Chương 139

2 days later. The morning was far more quiet than it was supposed to be. It was as if the morning would unveil the coming of a new season. Summer was about to end, and the season of Autumn/Fall was about to hit Konoha. After finishing breakfast with Hana and Daichi, he had barely stepped into the backyard to continue his daily training when a familiar masked figure silently appeared upon the wooden fence surrounding the Amagi residence.

The ANBU operative crouched there without making a sound, yet Rei had already sensed his presence several moments earlier through his enhanced perception.

"Rei Amagi." Rei turned toward the masked shinobi before nodding respectfully.

"Hokage-sama requests your immediate presence."

"I understand." The ANBU disappeared as suddenly as he had arrived. Rei informed his parents that Tsunade had likely finished preparing his S-rank mission before making his way toward the Hokage Tower. Throughout the walk, he noticed villagers once again greeting him warmly after yesterday's events, though today's atmosphere felt different.

He was still being congratulated by everyone and even some children would now greet and ask him how he was so young and defeated so many elders, and if he could teach them the same. He could only laugh and assure then someday they would be able to. After receiving permission to enter, Rei pushed open the Hokage's office door and immediately realized this was no ordinary mission briefing.

Tsunade sat behind her desk with both hands folded before her, while Shizune stood quietly at her side holding several sealed scrolls. Standing opposite them were Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, their expressions as unreadable as ever. Beside the window, leaning lightly upon his cane, stood Danzo Shimura himself. The atmosphere inside the room felt heavy enough that even the air seemed difficult to breathe. Rei respectfully bowed toward everyone present.

"Hokage-sama. Elders. Danzo-sama."

"At ease," Tsunade replied before briefly glancing toward Danzo. The look she gave him could only be described as icy contempt, causing even Shizune to instinctively look away. Danzo merely met her gaze without the slightest change in expression, as though the hostility directed toward him had become a normal occurrence. Neither of them spoke, yet the silent exchange alone made it obvious that whatever disagreement had taken place before Rei's arrival remained far from resolved. Tsunade broke the silence first.

"Rei, the S-rank mission I promised you has finally been approved." Without another word, Shizune stepped forward and placed a sealed mission scroll upon the Hokage's desk before retreating once again. Tsunade rested one hand upon it, her expression growing noticeably more serious than before.

"Several months ago, Root successfully infiltrated Kumogakure using one of its deep-cover operatives. Since then, that operative has remained embedded inside the Land of Lightning while gathering intelligence on military deployments, supply movements, and classified projects. Three days ago, he managed to acquire information considered vital to Konoha's national security before transmitting a coded request for immediate extraction." Rei's eyebrows rose.

"... Root infiltrated Kumogakure?" Of course Rei didn't bother to ask. If they did good enough, and if it was a trap for him, then also he didn't care. But that single sentence genuinely surprised him. Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kumogakure maintained one of the most secure internal intelligence networks. Their shinobi were notoriously vigilant toward outsiders, especially after decades of conflict involving bloodline theft and espionage.

Successfully placing an undercover operative there for months bordered on unbelievable, forcing Rei to silently acknowledge that despite everything he disliked about Danzo, Root's capabilities were undeniably formidable. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Assuming he was speaking the truth. Danzo finally spoke, his calm voice carrying throughout the office.

"Root exists to accomplish missions conventional shinobi cannot. Our operative fulfilled his duty beyond expectation." Tsunade's expression hardened slightly before continuing.

"Unfortunately, contact has now been completely lost. The last transmission only confirmed that the intelligence had been secured before communication abruptly ceased. We don't know whether the operative is injured, being pursued, captured, or already dead." She slowly pushed the mission scroll across the desk toward Rei.

"Your assignment is simple in wording but difficult in execution. Enter the Land of Lightning, locate the Root operative, recover the intelligence reports, and return to Konoha." Rei carefully picked up the scroll without opening it.

"And the operative?"

"If he's alive," Tsunade answered without hesitation, "bring him home." A brief silence settled over the room before Danzo's voice interrupted once more.

"The reports take absolute priority. Should circumstances make rescuing the operative impossible, retrieve the intelligence at all costs. The operative accepted that possibility the moment he entered Kumogakure."

"Of course you don't care. You think you being alive is more important than your subordinate." Rei thought to himself. An uncomfortable silence followed those words. Rei remained expressionless. Before anyone else could respond, Tsunade's hand struck the desk with a sharp crack that echoed throughout the office.

"I've already issued my orders." Her amber eyes never left Rei.

"The intelligence is undeniably important, but Konoha does not abandon its people while there is still a reasonable chance to save them, even if the operative is working under you, Danzo. Rei complete the mission, recover the reports, and if that operative can be brought home alive, then I expect you to make every reasonable effort to do so." Homura quietly folded his arms before speaking for the first time.

Both of the council members decided otherwise to anger Tsunade here, as it would make her more angry and maybe start another round of arguments, which they had just completed.

"This mission concerns the balance of power among the Five Great Nations. Success or failure may influence diplomatic relations for years." Koharu gave a slow nod in agreement.

"Regardless of our individual opinions, the importance of the intelligence cannot be overstated. Exercise caution. Kumogakure will not hesitate to mobilize considerable force if they discover one of Konoha's shinobi operating within their borders." But Rei himself was a thinking about the mission that he was going for and that too alone. This was unlike any mission he had accepted before. There would be no battlefield filled with allies, no reinforcement waiting nearby, and no certainty regarding friend or foe.

Not that he needed one, but it was still one of a kind. He would be entering hostile territory alone to recover a Root operative whom even Danzo appeared to have already written off as expendable.

"I understand the mission." He looked directly toward Tsunade before giving a respectful bow.

"I, Rei Amagi, accept this S-rank assignment. I will recover the reports... and if there is still a chance, I will bring our shinobi home as well." For the briefest moment, Tsunade allowed herself a faint smile. Danzo merely closed his visible eye without offering approval or criticism. Rei accepted the mission scroll with both hands before respectfully bowing one final time toward everyone present.

Without another word, he turned and quietly left the Hokage's office, the heavy wooden door closing behind him with a soft click. The political tension inside the room vanished the moment he stepped into the hallway, replaced by the familiar bustle of shinobi carrying documents and messengers rushing between offices. No wonder he never liked politics. Returning home one last time, Rei packed only what he truly needed.

Which was almost nothing because his food would always be brand new and ready for him and even the bed would be the best. Because he got the MCU behind his back. But just for theatrics he packed something so that the people around wouldn't judge him when he would be about to leave Konoha. All for some drama. After reassuring Hana and Daichi that he would remain cautious and promising to return safely, he accepted their quiet blessings before leaving the Amagi residence.

They both understood that this was the path their son had chosen the day he became a shinobi. After signing the departure register at Konoha's main gate, Rei disappeared into the dense forests of the Land of Fire. Rather than following the main roads used by merchants and travelers, he traveled high through the trees. He maintained a relentless pace that only briefly slowed whenever he paused to confirm his bearings against the detailed map contained within the mission scroll.

His destination lay far beyond the northeastern border, where Konoha's influence gradually gave way to smaller nations standing between the great powers. Soon it was night and Rei went back to MCU. Laura was surprised to know that Rei was doing a single handed S class mission. She had heard about those from the Demon Brothers and thus asked him to be safe. He reassured them and went to sleep for the night.

The next day he started the journey again and soon the endless forests of the Land of Fire had begun yielding to the rolling hills and steaming valleys of the Land of Hot Water. Rei deliberately avoided Yugakure itself, skirting the outskirts of the country's settlements while pressing steadily northeast.