Chapter 130: Iwagakure's Envoy
This mission involved confronting two Kage, and the slightest misstep could mean instant death. Therefore, only a few hours before departure, Kakashi finally informed Mei Terumi and Sara that he had a rather dangerous mission to complete.
"What mission?"
Mei Terumi absentmindedly combed her long hair. It had grown almost to her waist; while beautiful, it was extremely troublesome to manage. She planned to make time to cut it shorter.
"A trip to the Land of Earth."
"The Land of Earth? Haven't they already ceased hostilities?"
Putting down her comb, the orange-haired girl vaguely felt something was off. This mission might be unusual. Kakashi usually didn't specifically inform her about his missions unless they were very long or highly dangerous.
She didn't want either.
Across from them, Sara looked pensive. To go to the Land of Earth at this particular time, the purpose was quite clear.
"Yes, just a small mission. Slightly dangerous, but it's fine. Just two opponents to handle, and I have a helper."
Mei's expression instantly changed. She remembered his last "small mission" to Konoha, which later proved to be a deathmatch against the Darkness of the Shinobi World, from which he even brought back the Uchiha clan.
This time, he added the phrase "a little dangerous" to the description. How dangerous could it truly be then?
"Are those two the Tsuchikage and the Raikage?"
Sara stated her conjecture. Kakashi was clearly going to confront those two, yet he seemed to wish that she and Mei Terumi remained unaware.
He was probably afraid they'd worry.
Before the silver-haired young man could confirm, the orange-haired girl let her wooden brush drop with a "thud" to the floor, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Kakashi, are you crazy, or am I crazy?"
"I'm not crazy."
Kakashi bent down, helplessly retrieved the brush for her, and exchanged a glance with Sara. The latter understood his decision, said no more, instead pulling Mei Terumi by the sleeve.
In a sense, the former queen of Loulan was indeed far more mature than the still-youthful Mei Terumi.
"Don't you trust me?"
"Those are the Tsuchikage and the Raikage! You're just a ninja from Amegakure!"
"Amegakure once produced a demigod."
"He's dead!"
"So what?"
"No, you cannot go! Besides, isn't there someone else? Have him find another partner."
"It's not as simple as you make it sound. This mission requires my presence."
Having both undergone two years of life-and-death trials, the silver-haired young man believed his lover would understand his decision. For these past two years, Mei Terumi had consistently played the role of his staunch supporter. This first time she voiced opposition, it must be due to the illusion of perpetual peace that these recent tranquil days had fostered within her.
It was natural for her to instinctively resist a decision that threatened her beautiful life.
However, this was reality.
Kakashi checked the time, then pressed his forehead against hers, speaking softly.
"It'll be fine. Don't worry."
Before Mei Terumi could react, the young man stepped around her, picked up his Akatsuki cloak, opened the door, and left the house.
The orange-haired girl, who wished to pursue him, was held back by Sara, who gently shook her head.
"Can't we just live peacefully here? Why must he get involved in war?"
"Because he desires a more lasting peace, I suppose."
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As scheduled, Kakashi, who never stood anyone up, arrived at the Uchiha Compound and saw a man in ANBU battle gear, wearing a cat-face mask, his Sharingan visible. He then pulled out a scroll and tossed it to the man.
Taking the scroll, Uchiha Shisui removed his cat-face mask.
"Captain Kakashi Hatake, what is the meaning of this?"
"I heard you gave your tantō to someone. You cannot embark on a mission without a reliable weapon. This is a tachi I captured from a battle in the Land of Water over a year ago. While it's not a Seven Ninja Swordsmen-level weapon, it's quite good. I've never used it, so it's yours now."
"Can I open it now?"
"Of course."
With a 'poof' of white smoke, a tachi with a blade roughly 70 centimeters long and a total length of about 110 centimeters appeared in Uchiha Shisui's hand.
He drew the blade and channeled chakra into it, feeling its sharpness and quality.
Both were top-notch.
"Thank you."
"Let's go."
"Hm."
The two traveled together, leaping across the rooftops of Amegakure, following Yahiko's travel directions. They soon arrived at the designated location, where the envoy from the Land of Earth had been staying.
Uchiha Shisui instinctively moved forward, gently tapped on the door, creating a knocking sound.
"Lord Envoy of Iwagakure, we are the ninja sent to accompany you back to the Land of Earth to participate in the battle against the Land of Lightning."
"You're so slow… Finally here. This place is terribly boring, hm."
Before the door even opened, a complaint echoed from within, followed by two faint explosions and some chewing sounds.
Finally, with a loud 'boom,' the anti-corrosion treated wooden door splintered into fragments.
Kakashi slightly held his breath, wary of inhaling too many explosive particles, watching the unconventionally-haired Iwagakure ninja emerge from the room. Even without breathing, he could detect various earthy scents emanating from the man.
His hairstyle wasn't the only 'earthy' thing; he literally had a lot of dirt on him.
"Explosion Corps?"
"Oh, kid, good eye, hm."
The Iwagakure ninja, Logaro, whose two hands, each bearing a mouth, were still chewing clay, sported a yellow single ponytail and long bangs that covered half of his left eye. A villainous smile stretched across his face.
The intense déjà vu was striking… If the silver-haired youth hadn't known that Deidara was likely only four or five years old at this time, he would certainly suspect this individual was an enlarged version of that boy.
"Do you have a son?"
"You don't know that? Did you investigate me? After all, I, Logaro, am quite renowned. For art's sake, I'll forgive you, hm."
Kakashi gave a slight twitch of his lips. This individual was precisely the type he least enjoyed conversing with.
"What's your son's name?"
"Deidara. What do you think? A good name, isn't it, hm."
"Heh."
With a cold chuckle, the silver-haired young man stepped back a bit, finally getting a couple of breaths of fresh air. Uchiha Shisui, still standing upfront, took out the mission scroll and cross-referenced its contents with Logaro. Once confirmed, Logaro tossed a lump of clay into the sky and transformed into a large bird.
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