Maruyama Shin returned to his quarters.
He didn't really have much to prepare. Everything he needed was already on him, tools, soldier pills, stockpiled from the past two months to the point he could probably survive a full month outside the village without starving.
The only reason he came back was to use up his daily corpse-touching quota.
Ever since learning his lesson the hard way, he'd made a habit of saving three uses until the evening. If no special corpses arrived at the morgue, he'd just pick out a plain white one and touch it for practice.
This mission might last several days, and he didn't want to waste today's remaining charges.
Even a mosquito is still meat.
Shin had no real desire to leave Konoha or his comfortable post in the morgue. If he had his way, he'd rot there like a salted fish until the Third Great Ninja War blew over entirely.
Still, since this mission was about recovering the bodies of Konoha shinobi, he didn't feel too resistant.
Hopefully, just as the Hokage said, there wouldn't be any surprises.
After storing away his earned items, he made his way to Konoha's front gate, where Kakashi and the two other team members were already waiting.
"You're late," Kakashi said, face emotionless.
"Heh, sorry about that. I accidentally lost my way on the path of life," Shin grinned, borrowing one of Kakashi's future catchphrases.
"..."
Kakashi let out a cold snort, not even bothering to argue.
Shin had been hoping to see a bit more reaction. When he noticed the slight twitch at the corner of Kakashi's eye, he shook his head quietly.
No matter how much Kakashi tried to act cool and detached, he was still just a kid—a very talented one.
"This mission is urgent. I'll explain the rest on the way."
With that, Kakashi handed over their exit papers and sprinted off first.
The others followed closely behind.
The mission briefing had already been covered by Hiruzen Sarutobi. What remained now was simply to get to know one another better.
Aside from Kakashi, Shin had gotten a decent read on the other two.
The male ninja was Itō Ki, a Chūnin and sensory-type shinobi. He'd worked with Kakashi on five previous missions.
The girl was Imai Kuriyama, a Genin and medical ninja. She'd done three missions with Kakashi.
Basically, anyone who ever teamed up with Kakashi either couldn't stand his attitude and left, or died in the field.
After all, ever since his father, the White Fang of Konoha, committed suicide, Kakashi had become obsessively fixated on missions. In his eyes, the mission came above all else. Anyone who failed to complete theirs was worthless.
That was why Danzō believed Kakashi was the perfect fit for Root—he could help the boy fully unleash the darkness in his heart.
But Hiruzen firmly believed Kakashi still carried light inside him. He just needed someone to open a window to let it out.
As the sun dipped and the moon rose, the four-man squad moved swiftly, reaching the eastern border of the Land of Fire.
"The closer we get to the border, the more dangerous it becomes. Ki, you handle sensing."
As team leader, Kakashi began assigning roles.
"Got it."
"Kuriyama, if we get into a fight, stay out of direct combat as much as possible. Focus on support."
"Understood."
After giving them their orders, Kakashi glanced at Shin's dopey expression and pursed his lips.
"You handle yourself. If you can distract one enemy, that's enough."
"Sure thing," Shin replied cheerfully, not taking offense at all.
"I'll take the front line," Kakashi said, claiming the hardest part of the mission without hesitation.
With a wave of his hand, he led the group across the border.
They gradually slowed their pace to recover stamina while advancing.
…
Meanwhile, deep in a forest within the Land of Hot Water, four Mist ninja in dark uniforms suddenly appeared.
"Those Konoha bastards sure can run. Even after Lord Tōsō Noeru seriously wounded them, they still made it ashore."
"They're probably already dead by now. We just need to recover the intel and complete our mission."
"This must be some important information. If it weren't for Lord Hōzuki Suikazan holding off Konoha's troops, we'd already be surrounded."
Perched atop the trees, the Mist shinobi joked and laughed. They didn't seem to feel any pressure being in enemy territory.
After all, while the Land of Hot Water was sizable, Yugakure's strength was virtually nonexistent on the world stage.
"Shut up."
