"Her?"
Uchiha Yuu looked at the bloodstains not far away and stated the cruel truth.
"Her life was saved, but she won't be able to be a ninja anymore."
Too much time had passed, causing widespread infection. Out of rare kindness, Uchiha Yuu had sawn off Ito Yuna's leg. She was currently unconscious. This was the greatest punishment he could give her. Root did not keep useless people, much less a useless person who had failed to let Hiruko kill him.
"Ah, a blessing amid misfortune. Perhaps her future will be better if she doesn't become a ninja."
This mission had been full of oddities. Once Hatake Sakumo was out of danger, he calmly reviewed the entire sequence of events and realized it was far from simple. He vaguely guessed something, then wrote down the course of the mission, intending to hand it to the Hokage for a decision.
"Lord Hatake has a rather unique way of thinking. Not becoming a ninja really can spare someone from many things."
The smile at Yuu's lips could have been either mockery or envy.
They recuperated aboard the ship for a while, then returned to Konoha as soon as they disembarked. But the matter was far from over.
The Third Hokage looked over the mission report, taking puff after puff from his pipe. Before long, the room was thick with smoke. The three people who had just entered frowned slightly. Utatane Koharu casually opened the nearby window and asked:
"What happened to make you so troubled?"
Two letters lay on the Hokage's desk. One was Hatake Sakumo's mission report, while the other was an encrypted document. The Third Hokage let out a long sigh and pointed to the document beside it.
"This is a message Kumogakure sent us. You'll understand why I'm troubled