Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Only Reconnaissance
The Hokage’s office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with his pipe clenched between his teeth, staring at the report on his desk for a long time.
Three days. Five squads. All missing.
Not a single piece of useful intelligence had been sent back.
Hiruzen stood up and walked to the window.
The streets of Konoha were bustling with people; everything seemed perfectly normal. But he knew that the southeastern border had become a black hole.
Minato had been dispatched to keep A and the Kumogakure forces in check, Orochimaru was monitoring Iwa near the Land of Grass, and Jiraiya had vanished to who-knows-where.
His elites were scattered, and he was running dangerously low on available manpower.
Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke, his gaze drifting back to the desk. Beside the report lay a file that Minato had organized before leaving.
Kitahara Kaede.
Hiruzen remembered the boy’s keen intuition during the battle at Mount Kikyo quite clearly. His intellect and battlefield judgment were far beyond those of his peers.
Hiruzen tapped the edge of his pipe thoughtfully. If Kitahara Kaede could handle this situation, his subsequent promotion would be a natural progression.
"Haru."
A figure landed on one knee before him.
"Go and bring Kitahara Kaede here."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The figure vanished.
Hiruzen sat back down, his eyes scanning the coordinates of the missing squads on the report.
***
Konoha’s commercial district.
The afternoon sunlight was pleasant, and the crowds weren’t too dense. Kitahara Kaede walked on the outside, with Tsunade on the inside.
They kept a distance of about a fist’s width between them. Occasionally, their shoulders would brush as they turned a corner, though neither made any effort to avoid the contact.
Since that night at the Hokage Rock, their relationship was neither that of lovers nor mere acquaintances. It was like that period in the simulations before their feelings were made explicit; when walking together, even the rhythm of their breathing unconsciously synced.
"Wait a second."
Tsunade suddenly stopped.
Kaede stopped with her.
Tsunade glanced at a small roadside stall displaying various handmade hairpins and ornaments. She picked up a small wooden charm, turning it over in her hands.
Kaede glanced at it. It was shaped like a deer; the craftsmanship was mediocre.
Tsunade looked at it for a few seconds before putting it back and picking up another. Kaede didn’t say anything, but his hand had already drifted toward his pocket.
"How much?" he asked the vendor.
Without looking back, Tsunade replied, "Who told you to pay for it?"
Kaede’s hand paused.
Tsunade put the charm back, a small smirk playing on her lips. "I was just looking."
She continued walking, and Kaede followed.
After walking a bit further, a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows ahead.
An animal mask. ANBU.
"Lady Tsunade."
The ninja bowed to Tsunade first, then turned to Kaede. "Kitahara Kaede, the Third Hokage requests your immediate presence."
Kaede’s brow twitched. *Immediate?* It sounded like something important.
He looked at Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, I’ll head over first. You should—"
Before he could finish, Tsunade had already started walking.
"Let’s go."
Kaede looked at her back. "...The Hokage is looking for me."
Without turning around, Tsunade replied, "I know."
Her tone was flat, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. Kaede’s lips quirked. What could he do? He couldn’t stop Tsunade from going wherever she wanted, so he simply followed her.
***
The Hokage’s office.
Hiruzen was leaning over the map, marking something.
*Bang!*
The door was kicked open.
Hiruzen’s hand jerked, and his pipe nearly slipped from his mouth. He looked up to see Tsunade striding in as if she owned the place. Behind her, Kitahara Kaede entered with a calm expression and a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
Hiruzen’s gaze shifted between the two. He had clearly only summoned Kaede. Why had Tsunade come along? And why was she leading the way?
"You two... why did you come together?"
Tsunade had already pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "What? Is there a problem?"
Hiruzen looked at her for two seconds, then shook his head. He turned his gaze to Kitahara Kaede and gestured for him to sit.
Kaede took a seat beside Tsunade.
Hiruzen pushed the report across the desk. "Take a look at this."
