Chapter 46: First Mission: Bring back Uchiha Sasuke!
"Ah~"
The morning mist hung low, carrying a crisp coolness that jolted the senses awake. Kotetsu Hagane yawned, clutching a thick stack of documents, blinking to shake off the last traces of sleep. "It's already eight in the morning!"
Izumo Kamizuki trudged beside him, his own pile of documents towering higher than his head. He peeked over the stack, squinting at the distant morning sun. A familiar figure sprawled on a stone bench near Konoha's gate caught his eye.
"What's going on?" Kotetsu asked, noticing Izumo had frozen mid-step.
Izumo recognized Renji instantly. He freed a hand to shake Renji's shoulder. "Hey, Renji, wake up! You'll catch a cold sleeping out here."
Renji's eyes snapped open, his hand instinctively grabbing Izumo's arm. "Sasuke!"
Kotetsu's gaze sharpened. "Renji, what happened?"
Renji's unfocused pupils slowly cleared as he registered the Konoha gatekeepers. He pursed his lips, his voice heavy with loss. "Last night, Sasuke left Konoha with Otogakure ninja…" He hung his head, the weight of sadness etched into his slumped shoulders.
Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged a grim glance, the air between them growing heavy.
...
Inside the Hokage Office, the hour hand ticked to nine. The atmosphere was suffocating, thick with unspoken tension. Tsunade propped her forehead, brows furrowed so deeply they seemed carved into her face. Her mind replayed Orochimaru's words from their private meeting, each syllable dripping with venom.
"I will take what I want, and next time, I will completely destroy Konoha." Orochimaru's exact words. His target was clear: Uchiha Sasuke.
Tsunade bit her lower lip, frustration boiling over. Her fist slammed down, splintering the desk into fragments. "That bastard Orochimaru!"
Shikamaru, the only chunin in the room, flinched and stepped back. He hated dealing with fiery women—his mom was bad enough. His eyes flicked to Renji, who stood beside him, head bowed, looking utterly defeated. Shikamaru's brow twitched. Troublesome.
"Oh no! Lady Tsunade!" Shizune burst through the door, her voice laced with panic. "The news of Uchiha Sasuke defecting with Orochimaru has spread throughout Konoha!"
"What?!" Tsunade's fist smashed into the wall, her restraint keeping it to mere spiderweb cracks this time. Fury blazed in her eyes. "How could this happen?"
Renji looked up, his expression a perfect mask of shock.
Izumo and Kotetsu hurriedly explained. "Lady Hokage, when we found Renji, no one else was around, and he was unconscious. After he told us what happened, we came straight here. No one else could've known."
"Idiots!" Tsunade snapped, glaring at them. "Of course I'm not doubting Renji or you. I suspect this was all planned!" Her real fear was that someone in Konoha was colluding with Orochimaru.
"This… how is that possible?" Kotetsu muttered, his voice barely audible.
"Why not?" Tsunade shot him a look before sinking back into her chair. It wouldn't be hard for someone who knew Sasuke's thirst for revenge to manipulate him into defecting.
"Lady Hokage, what do we do now?" Shizune asked, her voice trembling. The village was buzzing with talk of the Uchiha clan's last heir defecting. With Tsunade, a Senju, in power, the optics were disastrous for her reputation.
"Shikamaru, I'm giving you your first mission as a chunin!" Tsunade's tone was formal, her eyes locking onto him. "Bring back Uchiha Sasuke! This mission is urgent and could get messy. Orochimaru's subordinates are likely guiding Sasuke, and combat is almost certain."
Shikamaru's head throbbed. This was a jōnin-level mission, wasn't it? A chunin like him would be useless against Orochimaru's goons. He let his helplessness show, hoping for a reprieve. "It happened so suddenly. All the jōnin left Konoha between seven and eight this morning. There's no one else available, which is why I called you."
Shikamaru glanced at Renji, still silent. "But in terms of strength, Renji's more suited to lead, right?"
Tsunade pinched her brow, her tone dripping with exasperation at his lack of ambition. "Look at him! He's too soft-hearted for his teammates. If Sasuke talks him into something, how's the mission supposed to succeed?"
