Chapter 88: Joint Mission (Double Length Chapter)
"Jiji—open the window! Jiji—open the window!"
The sound of wings flapping against glass caught Taichi's attention.
He set aside the book in his hands and turned toward the window, where he saw Jiji, Captain Yamaguchi's summoned bird, wobbling awkwardly on the narrow sill. Every so often, it flapped its wings just to keep balance—clearly, the window frame was no longer wide enough for its increasingly rotund body.
Taichi walked over and opened the window, letting the plump bird squeeze inside.
"Jiji, you really need to lose weight," Taichi said with a straight face. "If you keep getting fatter, you won't even be able to fly anymore."
Despite his words, he smoothly opened a drawer beside him and scattered a bag of delicious snacks across the table.
"Jiji says Taichi is bad!" the bird protested indignantly. "You tell Jiji to lose weight, but then you give Jiji such tasty snacks!"
So the culprit had been found.
Taichi rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed. He'd only meant to tease the bird at first—he hadn't expected to feed it into such a state. Captain Yamaguchi had even come to complain to him about it more than once.
And clearly, Jiji was a glutton. Ever since its first taste of Taichi's specially made snacks, it demanded food every single time it came by.
"You came to find me—does that mean there's another mission?" Taichi changed the subject.
"Jiji—yes. There's a mission," the bird replied, lifting one of its legs—so fat it was nearly invisible.
Only then did Taichi notice something tied to Jiji's leg. He removed it and found a tightly written mission notice.
After reading it, Taichi frowned.
An escort mission.
And the person they were escorting… was Hatake Sakumo.
A ninja of that level needed them to escort him?
That didn't quite sit right with Taichi.
"Jiji, Taichi—after reading, roll it back up and tie it back on Jiji's leg," the bird urged after finishing the snacks. "Jiji still has others to notify."
"Oh—right away."
Watching Jiji flap out the window, Taichi stopped overthinking things. He gathered his gear and headed straight for the Konoha main gate. Captain Yamaguchi would surely have more details.
---
By the time Taichi arrived, Captain Yamaguchi was already chatting cheerfully with a blond-haired ninja. Judging by their expressions, the two were on very good terms.
And Taichi recognized that blond figure instantly—even from behind.
If it wasn't Minato, who else could it be?
Captain Yamaguchi noticed Taichi and waved him over.
"Taichi! Come here."
Pulling him closer, the captain said proudly,
"Minato, let me introduce you—this is the strongest member of my squad, Matsushita Taichi."
"Oh?" Minato said with a grin. "The strongest? Just how strong are we talking?"
Captain Yamaguchi froze, unsure what Minato meant.
"Captain," Taichi said helplessly, tugging on Yamaguchi's sleeve, "Minato-senpai and I have known each other for a long time."
"You—you two… senpai?" Yamaguchi stared, stunned.
Minato laughed.
"Didn't know? Taichi is Lady Tsunade's disciple. Technically speaking, calling me 'senpai' is perfectly reasonable."
"So that's how it is!" Yamaguchi exclaimed, patting Taichi's shoulder with a broad smile. "You hid this pretty deep, didn't you? I knew your medical ninjutsu was impressive, but I didn't expect you to be Tsunade's student. That makes our medical support even more reliable."
The three chatted casually as the rest of the squad members arrived one by one.
Once everyone had gathered, Minato stepped forward and explained the mission details.
After the briefing, the group visibly relaxed. They had expected a difficult joint mission if two squads were involved—but it turned out to be fairly straightforward.
Konoha had already sent an official notice to Kumogakure, and it was unlikely they would continue aggressively pursuing Sakumo. This mission was essentially a precautionary backup.
Afterward, Minato and Yamaguchi introduced their respective team members.
That was when Taichi learned the names of Minato's three subordinates:
Inuzuka Makoto, Gekkō Sora, and Nakamura Rei.
Names Taichi had never heard before—perhaps lost to some future war.
Once introductions were complete, it was time to move out.
Under the leadership of the two captains, the combined team left Konoha, heading toward the rendezvous point—a dense forest along the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of the Moon.
---
Elsewhere – Root Headquarters
Before Taichi's team even received the mission, Danzo had already returned to the Root base after the council meeting.
