Konoha Notes.

Chapter 83 Both Sides

Chapter 83 Both Sides

The three-day holiday ended, and Iwagakure launched another attack. Anko thought the village's call would come soon.

There was no result.

So she went to the team leader's house to ask about the village's arrangements—Hongdou remembered the way when she helped move the scrolls last time.

"Not here?"

The old lady in the house said, "He went on a mission."

A mission? I've been abandoned? A huge sense of loss and resentment at being abandoned suddenly surged up, and Mitarashi Anko's face turned slightly pale.

She practically ran all the way to the Uchiha clan's territory. The guards at the entrance were indifferent, neither stopping her nor paying her any attention, until a girl with a gentle voice appeared.

"Izumi, thank you."

"No need, Anko-senpai is Itachi's comrade, right?" the girl said. "I'm Itachi's friend."

"He mentioned his seniors."

Does that little brat have friends his own age?

The thought flashed through her mind, and then she saw Itachi Uchiha.

"You're on a mission, senior?"

Seeing the fleeting surprise and confusion on Itachi's face strangely calmed Anko's anxious heart a little—it seemed that she wasn't the only one unaware.

"elder brother?"

"Excuse me, Sasuke, I have to go out for a bit."

Without a Jonin present, the process of meeting the Hokage became much longer. The two simply waited without speaking until Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared before them.

"Hokage-sama! Captain—has Shuji gone on a mission?!"

Why weren't we taken along? Class 5—has it disbanded?

"Aren't we a team anymore?"

Hongdou's tone was hurried, filled with barely concealed excitement.

The Third Hokage was not angered by her rudeness. His gaze lingered for a moment on her and on Itachi, who stood silently but with unwavering eyes, before he calmly spoke:

"Yes, Shuuji is on a mission. It's a high-level mission, and very dangerous."

"Currently, he is the only one in the fifth squad who is qualified to participate. I apologize for temporarily reassigning your captain, but please rest assured that he is not acting alone."

"He has very outstanding companions with him."

"This is a difficult mission that only Jonin-level players can participate in."

"After the mission is over, he will still be the captain of the fifth squad, and you will still be members of the fifth squad."

Are we too weak?

I'm too weak.

Returning alone to her quiet apartment, her hand unconsciously went to her neck. There, the cursed seal that the Third Hokage had personally sealed was faintly burning.

Outside Konoha Village, deep in the dense forest, three figures moved silently at an extremely fast speed.

Compared to regular ninja equipment, the Anbu's standard equipment is superior in both functionality and concealment.

They're also very comfortable to wear.

The only thing that Shuuji wasn't entirely happy about was the dark tattoo on his arm, although the design was simple and beautiful—

Okay, anyway, I'm not taking the civil service exam—no, that's not quite right. This tattoo is one of the proofs that I'm part of the Dark Guard.

"You're more unconventional than I imagined," Kakashi teased.

Even though Shuji's movements were impeccable, the subtle, exhilarating feeling of experiencing the details of the Dark Guard suit for the first time could not escape the perception of a veteran like him.

"Has Kakashi-senpai ever considered dyeing his hair?" Shuji suddenly asked.

"Huh?" This abrupt turn of events startled Kakashi.

"The Dark Division is supposed to hide their identities, right?"

"That's how it is in theory."

"But Kakashi-senpai's silver hair, combined with the features of the Sharingan—" Shuji stated calmly, "is too easily recognizable. Forgive my bluntness, but what exactly is hidden within that?"

Yamato's foot seemed to slip subtly to the side and behind, making a very soft "sound".

"Well—I'm listening to this. The Anbu has many different functions. Not all missions require completely concealing one's original identity. Some jobs are—well—more routine, or internal missions." Kakashi's voice carried a hint of embarrassment.

He tried to regain his composure: "If I really need to conceal my identity, I'll wear a trench coat, or I can use a transformation technique."

"Understood." Shuji's tone was devoid of emotion.

"Ahem." Kakashi cleared his throat, forcibly changing the subject. "Focus on the mission, Mori. Let's end this small talk."

Mori, that's Shuji's code name for this operation.

Kakashi at this point hasn't yet transformed into the sly old fox he'll become, always carrying his own frivolous reading material and effortlessly defusing any awkward situation.

Shuji thought to himself.

He didn't notice the subtle, admiring gaze directed at him from the side.

"Mori-senpai, you're really amazing."

"what?"

Yamato is a year younger than Shuji, so calling him "senpai" is correct. Where did this impressive compliment come from?

"To be able to seize Kakashi-senpai's weakness so quickly and launch an attack."

"Shut up, Tianzang."

The Tailed Beast Interception Team fell silent under the captain's oppressive aura, with only the whistling wind from their high-speed movement filling their ears.

Thanks to the desperate fighting of the Konoha ninja, the surging Iwagakure offensive was finally contained within an area of ​​about ten kilometers inside the border of the Land of Fire, and could not advance any further.

The Kannabi Bridge and the Tenchi Bridge, two strategic choke points for entering the Land of Fire from the Land of Grass, have been lost.

Ninja warfare also relied heavily on logistics. Even if an individual ninja could carry a small amount of supplies using scrolls, for an organized unit...

Traditional, secure supply lines remain crucial.

As for having ninjas in charge of leading...

Unless the entire road is very safe and the enemy ninjas won't ambush you, the ninjas won't easily waste their energy carrying large amounts of supplies.

It's easy for people to die, for the enemy to eat their food and use their weapons, and for them to become the enemy's heavy troops.

Therefore, losing the two bridges meant that Konoha lost its frontline barrier and had to rely on the terrain within its territory to organize its defenses.

The reason why the battle lines collapsed so quickly was due to the activity of the two Jinchuriki that Iwagakure had deployed.

If Jiraiya hadn't arrived in time and single-handedly stabilized the situation, the Iwagakure forces would probably have penetrated dozens of kilometers into the heart of the Land of Fire by now.

If it really comes to that, the elderly Third Hokage will probably have no choice but to personally take up arms.

Upon arriving at the frontline command post and passing identity verification, the three were taken directly to the command center, where there were two other people.

Jiraiya, with his wildly white hair, stood with his arms crossed in front of the sand table. Beside him was Nara Shikaku, his brows furrowed, his fingertips lightly tapping the edge of the sand table, clearly deep in thought—he was truly busy.

"Yo, Kakashi." Jiraiya looked up and immediately recognized the distinctive silver hair, greeting him casually.

"Pfft." A suppressed laugh came from under the mask.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Jiraiya looked at Yamato, puzzled.

Shuji stood silently.

Kakashi's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then he stood still as if nothing had happened, his voice sounding particularly serious and deep through his mask: "Special Tactics Team against Tailed Beasts, reporting for duty. Lord Jiraiya, Mr. Shikaku."

"Kakashi, what is he laughing at?"

"Nothing special! Please give me your instructions, Jiraiya-sama!"