Tsunade's original instinct had been Kakashi. Experienced, level-headed, more than capable of keeping a handful of overeager genin in line without breaking a sweat. But Kakashi was needed elsewhere, spread thin enough already without adding babysitting duty to a war effort that couldn't afford to lose his actual combat value to something this menial.
Well, it defines what menial was to be exactly for her currently, either to consider them as a bunch of brats or to think of them as Konoha's only Jinchūriki, two —technically three, of the very few survivors of the currently dwelling Uchiha clan, a Hyūga branch member who currently is in the limelight for beating the said two Uchiha members, a pink head who, if trained correctly, might as well be her replacement in the hospital in the future, and the most troublesome of them all, brother of the said person who might have caused this entire war to begin with.
Tsunade felt her head throb just thinking about what kind of element that combined team was.
"Sigh... damn Jiraiya, bastard got away while I got stuck here handling a bunch of snot-nosed brats and all this paperwork." She cursed and crossed Kakashi's name from the team list after all.
No matter what justification she might come up with, she still couldn't put Kakashi on nanny duty right now.
Izumi Uchiha, on the other hand, checked every box Tsunade actually needed checked. All except trust, that is.
She was strong enough that nobody would question the assignment. Experienced in leading exactly this group already, having trained them for months before the exams. And, not insignificantly, getting her out of the village for a while meant getting her out from under the elders' increasingly pointed interest in exactly how an almost unknown girl had managed to fight a Kage and actually come out victorious at no cost.
Tsunade hadn't pressed Sukuna on why he seemed so intent on shielding Izumi from that scrutiny. She had her suspicions. For now, sending her to the front solved two problems with one signature.
The group met Izumi in front of the Hokage's office less than an hour later, and she wasted no time on anything resembling a warm welcome.
"Full gear," she said, the moment they'd assembled. "Weapons, rations for a week minimum, cold-weather layers, medical supplies if you have them. We move to the gate in ninety minutes. Say whatever goodbyes you need to say quickly. This isn't a mission with room for sentiment once we're moving. MOVE!"
"That's it?" Naruto asked, blinking. "No pep talk or anything?"
"You'll get plenty of talking once we're on the road," Izumi said. "Right now you need gear, not encouragement." She turned and walked off without waiting for a response, leaving the group to scatter in her wake.
It was almost impressive how fast she was getting used to the life of a Kunoichi. Though it shouldn't be a trouble for her, by how much Sukuna had learned about the entire reincarnation business with his own case and, recently, Kiyomi's getting Yorozu's memories and powers, it was right to say that she would remember and hold all the memories and skills of the original Izumi Uchiha before she died. So technically, it wasn't that she was incapable of acting like a real Ninja, she just didn't wish to until now, being more like her older self was more to her jam.
Good to see that it was coming around now since she was more useful as a Ninja than a special-grade sorcerer with no given feat under her name.
And that also beautifully brings how Kiyomi's case is so unique. While Izumi Uchiha is still Yuki Tsukumo in the end, just in another body with the memories and skills of that body. Kiyomi is a perfect mixture of both Mai Zenin and Yorozu.
As if both ended up fusing and Kiyomi was born, no one side was dominant over the other. It was honestly fascinating for Sukuna once he started to look after all the troublesome things she might cause and see her case purely from the learning perspective.
Amused, Sukuna just shook his head, right now following the order was more important, and thus he along with Sakura made their way home together, the walk shorter and quieter than either of them wanted it to be.
Mebuki and Kizashi were both in the kitchen when they arrived, and one look at both their children's faces told them something had changed since the morning.
"You're both leaving," Mebuki said slowly, reading it before either of them said a word. "Today."
"Within the hour," Sukuna confirmed. "And Sakura's coming with me."
The silence that followed was heavy enough to feel physical.
"You said she wasn't allowed," Kizashi said, voice tight.
"She wasn't. Then I changed my mind, and the Hokage agreed to make an exception. There's a team assembled. On the name, my current jōnin sensei is leading the team, but don't worry, I'll beat her up and get the commanding rule. I'll make sure to keep your princess here completely safe." Sukuna kept his voice level, steady, though he joked nonetheless, earning an elbow from Sakura, though unlike usual, his casual joking tone didn't bring their parents much comfort.
If anything, they looked more panicked.
Sigh...
"I wouldn't have agreed to this if I thought it put her in more danger than staying here would eventually put her in anyway."
Neither parent looked comforted by that reasoning, but they also both understood, in the particular way parents of shinobi eventually had to, that arguing further wouldn't change anything now that the decision was already made.
"Bring her back," Mebuki said finally, voice cracking on the last word despite her best effort to keep it steady. "Bring both of you back."
"I will," Sukuna said. "Promise."
Sakura hugged them both tightly, longer than she probably had time for, and neither parent let go easily either.
Naruto, meanwhile, had nobody waiting for him at home. Who should they say goodbye to?
Complete silence formed inside his room for a while until the realization hit him harder than he expected as he stood alone in his apartment, gear half-packed, before Iruka's face crossed his mind all at once.
"Iruka-Sensei..."
He found his old academy teacher not far from the mission office, and barely managed to get two words out before Iruka's expression shifted from confusion to concern.
