Special Mission

Naruto, who was hurrying along, noticed Sasuke suddenly glance at him and immediately got a bad feeling. After all, the last time he'd fought Sasuke, he'd somehow missed the rendezvous. ░▒▓█►─═  ═─◄█▓▒░

"I hope you don't hold us back. This mission probably won't be easy."

Sasuke gave Naruto a cold look and offered a casual explanation.

"Bastard, I'm strong!"

Realizing Sasuke was putting him down, Naruto grew furious. The next second, he ran straight into a tree.

"Ow... Ow..."

Naruto howled as he crashed into it without warning. Sasuke could only shake his head helplessly and keep moving forward.

"Can he really do this?"

Kakashi, who was ahead of them, watched Naruto manage to run into a tree and shook his head helplessly. Then he picked up the pace.

After traveling through the night, Kakashi finally stopped at dawn.

"According to the intel, this is the last place where the rogue ninja Aoi Rokushō was spotted. From here on, we could run into him and Morino Idate, whom he's taken hostage, at any moment. If a fight breaks out, do everything you can to keep Morino Idate alive!"

Once they reached the place marked on the scroll, Kakashi looked at the three inexperienced youths before him and gave them a careful reminder. He had already shared the intel with Sasuke and the others on the way. [６９ｓｈｕｘ．ｃｏｍ]

The news had excited all three of them. After all, this was a B-rank mission! If they pulled it off, Team 7 would surely stand out among the rookies.

But their excitement came with nerves. They were going up against real ninja! For Naruto and Sakura, this would be their first fight against other ninja. Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't interested in that at all. His hands were already stained with blood—Anbu and Root blood, at that.

What caught Sasuke's interest was the so-called Sword of the Thunder God. It was said to have been the Second Hokage's personal sword and was hailed as one of the sharpest ninja tools in existence. More importantly, it could channel Lightning Release Chakra, making Sasuke feel as though the sword had been made for him.

"The plan's confirmed. We'll start searching ahead."

Looking at the three with their varied expressions, Kakashi touched the Sharingan in his left eye and gave the order. He had a feeling he might need to use it on this mission.

Aoi Rokushō himself was only a Chunin, but he was defecting to Amegakure! If he'd chosen this path, that meant someone was sure to be waiting to help him.

As soon as Kakashi gave the order, Sasuke sprinted ahead. If he wanted to claim the Sword of the Thunder God for himself, he would have to get ahead of Kakashi and secretly take out Aoi Rokushō. That would mean failing the mission, but missions didn't seem to do Sasuke any good anyway. He couldn't eat them... •♫•♬• •♬•♫•

After Sasuke left the group, Naruto and Sakura quickly followed. Kakashi brought up the rear, giving the three of them a chance to gain experience.

At the front of the group, Sasuke quietly activated his Sharingan. No one would see it—or rather, anyone who had seen Sasuke's Sharingan had already gone with the wind, without even leaving behind ashes. That was why Sasuke had taken the lead: it wasn't time to reveal his Sharingan yet.

In the woods ahead of Team 7, Aoi Rokushō toyed with the Sword of the Thunder God in his hand, wearing an inscrutable expression. After putting it away, he turned to look at Morino Idate, who was lying on the ground, and smiled wickedly.

"Since you refused to join Amegakure, you can stay here! Konoha's pursuers will be here soon. I hope you survive, my stepping stone to a wonderful life!"

Grinning viciously, Aoi picked up the scroll from behind Morino Idate and slowly walked away.

"Why? Why?"

Watching his beloved teacher walk farther and farther away, Morino Idate helplessly pounded the ground.

Five minutes later, Sasuke, who had rushed ahead, spotted Morino Idate lying on the ground. He immediately deactivated his Sharingan and hurried over.

"Where's the scroll?"

Looking at Morino Idate, whose face was streaked with tears of despair, Sasuke asked coldly. Of course, what he was really worried about was the Sword of the Thunder God. But Sarutobi Hiruzen had explicitly ordered them to bring back the scroll.

"You're too late. That bastard ran off with the scroll!"

After seeing the Konoha Forehead Protector on Sasuke's head, Morino Idate spoke with a pale face. All he wanted now was a quick death, without being tortured.

After hearing this, Sasuke stopped paying attention to Morino Idate and continued after Aoi. After all, his Sword of the Thunder God was up ahead!

Not long after Sasuke left, Naruto and Sakura reached Morino Idate, with Kakashi close behind.

When Kakashi realized Sasuke was nowhere to be seen, he helplessly slapped his forehead. He told Naruto and Sakura to look after Morino Idate, who had lost the will to live, then hurried after Sasuke.

Please don't let anything happen, Sasuke! Kakashi prayed as he ran. Team 7 had only just been formed; it couldn't fall apart so soon.

As Sasuke raced through the woods, he spotted Aoi Rokushō trudging along at a leisurely pace. Sasuke could only shake his head. I don't know if you're doing this as part of some scheme, but I'll gladly take that Sword of the Thunder God.

Casually pulling out a kunai made from one of his Shadow Clones, Sasuke threw it straight at Aoi.

Just as the kunai was about to hit him, Aoi suddenly stepped backward, then slowly turned to look at Sasuke.

"So you're the last survivor of the Uchiha! I may have missed the Konoha Jonin, but bringing you back will still earn me a great deal of credit. After all, aside from the infamous Uchiha Itachi, you're the only one left!"

Recognizing Sasuke, Aoi confidently drew the Sword of the Thunder God and began infusing it with Chakra.

Golden lightning began to appear from the hilt, gathering until it formed a glowing golden blade.

"So this is the Sword of the Thunder God? What a fine weapon!" Sasuke smiled calmly as he looked at the sword in Aoi's hand, then immediately switched places with his Shadow Clone.

"Of course! It's a relic of the Second Hokage! Surrender quietly, unless you want a beating."

Hearing Sasuke's praise, Aoi gave a vicious grin and prepared to attack...

Special mission: The Sword of the Thunder God. The villain Aoi Rokushō talks too much.

Please, everyone, vote for me! (づ●─●)づ