Execution

In a blink, it was time to set off for the mission.

During this period, Byakuya had been busy returning the scrolls for Water Release: Water Severing Wave and the Flying Thunder God Technique, analyzing the intelligence gathered on Pakura's whereabouts and personality, and developing new Storm Release ninjutsu.

Byakuya was dizzy with busyness, but fortunately, his mental energy was far superior to before, allowing him to maintain a good state of mind despite the hectic schedule.

With money in hand, Byakuya also bought some Military Ration Pills that could restore chakra—the special edition, cream-flavored ones.

The night was deep and quiet.

Wearing the Shuten-dōji Mask and a newly purchased Black Trench Coat, Byakuya set off alongside Hatake Kakashi.

It was merely a coincidence.

Hatake Kakashi had his own mission.

Facing the night wind.

Byakuya asked, "Why aren't Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin from your squad with you?"

"Sensei doesn't have time to lead the team for now, so I left Obito and Rin at home. Does Senior know their names as well?"

"And you?"

"Senior, I am already a Chunin; I have accepted a mission from the village."

After all, there was a debt of life-saving gratitude, so Kakashi said, "Nowadays, all missions in the village are related to the war. I chose one with low difficulty to try and complete it on my own. What about you, Senior? Are you also heading out to execute a mission?"

"Have you ever thought about joining the Anbu?" Byakuya suddenly asked in return.

"Me? I don't have the strength to become an Anbu member yet."

"With your talent, it won't be long."

Hatake Kakashi pondered, "I still prioritize training with Minato-sensei."

"Hmm, you are very pragmatic."

The two ran at high speed; while Byakuya felt no discomfort while speaking, Kakashi was slightly breathless.

"Kakashi, what is your dream?"

"Dream? I want to become an excellent ninja like my father."

"Just that?"

"What is Senior's dream?"

"To live."

"..."

Byakuya whispered, instilling a thought into him, "You owe me, and there will eventually come a day when you need to repay it."

"Yes, I have always kept that in mind. Thank you again, Senior, for saving me from Orochimaru."

Thinking back on it, there were many suspicious points at the time, but after all, Senior had saved him.

Hatake Kakashi paused and asked, "When does Senior intend to have me repay the life-saving debt?"

"Perhaps after you join the Anbu."

"Yes."

In truth, Kakashi did not know if he could ever become an Anbu member.

The two suddenly stopped their conversation.

Ahead, a group of ninjas was rushing back toward Konoha.

Byakuya and Kakashi hid to the side and saw Yuhi Kurenai in the group. She was alone; the Hyuga Branch Family Girl and the Inuzuka Clan Youth from her squad were nowhere to be seen.

Yuhi Kurenai turned her head to glance at the Shuten-dōji Mask under the moonlight, wanting to say something, but in the end, they just brushed past each other.

"The sorrow on her face is so thick it's almost scabbing over," Byakuya remarked.

"I heard about it. Yuhi Kurenai's squad was ambushed by Cloud Ninja... Senior?"

Kakashi turned his head, but the Senior who had been by his side just a moment ago had suddenly vanished.

"Did he leave?"

It was indeed time to part ways.

When he saw the Senior's iconic Shuten-dōji Mask outside the gates of Konoha, his heart was filled with mixed emotions, and he didn't know what to say. It was the Senior who had taken the initiative to speak, breaking the awkwardness.

Carrying the Chakra Short Blade White Fang, Kakashi turned toward the eastern coast of the Land of Fire.

The mission for this trip was to investigate whether the sudden massacre of a small village in the east of the Land of Fire was the work of Kirigakure Ninja.

"I remember Might Guy is training there with his team leader."

Might Guy's father, Might Duy, was exceptionally famous in Konoha.

Because he was the "Eternal Genin."

Byakuya used the Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique to leave Kakashi behind, turning instead to sprint toward the Land of Rivers.

Ninjas rely on chakra to assist their travel, and with the Land of Fire covered in dense forests, they leap between tree trunks much like apes.

Practice makes perfect.

Having traveled to the Land of Rivers before, Byakuya did not rest tonight, continuing his journey without pause.