Tsunade was thrilled with Renji in every way but one: his fatal flaw of being too soft. How could someone as strong as Renji get ambushed by Sasuke? Only one explanation: he never guarded against him. He might've even thought they were sparring. The thought made her blood boil. A kid raised by Danzo, soft as a steamed bun? Ridiculous.
Shikamaru: "…"
Lady Hokage's got a point. He'd seen Renji baby the rest of Team 7 like they were his kids.
"Shikamaru, you have thirty minutes to gather as many capable genin as you need and move out."
Renji and Shikamaru left the office together. Renji stared at Shikamaru with wide, pleading eyes, practically screaming Take me with you. His watery gaze was impossible to ignore.
Shikamaru steeled his heart and looked away, pretending not to notice. Sasuke's charisma was dangerous. If he swayed Renji, how would Shikamaru explain that to Tsunade?
"No," Shikamaru said firmly, shutting it down.
Renji slouched beside him, dejected. "You're the captain. I'll listen to you. I swear it won't happen, whatever you're worried about." Not that I know what you're worried about, but promises are cheap.
Shikamaru shook his head. "No."
Renji stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "I promise I'll follow your orders! Whatever you say, I'll do!"
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "Really?"
Renji nodded eagerly. Yeah, right.
Shikamaru sighed. Losing Renji's strength would tank their chances, but only if Renji could set aside his feelings and obey. "Fine," he relented, glancing back at the Hokage Building. Please don't screw this up, Renji, or I'm toast.
They quickly rounded up three more: Naruto, Choji, and Kiba Inuzuka.
When Naruto heard Sasuke had been tricked, he exploded. "That bastard! What's he thinking?!" Learning Renji tried to stop him and got knocked out, Naruto glared. "Renji, you're an idiot too."
Renji pretended not to hear, mentally noting to switch personas later and give Naruto a well-deserved smack.
"Next, the battle plan." Shikamaru's tone turned sharp, his gaze sweeping over the defiant Naruto and Kiba. "If you don't listen, we could die." Their faces sobered instantly.
"This is a rescue operation, so we're the pursuers. The enemy has the initiative. First, Kiba, you and Akamaru are our advance scout. You know the terrain and can track Sasuke's scent."
"To counter the single-file formation's weakness to frontal attacks, I'll follow Kiba, giving commands and signaling the team behind."
"Naruto, you're in the middle. Choji, you're next—your strength can build up for a decisive blow if things go south. Renji, you're the rear guard. You're the strongest, so the team's safety is on you." Shikamaru locked eyes with him.
Renji nodded. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you guys."
Shikamaru's mouth twitched. "No, it's that none of us get hurt. Stop ignoring your own safety. It makes us nervous."
Naruto, Choji, and Kiba nodded in agreement, their eyes fixed on Renji.
"I… got it," Renji mumbled, as the three averted their gazes.
The team leaped onto the branches, Kiba leading the charge as they sped forward. Renji glanced at the four, a faint smile curling his lips. Time to make this unforgettable for these fresh-faced genin.
...
"There's blood nearby!" Kiba's voice cut through the forest from the front. Naruto and the others snapped to attention, their pace slowing as tension gripped them.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Five explosive tags detonated around them, the blasts shaking the trees.
"Careful! Dodge!" Shikamaru roared.
Flames erupted in the dense forest, debris and gravel flying. Five figures emerged from the smoke, surrounding the team.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +2,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +2,000!]
[Chakra (11,393,000 / 100,000,000)]
A fist the size of a sandbag hurtled toward Renji's face. He tilted his head, dodging effortlessly, then grabbed the attacker's arm and yanked. His fist, crackling with black and red lightning, punched clean through the Otogakure ninja's chest.
"Cough…" Sakon and Ukon spat blood and flesh, their faces twisted in shock. How could their heart be shattered so easily? They collapsed, lifeless.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +2,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +2,000!]
[Chakra (11,395,000 / 100,000,000)]
An eerie flute sounded. Three massive summoned beasts materialized behind Tayuya, her eyes burning with fury as she glared at Renji.
Renji's figure flickered. His palm cracked across Tayuya's face, the impact sending her reeling. A grotesque lump swelled on her cheek, her body warping visibly. The summoned beasts, cut off from her chakra, vanished in puffs of white smoke.
