Reconnaissance Mission

The morning dew, accompanied by the first light of dawn, refracted the enchanting colors of the rainbow. This was already the border of the Land of Fire, with the territory of the Land of Wind just a short distance away.

Konoha's forces were now stationed in the Land of Rivers, preparing for a decisive battle against the Sand Shinobi there. The Sand Shinobi had likewise placed their forward base in the Land of Rivers, where water was plentiful, rather than on their own soil in the Land of Wind. The main reason was that the Land of Wind was plagued by unpredictable sandstorms throughout the year, which made it unfavorable for military operations.

Besides, no one wanted a war fought on their own soil, and so the Land of Rivers had become a victim of two great nations. During wartime, small countries had no sovereignty at all—unless they could produce a "Demigod of the Shinobi World" like Hanzo.

Konoha and the Sand Shinobi faced off across a rift valley in the Land of Rivers. The only connection between the two sides was a rope bridge laid with a few wooden planks.

Both sides seemed restless and eager to attack, but their leaders were relatively restrained. So far, there had been no major battles.

The Sand Shinobi wanted revenge for their slain Kazekage, while Konoha wanted to crush them and claim the first victory of the Third Great Ninja War.

That was Konoha's usual way of doing things, and the source of its confidence. The three in their ranks, whose combined presence alone could overwhelm their opponents, gave every Konoha Ninja confidence.

The Sannin were operating as a special unit and had not split up. Konoha had other capable commanders besides them. For example, the exceptionally clever Nara Shikaku was currently on the defensive line along the Land of Iron, guarding against an invasion from the Land of Lightning. So there was no need to separate them for now. Together, they were the sharpest spear on the battlefield.

Kaede stood at the very front of the defensive line, gazing toward the Sand Shinobi on the other side. With the two sides so far apart and natural barriers between them, he felt that neither side had any intention of fighting a decisive battle—or even of engaging at all.

That made sense. The Sand Shinobi had just lost their Kazekage, and it was still unclear whether they had established a new one. They had also just been pummeled by the Land of Lightning. Faced with the current state of the Shinobi World, they were holding on through sheer fury and a desire for revenge.

The Sand Shinobi leadership should have understood that they couldn't vent that fury. They had to rely on it to make it through the Third Great Ninja War. The Sand Shinobi's war had barely begun, and it was already over.

"Kaede-kun, want to test yourself against the Sand Shinobi?" a sinister voice came from behind him.

He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Snake Uncle was the only one with a voice like that. Kaede turned, intending to greet him.

"Jiraiya-sensei, you're here too?" Kaede said awkwardly to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya pinched his nose and nodded with a look of distaste.

He couldn't help it. He'd thought Kaede would never learn the Flying Thunder God, and figured he might as well take advantage of the situation. He hadn't expected to run into a freak like Kaede, who had actually mastered a space-time Forbidden Jutsu. He could only hold his nose and accept Kaede as his student; otherwise, the Third Hokage would give his Minato a hard time.

Tsunade wore a green flak jacket that bound her ample chest. Perhaps it was to make fighting easier. "Kid, I never thought you'd become this guy Jiraiya's student."

"Lady Tsunade, who can say what fate has in store?" Kaede teased her with a playful grin.

"Tch. Kid, do you want to try my fist?" Tsunade rolled up her sleeves, ready to teach Kaede a painful lesson for talking nonsense to her.

Tsunade struck as soon as she said she would, without the slightest hesitation. The wind howling around her fist made it clear she was holding nothing back.

"Flying Thunder God!"

At the critical moment, Kaede activated the Flying Thunder God and appeared beside Jiraiya, who stood at the rear of the group. He crouched low and gave Tsunade a cheeky smile.

Tsunade lowered her fist and clenched it, eyeing Kaede menacingly. "You think the Flying Thunder God can dodge every attack of mine?"

"Mm-hmm!" Kaede nonchalantly invited her to try.

A diamond-shaped Yin Seal had now appeared on Tsunade's forehead. She had begun storing the excess Chakra she accumulated each day. It was unclear whether she had perfected a technique like Creation Rebirth yet.

Her combat strength came from her monstrous physical power. Although her speed increased when she released the Yin Seal, she was still slower than Kaede was now.

What good was a powerful attack if she couldn't hit me?

The sly smile at the corner of Kaede's mouth made Tsunade furious. She was about to punch him again.

"Tsunade, stop messing around. We came here for something important. The test of Kaede-kun's abilities is over," Orochimaru said, stopping her.

This was when it became clear how differently Tsunade treated the two men. If Jiraiya had tried to stop her, the two of them might have ended up getting beaten together. But when Orochimaru held her back, Tsunade merely glanced at him before lowering her fist.

It was obvious who she was closer to.

"Kid, don't let me catch you. When I do, I'll..." Tsunade crushed the stone in her hand, the threat unmistakable.

Jiraiya leaned close to Kaede's ear. "Kid, you'd better be careful. Tsunade holds a grudge. If she's got it in for you, asking her for a favor later will be a problem."

Jiraiya was warning Kaede that you shouldn't offend a doctor—especially the best doctor in the Shinobi World.

Kaede sucked in a breath. He'd been so focused on getting even for what happened before that he'd forgotten Tsunade was also a medic. She might be a lousy one sometimes, but when it mattered, she was still reliable.

Is it too late to apologize?

"We came here to have Kaede-kun infiltrate the Sand Shinobi's camp and gather intelligence. The three of us are too conspicuous, and Minato has already left for the battlefield near the Land of Lightning. That leaves you as the only suitable candidate," Orochimaru said with a smile.

Kaede felt Snake Uncle was definitely targeting him. There were at least several thousand Sand Shinobi across the way. If each of them threw a single Kunai, it would be like a storm of arrows. How was this a reconnaissance mission? It was a death sentence!

"You've learned the Flying Thunder God. As long as you're careful, there shouldn't be much danger. You can withdraw from the mission whenever you want," Jiraiya explained when he saw Kaede looking at him.

This was the plan they had come up with after discussing it the previous day. They had to find out the Sand Shinobi's strength. They couldn't keep wasting time here.

The Third Hokage had already sent word that fighting between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth was intense and would soon reach a conclusion. So the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind needed to settle things here as well.

Afterward, they would send the shinobi forces they had brought to the other battlefronts. Jiraiya knew Konoha was considering launching an attack. The village leadership wouldn't want to see a large force tied down in the Land of Wind, a place with nothing to gain.

So that was why the famous Sannin had come to bargain with a Genin like me today. They'd been waiting to spring this on me. The Flying Thunder God might be fast, but I still had to activate it first. What if I appeared there and got sealed? Wouldn't I be giving myself away for nothing?

"Once you complete this mission, the merit you earn by turning the tide should be enough to secure your promotion to Chunin," Orochimaru coaxed Kaede again. For a child that age, a promotion in rank was a potent temptation.

Unfortunately, Kaede wasn't an ordinary child. He continued looking at Orochimaru. As the front-line commander, he'd better offer something worthwhile if he wanted Kaede to risk his life.

He was the messenger assigned by the Third Hokage to relay battlefield reports. That was his actual mission. Now Orochimaru wanted to send him on another one. This wasn't an order; it was a request, and Kaede had a great deal of freedom to choose.