Escort Mission

The mission to escort the wounded was classified as A-rank, and Uchiha Akira was not the only one assigned to it.

A total of twelve ninjas were tasked with this mission, organized into three squads.

After the assembly, Uchiha Akira spotted some old acquaintances: Might Duy, Might Guy, Ebisu, Genma Shiranui, and Hatake Kakashi.

The higher-ups placed great importance on the wounded, so the quality of this escort team was exceptionally high.

Not only were experts like Uchiha Akira and Might Duy included, but there were also members of the Hyuga Clan responsible for reconnaissance.

The number of wounded was significant, and with the addition of the temporary medical ninja escort, the total size of the group reached over a hundred people.

With such a large scale and the presence of the wounded, it was impossible to conceal their tracks.

However, no one present was worried about this, as they did not believe the enemy would be foolish enough to attack them.

With the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan handling reconnaissance, and Uchiha Akira and Might Duy—who had reduced the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to a single survivor—present, a deep sense of security naturally took root in everyone's hearts.

The front lines were not idle; taking down a team like this was not something a few jonin could accomplish.

"Senior Duy, we meet again." On the road, Uchiha Akira took the initiative to greet him.

"Young Uchiha, what a coincidence! I didn't expect us to be on the same mission." Might Duy was very happy, his entire being brimming with vitality.

"It certainly is a coincidence." Uchiha Akira nodded and smiled, "When we get back this time, Senior Duy should be promoted to jonin soon, right?"

Hearing Uchiha Akira's words, a look of hesitation appeared on Might Duy's face, and he said somewhat embarrassedly, "Although Minato Namikaze said he has already recommended me, I feel that I still have a gap compared to a true jonin, so I don't intend to become one."

As he spoke, he rubbed his thick hair and laughed, "I am very satisfied as a chunin; that way, I can still take on some decent missions."

"What about you, young Uchiha? You should be promoted to jonin soon, right?" Might Duy gave a thumbs up, revealing a set of shining white teeth.

Uchiha Akira shrugged and said, "Perhaps."

The two chatted idly at the back of the formation.

Beside them, Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu were also chatting.

Kakashi had only experienced the death of Nohara Rin a few days ago, and now he exuded an icy aura that kept others at a distance.

Even Might Guy could only exchange a few words with him; Kakashi simply ignored everyone else.

Minato Namikaze, worried that Kakashi might be blinded by hatred during the war against Kirigakure, had him participate in this mission as a way to return to Konoha.

Since the war was ending anyway, it was better to let some people return to Konoha early.

"Kakashi, you didn't see the scene where Senior Uchiha Akira fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist; if only I had that kind of strength." Might Guy looked at Kakashi, filled with envy.

Hearing Might Guy's words, Kakashi's lifeless, dead-fish eyes flickered as he looked at Uchiha Akira, who was chatting away with Might Duy not far off. He thought to himself:

This Uchiha Akira is different from Obito and the other members of the Uchiha Clan. He isn't silly, naive, or thick-headed like Obito, nor is he arrogant like the others. He's a bit like Minato Namikaze...

Might Guy did not feel discouraged by Kakashi's silence and continued, "Kakashi, do you think Senior Uchiha Akira's strength is enough to deal with a Tailed Beast?"

"Tailed Beast..." Kakashi's heart stirred as he thought of how Kirigakure had sealed the Three-Tails into Nohara Rin just a few days ago.

At this thought, his heart ached, and he secretly hated himself for his weakness, unable to even fulfill the promise he had made to Obito.

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

Might Guy, as if oblivious to Kakashi's cold attitude, excitedly walked toward Uchiha Akira and asked, "Senior Ming, with your strength, can you deal with a Tailed Beast now? I heard that Tailed Beasts are one of the trump cards of every major ninja village."

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

Indeed, such questions concerned a ninja's personal privacy; under normal circumstances, even close friends would not ask such things.

They were not even friends with Uchiha Akira, so Might Guy's question was truly presumptuous.

"Young Uchiha, please don't mind Guy's question just now." Might Duy rubbed his thick black hair, looking embarrassed.

Hearing his father's words, Might Guy realized he had said something he shouldn't have and said sheepishly, "Senior Ming, I'm really sorry."

Not far away, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, who had been eavesdropping, sighed with regret; they were also very curious about the answer to that question.

They had been on the battlefield for a year, and they had heard of the Tailed Beasts—the trump cards of the major villages—and had indirectly witnessed their power.

Although they had never faced a Tailed Beast directly, they had seen the massive craters left behind by a Tailed Beast Bomb.

"It's fine," Uchiha Akira smiled.

Seeing that Uchiha Akira didn't seem to mind, Might Guy grew bold again and whispered, "Senior Ming, with your strength, you must be able to deal with a Tailed Beast, right?"

"Guy!" Might Duy glared at his son with dissatisfaction.

The child was growing up and drifting a bit off the path of youth.

Uchiha Akira smiled, rubbed his chin, pondered for a long moment, and said, "Although there are differences in strength among Tailed Beasts, with my current power, I might have a chance against some of the weaker ones."

"That's amazing!" Might Guy exclaimed.

"If it were your old man, perhaps he could deal with 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 the legendary strongest Tailed Beast, a true natural disaster for ninjas.

Hearing Uchiha Akira's words, Might Guy was truly shocked.

Might Duy shook his head repeatedly, "Young Uchiha, I'm not that strong. Even if I opened the Gate of Death, it would be difficult to deal with a Tailed Beast. I'm still far from that level."

"If it were the Hokage, surely even the strongest Nine-Tails could be dealt with!" Might Duy said with a hint of admiration.

To this, Uchiha Akira merely smiled, offering no opinion.

Sarutobi Hiruzen might be able to stand off against the Nine-Tails for a time, but that would be all—a mere standoff; he had no real way to deal with the Nine-Tails.

The raw power of a wild Nine-Tails was not something an ordinary Tailed Beast could compare to; without specialized means of attack, it was incredibly difficult to handle.

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

Just as the group was chatting, the Hyuga Branch Family jonin responsible for reconnaissance, Hyuga Homura, arrived at their side via Body Flicker.

Hyuga Homura looked at Uchiha Akira and Might Duy, his expression grave as he said, "One kilometer ahead at ten o'clock, thirteen Kirigakure ninja have been spotted. One of them possesses a massive amount of chakra—suspected to be the Six-Tails Jinchuriki!"