Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed the two men deep in thought after hearing his words, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
These two seem to have quite the resolve, he thought.
The Hokage's office fell silent for a moment. Breaking the stillness, Hiruzen tapped his pipe against the table, lit it, and took a deep drag.
"I won't force you. The choice is yours. If you're undecided, I can give you a day to think it over," he said, breaking the stalemate.
In Hiruzen's mind, although Kirigakure wasn't particularly dangerous at the moment, two Konoha Jonin had already fallen there. Sending two Chunin now was naturally daunting for them. After all, wealth and success often come with risk, and not everyone possesses that kind of awareness. The task wasn't without its hazards, either.
However, the greater the risk, the better it tested the abilities and potential of his subordinates.
These were the kind of people who could achieve great things—the ones worth paying attention to.
If everyone acted like the Elders' Council, Konoha would eventually fall into decline.
Strong at home, meek before outsiders...
Of course, he never reflected on his own shortcomings.
As the saying goes, A general's demeanor shapes his soldiers' behavior.
If the leader is weak, the entire team falters.
"When do we depart?"
As Hiruzen pondered, his thoughts were interrupted just as he raised the pipe to his lips for a second puff.
It was Itachi who spoke.
The unexpected initiative taken by Itachi caused Kakashi to naturally defer to him. Choosing silence, Kakashi decided it was wiser not to stand out or speak unnecessarily, avoiding potential mistakes that might arise from not fully understanding the mission details.
Besides, Kakashi had little to discuss with Hiruzen.
While he loved Konoha deeply, that didn't mean he had to blindly follow Hiruzen's orders.
In Kakashi's view, it didn't matter who held the title of Hokage. He would continue to love and protect Konoha in his own way.
Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh inwardly as he watched the aloof Itachi take the lead.
As expected, Itachi, this seemingly unassuming but capable ninja, keeps quiet most of the time but takes decisive action when it matters. He's someone worth cultivating—a promising talent for great endeavors.
Hiruzen decided to review Itachi's file more thoroughly after their departure to see if he could groom him as a core asset, pending a political evaluation.
"And what about you?" he asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke while looking at Kakashi.
"It's my duty," Kakashi replied softly.
"Good. Then you'll leave tomorrow."
Hiruzen was pleased with their responses, convinced he hadn't misjudged them.
"This is your mission dossier, along with a letter I've written to the Mizukage. Hopefully, it will aid you. Remember, prioritize your safety above all else. Improvise as needed and don't worry too much."
Hiruzen handed the prepared documents to Itachi, though he didn't bother to get up, merely extending them toward him.
Itachi stepped forward, picked up the files from the edge of the desk, and nodded.
Kakashi, meanwhile, didn't move an inch, reveling in the feeling of playing the part of a carefree subordinate.
"This mission will be led by Itachi, with Kakashi as support. Prepare yourselves accordingly," Hiruzen instructed, signaling them to leave after Itachi stood there briefly.
Although burdened with many worries, Hiruzen managed to hide them well, maintaining a courteous demeanor.
Once the two left, the now-empty room felt heavy with silence. Hiruzen, deep in thought, puffed on his pipe for the fourth time before snapping out of his daze.
He opened a drawer and pulled out their personnel files, examining them closely.
These were more detailed records he'd requested from Human Resources, but he hadn't reviewed them until now.
After their interaction, Hiruzen felt they showed promise, so he decided to take the time to go through the files.
"Last month, fell off a cliff while saving a teammate, resulting in a head injury and memory loss... seems like a good kid."
He smiled slightly, then called out, "Someone, bring Matsushita Ryoma to me."
Hiruzen planned to summon the fabricated individual whom the files claimed Itachi had saved, intending to inquire about Itachi's past behavior.
What Hiruzen didn't know was that this entire scenario had been meticulously orchestrated by Danzo.
One man plotted meticulously, while the other probed casually—what could he possibly uncover?
As Itachi and Kakashi exited the office, they waved their hands in front of their noses, trying to dispel the lingering smell of smoke.
They couldn't understand how Hiruzen could endure such harsh tobacco. Even inhaling the secondhand smoke had been unbearable.
Itachi, who had smoked in his past life, found the tobacco in this world absurdly harsh.
"We've only just returned to Konoha, and we're already being sent on a mission? Are you really willing to work for Konoha like this?" Kakashi asked.
When the two of them arrived at a sparsely populated area, Kakashi moved his lips slightly and spoke in a low voice.
"Let's take it easy for now. It's not the right time yet. Besides, it's boring just waiting around. Think of this as a business trip on the company's dime."
Itachi didn't have much to say in response to Kakashi's suggestion.
He was currently stuck in a bottleneck, and being anxious wouldn't solve anything.
Some things simply couldn't be rushed. Besides, his current work involved areas he had never delved into before, so every step forward had to be taken with extreme caution.
For instance, he was in the process of fusing and assimilating Hashirama's cells, which required his full concentration and left no room for distractions.
At most, he felt a deep dissatisfaction with the progress.
His initial time estimate had proven to be way off, extending the process far beyond what he had anticipated.
He realized that assimilating Hashirama's cells was even harder than he had imagined.
Still, when he thought about the nature of Hashirama's cells—not just Hashirama's powerful physique but also the will and chakra of Ashura embedded within them—he didn't dwell too much on the difficulty.
After all, this world revolved around bloodlines. Those blessed with powerful bloodlines were like paying players in a game, while someone like Guy was a hardcore free-to-play grinder.
And not just any grinder—Guy was a top-tier one. Other grinders might work hard, but their efforts would eventually hit a ceiling. Bloodline power was far stronger than most could imagine.
Even so, those with bloodlines faced their own limitations. Without the kind of foresight that Itachi had gained from understanding the original story, very few would dare to take such risks or devote excessive time to research.
Even someone as talented as Orochimaru would be clueless without a strategic direction like Itachi's.
Without someone like Itachi guiding him, Orochimaru might still be obsessing over half-finished techniques like Sage Mode Cursed Seals, the Reanimation Jutsu, or the Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique.
And even if he kept refining them, he would hit bottlenecks. Improving those techniques even slightly would require massive amounts of time and energy.
…
"Tonight, secretly go see Naruto. Get a small vial of his blood. Also, teach him a few jutsu. His skills in that area are way too underwhelming right now."
By the time Itachi finished his train of thought, the two had already reached home.
Since their missions were aligned, they walked into the house openly without any intention of avoiding suspicion.
After all, they were comrades on the same path and needed to communicate and discuss strategies.
"Huh? What do you need his blood for?"
Kakashi, who had noticed Itachi's silent contemplation, instinctively asked after hearing Itachi's request.
However, he quickly understood Itachi's reasoning.
Or so he thought.
In Kakashi's opinion, Naruto's bursts of power came from the Nine-Tails, so giving his blood to Orochimaru wouldn't lead to any meaningful research.
At least, that was Kakashi's perspective.
But as for teaching Naruto some jutsu, Kakashi didn't object.
The problem was that, based on his understanding of Naruto, the kid's talent in this area was… well, let's just say it left much to be desired.
Trying to speed up Naruto's learning seemed nearly impossible…