Kaede took the document and quickly scanned the contents. Within three days, several squads on the southeastern border had lost contact. The disappearance sites were distributed linearly, ranging from fifteen to thirty kilometers deep into the border. Aside from the disappearances themselves, there was no intel.
Kaede closed the report, running through the logic in his head.
The disappearance sites were advancing from the southeast toward the northwest, a route pointing directly toward the Land of Water. To wipe out entire squads without leaving a single survivor or a trace of evidence required a level of efficiency that standard ANBU didn’t possess.
This was an elite assassination squad with perfect coordination. At least five people, all at the Jonin level.
*...The Seven Ninja Swordsmen.*
Kaede looked up, his voice calm. "The enemy is from the Land of Water. An elite assassination unit, no fewer than five members, each at least Jonin level."
Hiruzen’s gaze sharpened. "Your basis?"
"The route of the disappearances is a unidirectional advance from the southeast to the northwest, pointing toward the Land of Water. To eliminate whole squads simultaneously without allowing anyone to send word requires five or more highly coordinated Jonin."
Kaede paused. "It’s the people of Kirigakure."
Hiruzen nodded slowly. This judgment aligned perfectly with his own deductions.
"I’m entrusting this mission to you," Hiruzen stated. "Go to the southeastern border and confirm the identity and number of the enemy. Focus on reconnaissance; engagement is not required."
Kaede nodded. "As for the squad members, do I appoint them, or do you?"
"Choose them yourself."
Hiruzen wasn’t surprised. "Give me the list tomorrow morning and depart as soon as possible."
"Understood."
Tsunade, sitting beside him, hadn’t interrupted once. Her hand rested on the armrest, her fingertips unconsciously tightening.
*Reconnaissance mission. High-risk area.*
When those words combined, a sudden image flashed through her mind. But her expression remained unchanged. She knew this was the old man’s test for Kaede, so she stayed silent.
***
The two walked out of the Hokage building. Kaede glanced at Tsunade from the corner of his eye. She wasn’t speaking, her brow slightly furrowed and her lips pressed thin.
He stopped. "What’s wrong?"
Tsunade stopped as well. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke, her voice very low. "This mission... reminds me of some things."
She didn’t elaborate, but Kaede immediately understood. Tsunade was afraid of history repeating itself.
He looked at her, knowing exactly what they were facing.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen—seven elite Jonin. In the original story, Might Duy had to open the Eight Inner Gates just to barely kill four of them, sacrificing his own life in the process.
He had to go, because he intended to change Might Duy’s fate. But he couldn’t say that. If Tsunade knew he was facing seven Jonin-level monsters, she would never let him leave the village.
Kaede smiled, his tone light. "Aren’t you overthinking this?"
He reached out and flicked Tsunade’s forehead. "I’m just going to the border to look for tracks and confirm who they are before retreating. I’m not an idiot; if I run into someone I can’t beat, can’t I just run away?"
Tsunade stared at him. Her eyes were intense, as if searching his face for a flaw. Kaede met her gaze candidly, his expression unwavering.
Tsunade watched him for a long time. Finally, she raised her hand and poked him hard in the chest.
"You’d better remember that."
Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word carried a weight of authority.
"Run the moment you notice something is wrong, got it?"
"Got it."
"If you come back missing so much as a single hair, I’ll pluck the rest of them out myself."
"...Fine."
Tsunade withdrew her hand, her tone softening slightly.
"Go get ready."
She turned and walked a few steps toward the other end of the street before glancing back at him once more.
"I’m heading back now."
Kitahara Kaede nodded.
"Yeah."
Tsunade turned and walked away.
Kitahara Kaede stood his ground, watching her figure gradually disappear around the corner. The slight, relaxed smile on his face slowly faded.
He had just lied, but it was out of necessity.
Kitahara Kaede gave a bitter smile to himself. Nothing would go wrong anyway; at worst, he’d just get a scolding from Tsunade when he returned.
He turned to walk back, his mind already beginning to calculate the squad lists.
Comments