Tayuya, now a giant lizard, lost all reason, becoming a feral beast that lunged at Jirobo, the closest target.
"Tayuya, you crazy—!" Jirobo's arm was bitten. He punched the lizard away, but it scrambled back, pouncing again.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!" A stone slab rose, blocking the lizard. Jirobo exhaled, only to feel a hand on his shoulder. His hair stood on end as he glimpsed Renji's smile.
In an instant, Jirobo morphed into a massive bear. The bear and lizard charged Kidōmaru, who was tackled to the ground, their teeth tearing into his flesh.
"Ahhh!" Kidōmaru screamed, struggling. "What are you doing?!" His spider webs briefly trapped them, but his wary eyes stayed on Renji. This Konoha ninja was the cause.
Suddenly, his vision blurred. Kidōmaru transformed into a python. The lizard, bear, and python shrank in Renji's hands, becoming finger-sized toys he tucked into his ninja tool pouch.
Renji looked up to find Shikamaru, Naruto, Choji, and Kiba staring, jaws dropped.
"Want them? I can share," Renji offered, holding out the mini animal toys with a grin.
The four recoiled, shaking their heads frantically, horror written across their faces.
"Renji, if someone pisses you off, do you turn them into beasts?" Kiba stammered, suddenly finding Renji way scarier than expected. He felt safe as a teammate, but what if he became an enemy? Wait, Renji wasn't Sasuke—why would he be an enemy? Kiba shook his head, tapping Akamaru. "Stop thinking nonsense." Akamaru barked twice.
"I didn't expect it to be that easy…" Shikamaru wiped cold sweat, glancing at Renji. Good thing we brought him. Without him, those four would've peeled our skin off, if not worse.
"But where's Sasuke?" Naruto scanned the area, frowning.
Shikamaru's gaze locked onto a strange wooden barrel nearby.
"No way?" Naruto, catching his look, knocked on the barrel.
"Naruto!" Renji's voice rang out, but Naruto's vision drowned in red. A blade slashed across his chest, blood spraying into his eyes.
The sudden attack stunned everyone. Renji's figure flickered, yanking Naruto back from the brink.
"Naruto!" Renji's hands trembled as they glowed with green chakra. The wound on Naruto's chest was deep, healing sluggishly; the bleeding barely stopped.
Bang!
Kiba charged forward but was kicked back, his body crashing through dozens of trees at breakneck speed. He hit the ground, ribs shattered, coughing up blood and flesh, unable to speak.
Shikamaru stared at the attacker: a Konoha ninja, wearing a familiar green vest, long silver-white hair tied in a ponytail, a white armband with a red triangle on his left shoulder, and wielding a chakra short blade. The forehead protector screamed Konoha.
"Why? Aren't you a Konoha ninja? We're Konoha ninja too!" Shikamaru shouted, stalling to assess any chance of turning this around.
"Oh, I know you're Konoha ninja," the silver-haired ninja said with an approachable smile, completely at odds with his lethal strikes. "But sorry, my mission is to kill you." Genuine regret flickered in his eyes.
Shikamaru's hair stood on end at the contradiction.
Pfft!
A white flash cut through Shikamaru's vision. Two deep, bone-exposing slashes ripped across Choji's chest as he dove to block the attack.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000!]
[Chakra (11,400,000 / 100,000,000)]
"Choji!" Shikamaru's shadow stretched toward the attacker, but the silver-haired ninja was too fast.
In a blink, the dazzling white light was upon him.
Screech!
Silver-purple lightning crackled, striking the ninja's back. He retracted his blade, spinning to face Renji. His chakra short blade cleaved through Renji's Lightning Blade and plunged into his chest.
"Renji!" Shikamaru yelled, his heart lurching.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000!]
[Chakra (11,410,000 / 100,000,000)]
The silver-white blade flared, its intent weaving a deadly net over Renji. Blood sprayed, his body torn from head to toe, not a patch of skin left whole.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +1,000,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +1,000,000!]
[Chakra (12,410,000 / 100,000,000)]
Shikamaru trembled, his eyes bloodshot. Don't hurt Renji! Don't do this to him!
----
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