroom cloud rose from the blast site, while dazzling flames flickered in that direction.
The explosions had, just as expected, alerted the Waterfall ninjas in the back mountain. Before long, several of them headed over to investigate.
And so, a gap appeared in the encirclement, giving Sora Uchiha an opening.
He headed toward it, darting through the terrain like a snake. Whenever a Waterfall ninja came near, he stopped and held his breath, waiting silently for them to pass.
Fortunately, the explosions had drawn most of the ninjas' attention to that area. None of them noticed a child hiding in the weeds.
After repeating this several times, Sora Uchiha soon reached the edge of the encirclement. He only needed to advance another hundred meters before he could search for Tsunade without restraint.
But now, a problem stood in his way: no matter how he tried, he couldn't get around the two Waterfall ninjas nearby.
As far as he could see, the Waterfall ninjas had cleared a patch of open ground in front of him. If he crossed it, they would surely notice him.
Fortunately, after watching them for a while, he realized the two Waterfall ninjas weren't very strong: one was a Genin, the other a Chunin. If he killed them instantly and dealt with the bodies, no one would find out for a while.
He watched them quietly for quite some time, and then, to his surprise, an opportunity really did present itself.
The two Waterfall ninjas walked off together and stopped beside a tree. Sora Uchiha's eyes flickered as he approached...
As it turned out, the two Waterfall ninjas needed to take a leak. They'd searched the back mountain for so long without finding anything, and could barely hold it in any longer. They stood side by side.
"What do you think that explosion was?" the Chunin asked casually as he undid his belt and gave himself a shake.
"Not sure. From the sound of it, maybe an Explosive Tag? Who cares? One of the seniors went to check it out." The Genin also undid his belt, then glanced over with a curious look and grinned. "Your skills might be better than mine, senior, but I think I'm better than you in one particular area."
The Chunin froze and looked down at what the Genin was talking about. His face turned pale, then flushed. "What the hell are you talking about? What good is being big? Lasting power is what matters!"
"Look at you, senior. Touchy, aren't you?"
"Hey! Don't believe me? We'll compare after this mission!"
The Genin didn't reply. He gave himself a smug shake, then fastened his belt, looking thoroughly refreshed. A moment later, he grew a little puzzled. Why was the senior so quiet? Did he feel inferior? Maybe he couldn't piss with someone standing beside him.
He turned his head and his pupils contracted. The thing he'd been so proud of instantly went limp.
The senior Chunin beside him had a Kunai stuck in his neck! He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but his life ended right then and there!
"Ah—" The Genin managed only one sound before a muffled squelch cut him off. His voice stopped abruptly, and he fell to the ground, unwilling to accept his fate.
Behind him, Sora Uchiha expressionlessly pulled the Kusanagi Sword from the Genin's heart. He also pulled the Kunai from the Chunin's neck, wiped them both off, and put them away.
"You like pissing together? Then you can piss together for the rest of your lives." He gave a cold laugh.
Everyone knew that people were usually at their most relaxed while taking a leak. These two had also been busy talking, so the Chunin hadn't noticed Sora Uchiha approaching at all. Once the Chunin was dealt with, the Genin was even easier.
Catching the faint smell of blood in the air, Sora Uchiha frowned slightly. After a moment's thought, he used his Kunai to cut down a large pile of weeds and hid the two bodies underneath.
Then he hurried deeper into the back mountain.
The success of the assassination hadn't really been because of Sora Uchiha. It was because of those two Waterfall ninjas.
Even though they knew an enemy attack might have happened in the distance, they'd still carelessly gone to relieve themselves together. They had almost no sense of danger.
It could only be said that there was a reason the Land of Waterfalls was a weak country. If it had been any of the Five Great Nations, the ninjas they trained wouldn't have been so careless, and Sora Uchiha wouldn't have had such an easy time taking them out.
The back mountain was huge. If Sora Uchiha searched normally, he might not find Tsunade even after several days and nights.
He stood atop a large tree, looking down over the surrounding forest. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but green. The only thing that stood out was the mountain itself.
"This is a problem," he murmured. How was he supposed to find her over such a vast area?
Come on, brain. Start working!
He wondered where he would hide if he were Tsunade. Or... what sort of clues he would leave for the reinforcements.
Tsunade was a gambling addict, but she clearly had a brain. Otherwise, she wouldn't have become the Fifth Hokage.
What were Tsunade's defining traits?
Well, she was well-endowed... Ahem. Sora Uchiha shook his head. That trait was no use in this situation!
Before long, a glint flashed in his eyes. "If Tsunade has any sense, I should be able to find..."
He started searching the back mountain. Soon, he found an inconspicuous little creature on a leaf.
It was a white "caterpillar" about the length of a finger—in other words, Katsuyu, Tsunade's summoning creature.
"Little one, tell me where Tsunade is," Sora Uchiha said.
Unfortunately, the little Katsuyu ignored him. He thought for a moment, then took a Forehead Protector out of his pocket. It was a Konoha Forehead Protector.
That got a reaction from the little Katsuyu. Her antennae stretched toward a certain direction—the mountain.
Sora Uchiha tucked Katsuyu into his vest, then hurried toward the mountain...
Before you continue