With Naruto around, the atmosphere never felt too heavy. Plus, his confident attitude that Yamato was fine helped ease the tension for the other three.
Tenten was easily led by Naruto's words, Lee's straightforward mind didn't overcomplicate things, and Naruto himself was clearly just along for the ride. That left Shino as the only one actually working in the team, his eyes behind his sunglasses fixed intently ahead.
By noon, the team took a break.
Watching as Tenten and Naruto each pulled out an assortment of ingredients and grilling equipment, Shino finally couldn't hold back anymore. Though, being the type who rarely got angry, he still kept his composure.
"Um..."
The moment he spoke, the other three turned to look at him.
"What's wrong?" Naruto pulled out a pack of frozen chicken legs, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Shino, are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Tenten produced a bag of dried vegetables, "I brought a first-aid kit. Tell me if you need anything."
"Shino, do you have a stomachache?" Lee popped up out of nowhere.
Shino: "..."
For a moment, he didn't know what to say. The whole scene felt more like a picnic than a mission. But with all three staring at him expectantly, he could only shake his head.
"It's nothing."
"That's good. We'll just get roasted chicken legs for lunch. There's really not much to eat on the road." Naruto said as he started the fire.
"I'll make vegetable soup, hehe!" Tenten, caught up in the mood, cheerfully poured water into a pot.
"I want juice! Tenten!" Lee stood at attention, raising his hand.
"Here." With a pop, Tenten pulled out a bottle of juice from a sealing scroll and poured it into a cup Naruto had already prepared, "Let me know if you want more."
"Got it!"
Shino: "..."
He didn't know what to say. If this had been three or four years ago, Shino might have sternly scolded Naruto and the others. After all, the mission came first, so how could they let their guard down like this?
But now, he wasn't so rigid. The mission wasn't the absolute priority. And it wasn't just his mission… it belonged to the whole team.
All he had to do was go with the flow. There was no need to overthink things. Over-managing wouldn't help the mission and might even cause friction with his teammates.
After the meal, Naruto asked about the location where Yamato had disappeared. Shino gave the name of a place.
"Kusagakure."
Hearing that, Naruto's heart skipped a beat, 'That place wasn't exactly friendly territory. Kusagakure… why would Yamato go there?'
"What kind of mission would take him to Kusagakure? Could this be a trap?"
"I don't know. Yamato-sensei's mission details were classified," Shino shook his head, "The village only gave us information that Captain Yamato was last seen in Kusagakure."
"What's wrong with Kusagakure? Why do you look so tense, Naruto?" Tenten leaned in, studying Naruto's face before reaching up to touch his forehead.
"You're even sweating. What's going on?"
The moment she said that, both Shino and Lee turned their full attention to Naruto.
"I don't know, I just have a bad feeling about Kusagakure." Naruto wiped his sweat, "My gut's telling me we shouldn't go there."
The so-called 'sixth sense' was nothing more than his subconscious piecing together fragments of information, reaching a conclusion before his conscious mind could catch up.
But the realization always came a beat too late… only striking when some sudden spark of insight hit. Unfortunately, there were no warnings before that moment arrived.
"There's such a thing?" Tenten blinked in surprise.
"I don't know either." He took a deep breath, hesitating before finally saying, "Let's go check it out first. Maybe I'm just overthinking it."
…
On the other side.
Kabuto had already placed Yamato, who was captured by Black Zetsu, onto the operating table, successfully enhancing the army of 100,000 White Zetsu.
As for the 5,000 White Zetsu promised to Sasuke for the attack on Kumogakure, they had already been dispatched underwater and would arrive the next day.
Sasuke had arrived at the border of the Land of Lightning a few days earlier. Before even reaching his destination, he received news that he had supposedly attacked the capital of the Land of Fire, taken the Daimyo hostage, and stolen precious jewels.
Sasuke: "..."
'No doubt, this was another attempt to pin the blame on me.' Sasuke's expression darkened, 'If I'm going to take hits in this world, fine… but I never agreed to carry this many crimes on my back.'
"Sasuke, about the incident in the Land of Fire's capital..." Karin looked at him with concern.
"It had to be Naruto!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, a rare flash of anger crossing his face, "Does that idiot think I'm stupid? Framing me over and over again!"
"Uzumaki Naruto?" Karin was taken aback.
"It's him! No doubt about it!" Sasuke declared, grinding his teeth audibly.
Karin was momentarily stunned. She hadn't really thought deeply about who the fake Sasuke might be… after the invasion of Kumogakure, her focus had been entirely on Sasuke. She'd been trying to stop him from doing anything too reckless, but in her worry, she'd overlooked the obvious.
Now that she considered it, there weren't many people who could impersonate Sasuke. First, they'd have to have met him. Second, they'd need to know him well enough. Most importantly, they'd need strength comparable to his.
At this point, Naruto's true power was impossible to hide. With just a little thought, it wasn't hard to deduce the imposter's identity.
The Land of Fire. Immense strength. Familiar with Sasuke. Shamelessness…
All the clues pointed to one answer, that damn Uzumaki Naruto!
"But why would he do this?" Karin frowned. "Sasuke, weren't you two once teammates? Even if he wanted a fake identity, he could've used someone else's."
"No, you don't understand him!" Sasuke exhaled sharply, staring toward the border of the Land of Lightning, "That guy has always been shameless. Extremely shameless!"
"He's deliberately provoking me. And when I confront him, he'll definitely play innocent!"
"Damn it!"
"Well, if he's impersonating you, why don't you impersonate him back?" Suigetsu glanced at him and casually remarked.
When he turned back, he found Sasuke staring straight at him.
"Wh-what?" Suigetsu stuttered, taken aback.
"No... you're right." Sasuke shook his head, then muttered to himself, "That guy knows me because I haven't changed all these years."
"But hasn't he stayed the same too? I know exactly how he operates. I can retaliate,"
Suigetsu blinked, then reminded him, "Sasuke, we're going to invade Kumogakure soon."
"I know. This is the perfect chance to hit back at the same time." Sasuke's gaze sharpened as he looked into the distance, "Once the White Zetsu arrive, we move immediately!"
…
The next day.
Yugito woke up as usual, washed up, and changed into casual clothes. Her daily routine had almost made her forget her past imprisonment.
Only when she saw Samui and Mabui did she suddenly remember… they, including herself, were all unwilling spies.
She adjusted her collar in the mirror, then two minutes later, took a bag of trash downstairs. Just as she tossed it into the bin at the corner, she turned and saw Samui waving at her.
"Up so early?" Samui smiled brightly.
The next moment, her head rolled.
With a cold gaze, Yugito sheathed her sword and watched as the corpse on the ground morph into a white humanoid creature. Her expression hardened, 'An enemy I've never seen before?'
By the time Yugito realized that enemies had infiltrated Kumogakure, the same scene was playing out all over the village. Hundreds of distracted or careless Shinobi were being slit open by 'friends' or 'family'.
Near the Raikage's office, Sasuke, using Transformation Technique to take on Naruto's appearance, paused for a moment before stepping into the shadows.