Perhaps it's a woman's unique intuition, or perhaps it's for some other reason.
Among the crowd, Uchiha Kaoru, who was following the group, seemed to sense something. Her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly, and following the feeling of being spied on, she looked down. Beneath her long, curled black eyelashes, her deep eyes gazed in the direction of Sato Hideaka.
A beige figure seemed to flash across the rooftop...
Is this the Third Hokage's Special Assassination and Tactical Squad?
If it's the Anbu, this reminds Uchiha Kaoru of an opponent, someone even more gifted in ninjutsu than herself. In a contest three months ago, she was completely defeated by that opponent's Flying Thunder God Body Flicker Technique —a technique where multiple illusions overlapped, one real and one unreal...
Even with the Uchiha's proud Three-Tomoe Sharingan allowed them to see through the opponent's movements completely, they still found it difficult to react accordingly!
"Xun, what's wrong? Are you worried about the war? Don't worry... I will definitely protect you."
Among the crowd, Uchiha Kenichi Uchiha Kaoru by a middle-aged female ninja from the Uchiha clan, saw that Uchiha Kaoru seemed absent-minded and quickly patted his chest to comfort her. He had long admired Uchiha Kaoru.
Uchiha Kaoru is the most beloved granddaughter of the Uchiha Elder and the daughter of Uchiha Toyama, the head of the Military Police Force. She belongs to the core circle of power and is not only extremely talented but also as exquisitely beautiful as a porcelain doll.
Such a person could be the most brilliant jewel of the Uchiha Clan!
Two years ago, Uchiha Kenichi knew that both of their grandfathers intended to bring them together. After all, they were both among the strongest of the new generation of Uchiha, and such excellent bloodlines could produce excellent purebred Uchiha babies, making the next generation's bloodline even stronger. This made him extremely excited and proud, knowing that his future wife was the strongest talent in the Uchiha.
Upon hearing Uchiha Kenichi's words, Uchiha Kaoru withdrew her somewhat dazed gaze and said expressionlessly, " Uchiha Kenichi, I don't need your help, and you have no ability to help me. You should know that I possess... the Three-Tomoe Sharingan."
In the Uchiha Clan, renowned for its bloodline Three-Tomoe Sharingan is a symbol of strength and status. Superior eyes have absolute dominance over inferior ones. Faced with Uchiha Kaoru's suddenly opened Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and the ominous, chilling feeling beneath her crimson gaze, Uchiha Kenichi was startled...
With his hands clenched into fists, pressing the surrounding flesh until it turned a ghastly white, Uchiha Kenichi somewhat unwilling, but there was nothing he could do. Although his talent was stronger than that of his peers, it was clearly far inferior to that of Uchiha Kaoru.
Moreover, two whole years had passed, and his Two-Tomoe Sharingan still showed no signs of evolving into a three- Tomoe. Faced with Uchiha Kaoru's Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he was completely suppressed, which left Uchiha Kenichi without any reason to refute.
Sato Hideyuki retreated along the eaves for a moment, then reappeared in a corner and peeked out to observe the surrounding environment and the movement of people. Staring at someone for a long time was indeed not advisable, as it was too easy for the other person to sense it. Just now, he was almost seen by Uchiha Kaoru.
As a qualified member of the Anbu, it would be too embarrassing to be discovered so easily!
Led by Tsunade Senju, the Western Front support troops marched through the bustling streets of Konoha, exiting through the West Gate and rapidly advancing towards the Land of Rivers. As the last group left the last brick of Konoha, the so-called "oath-taking ceremony" came to a successful conclusion.
Tsunade's western support team slowly departed amidst the villagers' cheers, signifying the successful completion of their escort mission. After reporting to a captain of the Anbu that nothing was amiss, Sato Hideaka returned to his own "Blue" team!
The remaining five members of the team— Giant Elephant, Aokui, Flying Eagle, Red Bird, Spider —remained at their original posts along the path. Under Sato Hideaka's signal to gather them, they quickly lined up and awaited orders.
Sato Hideaka nodded and said, "Meet at the West Gate of the village at 10:00 AM tomorrow! After completing the next guard duty, dismissed."
The five dark figures instantly dispersed, disappearing without a trace on the rooftop where the breeze was blowing.
Sato Hideaka returned to the Anbu, changed into normal clothes, and headed home. Meanwhile, people on the street were gathered in small groups, discussing the previously formidable ninja force and their views on the war and the current situation.