The smug look on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face during the meeting replayed endlessly in Danzo's mind, igniting a nameless fury in his chest.
Why did the position of Hokage belong to him?
Why did Hiruzen stand in the sunlight while Danzo was forced to remain in the shadows?
Why did Root gather the intelligence, only for Hatake Sakumo to reap the glory?
And now he had to clean up after Sakumo as well?
And why—why couldn't such outstanding talent be allowed to enter Root?
All of it traced back to that single moment.
That one second of hesitation.
The regret, resentment, and bitterness had long since become a heart demon, gnawing at him constantly.
"Someone," Danzo called, his voice low and oppressive.
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
A figure appeared soundlessly before him, kneeling on one knee.
"Deliver this intelligence report to Kumogakure," Danzo said coldly. "But remember—do it this time tomorrow. Understood?"
His voice grew even more sinister, carrying a chill that seeped into the bones.
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
The Root operative responded without hesitation, raising no questions whatsoever—obedience was absolute.
At this point, everything depended on whether their luck held out. There was nothing more he could do—anything further would be hard to justify and might even draw the Hokage's suspicion.
Unfortunately, Taichi and the others had no idea that this mission had already gone awry before they even set out.
Right now, they were moving along the road toward the Land of Hot Water. Since the time requirement wasn't particularly urgent, everyone kept their pace controlled.
"So… Taichi," Yōhei asked, drawing everyone's attention, "if that's the case, then the origin of this mission actually has something to do with you, doesn't it?"
The members of Minato's squad immediately grew curious. How could a mission they were executing be connected to Taichi?
Seeing their interest, Taichi briefly recounted what had happened months ago—how he had saved Kurama Chizuru.
---
The group listened with amazement. None of them had expected that the mission they were currently carrying out could be traced back to something that had happened to a teammate months earlier.
With no pressure to rush, the journey was filled with laughter and conversation, making the trip far from dull.
Since it was their first time performing a mission alongside another squad, Team Eight was particularly excited.
Yōhei, especially, completely shattered Minato's team's preconceived notions of the Uchiha clan. None of them had imagined an Uchiha could be so talkative and fun. In less than a day, the two squads had become close friends.
Watching their subordinates get along so well, Minato Namikaze and Yamaguchi Masasuke both nodded inwardly. No matter the mission, teamwork and coordination were crucial—they dramatically increased the chances of success.
At the very least, this joint operation already passed that test.
---
After two days of travel, the group reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water, stopping beneath a massive tree to rest.
"From here on, we'll be entering the Land of Hot Water," Captain Yamaguchi said while drinking from his water flask. "Once we cross the border, stay alert. Don't interfere in anything unrelated to the mission. We'll also pick up the pace."
As he spoke, he kept staring at Yōhei, making the latter increasingly uncomfortable.
"Captain," Yōhei protested, "you're not thinking I'll stick my nose into trouble again, are you?"
After taking a sip of water, Yamaguchi replied calmly, instantly breaking Yōhei's defenses:
"At least you're self-aware."
"HAHAHA!"
Laughter erupted, especially from Inuzuka Makoto.
Among Minato's three subordinates, Makoto had bonded the most with Yōhei over the past two days. He laughed so hard he doubled over, shaking loose the ninja dog that had been napping on his head. The little dog yelped angrily, barking in protest, forcing Makoto to hurriedly apologize.
Even Yōhei couldn't help laughing this time.
---
After a short rest, the group set off again, heading toward the rendezvous point at the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of the Moon.
Not long after Taichi's group entered the Land of Hot Water, Danzo's intelligence report finally arrived on the desk of Third Raikage A in Kumogakure.
"Karui, what's this?" the Raikage asked, sitting behind his desk while casually lifting a massive custom dumbbell with one hand. "Why was this sent to me?"
"It's a diplomatic notice from Konoha, along with an investigation report," Karui replied calmly. "It concerns our previous operations involving the seizure of other villages' bloodline limits."
"Oh?"
The Raikage set down the dumbbell and picked up the document.
As he read, the veins on his forehead bulged more and more—
BANG!
That was the sound of a fist slamming into the desk.
CRASH!
That was the desk collapsing into pieces.
