Morning.
Ayane was teasing the bird in the cage in the corridor, a gentle smile on her clean, fair face.
At the other end of the corridor, Hiashi, who had already washed up, saw this scene. The beautiful picture froze at that moment, and Hiashi was somewhat lost in thought as he looked over there.
The time since he met Ayane should be several years ago.
He hadn't thought back then that Ayane would remain by his side as his maid.
"Good morning, young master Hiashi."
Upon seeing Hiashi, Ayane stood up unhurriedly, stopped teasing the bird in the cage, and smiled warmly and respectfully at Hiashi.
The pure white pupils gave an impression of all the beauty in the world.
Every time he saw Ayane's gaze like this, Hiashi continually questioned himself in his heart.
Has she accepted the fate of the Branch Family?
Has she truly submitted to the Main Family?
In her eyes, there was no more resentment or hostility.
As if over the years of being together, she had let go of prejudices against the Main Family.
"Good morning, Ayane."
Hiashi was not intentionally cold; both he and Ayane understood this very well.
But precisely because he was too gentle, he had to present a stern and cold image.
His gentleness, for the Hyuga Family, could be a disaster and could harm others.
His gentleness had once hurt his younger brother, Hizashi, so he didn't want Ayane, the maid who had followed him for so many years, to be hurt as well.
"I've heard that you're going on a mission, is that right?"
"Yes, young master Hiashi. I am very sorry, I may not be able to serve by your side at all times in the future."
Ayane bowed apologetically.
"It's alright, we of the Hyuga Family are also part of Konoha. Don't worry, your team leader, Jonin Hatake Sakumo, is an excellent ninja."
Hiashi seemed as if he knew something.
"Was this matter requested by young master Hiashi of the Clan Leader?"
Ayane's pure white pupils held an untainted, gentle hue.
Hiashi did not answer.
He brushed past Ayane, his expression indifferent.
Ayane glanced at the time; it was almost time to assemble, and she prepared to set off.
"Um..."
Hiashi's voice came from behind.
Ayane turned her head, looking at Hiashi with curiosity.
Hiashi did not turn around, showing his back to Ayane.
"Please take care of yourself."
After saying this, Hiashi suddenly quickened his pace and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Unlike those indifferent and proud Main Family members, Hiashi always had a soft spot in his heart.
Ayane's face merely wore a gentle smile, as if she had heard Hiashi's words, or maybe she hadn't.
She tied her headband on her forehead, letting her long, black hair, as smooth as satin, cascade down. She stood in the corridor for a while, then lifted her steps and headed out of the Hyuga Clan's grounds.
I am not worthy of your treatment, young master Hiashi. She left these words in her heart.
◎
After yesterday's expensive barbecue, the squad's atmosphere was somewhat harmonious.
Sakumo had gained some understanding of the three in his squad.
Chiba Hakushi, Medical Ninja, not much is known about his personality yet, but overall he seems like an ordinary ninja. However, being a Medical Ninja scores him a lot of points.
Hyuga Ayane, from a prestigious family's Branch, gentle and considerate personality, occasionally a bit sly, fitting a youthful, lively character. Most importantly, she's particularly good at eating.
Uchiha Ruri, a prodigy of the Uchiha Race, based on the brief encounter yesterday, her skills are not inferior to a typical Jonin. Notably, she's wealthy.
In the eyes of Hakushi and the others, the ninja known as Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, is easygoing and not at all like the cold and ruthless figure the rumors paint, and he's a broke guy who can't even afford a barbecue.
The shame of the Jonin.
After all, the gap between reality and rumors is always large, and interacting with Sakumo becomes quite casual, as Sakumo has no airs of a Jonin and can communicate with anyone on equal terms.
At ten in the morning, the Sakumo squad members gathered at the gate of Konoha Village.
"I just went to see the Hokage and accepted an A-Class Mission. Let's use this for practice."
The corners of Hakushi's mouth twitched, knowing this squad wasn't meant for ordinary missions.
Using an A-Class Mission for practice, Hakushi could foresee a grim mission career with no bright future.
It's probably too late to quit now.
"Let's set off."
Seeing the three, though with different expressions, obediently following orders, Sakumo nodded and then vanished.
The actions of Hakushi and the others weren't slow, either. As soon as Sakumo disappeared, they all quickly caught up.
Because ensuring sufficient physical strength is crucial during long treks, the ninja's speed is not very fast during the journey, otherwise, even a Jonin would be overwhelmed.
"Sakumo-sensei, what is the content of the A-Class Mission?"
