When Sarutobi Atsushi and the others arrived and saw Hayami Mari already subdued, they all let out a sigh of relief.
At the same time, they couldn't help but feel that the mission had been too easy.
Three consecutive missions now—and it felt like they hadn't really contributed much at all.
As for the wooden spikes piercing Hayami Mari's limbs, none of them suspected anything unusual. The area was littered with shattered wood from the earlier explosion, and no one even thought of Wood Release.
Even Hayami Mari herself, in that lightning-fast exchange, hadn't realized Shawn had used Wood Release.
After all, Wood Release techniques had become legendary since Hashirama Senju.
Very few living people had ever seen them firsthand.
Shawn pulled out the wooden spikes and issued orders calmly:
"Bandage her. Don't let her die."
"Flying Insect, use your bugs to make sure she doesn't try anything on the way."
Atsushi and the others immediately nodded and got to work.
Before long, Hayami Mari was properly restrained.
Shawn didn't waste words and waved his hand to move out.
They hadn't gone far when Shawn suddenly stopped.
Atsushi and the others halted instantly, each drawing their ninja tools and assuming combat stances.
Soon, a figure came into view.
"Jiraiya-senpai…"
Atsushi recognized him at once.
Behind his mask, Shawn was slightly surprised—but quickly understood.
The signal flare earlier must have drawn him in.
Jiraiya stopped a short distance away, eyes sweeping over the group.
"ANBU, huh…"
"Looks like you didn't need my help after all."
At this point in time, Root and Hokage直属ANBU were outwardly almost indistinguishable. Even Jiraiya couldn't tell them apart.
Shawn replied coolly, "We didn't."
Jiraiya nodded and stepped aside.
Shawn returned the gesture and moved on, Atsushi and the others following closely.
As they passed, Jiraiya's gaze briefly swept over Hayami Mari's restrained, curvaceous figure. He muttered under his breath,
"What a shame… such a beautiful woman. How cruel."
Despite the words, he showed no intention of interfering.
Watching Shawn and his team vanish into the forest, Jiraiya scratched his head.
"I should probably catch up with Tsunade and the others… or I'll get beaten up again."
At the thought of Tsunade's fist, he shivered.
Yes—he was technically on his way back from a mission. He'd only slipped off temporarily after hearing about the scenery nearby.
Thankfully, it hadn't disappointed.
Encounter by the River
An hour later, Shawn's group stopped by a river to rest and replenish water.
They had been resting less than ten minutes when three more figures appeared along the riverbank.
"Captain—it's Jiraiya-senpai, and also Tsunade-hime and Orochimaru-senpai!"
Atsushi spotted them first and whispered urgently.
Shawn opened his eyes and looked over.
Three familiar figures entered his view.
And in the very next moment, his gaze locked onto one of them.
Tsunade.
Only twenty-two years old.
Not yet fully mature.
Not yet terrifying.
But… undeniably impressive.
Nearby, Jiraiya spoke quietly to the other two,
"ANBU. I ran into them earlier."
Orochimaru remained expressionless. Tsunade nodded lightly—but frowned.
She could feel Shawn's gaze on her.
It was far too aggressive.
Shawn withdrew his eyes, showing no intention of greeting them.
Tsunade's group likewise kept their distance, choosing to rest by the river.
Unlike Shawn's team—who ate soldier pills—Jiraiya and the others went straight into the water to catch fish, roasting some and boiling others into soup.
The aroma quickly spread.
Atsushi and the others swallowed unconsciously.
Looks delicious…
Shawn remained unmoved.
He was a Root shinobi personally trained by Danzo.
Such temptations meant nothing to him.
After twenty minutes, Shawn stood.
"Move out."
They left without incident.
Watching them go, Jiraiya couldn't help asking,
"Hey… what do you think that woman was?"
Orochimaru replied indifferently,
"That has nothing to do with us."
Jiraiya clicked his tongue. "You're no fun at all."
Orochimaru glanced sideways. "You've seen them twice now. What do you think?"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin.
"Probably a spy, right?"
"That beautiful—must've seduced some poor guy in the village."
Tsunade scoffed. "Only men would fall for something like that."
Jiraiya protested immediately,
"Hey, that's too much!"
"I, Jiraiya, am a very serious and upright ninja. I wouldn't fall for such cheap tricks!"
Tsunade nearly rolled her eyes.
Serious—maybe.
Upright—absolutely not.
Realizing his argument lacked conviction, Jiraiya changed the subject.
"That leader wasn't simple. I checked their battlefield—one-on-one, the fight ended almost instantly."
Tsunade wasn't surprised.
"ANBU are all elites."
"But that guy's eyes… I didn't like them."
Orochimaru's eyes flashed faintly.
"They were eyes full of ambition."
Tsunade stretched lazily.
"I don't care whether he's ambitious or not."
"Let's head back to the village. I can't wait to take a proper bath."
Jiraiya grinned.
"We could bathe here instead!"
"Relax, I'll keep an eye on Orochimaru."
Orochimaru stared silently.
Tsunade snorted.
"The one I trust least is you, you perverted idiot!"
With that, she stood.
"Move out."
Aftermath
The journey back was uneventful.
Shawn's team returned smoothly to Konoha and delivered Hayami Mari to the Interrogation Division, then returned to the Root base to report to Danzo.
"Well done," Danzo said, clearly pleased.
Several missions completed swiftly and flawlessly.
Hashirama's cells had not been wasted.
"You may rest."
Then he emphasized,
"Wood Release training must be accelerated."
Wood Release—even an incomplete version—was not most valuable for combat, but for suppressing the Nine-Tails.
This piece could not be lost.
Shawn immediately assured him,
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
Shawn's Thoughts
Back in his quarters, Shawn replayed Danzo's final words.
"Wood Release… for Konoha, its greatest value isn't battle power."
"It's control over the Nine-Tails."
"I should've realized sooner…"
"That old fox has already set his sights on the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."
"Uzumaki Mito hasn't died yet—but it won't be long."
As he thought, a plan surfaced—
One that could let him stand in both darkness and light.
But—
Not yet.
He forced himself to stay calm.
"I absolutely cannot let Danzo sense my true intentions."
"He must believe that everything I do is for Root… and for him."
Wash up.
Sleep.
Shawn fell asleep quickly and didn't wake until seven in the evening.
After cleaning up, refreshed and ready to train again, he stepped outside—
Only to be intercepted by Shimura Taichi.
Another mission.
Shawn accepted outwardly, but inside he snorted.
"They really don't treat us like human beings at all."
"Constant missions—and on top of that, rushing Wood Release mastery…"
"Figures."
"No matter the world—
bosses are all the same."
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