The Escort Mission

The mission to escort the wounded had been classified as an A-rank mission, and Uchiha Akira wasn't the only one assigned to it.

Twelve ninjas in total had been assigned to the mission, divided into three squads.

After they gathered, Uchiha Akira spotted some familiar faces: Might Duy, Might Guy, Ebisu, Genma Shiranui, and Hatake Kakashi.

The higher-ups had taken the wounded very seriously. The escort team was exceptionally strong.

Not only were Uchiha Akira and other powerful ninjas like Might Duy part of the team, but there was also a member of the Hyuga Clan in charge of reconnaissance.

There were quite a few wounded, and with the medical ninjas assigned to escort them as well, the team numbered over a hundred people.

With so many people, including the wounded, there was no way to conceal their movements.

But no one present was worried about that. They didn't think the enemy would be foolish enough to attack them.

With the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan keeping watch, and Uchiha Akira and Might Duy—the men who had reduced the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to one—right there, everyone felt a deep sense of security.

The front lines weren't just sitting around doing nothing, either. It would take more than a few Jonin to take down a team like this.

"Duy, it's good to see you again." On the road, Uchiha Akira greeted him first.

"Uchiha, what a coincidence. I never thought we'd end up on the same mission." Might Duy was delighted, practically brimming with energy.

"It really is." Uchiha Akira nodded, then asked with a smile, "When we get back, you should be promoted to Jonin soon, right?"

At Uchiha Akira's words, Might Duy looked tempted, then said a little sheepishly, "Although Jonin Minato said he'd recommended me, I still feel like I'm not quite at a Jonin's level, so I don't plan on becoming one."

As he spoke, he rubbed his thick hair and smiled. "I'm perfectly happy as a Chunin. That way, I'll be able to take on some decent missions."

"What about you, Uchiha? You'll probably be promoted to Jonin soon, won't you?" Might Duy gave him a thumbs-up, flashing a row of bright white teeth.

Uchiha Akira shrugged. "Maybe."

The two chatted idly at the back of the group.

Nearby, Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu were chatting as well.

It had only been a few days since Kakashi had lost Nohara Rin, and now he gave off a cold aura that warned everyone to keep their distance.

Even Might Guy could only exchange a few words with him. Kakashi barely spoke to anyone else.

Minato Namikaze had worried that, in the war against Kirigakure, Kakashi might let his hatred cloud his judgment. That was why he'd assigned Kakashi to this mission, which would also bring him back to Konoha.

The war was about to end anyway, so they might as well send some people back to Konoha ahead of time.

"Kakashi, you should've seen the battle between Uchiha Akira and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. I wish I had that kind of strength." Might Guy looked at Kakashi, speaking with admiration.

At Might Guy's words, the lifeless look in Kakashi's eyes shifted slightly. He glanced at Uchiha Akira, who was chatting away with Might Duy nearby, and thought:

Uchiha Akira is different from Obito and the other members of the Uchiha Clan. He isn't silly and clueless, with no sense of danger like Obito, nor is he arrogant like the others. He's a little like Minato-sensei...

Might Guy wasn't discouraged by Kakashi's silence. He continued, "Kakashi, do you think Uchiha Akira is strong enough to fight a Tailed Beast?"

A Tailed Beast... Kakashi's thoughts stirred, and he remembered how Kirigakure had sealed the Three-Tails inside Nohara Rin a few days earlier.

His heart ached at the memory. He cursed his own weakness, unable even to fulfill the promise he'd made to Obito.

Kakashi looked at Might Guy and said coolly, "Why don't you just ask him yourself?"

As if he hadn't noticed Kakashi's cold attitude, Might Guy eagerly made his way over to Uchiha Akira and asked, "Akira, with your strength, could you fight a Tailed Beast right now? I've heard Tailed Beasts are one of the trump cards of the great ninja villages."

"Guy!" Hearing his son's question, Might Duy looked at him sternly and said in a low voice, "Guy, is that something you should be asking?"

Indeed, that sort of question concerned a ninja's personal privacy. Under normal circumstances, even close friends wouldn't ask it.

They weren't even friends with Uchiha Akira, so Might Guy's question had been rather presumptuous.

"Uchiha, please don't take Guy's question to heart." Might Duy ran a hand through his thick black hair, looking embarrassed.

Only after hearing his father's words did Might Guy realize he'd said something he shouldn't have. He scratched his head awkwardly. "Akira, I'm really sorry."

Nearby, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu had been listening closely. They sighed with disappointment; they'd also been eager to hear the answer.

They'd been on the battlefield for a year now, and they'd heard plenty about the Tailed Beasts, the great villages' trump cards. They'd also seen their power indirectly.

They'd never faced a Tailed Beast themselves, but they had seen the enormous crater left by a Tailed Beast Bomb.

"It's fine." Uchiha Akira smiled.

Seeing that Uchiha Akira didn't seem offended, Might Guy worked up the nerve to ask again, this time in a low voice. "Akira, with your strength, you can definitely fight a Tailed Beast, right?"

"Guy!" Might Duy glared at his son in disapproval.

His son was growing up, but he was straying a little from the path of youth.

Uchiha Akira smiled, rubbed his chin, and pondered for a moment. "Although Tailed Beasts vary in strength, with my current abilities, I might have a chance against some of the weaker ones."

"That's amazing!" Might Guy exclaimed.

"If it were your father, he might be able to take on any of them except the Nine-Tails." Uchiha Akira said with a chuckle.

"Dad, you're that strong?" Might Guy looked at Might Duy in surprise.

The Nine-Tails was said to be the strongest Tailed Beast, a true natural disaster to ninjas.

Uchiha Akira's words genuinely shocked Might Guy.

Might Duy shook his head repeatedly. "Uchiha, I'm not that strong. Even if I opened the Gate of Death, I'd still have a hard time fighting a Tailed Beast. I'm nowhere near that level."

"If it were Lord Hokage, I'm sure he could take on even the strongest of them, the Nine-Tails!" Might Duy said with a trace of admiration.

Uchiha Akira only smiled at that, offering no opinion.

Sarutobi Hiruzen might be able to stand against the Nine-Tails for a while, but that was all he could do. He had no way to defeat it.

The wild Nine-Tails was far stronger than an ordinary Tailed Beast. Without a specialized counter, it was extremely difficult to deal with.

Uzumaki Kushina had more ways to deal with the Nine-Tails than Sarutobi Hiruzen did.

While they were chatting, Hyuga Homura, a Jonin from the Hyuga Branch Family in charge of reconnaissance, used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive beside them.

Hyuga Homura looked at Uchiha Akira and Might Duy, his expression grave. "One kilometer ahead, at ten o'clock from our position, I spotted thirteen Kirigakure ninjas. One of them has an immense amount of chakra and is suspected to be the Six-Tails Jinchuriki."