"Fugaku, you don't have to look at me like that. I won't tell anyone about this!" Sakura smiled nonchalantly. The Mangekyo Sharingan was indeed powerful, especially in the realm of Genjutsu. However, possessing the Mind Stone rendered her completely immune to such illusions.
Sakura was chatting with Fugaku Uchiha about some past events concerning Konoha. Though one was a middle-aged man and the other merely a four-year-old girl, sitting face-to-face like this seemed perfectly natural.
Itachi Uchiha opened the door to find this exact scene unfolding before him.
"Father, do we have a guest?"
"This is your brother's good friend!" Fugaku introduced Sakura. "She's here on official business today. You can listen in too!"
Fugaku had always been proud of his son Itachi—exceptionally talented and remarkably mature for his age. The only downside was that sometimes, he was impossible to read. He lacked the innocent charm of his younger brother Sasuke.
"Now that you mention it, I almost forgot!" Sakura quickly interrupted Fugaku. If Itachi found out about their plans now, who knew when Danzo might come knocking down their door tomorrow?
"I'm here on orders from the Third Hokage to temporarily borrow the services of Shisui Uchiha!"
"Shisui? For what kind of mission?" Fugaku asked curiously.
Shisui had been assigned under the Third's Anbu forces but recently had been training Itachi personally within the clan. That was why the Third had sent Sakura to ask for Fugaku's approval first.
"Yeah, I'm heading toward the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. I'd like him to accompany me for protection." Sakura didn't hide anything. News of this assignment would probably reach all the clan heads soon anyway, so there was no need to keep secrets.
"Is this related to Cloud Village's recent provocations?" Itachi suddenly spoke up.
"Yeah, I'm going to try and mediate things before war breaks out." Sakura nodded solemnly, wearing a look of deep concern. "If Konoha and the Cloud Village end up at war, there will be heavy casualties. That's definitely not something I wanna see happen."
"War...?" Itachi lowered his gaze without speaking. Deep inside, he truly despised warfare—which was precisely why he'd eventually gone so far as wiping out his entire clan to preserve peace in Konoha.
"Why would the Third send you? You're just a four-year-old child!" Fugaku frowned. Matters involving relations between two villages were far too serious to leave in the hands of a toddler.
"Because I have the ability to utterly destroy the Cloud Village if necessary!" Sakura gave a sweet smile. "Just a small show of force to make them back off before things get ugly. Then war won't even be an option!"
"???" Wait… wasn't she supposed to be going to negotiate peace? Shouldn't that mean both sides calmly discussing things together? When did showing off military strength become part of the plan?
Itachi just stared, utterly bewildered.
[The Proud Azure Treasure Beast of Konoha]?
:Outside Konoha's main gate, Might Guy — wearing his signature green jumpsuit with a turtle-like pattern and sporting a bowl-cut hairstyle — was energetically pestering the indifferent Kakashi. As an Anbu elite, Kakashi rarely had free time to spend outdoors. Without Kakashi — the only one who could match his youthful spirit — Guy always felt like something was missing from his life.
"Kakashi, let's have a youthful duel! The morning is the beginning of a new day — we should be full of energy and vigor! Don't be so lifeless!"
Guy bounced on his heels with boundless energy, but Kakashi stood utterly unfazed. Kakashi, still reeling from the complete annihilation of his teacher and teammates, wore a frosty expression. If it weren't for Guy being his childhood friend, he would've intimidated anyone else with his Sharingan by now.
"Be quiet. This mission won't be easy. Conserve your energy in case something unexpected happens," Kakashi warned, unusually offering advice after remembering the Third Hokage's request.
"Eh? Isn't this just an escort mission to the border? And the route stays within the Land of Fire — how dangerous could it possibly be?" Guy couldn't wrap his head around what danger they might face. Within the Land of Fire, no sane ninja village would dare provoke Konoha.
"That's definitely not the case!"
Kakashi replied seriously, his exposed right eye flashing with concern. The Third made it clear — if trouble came, he had to get Sakura back no matter what. This meant their escort mission wouldn't be as peaceful as it seemed.
"Now that you mention it, are we only two people responsible for this mission aside from the protected individual?" Guy asked curiously. Usually missions required at least three-man squads — either a jonin leading three genin or a mixed team of chunin and genin.
"No, there's one more," Kakashi paused briefly before saying, "Shisui."
"Huh? Shisui? You mean that prodigy from the Uchiha clan?" Guy had heard of Shisui's reputation — the "[Flash-body Shisui]" was famous across all Five Great Ninja Villages.
"Ah," Kakashi acknowledged, then leaned against the wall in silence once more.
"I've decided then! I'll challenge Shisui Uchiha!" Guy suddenly clenched his fists, lifting his head to gaze determinedly into the distance. "Only through unrelenting challenges can youth become truly powerful!"
Kakashi merely responded with a blank, glassy look.
"Hey Kakashi, are you even listening to me? I'm going to challenge Shisui Uchiha, and you'll be our referee!"
Guy wasn't satisfied with the listless vibe coming from Kakashi. He wanted to help his old friend recover from his darkness rather than remain immersed in sorrow all day long. However, since he wasn't good with words, he could only try pulling Kakashi out this way — even if it wasn't working right now.
They didn't have to wait much longer before two figures — one tall and one small — walked out from Konoha Village. A cluster of wide-eyed kids trailed behind them like ducklings, along with a few adults.
"Hey, Dad, Mom, Mr. Ichiraku, Ayame-neesan, Naruto, Ino, and everyone else, you really don't have to see me off. It's just a special mission, not like I'm heading off to my death. You don't have to worry about me so much!"
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