Chapter 60: The Scapegoat Veteran and the Young Man with a Ponytail
Everything on the battlefield moved at a frantic pace.
The day after receiving his mission, Gōenji happened to run into Grandma Natsume. He greeted her, bought an apple from her, and immediately set off.
This time, he had no one accompanying him.
He headed straight for the battlefield against Kirigakure.
Before long, he appeared in front of Uchiha Fugaku.
"Have your injuries recovered?" Fugaku asked.
Gōenji nodded. "Yes. It was only excessive Chakra depletion. Nothing serious. I can carry out the mission immediately."
Chakra depletion.
Hearing that, Fugaku understood that the pressure Gōenji had endured had been anything but minor.
As a well-educated member of the clan and its head, Fugaku understood just how serious excessive Chakra depletion could be.
At best, it would damage one's potential.
At worst, it could cost someone their life.
The fact that Gōenji could say it so casually was rather astonishing.
"I've already arranged your teammates," Fugaku said. "According to our intelligence, your mission is to head to the area where Kirigakure is most likely to deploy the Tailed Beast and intercept any suspicious personnel."
It really is urgent.
Gōenji wondered who his teammates would be.
After all, if they were being sent to intercept a unit responsible for deploying a Tailed Beast, the team obviously couldn't be weak. Their combat capabilities should be quite formidable.
This time, he wouldn't be working with Fūjin again.
Her strength was decent, but as a jōnin, she was still somewhat lacking.
Gōenji left the meeting room and arrived at the designated assembly point.
Fugaku had told him that once he reached the destination, someone would introduce him to his teammates.
Whoosh!
After a month of recovery, Gōenji's understanding of ninjutsu had deepened considerably. He had then spent another half month undergoing specialized training, applying that knowledge to his own abilities.
As a result, his Body Flicker Technique had become even faster.
His body shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
Compared with before, his speed had increased by at least one-third.
That was a frightening improvement.
He darted left and right, rapidly traversing the forest.
Half an hour later, he reached the border of the Land of Fire, near the mainland side of the Land of Whirlpools. The area consisted primarily of mountains and grasslands.
Gōenji looked up at the sky, estimated the latitude and longitude, and compared them with the surrounding coordinates.
This was the rendezvous point.
His Sharingan appeared.
After carefully scanning the darkness and confirming there were no enemies nearby, he revealed himself and landed atop a mountain rock. He raised a hand to his mouth and gave a rhythmic bird call.
It wasn't long before three figures appeared.
They approached rapidly using the Body Flicker Technique.
From their speed alone, all three were clearly powerful.
Gōenji naturally noticed them.
One of them was extremely familiar.
Uchiha Shisui.
That wasn't surprising. Shisui was one of the top combatants on the Kirigakure battlefield. Considering they might be facing a Tailed Beast this time, bringing him along was only natural.
Gōenji also recognized the other two.
One carried a short sword and wore his hair in a half-ponytail. A vertical scar ran beside his mouth, and his eyes were sharp, firm, and full of vitality. He wore the standard Konoha flak jacket.
Hayama Shirakumo.
Despite his relatively young appearance, Gōenji recognized him instantly.
That build.
That sharp aura.
There was no mistaking him.
He had been one of Gōenji's favorite characters when he'd watched the anime.
Shirakumo wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as the protagonists, but he was incredibly cool. He embodied almost everything Gōenji had imagined a Konoha shinobi should be.
Back then, Gōenji had thought the man was ridiculously cool.
It had been one of the most memorable scenes for him—even more shocking than seeing Uchiha Madara dance across the battlefield or watching Pain unleash an enormous Shinra Tensei.
Those scenes were simply too extravagant. They lacked a certain sense of reality.
Hayama Shirakumo's scene, on the other hand, had a grounded quality to it.
That was why it had left such a deep impression on him.
As for the last man, Gōenji knew him just as well.
He looked like a middle-aged man in his forties. A large black cooking pot was strapped to his back, while a short sword hung at his waist, its hilt sticking out behind him. There were even various utensils, such as a spoon, attached to his equipment.
He wasn't wearing a Konoha flak jacket.
Perhaps he was simply confident in his own abilities.
After all, the flak jacket provided additional protection, and the equipment beneath it was designed for defense.
The man had only one functioning leg. His other leg was wrapped in thick bandages.
Maruboshi Kōsuke.
In the original story, he had carried out missions alongside the Second, Third, and Fourth Hokage. His injured leg had even been personally bandaged by the Fourth Hokage—the legendary "Eternal Genin."
Good grief.
Konoha had really gone all out this time.
Four jōnin-level combatants.
Even for an S-rank mission, this lineup was absurdly luxurious.
It was much like the previous assassination attempt against him by Kirigakure.
Still, Gōenji understood why.
There was a Tailed Beast involved this time.
"Gōenji-nii," Shisui greeted him first.
The other two also nodded when they saw him.
They had all heard of Gōenji.
After all, he was one of the two Uchiha stars who had become famous on the Kirigakure battlefield.
Gōenji smiled.
"Long time no see. Looks like we're working together again. This time, I won't lose to you. I've developed an incredibly powerful technique. Hehe."
The last time Shisui had used Susanoo, he'd been overwhelmingly impressive.
Gōenji had been insanely envious.
This time, he had returned home and devoted himself to research, developing a powerful new technique of his own.
When the opportunity came, he would definitely show it off.
Although, ideally, he wouldn't have to use it under dangerous circumstances.
Remembering the new technique he had accidentally developed while experimenting with the Blade of Rising Sun on the wasteland, Gōenji felt an irresistible urge to show off.
Still, demonstrating it in a safe environment would obviously be preferable.
"Gōenji-nii is joking," Shisui said, scratching his head. "By the way, let me introduce your teammates."
He gestured toward the first man.
"This is Hayama Shirakumo, a jōnin proficient in Kenjutsu and Wind Release. He's a very reliable teammate."
Then he pointed toward the middle-aged man.
"And this is Maruboshi Kōsuke. I've heard that he served under the Second and Third Hokage. He's extremely capable and proficient in Water Release and Kenjutsu. But his greatest talent is actually cooking."
"During our patrols these past few days, he's been making our meals."
"Senior, this is Gōenji. He's highly skilled in Kenjutsu and specializes in Fire Release. He's also very capable in other areas."
Gōenji smiled when he heard the introductions.
All three of his teammates were skilled swordsmen.
He also knew that the two men were proficient in Genjutsu.
Maruboshi Kōsuke and Hayama Shirakumo incorporated Genjutsu into their swordsmanship, while Gōenji's own mastery of Genjutsu stemmed from the Sharingan itself.
"Time is short," Gōenji said. "Tell me about the intelligence you've gathered during your recent patrols. Have you discovered anything unusual?"
Right now, the Tailed Beast was the most important issue.
There had been no Tailed Beast invasion arc at this point in the original story.
He didn't know whether this was another butterfly effect caused by his interference.
If they failed to intercept the Tailed Beast and allowed it to enter the Land of Fire, causing massive casualties among Konoha's forces, it would be a disaster.
Even if someone was capable of suppressing a Tailed Beast, the losses would undoubtedly be severe.
After witnessing how brutally reality had diverged from the original story, Gōenji no longer believed the Tailed Beasts were simply helpless creatures that could be hunted down at will.
And these people weren't the Akatsuki.
He didn't even know which Tailed Beast they intended to transport.
Isobu, the Three-Tails?
Or Saiken, the Six-Tails?
"Hmm. According to the intelligence, Kirigakure will certainly continue probing our defenses. They'll undoubtedly send small units to interfere with Konoha's field of vision and disrupt our intelligence network..."