"Two thousand five hundred thirty-three, two thousand five hundred thirty-four..."
Inside the tent, Ren sat at a table, looking utterly dejected as he wrote a report. Kosuke sat beside him, eyes closed, resting, while Yusuke Uchiha processed documents.
"Teacher Kosuke, can I stop writing, or at least write a little less?"
Ren turned to look at Kosuke, his face contorted in frustration.
Fighting was no problem for him, but the thought of writing a lengthy report made his brain cells die at an exponential rate.
"No, this is a task assigned by Hokage-sama, and it must be completed."
Kosuke said steadily from his chair, without even opening his eyes.
"..."
Ren turned back, slumping onto the table, unable to move.
Why do I have to write this terrible report? Four thousand characters! It's pure torture.
Just then, a figure suddenly lifted the curtain and walked in. He approached Yusuke Uchiha's desk and spoke quickly.
"Yūsuke Uncle, a patrol team has suddenly lost contact. What should we do next?"
"What?"
Yusuke Uchiha's expression turned serious. He looked at the Chunin in front of him and asked in a deep voice.
"How long have they been out of contact?"
"About half an hour. The patrol team wasn't there when they were supposed to switch shifts, and there was no response to the assembly signal, so we suspect..."
The Chunin stopped speaking there, but everyone present understood his meaning.
"Send out a combat team and a reconnaissance team immediately."
Yusuke Uchiha pondered for a moment, then quickly gave the order.
"Eh?"
Upon hearing this, Ren's eyes lit up. He then suddenly stood up and darted to Yusuke Uchiha's desk, shouting.
"Yūsuke Uncle, as a versatile warrior capable of reconnaissance, combat, and medical aid, I should definitely be included."
"Hmm?"
Yusuke Uchiha was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted. After a moment of thought, he agreed.
"Alright, I trust your strength, but still, be careful. You will lead this operation."
"Yes! I guarantee mission completion!"
Ren's face showed delight. After saluting, he turned and walked out of the tent, not forgetting to call out to the Chunin.
"Let's go, brother, take me to find them."
"Ah, yes!"
After the Chunin reacted, he immediately turned and followed Ren. Inside the tent, only a worried Yusuke Uchiha and a black-faced Kosuke remained.
The Konoha Ninja's efficiency was very high. Ren stood at the Konoha Camp entrance for about five minutes, and the two teams had already assembled.
"Hmm, it looks like everyone is here."
Ren looked at the two neatly lined-up teams in front of him. Without wasting time, he gave the order directly.
"Let's go. We'll discuss the details on the way."
"Yes, Captain!"
Hearing the unified "Captain," Ren's mood instantly brightened, and his tone softened considerably.
"Alright, let's move out!"
As they moved through the forest, Ren introduced the pre-acquired intelligence and the mission objective to the team.
"The objective of this mission, besides investigating the reason for the patrol team's disappearance, also includes a rescue operation.
The mission location is a forest about ten miles ahead, close to the coastline. There are many Villages nearby, so remember to be cautious."
"Yes!"
Everyone responded in unison, without any dissatisfaction or slackness. Even the two squad leaders, who were genuine Jonin, had no objections to Ren's command.
Although Ren was young, he had long proven his strength and ability through numerous battles.
Coupled with his frequent help at the Medical Camp, his reputation within the Konoha Camp was quite excellent.
Therefore, they were all convinced of Ren leading the team. There would be no pretense of obedience.
Not long after, everyone arrived at the mission location.
"Disperse and search in squads. Everyone will reassemble here in ten minutes. If you find anything, send a signal immediately. Return when the time is up, regardless of whether you've found anything.
Now, disperse!"
At Ren's command, the two teams spread out, beginning their reconnaissance of the surrounding area.
Ren, however, acted alone. After all, with his current strength, even if he encountered a Kage-level expert, he could... successfully escape. Unless his luck was so bad that he ran into Madara, who was bored and out for some fresh air.
Ren moved through the forest, then spread his senses, performing reconnaissance while also monitoring the two teams to prevent them from encountering danger.
After all, this was his first time leading a mission, so it had to be completed flawlessly.
"Hmm?"
Just then, Ren's footsteps paused. He stopped on a tree trunk, then turned to look in the direction of one of the teams, muttering.
"A signal, have they finally found something...?"
Ren didn't delay and immediately flew towards that direction.
By the time Ren arrived, the two teams had already converged. Upon seeing Ren approach, they all greeted him.
"Captain!"
"Mm."
Ren nodded, then took two steps forward, looking at the marks left on the tree trunk ahead, and said in a deep voice.
"What's the situation?"
A Jonin with a Byakugan stepped forward, pointing at the marks on the tree trunk as he explained to Ren.
"Captain, we inadvertently discovered clues on this tree trunk while scouting here. These marks are a set of codes used by the Village this month.
And these marks, translated, mean: 'Under attack, unknown enemy numbers,' and the last one is..."
"It's the location."
Ren said in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on that mark.
"Border sea... coastline!"
...
"Huff, huff."
A man was constantly leaping through the forest, wearing a Konoha forehead protector. His Konoha combat vest was tattered, and his body was covered in bloodstains.
He carried a bloody, mangled figure on his back, who appeared to be on the verge of death.
"Captain... leave me..."
A faint voice came from behind him. The girl opened her eyes with difficulty, her voice trembling.
"If we keep this up, neither of us will make it."
"Alright, stop talking. We'll definitely go back together, I promise!"
The man gritted his teeth as he leaped through the forest. Each jump pulled at his wounds, causing intense pain.
But he couldn't stop. The pain in his body and his two subordinates, whose fates were unknown, kept his mind clear.
At this moment, only one thought remained in Akagame's mind: take this child and survive!
"Hehehe, you run quite fast."
A cold voice came from behind. Before Akagame could react, a gust of wind suddenly blew through, and the leaves in the forest immediately rustled.
"Ugh!"
Akagame's eyes widened. The sudden gust of wind directly blew him away, and the girl on his back was also flung off. Then he fell heavily to the ground.