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"Thank you so much!"
It wasn't until the group entered the Train Station waiting room that Kazahana took off his hood, grabbed Sawara Kiri's hands with an excited expression, and shook them vigorously, as if to release all the anxiety and excitement that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time.
"I never expected that a mission I posted would be taken on by someone as important as you."
"Now, I can rest assured."
Kazahana Sōsetsu's voice carried a hint of relief.
The few guards beside him still vigilantly watched the windows and the door, and one person's gaze swept back and forth over Sawara Kiri.
Sawara Kiri glanced at him, then turned his gaze back to Kazahana, his tone gentle: "Don't worry, no one here can harm you."
"As a vital partner of Konoha, we will definitely ensure your personal safety."
"Also, this is...?"
As he spoke, his gaze turned to the little girl who followed closely behind Kazahana Sōsetsu.
Even though the group had already entered the room, the short person following him still wore a hood and looked at him warily.
Seeing this, Kazahana Sōsetsu quickly pulled the young girl's small hand from behind him and introduced her: "This is my daughter, Koyuki, who just turned eleven this year. It's my incompetence as a father that I had to flee with her in such a hurry, and she has suffered a lot with me these past few days."
"Koyuki, say hello."
Hearing her father say this, the young girl's face tensed as she took off her hood and bowed slightly:
"Greetings, Lord Sawara."
Seeing his daughter's aloof demeanor, Kazahana Sōsetsu explained somewhat apologetically: "The group of rogue Ninja who attacked the Lord's palace were just a bunch of rogue Ninja, which gave this child a bad impression of Ninja. I'm truly sorry."
"What's the big deal? Just because she's a little pretty, she's so arrogant."
Obito, who was behind Sawara Kiri, muttered quietly, causing Kazahana Koyuki to immediately glare at him.
Sawara Kiri heard this and reminded him:
"Obito!"
"Yes, yes, sorry, sorry~"
Uchiha Obito had clearly recovered his composure from the previous battle in the Renegade Union, and now he was back to his usual slovenly self, which earned him a tap on the head from Kakashi.
"Kazahana, please tell us about the current situation."
Sawara Kiri sighed helplessly, looking at the thoughtless little fellow, and turned the topic to the main point.
"Yes."
Kazahana Sōsetsu recalled the previous scene and sighed, sounding quite hurt: "About half a month ago, a group of rogue Ninja, led by someone unknown, broke into the Snow Country's Lord's palace."
"Because we were unaware of the situation, the guards in the palace suffered heavy casualties. Only these loyal subordinates pulled me out of bed and led me through a secret passage to outside the palace, where we met up with Konoha's mission point."
"These past few days, I've been fleeing miserably within the Snow Country."
"It wasn't until the cat messenger brought news that I rushed to the Train Station overnight. I haven't been out for a day and a night now."
"I heard that the Lord's palace is still unmanaged, and although there hasn't been chaos within the Snow Country, the guards in various places have been replaced by a new group of people, and the foot soldiers everywhere have been dispatched, reportedly under the orders of my younger brother, Kazahana Doto..."
At this point, the middle-aged man's face couldn't help but reveal a hint of sorrow.
Although the words weren't fully explicit, the meaning was already very clear.
The group of people who worked with the rogue Ninja from the inside to chase him down were most likely his own younger brother.
"I understand."
However, Sawara Kiri wasn't interested in the emotional changes of Kazahana. He went straight to the point: "Do you know anything about the enemy's strength? How many people are there?"
"Rogue Ninja who can break into the Lord's palace and kill all the guards in one go should not be simple, right? Leaving Kazahana Doto's motive aside, what is the purpose of these rogue Ninja?"
Kakashi listened quietly beside him, secretly noting Sawara's every move in his mind.
Although it seemed insignificant, for them, these fledgling Ninja, it was all important experience.
"..."
Kazahana Sōsetsu fell silent for a while after hearing this, and after a long time, he sighed: "There are three of those rogue Ninja in total. As for their purpose... perhaps, it's for the Snow Country's secret treasure."
