Early the next morning, at Konoha's mission assembly point.
An unusual tension hung in the air.
There was none of the bustle that came before a departure, only hushed, restrained whispers and the faint clink of metal ninja tools.
Yusuke arrived on time and quickly scanned the grounds.
About twenty ninja had gathered. Most were Chunin and Special Jōnin, and the atmosphere was grim.
Several gazes settled on him, sizing him up. One or two were as venomous as a snake's tongue.
Yusuke glanced toward the shadows in the corner without showing it. A few figures wearing animal masks stood there.
Root's people? Looks like this trip won't be peaceful. Yusuke kept his expression calm and suppressed the feeling of being watched.
An Anbu member appeared without a sound and handed him a scroll. Their voice was muffled by the mask.
"Yusuke, Chunin. You're the leader of Squad Seventeen."
"This is your squad's mission scroll. Your teammates will join you shortly."
"Understood." Yusuke took the scroll. It felt cool to the touch.
After delivering the message, the Anbu vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Soon, two people walked toward him.
The first was a boy with spiky hair and bold red fang markings on his cheeks. A gray Ninja Dog trotted close beside him.
His excitement was impossible to hide. He waved casually. "Hey, you're our leader, Yusuke, right?"
"I'm Inuzuka Go, Chunin. This is my partner, Haimaru. Pleased to meet you."
His voice was loud and clear as he generously held out his hand.
"Yusuke, Chunin. Pleased to meet you." Yusuke nodded, keeping it brief.
His gaze shifted to the girl who came up behind him.
She had delicate features, straight black hair cut in a hime style, and pure white eyes devoid of warmth.
She gave him a brief look. "Hyuga Aya, Chunin."
Her voice was cool. After speaking, she folded her arms and gazed at the distant morning mist, radiating aloofness.
"She's a genius of the Hyuga Clan. A little arrogance is only natural."
Inuzuka Go leaned close to Yusuke and lowered his voice. Then, already acting like an old friend, he slung an arm over Yusuke's shoulder.
"But, Captain, are you really a Chunin?"
"This forward reconnaissance mission doesn't sound like the kind of job an ordinary Chunin could handle."
He had no sense that prying into someone's background might be impolite. He sounded more curious than skeptical.
Yusuke was already getting a headache from this chatterbox. "A mission is a mission. Do your job and stay alive."
"Got it. I won't let you down," Inuzuka Go said cheerfully. Haimaru barked in agreement.
Hyuga Aya still showed no reaction, as if nothing around her had anything to do with her.
Yusuke understood. The Inuzuka Clan's straightforward, fiery nature, the Hyuga Branch Family's cold reserve, and himself—a seemingly ordinary civilian Chunin leading the squad.
Danzo had thrown him into this mix without expecting them to get along. Maybe the chaos and friction were exactly what he wanted.
"Check your gear. Meet at the gate in half an hour," Yusuke ordered.
"Oh, the front gate or the back gate?"
"That's important information. Legend has it the Uchiha Clan Head left the village alone because nobody told him which gate."
Inuzuka Go waved an arm and asked in confusion.
Yusuke's mouth twitched. This guy's a few cards short of a full deck. So wild history isn't necessarily true, but it's definitely wild.
"The front gate." Yusuke turned and headed toward the main entrance.
"Hey, you don't know how to take a joke," Inuzuka Go muttered.
Yusuke felt those pure white eyes on his back, studying him for a moment.
Interesting. Could one of these two be a spy planted by Danzo? Yusuke pondered.
After three days of rapid travel, they had crossed the Land of Fire's border checkpoint.
Inuzuka Go and Haimaru couldn't hold back any longer. Like horses let loose from their reins, they charged ahead, using their sharp senses of smell and hearing to scout the way. They were full of energy.
Hyuga Aya naturally took up the rear, her Byakugan activated as she surveyed the surroundings in every direction.
Yusuke stayed in the middle of the squad, running his Sensory Ninjutsu at full power while keeping the front and rear at a coordinated distance.