For ordinary people, national affairs and wars are always topics of conversation after dinner.
"Is this the ninja force of Konoha? Look at all the powerful clans that have joined the ranks: the Hyuga Clan Byakugan, the Uchiha Clan with their Sharingan, and even Lady Tsunade herself leading the team, with Lord Orochimaru directing the battle. This battle is definitely going to be spectacular..."
"Yeah, yeah, those guys from Sunagakure in the Land of Wind have nothing better to do. Why did we kill their Third Kazekage for no reason? Maybe their Third Kazekage is missing and on vacation? And they blame everything on us..."
" The Land of Wind is a vast expanse of barren yellow sand. They probably saw our Land of Fire as wealthy. We all know their hearts are like jackals and tigers. All we'll give them is our ninja squad's Kunai and Explosive Tag. We'll drive them back and see if they dare come again."
Sato Hideaka to the villagers' conversation, knowing the whole story, he felt a strange, inexplicable feeling. It was as if he had returned to the United States in his past life, where he wanted to steal their oil but had to first frame them for a crime before attacking them.
I killed your Third Kazekage, and I'll still accuse you of spreading rumors, then suppress you through public opinion...
Hegemony, naked hegemony.
Hidden beneath love and peace lies the absolute hegemony of a great power!
With a soft sigh, Sato Hideaka shook his head inwardly at these villagers who pretended to know everything and boasted wildly. He slowly made his way through the crowd toward the two-bedroom apartment next to Konoha Hospital.
" Nonō, I'm back..."
Using his key, Sato Hideaka entered the living room and greeted the Yakushi Nonō, who was usually very busy at work and wouldn't be home at this time. However, he still habitually said this, and then a rich aroma of food wafted towards him.
The dining table in the living room was already laden with dishes from various cuisines: braised pork belly, grilled eel, miso soup, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet), and more. The kitchen was steaming, and the air was filled with the aroma of delicious food...
In the kitchen of "Ping Pong Soldiers," the voice of Yakushi Nonō came from inside. "Okay, the food will be ready soon. Hideaka, wait a little longer, don't sneak any food... There are still two dishes left, they'll be all served soon."
Is it really that exaggerated? There are only two people, and they've already had seven or eight bowls of food, plus two more bowls left... There's absolutely no way they can finish all of that.
"Are we having guests? Why are you making so much food today...?"
Looking at the table full of food, Sato Hideaka's throat moved slightly. Forcibly suppressing the urge to eat the delicious food definitely required a lot of willpower.
Yakushi Nonō emerged from the kitchen carrying two bowls of food to the table. She then put on her large, round, black-rimmed glasses, removed the apron from her waist, and Sato Hideaka, "No guests have come. It's just that Nonō might be going on a business trip soon and won't be able to cook for you, so these two are a nice way to make up for it..."
Business trip, oh, I see...
Sato Hideaka nodded in sudden realization, saying, "Oh, I see. You're leading Medical Department to the western front to treat wounded soldiers, right...?"
"Ah, Hideaka, how did you know? Well, I just received the mission recently, and I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd worry. It wasn't that I was intentionally hiding it from you." Yakushi Nonō looked at Sato Hideaka's blue eyes and shook her head nervously.
In fact, Yakushi Nonō didn't intend to tell Sato Hideaka Hideyuki about the mission. After all, going to the front line meant danger, and Sato Hideaka the Anbu. Nonō didn't want him to be distracted by this.
While loudly munching on his food, Sato Hideaka pretended to be mysterious and said, "How did I find out about this information? It's a secret about the Anbu, you know. You didn't tell me about your mission, so I can't tell Nonō either."
"What are you talking about? Some ninja missions can't be shared among themselves, it's not because of this..."
Hearing Sato Hideaka's answer, Yakushi Nonō was both amused and annoyed. Having once been a spy for Root, she was all too familiar with the details of secret missions. The secrecy of her mission itself wasn't particularly high; what was truly secret was the marching route. After all, Medical Ninja weren't combat ninjas, and if they encountered a powerful opponent, they would likely suffer heavy casualties...
Of course, not telling Sato Hideaka was for his own good; I didn't expect this guy to be so childish.
While enjoying his meal, Sato Hideaka fell into deep thought. This trip to Sunagakure was undertaken with two missions, missions given to him by two people with different identities. One of them might even involve the power struggles between factions within Konoha! (To be continued.)