"Secret treasure?"
Student Obito's eyes lit up again under his goggles when he heard the keyword.
It's inevitable for boys of this age to be interested in things like great treasures and treasure hunts.
Not only Obito, but even Kazahana Koyuki, who was beside him, was stunned, clearly hearing about such a thing for the first time.
"Yes."
Kazahana Sōsetsu smiled bitterly: "Actually, it's because the Snow Country's Lords from the third generation onwards have all invested large sums of money into this project, which is why outsiders mistakenly believe that we've hidden all this money."
"Please be more specific." Sawara Kiri's attitude remained unchanged.
"Yes, that so-called secret treasure is actually an 'environment transformation machine' that the Snow Country's Lord has been researching by concentrating a large amount of tax revenue. It's only half-finished now, and it's also thanks to the capital investment from Konoha's Cat Cat Group that it has reached its current level of completion—the efforts of our clan for three generations have been to change the extremely harsh environment of the Snow Country, so that the people of the Snow Country can also enjoy a normal environment like those in the south."
"It's just a pity, alas."
Kazahana Sōsetsu shook his head slightly, clearly troubled by this unexpected disaster.
"I understand."
Sawara Kiri nodded slightly, turned to look at Namikaze Minato behind him, and then said: "Then, from today onwards, please allow these few students of ours to stay by your side for protection."
"Eh!?"
Kazahana Sōsetsu was stunned when he heard this, looking at him in surprise... and at the equally stunned little ones behind them.
"How can that be! We paid for an A-rank mission reward!"
Kazahana Koyuki, who was behind her father, was clearly much more impulsive. A few days of anxious life had already made her miserable. She had thought that having these annoying Ninja around would make her feel a little safer, but it turned out that the ones responsible for her protection were a few kids about her age.
How could this be acceptable?!
Sawara Kiri, however, completely ignored this reprimand and said gently: "Please rest assured, these students of ours are all very excellent Ninja."
"Additionally, I and this Jonin Namikaze will also take turns providing protection in secret."
"This, this, alright."
Kazahana Sōsetsu was clearly good-natured. Seeing that the renowned Lord Sawara had already made such a decision, he sighed softly.
He clearly had little confidence in these children.
Sawara Kiri then turned his head to look at the Hatake Squad's three members, and the Mei Squad behind them, and instructed: "Kakashi, you will lead and command this mission. Mei Terumī, Zabuza, and Hozuki Mangetsu are all under your command."
"This operation is not only for the mission but also a comprehensive assessment for you, which is related to your qualification for admission to the Ninja Academy."
"Do you understand?"
After only a moment's pause, Kakashi immediately reacted and said loudly:
"Yes!"
"Then, let's start planning the operation now."
As Sawara Kiri spoke, he stepped aside from in front of Kazahana Sōsetsu, actively yielding the captain's position, and stood with Minato.
Then, Kakashi began to systematically inquire about Kazahana Sōsetsu's current situation, following the Ninja Academy curriculum.
Seeing the operation get on track, Minato tilted his head and whispered:
"That's quite rare, Kiri."
"Are you very optimistic about these kids?"
"Of course." Sawara Kiri smiled, "After all, he's Sakumo-senseis child, and a true genius. They need some room to grow."
"Genius, huh?" Minato looked at him teasingly, "That's just the threshold to meet you, isn't it?"
"Demon King Kiri."
When he was young, his performance was far more astonishing than Kakashi's, and he came from a commoner background, earning the qualification to be Jiraiya Sensei's disciple all by himself.
But so what?
In front of Kiri, he simply didn't have the courage to compete for the Fifth Generation Hokage.
"Damn it."
"Who on earth spread that embarrassing nickname?"
Sawara Kiri also smiled, but his gaze remained fixed on the little ones.
The reason he accepted the team leader mission from Tsunade was certainly not because he had too much time on his hands—on the contrary, in recent years, to prepare for Ōtsutsuki, his time could be said to be very tight, with the development of various techniques proceeding at full speed.