One of them stood while wiping his long blade. The others immediately fell silent.
Under the moonlight, the edge of his sword gleamed with a chilling brilliance.
Clack.
The blade slid smoothly into its sheath.
Eyes cold and sharp, he said, "Find those Konoha shinobi, recover the intel, and leave."
Given the current state of relations between Konoha and Kirigakure, if they got caught, there'd be no coming back.
Without Suikazan keeping the Konoha forces busy, their operation would never have gone this smoothly.
"Finding them won't be hard. I can smell the blood from a mile away."
"Heh, no one in Konoha knows blood better than us."
…
"This is the place."
In front of a secluded tree hollow, four figures arrived—Shin and his teammates.
Their expressions were complicated as they examined the entrance.
Outside the hollow, faintly carved into the bark, was a secret mark used by Konoha shinobi during missions. It was part of the intel they had received.
Itō Ki shook his head grimly.
The others' faces grew darker.
They were already dead.
Kakashi stepped forward, disarming several traps set outside the hollow, then went in. Inside, they found three blood-soaked Konoha corpses, lying in a pool of crimson.
"Shin, get in here."
Shin entered without hesitation.
The three shinobi were covered in deep gashes, many of them fatal. That they had managed to escape from Kirigakure and make it all the way to the Land of Hot Water was nothing short of a miracle.
Shin noticed faint yellow and green motes of light glowing around them.
It was a team composed entirely of Jōnin and Chūnin, likely skilled in stealth and sensing. Otherwise, infiltrating Mist territory would've been impossible.
Then he spotted something else—one of the Chūnin had the Uchiha clan's flaming fan crest stitched into his uniform.
"Someone's coming!"
Before he could finish sealing the corpses, Itō Ki shouted from outside the hollow.
Shin's expression shifted. Without wasting a second, he pulled out a sealing scroll and swiftly stored all three bodies.
When he stepped out, Kakashi and the others were already in a tight defensive formation.
"You got them?" Kakashi asked, eyes narrowed.
Shin nodded.
"Let's move."
There was no hesitation. All four turned and fled.
Their mission was to retrieve the corpses, not fight enemy ninja. Now that they had them, all they needed to do was return to the Land of Fire.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
But they hadn't gone far when a barrage of spinning shuriken whistled through the air behind them, blocking their escape path.
They stopped at once, standing back to back to guard against ambushes.
Rustle.
Four Mist shinobi emerged on the surrounding treetops, cold eyes locking onto them.
No words were exchanged. Between rival villages, meetings like this had only one outcome: battle.
Not until one side was completely annihilated would it end.
"Fight!"
Kakashi acted instantly, dashing forward like lightning.
Itō Ki and Imai Kuriyama followed. Their goal was to create a gap for Shin to break free.
"Heh, just a bunch of Konoha brats," sneered Kuriarare Yamato as he slowly drew his blade.
But the next moment, his expression changed.
Kakashi's speed exploded. With the White Fang's blade in hand, he became a silver flash, a lethal force surging toward them. Clearly, he aimed to take one down before the enemy knew what hit them.
But fast as he was, someone else was just as fast. A Mist ninja with a long blade blocked his path, Tōsō Niya, the squad's captain.
His eyes lit up at the sight of Kakashi's blade.
"You're the White Fang's son, aren't you? The prodigy of Konoha?"
Meanwhile, Itō and Kuriyama had already engaged their opponents.
And Shin was no exception.
His foe? The same Mist ninja Kakashi had just tried to take out, now snarling viciously.
"Didn't expect a bunch of Leaf kids to have some real skill."
"You're not too bad yourself," Shin said, dropping into a fighting stance.
The compliment made Kuriarare Yamato grin.
"We of the Bloody Mist aren't like your lea-"
Before he could finish, Shin turned and bolted, disappearing into the trees without hesitation.
"Damn it!"
Kakashi had been clear: Shin didn't have to do anything fancy. If he could distract one enemy, that was enough.
This, this was the essence of distraction.
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Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!