Hokage Tower.
It had been quite a while since Bai Xing last felt that gaze from above—the sense of being watched by the sky itself.
For a moment, he almost felt nostalgic.
Of course, that was just internal bravado.
If it really happened again, he'd still curse inwardly without mercy.
Principles were principles.
Inside the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, flipping through an important file.
Standing before him were six people, patiently waiting.
"There is a B-rank mission,"
Hiruzen said.
"I need you to carry it out."
After speaking, his gaze shifted to Bai Xing's calm face, his tone carrying a trace of apology.
"The village is truly short-handed right now. So we can only ask you, Bai Xing, to temporarily serve as the leader of Team One, cooperating with Team Kurenai to complete this mission."
"Yes, sir."
What else could Bai Xing say? He'd long known that being Orochimaru's disciple meant he wouldn't escape C-rank or higher missions. He just hadn't expected it to come so soon.
"Hokage Uncle! Are we going to the battlefield this time?!"
Bai Xing: "..."
If we're going to the battlefield, I'll go home and break my leg right now for you to see, you suicidal little brat!!
Beside Nawaki, Might Dai swallowed nervously. He still hadn't forgotten the last C-rank mission, and now—having become a father—the embodiment of "youth" was visibly tense.
Hiruzen glanced at Nawaki, a flicker of complexity and reluctance in his eyes.
"Little Nawaki, you haven't yet taken on a mission above C-rank. Personally, I suggest—"
"No no no no—!"
Nawaki waved his hands frantically, then raised his right fist as if swearing an oath.
"I want to go!"
"I've been stuck doing D-rank missions in the village for almost a year! I'm a ninja—how can I keep standing still?!"
"My future goal is to become someone like you, Hokage Uncle, and protect the village my grandfather founded!"
Seeing the firm determination on the boy's face, Hiruzen froze for a moment.
After a while, he pressed down the brim of his Hokage hat and smiled.
"Very well. Then I'll entrust this mission to you, Genin Nawaki."
"Yes!"
Hiruzen then began explaining the details of the mission.
"Deliver a letter?" Bai Xing asked.
Hiruzen nodded. "Correct. You'll be delivering a village document to Uzushiogakure. As for its contents, that's not something I can disclose."
In the office, Bai Xing quietly watched as Yūhi Kurenai picked up a tightly sealed scroll.
The Land of Whirlpools…
He remembered clearly—Uzushiogakure would be destroyed during the Second Shinobi World War. He'd even gone out of his way to verify it.
Walking out of the Hokage Tower, Bai Xing's eyes flickered.
So this mission… has a high chance of being upgraded to A-rank—or even S-rank.
At that moment, Yūhi Shinku noticed the worry on Bai Xing's face and patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'm a chūnin now—nothing will happen!"
Bai Xing: "..."
You walking flag, shut up already! You've planted every possible death flag!
"I'm so excited, so excited! This is my first time leaving the village!" Nawaki said enthusiastically.
"Just leave the mission to me!"
Bai Xing glanced at him.
You too.
After bidding farewell to his wife and newborn child, Might Dai resolutely shouldered his pack.
Nawaki also said goodbye to his sister at the hospital. She was deeply worried about his safety and handed him the crystal necklace left behind by the First Hokage in advance.
When the team regrouped and Nawaki proudly showed off the crystal necklace containing Hashirama's Wood Release chakra, Bai Xing's face went pale.
It's over. Flags everywhere.
But at this point, Bai Xing no longer had the right to refuse.
Fortunately, the route from Konoha toward the Land of Whirlpools was considered relatively safe.
So this mission wasn't regarded as heading to the frontlines. It was a B-rank mission suitable for genin—so long as there was a jōnin leading the team.
"I don't need to explain the mission further," Yūhi Kurenai said.
"Bai Xing, you've participated in two Chūnin Exams with the two kids from my team. You should already have some coordination with them."
Then, as clouds gathered overhead and the sky grew gloomy, Kurenai stood at the village gates with her arms crossed. As she straightened her posture, the long blade on her back let out a faint sound.
Her gaze shifted to Nawaki and Might Dai.
"As for you two—
I still need to verify your intelligence."
"Yes!" ×2
On the road, Kurenai quickly grasped some of their backgrounds.
"Three chakra natures—Water, Earth, and Wind? A child with great potential."
The forests on both sides flashed past. Kurenai glanced back at Might Dai, who was struggling to keep up.
"A pure taijutsu ninja, huh."
"Without opening that forbidden technique, even keeping up during travel is difficult."
Then her gaze moved to Bai Xing, who was running steadily beside the team.
"With such a troublesome student—dead weight to the team—how did you manage to train him and still complete that B-rank mission back then?"
"Hah… achoo!"
In the forest, Bai Xing rubbed his nose, thinking someone must be talking about him.
Tap tap tap—
After passing through a dense forest, they arrived at the edge of a canyon.
Magnificent mountains rose from the ground, rivers and streams flowed below, koi fish leaping through the water.
If not for the mission—and the ongoing war—Bai Xing would have thought this a perfect place for a picnic.
"From here on, this is a dangerous zone," Kurenai said.
"Don't let your guard down. Watch your footing."
With the Rain Country no longer restraining the major powers, even areas within the Land of Fire far from the battlefield were no longer safe.
Unknown enemies could appear at any moment.
"Yes!" ×5
The Land of Whirlpools
The country and its ninja village lay on an island at sea, between the mainland of the Land of Fire and the island nation of the Land of Water.
Its size was only about one-twentieth to one-thirtieth that of the Land of Water.
Even so, Uzushio's territory was still considerable.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Blurry shadows streaked through the air above a forested cliff. Finally, a "Konoha ninja" in a green flak jacket landed on the muddy ground.
Waiting there was a young man with a smiling, fox-like expression—the kind that screamed old schemer.
"What a beautiful waterfall~"
The man wore simple clothes. The only striking feature was the forehead protector on his right shoulder.
It looked similar to Konoha's—but lacked the triangle.
It was a pure Uzushio forehead protector.
The "Konoha ninja" nodded slightly at his words.
"But it doesn't compare to the Village Hidden in the Mist."
"What's happening in the Land of Fire," the Uzushio man asked,
"that made you risk being exposed by Konoha just to come find me?"
"Konoha has dispatched a ninja squad to the Land of Whirlpools," the man said from behind him.
"Very likely a team seeking assistance."
"The power of Uzushio has long been coveted by other villages. This is a perfect opportunity."
His expression turned vicious.
"An opportunity to destroy the trust between Konoha and Uzushiogakure!"
The Uzushio genin grinned. "How many are there?"
"Supposedly one jōnin and one chūnin. The rest are genin. Not entirely sure, but I heard it's two teams."
"Two teams, only one jōnin… then about seven people."
The genin, codenamed Dolphin, glanced back at the "Konoha chūnin."
"Thanks for your hard work. You should leave now—the border still needs guarding."
"That's none of your concern, Dolphin."
Whoosh—
The "Konoha chūnin" vanished into the mist near the waterfall.
Dolphin lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
"So… the village I've lived in since childhood is about to be destroyed, huh…"
"…That's a bit hard to let go of."
In the next moment, he performed a summoning technique. A gray-white sea pigeon appeared.
He placed a scroll in its beak, made sure it was secure, and sent it flying toward the Land of Water.
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