"You're going to the front," Iruka said, not quite a question.
"Yeah." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly nervous in a way he hadn't expected to be. "Wanted to say bye before I left. Figured you'd want to know."
Iruka studied him for a long moment, then pulled him into a rough, brief hug. "Come back in one piece, you hear me? I mean it."
"I always do." He grinned.
"You don't, actually," Iruka said dryly, "but I appreciate the confidence."
Karin, on the other hand, was currently in her room, after packing her gear and throwing out all of Naruto's, which mostly consisted of ramen, which later she had to fix for the idiot with actual ninja gear, she sat at her desk and wrote.
"I guess it's finally time to put these letters in your grave. I can't believe there are so many of them... I sure have a lot of free time, don't I?..."
A long pause later, she continued.
"This might be my last, Mom... but I'll make sure to come back to you, one way or another. I promise." She clutched the letter tightly into her hands before bundling all the letters she had written so far, hidden somewhere in her room, and rushing out. To her mother's grave.
Neji didn't bother with goodbyes. He saw no point in them, the last person he might have wanted to say goodbye to died a very, very long time ago. No one understood that man in the clan beside him, no one understood his strength beside him.
For Neji... no, Naoya Zenin, Toji Zenin was one person who he really, genuinely considered strong and respected. However, the man was gone, and thus he had no reason to say goodbye to anyone.
He still made his way back to the Hyūga compound, purely to collect what gear he actually needed before departure.
He was halfway through packing when Hinata appeared at his door, a small parcel held carefully in both hands.
"I heard you're leaving for the war," she said quietly. "I made this. It's a salve for wounds. Mother taught me the recipe; it's supposed to help with—"
"I don't need it," Neji said, cutting her off without looking up from what he was doing.
Hinata faltered, but pressed forward anyway. "Please, just take it. In case—"
"In case what? In case I get hurt because some girl's homemade remedy will matter more than actual medical treatment?" Neji finally glanced at her, something cold and dismissive in his expression. "Save your energy for something useful. This clan already wastes enough resources indulging half-hearted gestures from people who'll never be strong enough to matter."
Hinata's face fell, the parcel still held out between them, untaken.
"I-I was just trying to help..." she said softly.
"Then help by staying out of my way, like a woman should for a man," Neji said, already turning back to his gear.
He didn't look back as he finished packing, and didn't acknowledge her again before leaving. Hinata stood there a while longer, parcel still in her hands, before finally lowering it and retreating back inside, saying nothing further.
Sasuke and Kiyomi's preparations took them somewhere quieter before the gate — the small, well-kept plot where their parents were buried, tucked near the edge of the Uchiha district.
Sasuke had noticed something different about his sister today, somehow, something he couldn't quite name. She moved a little sharper than before. Smiled a little too easily at things that shouldn't have been funny. And, of course, the entire business with her and Sukuna...
Honestly, Sasuke didn't wish to think of that right now. It made his head hurt. He hadn't pushed on it, mostly because he didn't know what he'd even be asking.
He didn't push now either. They stood together in silence for a while, the weight of everything ahead of them settling heavier the longer they stayed.
"We're really doing this," Sasuke said eventually.
"We are." Kiyomi's voice had none of its usual mischief in it here, quiet and steady instead.
"Don't think you're the only one who wishes to kill him. I'm no longer the girl who needed help for everything. You slack off and I might surpass you." She teased.
"That's rich, coming from you." Sasuke scoffed. She at least talked like Kiyomi he knew, but there was still a difference.
Like a comment like this earlier would only have been a way to tease, now it almost felt like she was confident about it.
"Itachi..." She said, and that immediately put Sasuke on edge.
"You're not the only one after revenge..." She stated. "I lost my parents too... so don't think it's all your responsibility."
Sasuke was shocked. This might have been the first time his sister had mentioned that man like this and announced her will to take revenge.
"Kiyomi, why? Why suddenly..."
"I have my own reasons too," she said simply, not elaborating further.
Sasuke wished to ask more, but neither they had time nor was this the opportunity.
They didn't linger much longer after that, both of them turning back toward the village gate without needing to say anything else.
By the time the sun had shifted well past midday, all of them stood assembled at Konoha's main gate — Sukuna, Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Karin, Kiyomi, and Neji, gear packed, expressions ranging from nervous excitement to grim determination, annoyance, and some even pure killing intent, Izumi standing at the front with the kind of composed authority that made it clear exactly who was actually in charge here.
"Everyone accounted for," Izumi said, scanning the group once. "Good. Listen closely, because I'm only saying this once. Out there, you follow my orders and Sukuna's without hesitation. No solo heroics. No proving points. This isn't the exams, and it isn't the invasion. This is a war, and wars don't forgive mistakes the way training grounds do."
Nobody argued. Even Naoya, for once, kept his usual commentary to himself.
"Good," Izumi said, satisfied by the silence. "Then let's move..."
The gates opened ahead of them, the road toward the border stretching out long and uncertain beyond it, and one by one, the group stepped through and left the village behind.
xXx
A/N : I think I'm moving a little too slow for our liking and thus I'm speeding up the plot a bit more.
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