A Deadly Mission

"Sou, what brings you here?"

"Long time no see, Sou."

When Uchiha Sou arrived in front of Team 6 and looked at the two people before him, he couldn't have felt worse.

Strictly speaking, he knew both of them. They were his classmates and friends, but running into them at a time like this was clearly bad news.

Because the two people standing before him were Might Guy and Shiranui Genma!

"You know each other? That makes things easier."

The supervisor in charge of managing and coordinating the ninja camp saw that they knew one another and didn't waste time with pleasantries. He looked at Guy and Genma and said,

"This is your new teammate, here to replace your injured comrade. He'll also be your new team leader. I hope you'll get along. I'll be taking my leave now."

With that, the supervisor turned and left. The fighting was still intense, and he had plenty of work to do.

In particular, he still needed to coordinate the deployment of the ninjas in the camp, so naturally he couldn't waste any more time here.

After he left, Guy and Genma looked at Sou with some surprise, though neither of them was shocked.

They already knew Sou, especially Guy, who had been Sou's classmate.

At the Academy, Sou hadn't been as much of a prodigy as Kakashi, but he'd still been an outstanding student, particularly in certain classes, where his performance had been incredible.

But in practical combat classes, he'd had the best grades of anyone except Kakashi.

And the biggest difference between Sou and Kakashi was that Sou wasn't as cold. He could get along with just about everyone.

Even when Guy had been looked down on by many because his father was a Genin for life, Sou hadn't treated him that way. He'd even comforted Guy when he was at his lowest.

Even when he met Guy's father, he hadn't looked down on him or mocked him like the others. He'd even expressed admiration for the man's unwavering hard work, day after day.

Sou himself was also exceptionally diligent and hardworking. Guy often saw him diligently practicing Taijutsu and ninjutsu.

A genius who worked so hard, came from a prominent clan, and didn't look down on others—Sou had left a deep impression on Guy.

So as soon as the supervisor left, Guy ran over to Sou. "I can't believe you're our team leader! This is something worth celebrating. I've decided—I'm going to run a hundred laps around the camp!"

"I think you'd better save your energy," Shiranui Genma said, covering his face. "Sou's become our team leader, so we're probably being given a mission."

"That's right. We do have a mission." Sou smiled awkwardly, then discreetly took a step back to put some distance between himself and Guy. "By the way, where's Ebisu? How did he get injured?"

"An Explosive Tag," Genma said helplessly. "During a mission, he got caught in the blast. He's already gone back to Konoha."

"We were wondering who would take his place. I never thought it'd be you." Guy was still very excited. Though it wasn't quite the right time, he patted Sou on the shoulder with a grin.

Unlike them, Sou couldn't feel happy at all. If he remembered correctly, this team was going to run into some serious trouble.

The Third Shinobi World War had dragged on for a long time. The original story had focused mainly on Kakashi and Obito, so Sou had a fairly clear idea of the timeline and events on their front.

He knew far less about the fighting between the Land of Whirlpools and Kirigakure. The only thing he knew clearly was what had happened to Guy and the others.

They'd been unlucky enough to run into the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. If Might Duy hadn't arrived in time and unleashed the power of the Eight Inner Gates,

there might not have been a future for Guy, and Uchiha Madara might never have said, "I, Madara, declare you the strongest."

Now, with the war against Kirigakure nearing its end, Sou had ended up on this team, and Ebisu had been sent back to Konoha by a stray Explosive Tag. There was no way he'd be back anytime soon.

"Does that mean I'll have to face the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in Ebisu's place?"

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had played cat and mouse with them instead of killing them outright, giving Might Duy time to arrive. They might have had their reasons for taking their time, but most importantly, the three of them had been civilian ninjas.

If they were dealing with someone like Sou, a bloodline ninja with the Sharingan, he couldn't believe the Seven Swordsmen would hold back!

"And I can't ignore the butterfly effect. Ebisu was injured by an Explosive Tag and sent back to Konoha. Who knows if Might Duy will still make it in time this time!"

At that thought, Sou felt worse than ever, but he kept his expression unchanged.

He calmly took out the scroll and said, "I hope that guy's all right. But let's see what the mission actually is."

All he could hope for was that the mission he was about to read wouldn't be too difficult. But when he opened the scroll and read it carefully, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"Is Orochimaru trying to leave me here?"

The scroll wasn't very long, and the mission was easy to understand. Their assignment wasn't particularly difficult—they just had to sneak behind enemy lines and launch a few surprise attacks.

The mission briefing was short and clear, but anyone could see just how dangerous the mission was!

There was nothing easy about sneaking into enemy territory to cause trouble. One wrong move, and death would be the least of their worries.

And Kirigakure's morale had been low lately, since its forces hadn't performed well on the front lines.

If they were captured in a situation like this, the enemy might give them a thorough session of the Great Memory Recovery Jutsu before using them in a ceremony to boost morale.

"This mission is a real killer!"

Sou cursed inwardly, but quickly pulled himself together.

He knew their team wouldn't be the only one sent on a mission like this. They wouldn't make much of an impact on their own.

There were probably already plenty of Konoha ninjas hiding deep in enemy territory, wreaking havoc!

With so many others out there, Sou figured he still had a chance, as long as he was careful enough.

"The real danger is the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. If we can find a way to avoid them, everything else should be manageable."

With that in mind, Sou handed the scroll to Guy and Shiranui Genma to read. Once they'd finished, he took it back and set it on fire.

"You both understand the mission?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Then get ready. We leave this afternoon."

"Yes!"