c26 — New Mission
Not long after Naruto watched Sasuke disappear, Kakashi finally arrived at the Valley of the End. Seeing the damage left by the final clash and noticing Naruto's expression, Kakashi already understood the conclusion without needing to hear Naruto speak. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, and without pressing him further, the two quietly returned to Konoha. Sakura, who had waited anxiously at the village gate, broke down when she learned Sasuke had left with Orochimaru. The loss hit her hard, as in the manga, but after Naruto apologized and embraced her lightly, promising again to bring Sasuke back someday, she slowly calmed herself. Shikamaru, freshly promoted to Chunin, also felt responsible. His first mission as a leader had failed, though at least none of his teammates suffered critical injuries only moderate wounds, consistent with the Sand–Sound Four battle.
Standing before the newly inaugurated Fifth Hokage Tsunade, Shikamaru and Naruto reported the mission in detail. Once the formalities were over and they turned to leave, Tsunade raised her voice and said, "Naruto, stay." After Shikamaru exited, she shut the office doors with a grim look. "Naruto," Tsunade began, "you should already know some of the situation regarding Anbu. Danzo's Root operates independently from the Hokage's direct Anbu, and because of Hiruzen's old compromises, my authority over it is limited. After Orochimaru's invasion, every great village is evaluating Konoha's weakness. Among them, the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud has taken the most aggressive stance. Danzo requested full control over all Kumo-related countermeasures, but his methods would escalate conflict recklessly. I have refused for now, but unless someone trustworthy handles the situation, I might be forced to let him intervene…"
"Granny Tsunade, do you want me to take on the mission and deal with it the way you want?" Naruto asked.
Tsunade hesitated, frowning slightly. "You've only recently been assigned to the Hokage's Anbu. Normally, I wouldn't assign you something this dangerous. But right now, even some units directly under the Hokage have Root infiltrations. If I send a regular team, Danzo might sabotage the mission halfway. There are very few people I can rely on completely. Aside from Jiraiya, the only one in Anbu I can trust without a doubt… is you."
Naruto nodded firmly. "Granny Tsunade, don't worry. I'm not that easy to kill, and they barely know what I'm capable of. Whatever the mission is, leave it to me."
Hearing his conviction, Tsunade exhaled. "According to intelligence, the Raikage is preparing a large-scale operation targeting Konoha, though we don't yet know its exact nature. Your task is to obstruct the Raikage's plans by any means necessary but no one must discover that the operation is connected to Konoha. Avoid killing unless absolutely unavoidable; provoking a war with the Hidden Cloud would be disastrous. Ideally, resolve it through deterrence or misdirection."
Naruto realized immediately that this condition was precisely why Tsunade refused to let Danzo handle the matter.
Tsunade continued, "I will assign three additional Anbu operatives to accompany you. You will form a four-man squad, and you will serve as team captain. The mission will last one month. If you succeed, you will be promoted to Anbu squadron leader. This scroll contains the dossiers of your teammates. Proceed to the Anbu's underground base to assemble your unit."
Naruto unrolled the scroll. It read, "Operative Glare, Operative Photo" two masked jonin-level Root defectors placed under Hokage command, both specialists in stealth and coordinated assassination. They were brothers who excelled in synchronous strikes and lightning-fast withdrawal, using paired blades designed for silent, decisive encounters. Their true names were masked behind Anbu codenames. Naruto thought that the duo's speed and teamwork would be extremely effective for this mission, especially since rapid infiltration and coordinated disruption would matter more than brute strength.
Naruto continued reading the scroll. The next name was "Yamato" which made Naruto blink in surprise. He didn't expect Tsunade to assign a Wood Release user to his team. The entry read: "Specialized in Wood Release; capable of multiple offensive, defensive, and restraining ninjutsu." Although the description was brief, seeing Wood Release alone demanded attention. The Mokuton wielded by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was legendary in every corner of the Shinobi World. Any Konoha ninja with even minor status had heard the stories of the Shodai suppressing tailed beasts with ease. Although Naruto had never personally seen Wood Release in battle, he knew enough to be impressed. This was a kekkei genkai even he envied.
Naruto looked at Tsunade. "Is there really a Wood Release ninja on the team, Granny Tsunade?"
"Are you wondering how he compares to my grandfather, the First Hokage?" Tsunade said before he finished.
Naruto nodded. He knew some rumors about Yamato's Wood Release, but hearing it directly from Hashirama's descendant mattered more.
Tsunade sat down and spoke seriously. "Yamato isn't the Shodai's child. He's one of the survivors of Orochimaru's experiments using Hashirama's cells. He gained Wood Release artificially. Although he can use Mokuton, his chakra reserves aren't on the same planet as my grandfather's, and his control is far weaker. His power doesn't compare to the original Wood Release. Still, Mokuton is Mokuton, its versatility exceeds most kekkei genkai." Naruto felt Tsunade's assessment was extremely precise. After preparing himself and changing into the ANBU's fitted black uniform, he headed to the underground ANBU base. The three operatives had already assembled, clearly briefed in advance by Tsunade.
"Xuanguang, Liuying, Yamato reporting to the captain. May we know your codename?" the two masked brothers said, while Yamato gave a simple nod.
In the ANBU, identities had to be concealed. Every operative used codenames, masks, coded signals, and personal chakra patterns to confirm authenticity. Since Naruto was now officially captain, he needed his own codename as well. After a moment of thought, Naruto replied, "Thunder."
Liuying then asked, "Captain, what are your primary ninjutsu affinities? To coordinate properly during missions, we need baseline knowledge of one another."
Naruto agreed. Understanding teammates was necessary not only to function smoothly but to establish authority. For an ANBU captain, the team must recognize his strength beyond doubt.
Naruto answered, "I specialize in Water Release, Earth Release, and Lightning Release. Lightning Release is my strongest. Now, to gauge each other's combat level Xuanguang, Liuying, you two attack me together so I can evaluate your cooperation."
Naruto activated his Lightning Release armor, chakra crackling intensely around him, faintly resembling the Raikage's Raiton Chakra Mode. The two brothers saw the nature-change precision in Naruto's chakra and immediately understood he had mastered advanced Lightning Release. Their own blades began channeling chakra, and with their synchronized footwork Root's signature twin-sword style—they attacked swiftly, their movements creating the illusion of a dozen blades striking simultaneously.
In the next instant, Naruto vanished from their line of sight and appeared behind them. The brothers reacted instantly, swinging back, but Naruto released two sharp arcs of lightning from his Thunder God Blade, sending them flying. Their blades struck Naruto's lightning armor, but the dense chakra layer blocked the cutting edge.
Yamato remained still the entire time, calmly observing. Just as Naruto expected, Yamato was composed and easy to work with. The brothers rose to their feet and said, "As expected of the captain. Hokage-sama's evaluation was accurate your strength is exceptional." Hearing this, Naruto felt the two had formally accepted his leadership. With the team assembled, their next step was to depart immediately for Hidden Cloud Village.
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