This was also because his strength had improved since last time; his chakra reserves, stamina, and speed had all seen further increases.

The improvement of each attribute was not independent.

Byakuya had even become somewhat addicted to completing the time-limited missions issued by his Fate Grid.

The feeling of becoming stronger with every completed mission was truly addictive.

Especially with the recent boost to his chakra control, Byakuya believed he could now master the high-difficulty Chakra Scalpel.

While traveling through the forest, Byakuya recalled the intelligence regarding Pakura.

She was still in the Land of Rivers—or rather, she had returned to Sunagakure once before being stationed back in the Land of Rivers.

Possessing a god's-eye view, he knew for certain that Sunagakure would launch a war against Konoha.

Yet, he did not know the specific details of how this war would unfold.

By the third day of travel.

He stopped for half a day to complete a time-limited mission issued by the Fate Grid that provided a minor boost to his vitality.

Only then did he decide to pick a suitable spot to pitch his tent and rest.

Perhaps due to the psychological trauma of encountering the Azure-Black Serpent in a cave during his last trip to the Land of Rivers, Byakuya ignored any caves he saw, choosing instead to set up camp in a dry, open clearing.

After passing the sentry posts set up by Konoha ninjas at the border, he entered the Land of Rivers.

He no longer chose the easy-to-travel main roads, instead utilizing the mobility of the Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique to move through hidden paths.

On this day.

Byakuya leaped onto a rock and gazed ahead.

The vast forest was lush and verdant.

He could faintly hear the rushing sound of a turbulent river.

With its complex terrain that defied conventional logic, this was the Land of Rivers.

He spread out his map.

Based on the intelligence, he had marked a red circle here.

The red circle indicated a location where Pakura had stayed for an extended period, likely where Sunagakure ninjas were stationed.

"Danzo, oh Danzo, you already possessed this intelligence, yet you still sent me to the Land of Rivers? Sunagakure has already made up its mind to attack Konoha; what use is a treaty? It would be better to strike first and constantly harass the Land of Wind to keep them in check."

He paused.

Things he hadn't considered before suddenly became clear.

Byakuya plopped down onto the rock.

The content of the alliance was to jointly deal with Iwagakure, but with Iwagakure already at war with Kumogakure, from Sunagakure's perspective, was there any need for an alliance?

"I blame myself for being arrogant with my god's-eye view, only to fall into the trap of being unable to see what is right under my nose."

"How could that old fox Danzo not know? Regardless of whether the mission I'm executing succeeds or fails, it is a sign of weakness toward Sunagakure."

"Perhaps what he wants is for Sunagakure to use this alliance as confirmation that Konoha is hollowed out by war and lacks the strength to open a new front."

"There is only one outcome."

"The upper echelons of Sunagakure will quickly reach a consensus and decide to wage war on Konoha."

He exhaled a long breath.

The Land of Fire possessed the most abundant resources and the most fertile soil, while the Land of Wind was located in a desert, exceptionally barren and struggling to survive. This was a structural contradiction; as long as Sunagakure wanted to change its living conditions, it wouldn't attack the Land of Earth, but rather bite into the "fat" that was the Land of Fire.

"If I were Danzo, I would use the Sunagakure ninjas' rash military incursion into the Land of Fire to set an ambush, catching them off guard."

"In this way, since it would be within the borders of the Land of Fire and not far from Konoha, after winning this war, Danzo's reputation would surely surpass that of Namikaze Minato, and perhaps even the Third Hokage."

He knew the name of this war.

The Battle of Kikyo Pass.

Konoha chose Kikyo Pass to intercept the Sunagakure ninjas.

The original work had very little information on this battle, equivalent to a mere passing mention.

The result was a Konoha victory and a Sunagakure defeat.

Perhaps due to the aftermath of this battle, Sunagakure showed signs of weakness, leading Kirigakure to attack the Land of Wind by sea and land.

Pakura, who possessed the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai, became a hero of Sunagakure just like Rasa, who successfully resisted the Cloud ninjas, only to be hated by Kirigakure and eventually betrayed by the upper echelons of her own village.

Byakuya had a new plan in mind.

For this Root Organization mission, he would fight for his own "interests."