Chapter 53: Kakashi Squad Sets Out
"Transporting supplies?"
"That's right. Your squad will be responsible for delivering this batch of medicine, ninja tools, and rations to Kinkō Peak. Although the recent Mist-nin offensive was repelled, no one knows when the next attack will come. Necessary preparations can't be neglected—we must complete resupply operations at all defensive positions as quickly as possible."
Deputy Commander Aburame Ryūma sat behind his desk and nodded toward Kakashi, who stood before him.
Kakashi narrowed his eye slightly, a map of the eastern Fire Country coastline forming in his mind.
Kinkō Peak lay northeast of the frontline headquarters. It was one of the largest defensive strongpoints along the long coastal line established to counter Kirigakure, with over two hundred Konoha ninja stationed there.
At the same time, Kinkō Peak also functioned as a secondary command center. Nearly ten smaller outposts farther north were too distant from the main camp to receive timely direction, so they were placed under Kinkō Peak's authority for rapid response and coordination.
In other words, the supplies bound for Kinkō Peak were not just for that position alone—they also supported all those northern outposts.
This was a critical mission.
The frontline headquarters had therefore classified it as an S-rank assignment.
"Just our squad?" Kakashi asked, frowning slightly.
"Under normal circumstances, a mission of this importance would indeed be handled by multiple squads working together," Aburame Ryūma replied evenly. "But the reality is that manpower is severely stretched. Although we repelled Kirigakure's last offensive, we paid a heavy price in casualties."
"And to make matters worse, Kumogakure has begun stirring again in the northeast. Even your teacher had to be dispatched there to deter them."
His expression remained calm—so calm it felt like he was wearing a mask labeled Composure.
"Kakashi-jōnin, we simply don't have anyone else to spare. We can't even assign you an auxiliary squad of chūnin or genin. You'll have to proceed with extreme caution."
Kakashi fell silent.
"Of course," Ryūma continued, "given the importance of the cargo, we'll provide what support we can. The Hyūga clan head, Hyūga Ritsu, is currently stationed at Kinkō Peak. I will order him to depart from there to rendezvous with your squad."
"If all goes well, you should be able to link up along the route."
Aburame Ryūma noticed Kakashi's silence and offered another piece of good news.
Hearing this, Kakashi's eyelid twitched slightly. After more than ten seconds, he finally asked,
"When do we depart?"
There was no helping it.
Once a mission landed on his shoulders, refusal was impossible. Remaining silent to show dissatisfaction was already the furthest he could go. Aburame Ryūma didn't actually need to explain anything to him—he could have simply issued a written order, and that would have been the end of it.
The fact that he did explain meant only one thing: respect for his teacher, Minato.
So Kakashi knew better than to push his luck.
Having White Yaksha as an escort midway was already far more than he'd expected.
"If nothing unexpected happens, you'll depart in one hour," Ryūma replied promptly. "Logistics is currently inventorying and inspecting the supplies destined for Kinkō Peak. Once everything is ready, you can take the mission order to the logistics division and collect the cargo directly."
Kakashi left the office in a foul mood.
If he were alone, it wouldn't matter whether the mission took him up a mountain of blades or into a sea of fire—death was death, and he had long since accepted that.
But leading a squad was different.
He had promised Obito that he would protect Rin, no matter what.
Yet in the end, he was still only a jōnin. No matter how much of a "genius" people called him, all that really meant was being sent from one deadly mission to the next.
It was midday now. The sun blazed overhead, the air heavy and stifling, not a hint of wind to be found. Beneath a large tree not far away, his three teammates sheltered themselves in the shade, avoiding the still-scorching sunlight.
"It's almost September already…" Kakashi muttered, raising a hand to shield his eye from the glare.
The moment his teammates spotted him approaching, they straightened up.
Nohara Rin trotted over like a cheerful fawn, stopping in front of him and asking brightly,
"So, Kakashi—how did it go? What's the new mission?"
"Are we launching a counteroffensive against the Mist?" Hyūga Akiha asked eagerly, cracking her knuckles as if she were already itching to teach the Mist ninja a lesson.
Uchiha Aika remained silent, arms crossed, waiting for Kakashi to speak.
"It's a supply transport mission," Kakashi said.
"…What? Not a counterattack?"
Akiha's shoulders slumped as she let out a heavy sigh, clearly disappointed.
"Transporting supplies? To which defensive position?" Aika asked calmly.
"Kinkō Peak."
Kakashi didn't hide it. If all went according to plan, they would be leaving in an hour. His teammates needed to know the details as soon as possible to prepare properly.
"Kinkō Peak?" Aika's long, slender brows knitted together.
"Kinkō Peak serves as a secondary command hub. Supplies sent there aren't just for that position—they also support at least eight smaller northern outposts. Captain Kakashi… how many squads are assigned to this mission?"
Kakashi's face was hidden behind his mask, but his slight shift in posture betrayed his discomfort.
"…Just us."
"…Huh?"
Rin's round eyes widened, and she blurted out,
"Just our squad? Kakashi, that's a bit—"
She swallowed the rest of her words, not wanting to embarrass him.
Aika, however, showed no such restraint.
"Captain Kakashi, did you protest to Deputy Commander Aburame Ryūma? Assigning a task this heavy to a single squad is outrageous. If word leaks, we'll be hunted down by a Mist ninja force. To be blunt, this is practically sending us to our deaths."
"I know," Kakashi replied quietly. "I did raise objections. But the deputy commander said manpower is stretched too thin to spare anyone else. He told us to do our best to overcome the difficulties."
"The only support he could offer was arranging for the Hyūga clan head—currently stationed at Kinkō Peak—to rendezvous with us along the way."
"Eh? Brother Ritsu is coming to meet us?"
Akiha's pale Byakugan eyes lit up with excitement. She counted on her fingers and said confidently,
"If that's the case, we just need to survive the first half of the route. Once we meet up with Brother Ritsu, we'll be safe."
Her tone brimmed with absolute trust.
"The Hyūga clan head…"
Aika raised an eyebrow.
"White Yaksha?"
"If that's who's escorting us, then I suppose this mission is… barely acceptable."
After all, the name White Yaksha had been echoing through the front lines lately, impossible to ignore.
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