Stepping into the barracks, Naruto removed the sealing bandages wrapped around his arms, his gloves, his treasured tanto, and sandals, finally allowing himself to relax from the tension of the battlefield.
Next, he needed to wash off the grime clinging to his body—remnants of his battle against those bizarre plant-men.
There was a temporary shower room installed on the outer side of the barracks.
Fortunately, it was already past sunrise; everyone in the hideout had their own tasks to handle, and there wasn't a single soul near the barracks at the moment.
At last, Naruto could settle down and unpack. He entered the shower room and heard water running from one of the stalls.
Through the mist, he could see the blurry outline of a woman, so he walked straight toward her.
"I thought cats hated water," he remarked.
Yugito Nii draped her long, wet hair over her shoulders as she smiled. "I don't like it either, but it's better than walking around covered in blood and dirt, don't you think?" She could sense Naruto standing behind her—perhaps he was staring at the seal on her back... or maybe at her behind. Even she couldn't be sure.
But Naruto simply moved to the stall beside hers and began rinsing off.
Under the warm stream of water, the filth from last night's battle quickly washed away from his hair and skin—no need for soap.
How was he supposed to stay calm when showering just a meter away from such a gorgeous Kumo kunoichi and fellow Jinchuriki?
He couldn't help sneaking a glance at Yugito. She seemed to notice his gaze, her face blushing slightly. That made Naruto want to laugh, but instead, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the shower room.
Time to stop fooling around—they had something far more important to handle...
Though first, naturally, they both needed a bit of sleep.
******
"Sai-sama, we have returned," said a masked Root Anbu agent standing beneath a tree deep in the forest, respectfully reporting to his captain Sai along with several subordinates.
Sai sat lazily on a tree stump sketching in his notebook, seemingly waiting for something. "The path is clear—we're ready to move out at any moment."
Sai didn't speak immediately. He continued sketching until he found a page he liked, then finally set down his pen.
Closing the notebook, he packed it together with his supplies before rising and approaching his men.
He patted the shoulder of the first Anbu operative. The others stood up too.
"Good. Maki sent word—we've found our opening. Most of Takigakure's shinobi have gone to reinforce Kusagakure. Right now, only some Genin, injured personnel, and a few Jonin remain in the village, maintaining basic defenses."
Root had already dispatched an elite assault squad to sneak close to Takigakure. Their ranks were steadily growing and now totaled around 150 men. This group would carry out their mission here.
The route they followed was exactly the same one Naruto and Maki had used to cross enemy lines a week ago—except this time, it led north instead of southwest.
This was not a war aimed at conquest. Their objective was not to occupy Takigakure, but rather to destroy it as thoroughly as possible before retreating safely.
They wanted the enemy to understand the consequences of opposing Konoha—the cost they would pay for conspiring against it.
Sai had his own mission to carry out. He would act alone, dealing a devastating blow to the enemy's command structure.
Assassinate the enemy leader, plunge their command into disarray, destroy their village, and let the ninja fighting in the Land of Grass hear the news—forcing them to abandon resistance and flee in terror.
Perhaps this would even force Konoha into declaring a ceasefire or even signing a humiliating peace treaty on hostile territory.
Of course, Tsunade knew nothing of this until Takigakure officially sought reconciliation.
She had already granted Root full authority to employ all necessary means to complete the mission. So long as Konoha remained uninvolved, they could do whatever they wanted without restraint.
After all, that's always how Root operated. Nothing unusual about it.
With the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki captured, Takigakure no longer had a powerful force to rely on.
Although the village certainly wasn't lacking in skilled ninja, none of them were currently present within the village—an ideal situation for tonight's operation.
"Rest in place. Prepare for action. Move out at dusk. Spread the word," Sai ordered. His subordinates nodded in agreement before dispersing.
******
## That Afternoon - Deep in the Frost Country Forest ##
Under the command of Jiraiya, a Konoha expeditionary force once again crossed the frontline and penetrated deep into the forest.
This time, their mission was to uncover the enemy's activities.
Unlike last time, Jiraiya led the mission in person, joining them in the field.
As expected, when they had advanced too far to easily retreat, the enemy sprang from all directions. Using terrain and superior numbers to their advantage, they launched a brutal assault on the Konoha ninja.
Rather than retreating this time, the Konoha ninja stood their ground and engaged in intense combat.
However, their priority remained defense—they had to protect themselves, dodge enemy attacks, and protect their teammates to minimize casualties.
"I'm sick of this!" Kiba Inuzuka complained while fighting. Back pressed against his comrades, he fended off enemy attacks.
He, Hinata, and Akamaru took charge of close-range combat, while Shino Aburame used his insects for ranged attacks against isolated foes.
"Rush in, fight, retreat again—it's the same damned cycle every day! Let's win this time, push straight into their base, raze those damn villages to the ground and finally get some satisfaction!"
At least Naruto dropped by earlier, chatting with them and giving everyone something to do besides fight. For a while, the battle felt less dull.
But after receiving an urgent order and being recalled, everything returned to its usual boring routine. The higher-ups seemed confident in this operation, but Kiba wouldn't believe it until he saw real results.
As he thought this, he dodged an enemy's scythe. At the same time, Akamaru bit onto the opponent's arm and threw him away fiercely. Good boy, Akamaru!
"Stay focused, Kiba!" Hinata warned, scanning the battlefield with her Byakugan. "We need to stay ready and follow orders. What if we miss the signal?" Jiraiya's a seasoned ninja. He'll send a signal the enemy won't see coming.
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