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41
"Lady Mei, are we really just letting them go like that?"
Since there was no need to go all-out against Konoha's shinobi, Ao had completed the objective of drawing the others away and left Sasuke behind, returning to the rendezvous point with Mei Terumi.
What he didn't expect… was that Mei had actually failed.
"No choice. That boy's strength is beyond what I imagined. And… as a woman, my sense of shame…"
Though she had already changed into fresh clothes, Mei still clutched the cloak that Uchiha Ying had given her.
The thought of that guy seeing her naked—and then her shamelessly running after him…
Just picturing that scene made Mei's face burn with shame.
She'd better wait until she'd calmed down before doing anything rash.
"Sense of shame…? What's Lady Mei talking about?"
Ao was completely confused.
"In any case, we're heading back to the village. Let Master Gen get the final say."
Mist was facing internal and external turmoil. This detour hadn't been part of their original mission—this was just a chance encounter.
It was time to return and report.
Besides, Zabuza had been gone from the village so long. He was just a corpse now. The intel Konoha could extract would be limited anyway.
But this humiliation…
Next time they meet, she'll definitely return the favor in full!
Mei originally intended to tear the cloak apart—but in the end, she kept it.
One must know shame to gain courage.
"Yes, ma'am."
Since Mei had given the order, Ao could only comply.
Still… was that Konoha Anbu kid really that strong?
Even Lady Mei couldn't beat him?
Don't tell me…
She really got seduced by his looks?
——
——
"Itachi, seems you were overthinking it."
After Uchiha Ying left, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Kakashi, Yugao Uzuki, and Hayate Gekko for questioning.
Even Hayate, who had shown some resistance toward Uchiha Ying before, had nothing negative to report.
All three of them were surprisingly unanimous in their praise of Uchiha Ying.
That made Hiruzen let go of the last bit of concern he still had.
"Even Kakashi-senpai says so. Maybe I really was just overthinking it."
Even Itachi began to doubt his own judgment.
Still… something felt off.
But since Hiruzen had spoken, he couldn't very well object again.
"In that case, you don't need to keep watching him. I have another important task for you."
Hiruzen had the Yamanaka Clan work overtime, extracting intel from Zabuza's corpse—once again confirming that the content in the "Future Notebook" was authentic.
The Fourth Mizukage of the Mist truly had undergone a personality shift. After reinstating the Blood Mist policy he himself had once abolished, he began rolling out policy after policy that systematically weakened the Mist Village from within.
All signs indicated the Fourth Mizukage was likely being controlled.
Once might be coincidence. Twice? Three times?
Now Hiruzen was taking this "Future Notebook"—supposedly passed down from Tobirama via a dream—more seriously than ever.
He also knew Danzo had been quietly trying to uncover the truth behind this notebook.
If Danzo learned of its existence, it could derail many of his plans.
So, to prevent interference, Hiruzen turned to Uchiha Itachi.
"Go tell Danzo to behave himself. After the Chūnin Exams, I'll show him what he wants to know."
Sending Itachi to warn Danzo—that was the best solution Hiruzen could come up with for now.
"Yes, sir."
What does Danzo want to know?
Itachi kept his expression unreadable, but couldn't help feeling a flicker of curiosity.
Either way, Danzo did need to be warned.
Just yesterday, he'd caught Root ninja spying on Sasuke.
That wasn't part of their original agreement when he left the village.
——
——
"This dungeon doesn't feel very promising…"
Of course, no dungeon could be worse than the Kaguya one.
Still… this one?
Even before entering, just looking at the still image in front of the dungeon entrance gave Uchiha Ying a headache.
Dust-colored earth. Trenches. War-torn battlefields. And on both sides, hordes of ninja locked in brutal combat.
"A Shinobi World War…? Is this dungeon based on that?"
Well, whatever. It's not like he could die. Might as well dive in and see.
Ying reached his hand into the dungeon space.
[Select Companion(s)?]
"This time, the companion screen has more options…"
In addition to Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and Shino were now available for selection.
But the system still only allowed two companions.
Ying thought for a moment, then stuck with Naruto and Sasuke.
These two dropped the most chakra-rich ninja fragments—highest cost performance.
And now that they'd been through it once before, surely they'd get the idea faster—
Yeah, right.
"Where are we!? Why are there so many kunai and shuriken flying at us!?"
As soon as they entered the dungeon, Naruto's loud voice rang out.
"Idiot, get down!"
Seeing the wave of kunai flying at them like a locust swarm, Sasuke quickly shoved Naruto's head back into the trench.
"Ptuh! Sasuke, what the—? Wait, Ying? What are you guys doing in my dream again!?"
Climbing out of the mud, Naruto seemed to have completely forgotten the previous "dream dungeon."
"Do you really have to ask? This has to be a dungeon. But this time the mission is…"
Sasuke, seeing Ying and Naruto, quickly realized they were back in that strength-enhancing "dungeon space."
"The mission for Stage One is to survive until the battle ends."
Ying recited the quest given by the dungeon system.
Unlike before, this time the mission included a "Stage One" prefix—meaning there were likely follow-up objectives.
"A battle?"
Naruto cautiously peeked above the trench.
Sure enough, the scenery matched what their teachers had once described about the Shinobi World Wars.
"Looks like one of the Great Wars."
Ying noticed the shinobi on each side wore the insignias of Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
"Not good. I don't see any Konoha ninja nearby."
After identifying the two factions, Ying finally understood why the mission was survival.
Three Konoha headband-wearing ninja showing up out of nowhere in the middle of a war between Iwa and Kumo?
No way they'd go unnoticed.
"Naruto, Sasuke—take off your headbands, now—"
But before Ying could even finish—
From a connected trench no
t far off, Kumogakure ninja had already spotted them.
"There! Konoha spies in the trenches!"
Before the trio could react, a large squad of Kumo shinobi was already rushing toward them.
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