The reason he specifically took time out to leave now was entirely because of their 'value'.
"Sawara's Book of Friends"
—
"Kakashi's Inner Conflict (Shallow)"
Details: I want to become a powerful Ninja who surpasses my father.
—
Uchiha Obito's Deep-Seated Issue (Shallow Layer)
Details: I'm not a dead last!
As early as a year ago, when he came to the Ninja Academy again, he saw this long-lost white halo on these two little guys.
Since his strength reached its current level, it had been a long time since he had seen Deep-Seated Issues on other people.
Originally, Sawara Kiri thought that everyone needed to reach a certain level of strength before he could acquire them.
Fortunately, these 'protagonists' from the original timeline could still provide him with motivation to move forward.
Perhaps this was the difference between 'protagonists' and 'side characters'?
On the other hand, Rin, perhaps because her current life was very happy, showed no signs of any Deep-Seated Issue.
In addition, not only Kakashi and Obito, but the reason he specifically took the effort to solve the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird problem two years ago was also due to Hyuga Hizashi's Deep-Seated Issue.
Looking at it this way, if his transmigration time had been later, or even at the same point in time as world protagonists like Naruto, that would have been the best time for development, right?
Sawara Kiri thought this in his heart.
And among these two little guys, he paid more attention to Obito's Deep-Seated Issue—because it was easy to complete, and the Uchiha Clan was also prone to extremism, making the possibility of a Deep-Seated Issue greater.
The reason he took the Hatake Squad out to perform such a challenging mission was also for this reason.
Only in battle would Obito be more likely to recognize himself.
Besides that, there was another person who piqued his interest.
Mei Terumī's Deep-Seated Issue (Shallow Layer)
Details: Hidden Mist or Konoha, which side do I truly belong to?
His azure eyes looked at the girl in the squad who had already grown up a bit, and he inadvertently revealed a smile.
Just as Sawara Kiri was observing in secret, Kakashi had already clarified the situation and led Kazahana Sōsetsu and his group out through the passage behind the Train Station.
The Snow Country's weather was severe, and all pedestrians on the streets were wrapped in thick overcoats, with their heads tightly covered, making it quite convenient for concealing their identities.
'However, so many people gathered in one place is still a bit too conspicuous.'
Kakashi looked at the scattered group of people behind him, frowned slightly, and then turned to give instructions: "Obito, Mangetsu, you two are responsible for long-range vigilance. Zabuza and Mei will provide close protection. Rin and I will be in front. Everyone, split into three teams."
"Yes!"
When it came to executing missions, even Obito wouldn't argue with Kakashi, his captain, and he was uncharacteristically serious.
The group, led by Kakashi, arrived at an underground safe house opened by Konoha's Neko Neko Group in a foreign country, finding a temporary place to stay.
After taking off their hoods, Kakashi's gaze swept over the panting Kazahana Sōsetsu and Kazahana Koyuki, then looked at the five or six guards crowded in the room, before speaking to his squad members behind him:
"We have two missions now: first, to protect the safety of Kazahana and his young daughter; second, to take the initiative to find Kazahana Doto and the attackers by his side."
"Does anyone have any thoughts on these two mission requirements?"
Mei Terumī said with a cold face: "First, arrange for shifts of guards. Starting today, our two teams will take turns resting. The team on guard duty will also need to send one person out to gather information."
"At least we need to find out the enemy's movements first."
"I'll take care of gathering information on our side."
Kakashi nodded slightly. Although he was only twelve years old, he already had a certain level of professionalism: "Then on our side..."
Before he could finish speaking, Hozuki Mangetsu, who was leaning against the corner by the fire, suddenly leaped up from the ground and shouted loudly:
"Enemy attack!"
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
The sound and the hand seals were completed almost simultaneously.
A swirling water vortex suddenly expanded, like layers of net-like arcs, rapidly enveloping the group and Kazahana Sōsetsu within its center.
The next moment.
"Boom—!"
