Tuanzo! This Is My Binding Vow!

Two Anbu members knelt on one knee before Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk. One of them took a scroll from his robes and presented it with both hands.

"Third Hokage, the investigation of the Land of Waves is complete."

Hiruzen took the scroll, unrolled it, and scanned the writing.

"Gato did hire Mist Village rogue ninja." Hiruzen set the scroll on the desk and pointed to a line of information.

"Has this been confirmed?"

"Yes. We kept watch in the Land of Waves for three days and personally saw two ninja wearing Mist Village Headbands enter Gato's mansion."

"One had bandages wrapped around his face. His chakra signature was close to jonin level."

"Two Mist Village rogue ninja." Hiruzen rubbed his temples. "That makes it a B-Rank or even an A-Rank Mission."

"Yes." The Anbu Captain lowered his head. "The original C-Rank Mission must be upgraded to B-Rank."

The door was pushed open from outside, and Anko strode in before stopping in front of the desk.

"Third Hokage, the mission to the Land of Waves was upgraded?" Anko glanced at the Anbu members kneeling on the floor. "Then just send a B-Rank team."

Hiruzen pushed the scroll toward her.

"Take a look at the mission roster."

Anko took the scroll and turned to the page with the mission roster. Her brow furrowed.

All three jonin teams were away on long-term A-Rank missions, while the remaining chunin teams had either just left the village or were on a break.

The B-Rank missions were already scheduled two weeks out, and Tazuna from the Land of Waves clearly couldn't wait that long.

"So there's no one available... This mission was originally meant for Team Kakashi, right?"

"Lord Jiraiya said those three had the skills of chunin."

"Having the skills doesn't mean they have experience." Hiruzen picked up his pipe again, put it between his teeth, and took a puff.

"Against real rogue ninja, the three of them—Sasuke and the others—don't have nearly enough combat experience."

"Especially when they're up against people from Mist Village. You know how they select their Genin, right, Anko?"

Anko knew the Third Hokage was right.

Kakashi was certainly an elite among elites, but taking three Genin fresh out of the Academy to face rogue ninja from Mist Village didn't mean he could guarantee their safety.

"Then why not just leave it for now?" Anko leaned against the edge of the desk.

"Tazuna and the Land of Waves can't afford to pay for a B-Rank Mission anyway. Let him wait in Konoha for two weeks."

"We have no choice but to wait." Hiruzen exhaled a trail of smoke.

Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Naruto's loud voice carried clearly through the wooden door.

"You said there'd be a C-Rank mission! We did a perfect job with the pest control at the logging camp and the medicinal herb collection!"

The door swung open. Kakashi walked in first, his visible right eye looking languid.

Naruto followed close behind him, the sleeves of his orange jacket rolled up to his elbows, still muttering about their mission.

Sasuke came in last, holding the Paulownia Wood Case under his arm. He leaned against the doorframe and swept his gaze around the office, finally settling on the unrolled scroll on the Third Hokage's desk.

Sakura stood beside Naruto. Her ponytail was a little longer than it had been a month ago, and she held a mission logbook in her hands.

"Grandpa Sarutobi! We've been here for a whole month! Where's our C-Rank mission?"

Naruto braced both hands on the desk and stretched his neck out, staring fixedly at the pile of mission scrolls on the Third Hokage's desk.

"We agreed you'd give us a C-Rank one after we finished the logging camp mission!"

Hiruzen set his pipe down beside the ashtray and folded his hands beneath his chin.

"The C-Rank mission I had planned for you has been upgraded to B-Rank. You'll have to wait a while longer."

Naruto looked as if all the strength had been drained from him. He slumped against the desk like a deflated balloon.

"Wait again?"

Sakura furrowed her brow, too.

She opened her mission logbook, its pages packed with entries for D-Rank missions.

She didn't say it aloud, but she did feel it was time they took on some real missions.

Anko came over, crouched down, and patted Naruto on the head. "There, there. A few days' patience won't kill you."

Just then, the office door opened again.

The sound of a cane tapping against the wooden floor could only mean Danzo.

Two Root members followed behind him. Both wore Root's standard black uniforms and animal masks.

One wore a Fox Mask, the other a Badger Mask.

After entering, they silently took up positions on either side of the door, their hands hanging at their sides.

"Hiruzen." Danzo approached the desk, leaning on his cane. He didn't even glance at Kakashi and Anko.

"Does Konoha have no team available to take the mission to the Land of Waves?"

Hiruzen took his pipe from his mouth and slowly leaned back in his chair.

"So that's what you've been keeping an eye on? Yes, I just upgraded the mission to B-Rank."

"Then let Root handle it." Danzo's tone left no room for argument.

"The mission is just sitting there anyway. Have Root accompany Team Kakashi. These two Root members go by Tatsu and Mi. They're both chunin."

Tatsu was the one wearing the Fox Mask. He was lean and carried a short sword on his back.

Mi wore the Badger Mask and was more solidly built, with a ninja tool pouch hanging at his waist.

Hiruzen stared at Danzo's narrowed eye for a long time.

He knew his old colleague's ways all too well.

When he was being helpful for no reason, something was definitely up.

But he knew Tatsu and Mi as well. They were chunin, with no Kekkei Genkai or secret techniques.

Just two ordinary Root chunin. There shouldn't have been any problem.

And Kakashi was there, too.

Even if they tried something, with Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja, present, the two chunin wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.

"Fine." Hiruzen nodded.

Sasuke had been watching the two Root members ever since Danzo entered.

His gaze moved from Tatsu's short sword to Mi's ninja tool pouch, then finally settled on the bandages wrapped around Danzo's right arm.

Everyone left the office and walked out of the Hokage Building.

Naruto was still excited that they could finally leave the village for a real mission, muttering that he'd show those rogue ninja just how amazing he was.

Kakashi walked at the front, flipping through his book as he listened to Naruto ramble.

Sasuke and Danzo walked at the rear of the group.

They kept about one person's distance between them. The tap of Danzo's cane and Sasuke's footsteps struck the stone path in turn.

"Why do you keep monitoring me when I'm on a mission?" Sasuke spoke first.

Danzo didn't stop walking. His single eye narrowed beneath the bandages.

"You're dangerous."

He turned his head and stared straight at Sasuke.

"If you won't join Root, I'll keep watching you. I haven't interfered with your daily life, have I?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"If you start monitoring my daily life, either you die or I die."

Danzo snorted. "Hmph. You've got that rabbit of yours keeping an eye on me, too, haven't you?"

"Don't worry. I'm not interested in your daily life. Sarutobi is strict about that boundary."

Danzo didn't mention the threat that Itachi might leak Konoha's intelligence. He simply continued walking with his cane, the two Root members following silently behind him.

The sound of the cane tapping against the ground gradually faded. Sasuke stayed where he was and smiled faintly.

Danzo would never know that Sasuke was now more like a Jujutsu Sorcerer than a ninja.

He used almost all the effort he put into training his chakra to extract Cursed Energy instead.

His progress as a ninja was slow because his focus wasn't on chakra at all.

Both Jujutsu Sorcerers and ninja understood the importance of intelligence.

But Jujutsu Sorcerers could choose to reveal their own information to others, making it a Binding Vow to gain a corresponding boost to their abilities in battle.

Sasuke looked down at the shadow beneath his feet.

If Danzo really tried to come after him, he'd blow up with him.

For Sasuke, there were only two secrets that absolutely couldn't get out.

First was the Binding Vow. It was the fundamental principle of Jujutsu Sorcerers.

Although he had taught Tsunade, Sakura, and Yakumo to extract Cursed Energy, he hadn't taught them about Binding Vows.

Ninja had an instinct to protect their intelligence, so it would be difficult for them to discover Binding Vows.

The second was Mahoraga. Its existence was a strategic nuclear weapon, so the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

As for everything else—Shikigami, Cursed Energy, the Ten Shadows Technique—Danzo would find out sooner or later, and there was no way Sasuke could hide it all from him.

If Danzo wanted to watch, then let him.