Seeing that Ruri and Ayane were not inclined to ask about the mission details, Hakushi took the initiative to speak.
Sakumo didn't hide it either: "A large-scale battle is occurring at the front line, and our task is to eliminate the enemies lurking within the Land of Fire. They often attack supply convoys dispatched from Konoha and also sabotage towns in the Land of Fire."
"Is it that serious? So it means..."
Hakushi faintly guessed something.
"Ah, you're guessing correctly. An A-Class Mission can become an S-Class Mission at any moment because even the Anbu can't completely track those lurkers. This is why a ninja with the Byakugan is assigned to the team. Our task is to roam the Land of Fire and eliminate all enemies detected within the Byakugan's sight."
How many ninjas, how many are Chunin, how many are Jonin, all are unknown factors.
This is also why Sakumo said an A-Class Mission can easily escalate into an S-Class Mission.
"Is it just our group?"
Ruri calmly asked, unfazed by the mission details.
"Of course not, an Anbu subunit will cooperate with us."
The three nodded, feeling slightly reassured.
Having an Anbu subunit assisting would certainly make the task easier.
The Anbu is comprised of seventy members, with a total captain and a vice captain serving as the Hokage's personal guards, who usually don't undertake direct missions.
Under the total captain and vice captain, there are four Anbu subunits.
Each subunit has a sub-captain, and under each sub-captain are four squads, each with four Anbu Ninjas.
In other words, a sub-captain plus four squads of sixteen Anbu results in seventeen Anbu Ninjas assisting Sakumo's team in eliminating the lurking enemies in the Land of Fire.
The subsequent journey was silent, and an hour after leaving the village, Ayane immediately activated her Byakugan to survey the surroundings and check if any enemies had infiltrated the Byakugan's investigative range.
Ayane's Byakugan detection range is a five-kilometer radius, a significant improvement from a few years ago.
An hour later, Sakumo signaled a stop at the front of the line.
The four halted on a clearing.
"We'll take a rest here."
Discipline is the most important thing for a squad, and since Sakumo is the captain, Hakushi and the others unconditionally followed orders.
After sitting down, Sakumo said, "Ahead lies a dangerous area, and there's a chance we'll encounter ninjas ambushing us there. Your theoretical grades at school were excellent; you must know the basic coordination between teams."
"Are you talking about the three medical ninja guidelines?"
Hakushi inquired.
Sakumo nodded.
The so-called three medical ninja guidelines were set by Jonin Tsunade, one of the Sannin.
First point—the medical ninja must never abandon treatment before a teammate is dead.
Second point—the medical ninja must not fight on the front lines.
Third point—the medical ninja should never die before the team members.
Therefore, retreating from battle is not shameful for a medical ninja, and accepting others' protection is not disgraceful.
"From now on, I will lead the charge. Ruri and Ayane, you must stay by Hakushi's side at all times. Do not prioritize fighting, even if it seems safe around. Even if forced to fight, Ruri will engage, and Ayane will protect."
"Yes!"
Understanding and execution are two different matters, but Sakumo could only rely on their trio's cooperation.
After resting for more than ten minutes, Sakumo led them forward again.
As Sakumo mentioned, moving forward led to a dangerous area where battles could break out at any moment.
"In the one o'clock direction two thousand three hundred meters ahead, there are seven Hidden Sand Ninjas lying in ambush. Two are hidden underground, three behind trees, and two in the grass."
Suddenly, with her Byakugan active, Ayane shared the information observed by her Byakugan.
"Follow me."
Sakumo suddenly accelerated his pace, heading swiftly toward the one o'clock direction Ayane indicated.
Under the Byakugan's insight, all ambushes and concealments were exposed, leaving nowhere to hide.
At a distance of two thousand three hundred meters, it took less than three minutes to reach the enemy's ambush zone.
"Sakumo-sensei, shouldn't we be cautious..."
Just as Ayane was about to speak, Sakumo vanished before her eyes.
Under the Byakugan's probe, streaks of blade flares appeared as the Chakra reactions of five Hidden Sand Ninjas disappeared, turning them into cold corpses.
Two others fled fearfully towards them, presumably terrified by Sakumo's sudden assault.
"Two targets straight ahead, especially sent by the teacher for you to practice on, just use the Fire Style to deal with them."
Ayane sighed.
The enemies' locations, numbers, and the method to counter them were all clearly seen by the Byakugan.
This wasn't even a battle.
Ruri had already finished forming seals.
Two large fireballs were vomited from her mouth consecutively.
The fleeing duo hadn't anticipated the fireballs being so well-timed, almost as if by schedule, and were incinerated into charcoal.