An explosion suddenly erupted, and the bursting flames instantly swallowed the entire Neko Neko safe house, blowing away all the houses above the basement. Cold air, mixed with flying snow, poured into the basement from above.
The reinforced concrete structure of the safe house, under this violent explosion, still barely retained a layer of distorted steel bars in a net-like structure on the ceiling.
The swirling water vortex swept away all the shattered concrete.
Kakashi stood in the center of the water vortex, suddenly raising his head to look upwards.
Then, he saw a burly figure standing in place, fully armored, looking coldly at Kazahana Sōsetsu in the center of the crowd, with a hint of mockery in his tone:
"I thought you rat had hidden in a train and escaped to another country. Fortunately, I caught up."
At the same time, his gaze fell on the few little ones beside him, and he chuckled: "What? Lord Daimyo has fallen to such a state that he can only hire a few Konoha children to protect himself?"
Upon hearing this, Kakashi's eyes constricted, his pupils almost shrinking to a pinpoint, while his mind raced.
'How could they arrive so quickly?'
'They were hidden in the Train Station for several days, and they were discovered as soon as they came out?'
'This is a safe house.'
Almost instantly, he seemed to have connected some dots, and his gaze fell on the few guards behind Kazahana Sōsetsu.
There's an internal spy.
However, at this moment, he had no time to distinguish so much, and he quickly gave orders: "Zabuza, Mei, protect Lord Daimyo!"
"Obito, Rin, Mangetsu! Finish them as fast as possible!"
"Yes!"
Hearing that they still had to protect the Daimyo at a time like this, Mei Terumī subconsciously glanced behind her, and then, as if suddenly understanding something, immediately retreated.
At the same time, Obito had already charged forward with a roar.
"Who are you calling a kid, you bastard!"
Although he still looked short, after six years of reform education at the Ninja Academy, even a written exam dead last like Obito possessed considerable combat strength.
His foot barely tapped, and an arc of air burst forth.
Shunpo.
The immense recoil propelled his figure to disappear and reappear, causing the Snow Ninja above to involuntarily freeze, suddenly turning his head.
The next moment, the pitch-black eyes beneath his goggles had already turned scarlet.
"Sharingan?!"
Fuyukuma Mizore's expression stiffened, then his jaw snapped upwards, and the protective visor he had raised immediately dropped.
Uchiha Obito's speed was so fast that only the dynamic vision of the Sharingan could react to it, and naturally, the large man in front of him couldn't block it.
The Kunai, spinning in his hand, thrust out fiercely with his high-speed charge.
"Clang—!"
Then, in his Sharingan, the fragments of the Kunai's tip breaking off were reflected.
"Huh?"
At the same time, Fuyukuma Mizore's face showed a mocking smile.
How could the Chakra armor that Lord Nudo painstakingly developed be easily breached by such a small thing?
Immediately after, he stomped his foot, and an arm, thicker than a normal person's thigh, smashed out with a roar.
"Bang!"
The ground, mixed with surging snow, exploded into a reverse waterfall.
Hozuki Mangetsu immediately seized the opportunity, and he shot out, stepping on the melting snow, instantly pouncing onto the opponent's back. The edge of his Ninja blade swiftly cut across, but it only left a deep mark on the armor on his back.
'So hard!'
"You damn brats!"
Although Fuyukuma Mizore's movements were clumsy, they were incredibly powerful. Any single hit from his terrifying punch would likely result in broken bones and torn muscles.
However, just as he managed to lift his foot, he felt a strong pulling sensation.
Looking down, he saw delicate steel wires wrapped around his ankles at some unknown point, causing him to stumble.
Just as he was about to turn around and break free from the steel wires, several streaks of lightning, surging along the ground, suddenly reflected in his vision.
He looked up and saw the white-haired youth in the distance with his hands pressed to the ground, his gaze cold.
"Lightning Release: Ground Run!"
"Buzz buzz buzz—"
Although it was their first time cooperating, they had a remarkable understanding.
They dealt with the opponent in just one encounter.
Sawara Kiri watched this scene from afar, nodding gently:
"Not bad."
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr