Chapter 135: The Sasuke Retrieval Mission is Ordered
Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 135: The Sasuke Retrieval Mission is Ordered
"Lady Tsunade, here's a report from the 21st lookout." A masked ninja placed a stack of paperwork on her desk.
Shikamaru stood in the corner of the room, glancing around curiously. He hadn't been told what was happening, just summoned to the Hokage's office in the middle of the night. Behind him, Naruto and Hinata sat quietly on a couch, waiting. Shikamaru wanted to ask what this was all about but knew it would be rude to speak before the Hokage.
"I see… so that's where they're headed after all…" Tsunade muttered under her breath.
The door opened, and Shizune entered, followed by several familiar Genin.
"This better be important," Ino mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"I shouldn't have stayed up so late watching that show…" Kiba grumbled as he entered, even his dog Akamaru looking drowsy.
Neji and Shino, by contrast, appeared composed as usual, though their impassive expressions likely masked their fatigue.
"Lady Tsunade, these are the five Genin I managed to gather," Shizune reported.
Tsunade glanced up and scanned the group. "You only brought four."
"Eh?" Shizune looked confused.
"If you're looking for Choji, he's asleep outside on one of the chairs," Ino pointed out, stifling a yawn.
"Ah!" Shizune hurried out to wake him.
Ino now noticed Naruto and Hinata sitting nearby.
"Naruto? What are you—" She shifted her gaze to Hinata, curious about why they were already here and together.
"Alright, since everyone is present, let's begin this emergency meeting," Tsunade announced, getting straight to the point.
Lookout number 21 was situated at the outer ring of the forest surrounding Konoha. If the enemy continued on their path, they would soon be too far to catch. Time was running out.
"I'll get straight to the point. Sasuke has run away from the village. We have a potential case of desertion." Tsunade's words hung heavy in the air as she explained the rest of the details.
The group reacted with shock. Ino's heart sank. She had admired Sasuke for years, once believing she loved him. Recently, though, those feelings had begun to fade. Now, learning that he not only betrayed the village but also hurt Sakura to keep her from talking, her admiration twisted into anger.
'How could I have been so blind?' she thought bitterly.
"So… we can expect him to have help," Shikamaru noted, having read the report Tsunade received about several suspicious individuals carrying a large container. None of the descriptions matched Sasuke, which raised even more concerns.
"Given the timing and direction they're heading, I believe we're dealing with ninjas from the Sound Village," Tsunade explained.
"Those weird guys from the Chunin Exam?" Ino asked, recalling their bizarre techniques.
"Wait… isn't their leader Orochimaru? Is he involved in this too?" Shikamaru asked. He had more intel than the other Genin due to his promotion, so he knew that Orochimaru was the leader of the Sound Village.
"Orochimaru? The Sannin?" Neji's calm demeanor faltered slightly, showing his concern.
"Wait, what?!" Choji, now wide awake, exclaimed.
"So it was him who convinced Sasuke… that makes sense," Naruto
muttered, already suspecting this but now having his theory confirmed.
The allure of being trained by one of the Sannin...especially the one who had cursed Sasuke. It must have been too tempting to resist.
"That is correct, we have reason to believe Orochimaru is involved. However, I know for a fact that he's in no condition to travel right now. I wouldn't send you out if I thought you'd encounter him personally," Tsunade reassured them.
Hearing this, the Genin felt some relief.
"Nevertheless," Tsunade continued, her tone serious, "don't get overconfident. I'm sure Orochimaru sent the best ninjas he could for this mission. This is crucial to him, and it's equally crucial that Sasuke never falls into his hands."
Shikamaru frowned. "Are you saying that if capturing Sasuke isn't an option… we should kill him?"
"Wait, what?!" Hinata gasped.
"Kill Sasuke?. " Ino nearly shouted in disbelief.
"Is there no chance that he was kidnaped?." Neji asked.
"There is little chance that he was taken against his will. And I'm sure it won't come to that, but…" Tsunade glanced at Naruto before turning back to Shikamaru.
"For this mission, Shikamaru will be in charge. He's the only one with the rank of Chunin, so you'll all follow his orders."
"I haven't been officially promot—" Shikamaru began to protest, but Tsunade cut him off by tossing a Chunin vest into his face.
"Consider yourself promoted. That's your new uniform. Congratulations," Tsunade said matter-of-factly.
Her gaze swept over the rest of the group. They were all still green for a mission of this caliber, but with Shikamaru's tactical mind and Naruto and Neji's strength, she believed they could handle it.
"Remember, if they cross the border of the Fire Country, you'll have to stop your pursuit and return. We can't risk an international incident. If that were to happen, you can consider your mission as failed." Tsunade warned.
"We won't fail," Shikamaru said, determination in his voice.
"Yes! We'll bring that jerk back so he can at least apologize to Sakura," Ino added firmly.
Naruto stood up. "I'm ready. Let's go."
Shikamaru glanced at him, noticing that Naruto wasn't even wearing his headband.
"At least put on your headband. This is an official mission."
"Oh… right…" Naruto scratched his head, trying to remember where he had last left it.
"Does anyone have a spare?"
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