Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed since the mission to the Land of Lightning.
The technology of Konoha Hospital was indeed excellent, and combined with the natural recovery abilities of ninjas, the injuries of Fox and his two teammates were mostly healed.
However, the dark clouds of the Third Great Ninja War had not dispersed. Instead, the situation seemed to be worsening.
Konoha was fighting on two fronts against Kumogakure and Iwagakure simultaneously, and even needed to guard against Kirigakure and Sunagakure. Their forces were stretched thin, and every bit of combat strength was extremely precious.
Therefore, the recovered Squad C Five soon received new transfer orders.
...
Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the four people standing before him, his gaze lingering on Sora for a moment.
"I am aware of your recovery status," Sarutobi Hiruzen said slowly, exhaling a puff of smoke. "The pressure on the front lines is immense. You are needed to return to duty immediately."
"Please assign our mission, Hokage-sama."
Fox, as the team leader, responded solemnly.
"However, considering your squad's current condition, directly throwing you into the front lines carries excessive risk."
Sarutobi Hiruzen changed his tone:
"I have decided to reassign Squad C Five to the rear, to perform guard duty."
"Guard duty?"
Fox was slightly taken aback. Anbu elite squads typically carried out high-risk missions like infiltration, assassination, and reconnaissance. Guard duty was relatively rare, especially for dispatching an entire full squad.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, his expression serious.
"Yes. The mission location is a medical and logistics base deep within the Land of Fire. The protection target is Tsunade."
The name Tsunade caused everyone present to pause for a moment.
One of the Legendary Sannin, a master of medical ninjutsu, a legendary figure of Konoha.
"Lady Tsunade?"
Night Owl couldn't help but exclaim softly. "With Lady Tsunade's strength, does she need our protection?"
This was not only Night Owl's doubt but also the perplexity in the hearts of Fox and Grey Wolf.
Tsunade was hailed as the strongest female ninja, possessing peerless monstrous strength and unparalleled medical ninjutsu. For them to guard her sounded somewhat redundant.
Sora, however, understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's intention.
Clearly, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that Tsunade had developed hemophobia and could not directly participate in frontline combat. Sending them was ostensibly for protection, but in reality, it was to prevent Tsunade from encountering accidents due to her hemophobia if ambushed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have anticipated this question and explained:
"The medical base where Tsunade is stationed stores a large amount of strategic supplies and treats countless wounded. Its importance is self-evident. Iwagakure has been making frequent small moves recently, repeatedly attempting to ambush our logistical lines. Tsunade's safety and the stability of the base are of utmost importance and cannot be compromised."
"With Squad C Five present, we can strengthen the base's alert and defense capabilities to deal with potential infiltration and attacks."
Although Fox and the others still found it somewhat strange after hearing this, the Hokage's orders were not to be questioned.
"Yes! We guarantee the completion of the mission!" Fox took the lead in accepting the order.
"Very good." Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand. "The mission details and route are in the scroll. Depart immediately."
"Yes!"
The four took the scroll, saluted, and left the Hokage's office.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Fox immediately opened the scroll and quickly scanned its contents.
"The location is in the northwest of the Land of Fire, near the border with the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass. It's not a short distance. We need to travel as quickly as possible."
Fox put away the scroll and looked at Sora and the other two:
"Everyone, get ready. We meet at the village entrance in one hour."
"Understood."
Sora returned to his residence, simply packed his equipment, replenished his soldier pills and ninja tools, then took out the monkey mask he had prepared earlier from a scroll and put it on.
'The Green Snake mask is registered with Black Crow. It's safer to change it.'
After preparing everything, Sora arrived at the village entrance on time to meet his teammates.
Fox and the other two also noticed Sora's new mask but didn't ask any questions. Changing masks was common in the Anbu.
"Move out!"
At Fox's command, their figures flashed, transforming into four black shadows that swiftly disappeared on the road leading southeast.
Along the way, the four maintained the Anbu's standard silence and vigilance, traveling at high speed.
...
After nearly two days of travel, Squad C Five arrived at a hilly area according to the map.
Passing through several hidden barriers and sentry posts, a fairly large base appeared before them.
The base was built against a mountain. The periphery had simple wooden fences and watchtowers. Inside, rows of neatly arranged tents.
Many wounded Konoha-nin moved between the tents, either receiving treatment or helping transport supplies. The air was filled with the smell of medicinal herbs and disinfectant. Although busy, it seemed orderly.
Fox showed the Hokage's order to the guards. Soon, a middle-aged medical jonin who appeared to be the base person in charge came out to greet them.
"You must be the members of Squad C Five. I am Sugimoto, the medical jonin in charge of this base."
Fox stated their purpose concisely: "Anbu Squad C Five, reporting as ordered. Responsible for the protection of Lady Tsunade and the base."
"Thank you for your hard work. Lady Tsunade is currently giving medical treatment guidance inside the main medical tent."
Sugimoto made a gesture of invitation. "I'll take you there."
Following Sugimoto through the base, Sora silently observed his surroundings.
The base's defense seemed loose but was actually relaxed on the outside and tight on the inside. Several key positions had hidden chakra fluctuations, likely due to barriers or traps. Also, most of the wounded here were in recovery. Those needing emergency surgery had been transferred elsewhere.
'It seems Sarutobi Hiruzen and the base commander have put thought into this. Placing Tsunade here allows them to utilize her unparalleled medical knowledge and experience to guide medical ninjas and formulate plans, while also trying to avoid triggering her hemophobia by having her see large amounts of blood directly.'
Sora understood clearly. Soon, they arrived before the largest tent in the center of the base.
Lifting the tent flap, Sora and his team saw the core figure of this mission, Tsunade.
She wore a classic tea-green robe. Her golden hair was tied in a ponytail, appearing capable and efficient. Even in a wartime environment, her presence was still powerful. Merely standing there, she seemed like the stabilizing pillar of the entire camp.
Of course, the most eye-catching feature was her ample bust, which remained breathtaking even under the loose ninja attire, rising and falling slightly with her breath.
This caused Night Owl, who was behind Sora, to unconsciously straighten her posture, then pout somewhat dejectedly.
'Indeed... the proportions are astounding.'
Sora's gaze swept over calmly, objectively evaluating this future Fifth Hokage.
But then he thought to himself:
'Tsunade during this period, although having experienced the deaths of her lover Dan and her brother Nawaki, probably hasn't completely succumbed to gambling and alcohol yet. She still holds her post, but her heart is likely already scarred and battered.'
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━