They had traveled less than five li when Yusuke abruptly raised his right fist. The squad stopped at once.
"What is it?" Inuzuka Go began to ask, but Yusuke silenced him with a look.
Yusuke crouched and gently brushed his fingertips over a few leaves that looked as though they had fallen naturally.
Someone had covered their tracks, but Yusuke still noticed something unnatural. He looked up toward Hyuga Aya behind them.
Hyuga Aya turned her Byakugan in the direction Yusuke indicated. The veins around her eyes bulged slightly.
"Two o'clock, three hundred meters away, behind the bushes."
"Two chakra signatures. Their concealment is very good." Her report was ice-cold, like a machine's.
"Are they enemy scouts? Should we capture them and find out what they know?" Inuzuka Go whispered, looking eager for action.
"Our mission is to find out where the enemy's main force is. We should avoid complications."
Yusuke gave the order. "Change course and go around them."
Disappointment flashed across Inuzuka Go's face. He clicked his tongue but didn't argue, signaling for Haimaru to follow.
Hyuga Aya silently changed direction and followed the squad. As she passed Yusuke, her pure white eyes lingered on his profile for just a moment.
At dusk, the setting sun stained the forest red. The squad found a suitable campsite in a sheltered hollow between the hills.
Inuzuka Go skillfully cleared a patch of ground. Hyuga Aya leaped into a tree and kept watch from above.
Yusuke, meanwhile, set up some Explosive Tag traps around the perimeter.
When he was done, he leaned against the gnarled roots of an ancient tree and closed his eyes to rest. Though he seemed to be taking a break, his senses spread outward like a web.
He had sensed three chakra signatures following them from the moment they left the Land of Fire, trailing far behind.
Are they Root's people?
His fingers brushed the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his tool pouch as he considered what to do next.
"Captain, here. Have some dried meat to restore your strength." Inuzuka Go held out a piece, then took one for himself and began chewing noisily.
"Thanks, but I'm fine." Yusuke took out his own Military Ration Pill and showed it to him.
When he didn't know whether someone was friend or foe, he would never trust food from them.
"Captain, what do you think the Land of Whirlpools is like now?"
Inuzuka Go didn't seem to mind. He chewed his dried meat and asked through a mouthful. Haimaru lay at his feet, ears perked up too.
"A battlefield." Yusuke answered with two words.
"I know it's a battlefield."
Inuzuka Go scooted closer, brimming with energy.
"I mean, I heard the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu is incredibly powerful."
"And would the great nations really dare to wipe out the Land of Whirlpools?"
Yusuke was starting to get a headache. He completely understood how Sun Wukong must have felt in A Chinese Odyssey.
This chatterbox made him feel as if a swarm of flies was buzzing around him—buzzing and buzzing until they flew right into his ears.
The usually silent Hyuga Aya came to his rescue. Her cool voice drifted down from the tree. "Ignorant excitement will only get you killed faster."
Inuzuka Go was stumped. He glared up at her. "Hey, Hyuga! What's that supposed to mean?"
"Aya's right. You're getting a little too worked up."
Yusuke's voice wasn't loud, but it quieted Inuzuka Go.
The campfire crackled, illuminating Yusuke's stern face.
"Remember, we're here to scout, not play the hero."
"If you spot the enemy, report it immediately and follow my orders."
"You need to be alive to claim any credit."
Inuzuka Go grumbled, "Oh," then sat back down and vigorously rubbed Haimaru's head.
Haimaru: These days, dog food is hard to earn, and poop is hard to... Actually, poop's not so bad.
The three of them fell silent. The forest grew completely quiet, broken only by insects and the occasional pop of the campfire.
Inuzuka Go and Haimaru leaned together and fell asleep, breathing evenly.
Hyuga Aya stood watch from above.
Yusuke, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly sensed something. He opened his eyes. "Tonight doesn't seem very peaceful."
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