It took Seisuke most of the day to find the way to the Konoha's main camp.
Another day passed before he finally reached the camp.
Asuma, Kurenai, Torune, and Hizashi examined him carefully. Only after confirming that he was unharmed did they feel relieved.
Torune smiled in relief and said, "You're finally back. We've been searching for you for several days and even suspected that you were captured by the Kirigakure ninjas. It's good that you're back, really good."
Seisuke's safe return was undoubtedly a good thing. Torune hadn't been willing to send a child to the battlefield in the first place, and having him chased was far from what he wanted to see.
"Captain Torune, are you and Shibi okay?"
"If it weren't for the storm a few days ago that forced Kirigakure to retreat, Shibi and I might still be being chased."
With the death of most of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Kirigakure had suffered a heavy blow. How could they not pursue them?
Fortunately, they had also made it back.
With only one member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist left, Kirigakure's morale had plummeted, and Konoha began to counter - attack, preparing to drive Kirigakure out of the Land of Waves first.
"I see. I also owe my life to that storm." He didn't mention Mei Terumī. There was no point in bringing it up.
Torune said, "Go write a report on your experiences these past few days. Shibi's and mine have already been submitted. You've accomplished a great feat this time."
Three or four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had died at Seisuke's hands. Considering he was still a child, his strength was terrifying. Even if they had provided some assistance, the fact that his attacks could kill the members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was enough to prove his capabilities.
Surely, this matter would spread throughout the ninja world soon, and Seisuke would become a very bright star in Konoha!
"Ah, I'm exhausted. Why do I still have to write a report? Captain Torune, can I copy yours? I'll make some changes later."
Hearing that he had to write a report, Seisuke's face fell, looking thoroughly unhappy.
Torune shook his head with a smile. "That's not possible. Figure it out yourself. Since you just got back, you can hand it in a bit later."
"Oh, Asuma, help me."
"How can I help you?" Asuma was taken aback. What did this have to do with him?
"I'll talk, and you write. I don't want to move."
"You're so lazy."
"We're best friends, aren't we? Can't you do me a favor at a time like this?"
"Fine, fine. Seriously, I thought I could get some rest."
Seisuke slept for a while, took a bath in the camp, changed into a set of clean clothes, and put on a new forehead protector.
"The clothes are a bit small. I need to buy some that fit."
He was in the stage of rapid growth, so he needed to change clothes quite often.
"Okay, I'll talk, and you write."
Back in the tent, lying on the bed, he said to Asuma, "All right, I'm ready. Start writing."
"Go ahead."
Asuma unfurled the scroll, picked up the brush, and got ready.
"Ahem, Konoha's special jounin Seisuke Asakawa, along with Torune Akimichi and Shibi Aburame, carried out a special mission..."
Then he briefly described the events from the assassination of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to being chased by Mei Terumī and ending up on the deserted island. He omitted the part about Mei Terumī after the deserted island. After all, she was from Kirigakure. If the Konoha high - ups knew about it, they would give him trouble.
He had been interrogated several times when he returned today, and a ninja from the Yamanaka clan had come to check if he was under the influence of genjutsu.
During the war, strict inspections were necessary. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he would write selectively.
"Your handwriting is really ugly."
Looking at Asuma's crooked writing, Seisuke commented.
"If you can write better, do it yourself!"
"Hmph! If my handwriting were good, I wouldn't ask you to write. I should have asked Kurenai for help. Well, I'm going to submit the report."
...
"Excuse me."
With permission, Seisuke entered the commander's tent. Enma Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the two old men, were still sitting in their places, just as they had been when they set out a few days ago. It seemed nothing had changed.
"This is my report for the past few days."
He handed over the report. Enma Mitokado opened it and quickly read through it. There was nothing suspicious, so he nodded and, rather rarely, showed a hint of a smile. "You've done well. Young people like you are the future of Konoha. We're getting old. Well, the reward can only be given to you after the war. Besides, your team has been assigned a special mission."
"Special mission??"
Koharu Utatane said amiably, "It's not an overly difficult task. You just need to escort the corpses of Kirigakure ninjas and the intelligence we've collected back to Konoha. This can be considered a special kind of vacation."
This escort mission allowed them to rest in the village for a few days, which was like a holiday. As long as they returned to the battlefield later, it was a way to give Seisuke and the others a break, even though they had been here for less than a month in total.
But who made him achieve such a great feat?
"Also, this is a confidential letter for the Hokage. You must keep it safe."
Enma Mitokado took out a scroll with the character "Confidential" written on it, surrounded by sealing spell - inscriptions. Obviously, it was encrypted.
It mainly reported the losses and various situations on the Konoha - Kirigakure battlefield.
However, it must never fall into the hands of the Kirigakure ninjas. If it did, Konoha's arrangements would be exposed at once, which would be extremely disadvantageous to Konoha.
"I understand."
His expression turned serious immediately. He summoned a snake as thick as an arm. The snake took the confidential letter, swallowed it, and then disappeared.
This way, even if he died, the confidential letter wouldn't be exposed.
"Then, set off immediately. We know you're tired, but you can rest well when you get back to Konoha."
"Yes."
You guys are exploiting me!
But there was nothing he could do. After all, he was just a "worker."
Leaving the commander's tent, he returned to his own tent and said to Asuma and Kurenai, "Bad news. We have a mission."
"Are you kidding? You just got back. Why is there another mission so soon?"
Asuma said.
Kurenai was also puzzled. Logically, Seisuke had just returned, and they shouldn't assign him a mission right away. He should be allowed to rest. So why was there a mission?
Seisuke said, "It's an escort mission. We need to escort some things back to Konoha. In other words, our vacation has arrived. Come on, we need to go to the intelligence department to pick up the items."
"Vacation?"
The two of them lit up at the words. They didn't expect to have a vacation so soon.
"Let's go, let's go. Vacation is here, and we're going back to have a look. This time, I'm going back to learn Water Release."
"You use Fire Release. Why do you want to learn Water Release?"
"Because I was taught a lesson by Water Release, so I need to study it well."
Learn from the enemy's strong points to counter them. Although he was more proficient in Fire Release, there was no rule that those who used Fire Release couldn't learn Water Release.