"What is Konoha trying to do?!" the Third Raikage roared. "They kill my people and then dare threaten me? Want me to withdraw the pursuit force? They must be dreaming!"
His furious bellow echoed through the Raikage Building.
Karui didn't even flinch. This was clearly nothing new.
"Raikage-sama," she said evenly, "this may be the only option—unless you want Kumogakure to become the target of every other village."
She picked up the investigation report he hadn't yet read and handed it to him.
The Raikage took it with suspicion and read carefully.
Meanwhile, Karui calmly directed subordinates to clear away the shattered remains of the desk and bring in a new one. Judging by how practiced they were, this wasn't the first time.
By the time the Raikage finished reading, it felt as if a fireball was lodged in his chest—too furious to vent, too painful to suppress.
"Raikage-sama," Karui said flatly, "the village budget is tight. This is already the eighth desk this month. Please consider the burden on your subordinates."
"Tch—damn Konoha spies," the Raikage snarled. "They're everywhere. How do they know so much about other villages' affairs?"
The level of detail in the report had clearly exceeded his expectations. If Konoha released this intelligence to the other villages, Kumogakure's position would become extremely precarious.
Even setting aside diplomatic pressure, mission commissions alone could be severely affected. No one wanted to work with a village notorious for coveting other people's bloodlines.
Reputation, once damaged, was incredibly difficult to rebuild.
"Send a reply to Konoha," the Raikage said decisively. "We'll abandon the pursuit of Hatake Sakumo. But if he dies at someone else's hands, that's no longer our responsibility."
"Yes, sir."
"And delay notifying the pursuit unit by one day," he added. "They've already gone so far—it's reasonable that the village can't reach them immediately."
After a brief pause, he continued coldly:
"Also spread the news that Hatake Sakumo was heavily wounded in the Land of Lightning. Let's see if anyone else is willing to take care of the problem for us."
Karui stared at him in surprise—it was as if she were seeing a new side of the Raikage.
"Yes. I'll handle it."
As Karui left, the Raikage clenched his fist.
Kill people in Kumogakure and still expect to leave safely? Pure fantasy.
Even if Sakumo survived his injuries, the pursuit alone would wear him down—and that was before the hyenas caught the scent.
If he still made it back alive after all that… then perhaps fate simply refused to claim him.
---
Border of the Land of Hot Water and the Land of the Moon — Rendezvous Point
Taichi and the others had been waiting for over half a day. The agreed time had already passed by two full hours.
The lighthearted mood from earlier was long gone. Everyone wore a heavy expression.
For ninjas, punctuality was essential—especially during missions. Being late to a rendezvous like this almost never meant good news.
The two captains debated whether to keep waiting or enter the Land of the Moon to search directly for Hatake Sakumo.
After another hour passed, they could no longer wait.
If Sakumo still hadn't arrived, he was almost certainly in danger. Waiting any longer might mean finding nothing but a corpse.
"Minato," Captain Yamaguchi said, "we should leave someone here. If we all go and Sakumo arrives afterward, we'll miss him."
The suggestion made sense—but leaving guards behind was risky. Too many would slow the search; too few would be dangerous in this environment.
As everyone hesitated, Minato began forming hand seals.
"Summoning Technique."
Poof!
A palm-sized toad appeared in a puff of smoke.
"This is a communication toad from Mount Myoboku," Minato explained. "I'll leave it here to monitor the area. No one would ever suspect a toad."
He handed the toad a specially made three-pronged kunai and instructed it to hide carefully.
Seeing the kunai, Taichi's heart skipped.
Flying Thunder God…
So Minato had mastered it this early already?
If so, this mission might be far safer than expected.
"Let's move," Minato said after finishing preparations. "We'll head into the Land of the Moon and search toward Kumogakure. Even if we don't know Sakumo's exact route, this direction is our best bet."
Then he turned to Inuzuka Makoto.
"Makoto, summon your partners. It's your time to shine."
"You got it!"
Makoto performed the summoning jutsu, calling forth three large ninja dogs.
"He can exchange information with his dogs over short distances," Minato said to Yamaguchi. "Let's split into pairs—each team gets one dog."
"Agreed."
The teams quickly formed.
Taichi was paired with Inuzuka Makoto, guided by a small ninja dog perched on Makoto's head—
Kuromaru.
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