The meeting hall inside the Hokage Tower hummed with a tense energy. There was an organized chaos to it all. ANBU flitting in and out, jonin speaking in low voices, the rustling of paper and parchment as mission scrolls were distributed like a last-minute script before a dangerous play. I stood near the back with Minato, both of us silent as we waited for the ANBU at the mission table to call our names.
Minato gave me a quick sidelong glance, offering a faint smile. His calm presence had a way of softening the edge of everything around him, but even now I could feel the weight pressing down on both our shoulders.
The ANBU stationed at the front called. "Namikaze Minato. Sarutobi Akari."
We stepped forward together. The ANBU handed Minato a thick scroll sealed with a crimson ribbon.
"Frontline deployment. Support and rapid response unit for the Land of Rice Fields border."
Minato took it calmly, his expression unreadable. I stepped forward next. My scroll was noticeably thinner.
"Jonin Sarutobi, local patrol command. You and your team will handle rotating mission coverage around the village and outlying roads."
I blinked at him. "Patrols. While war brews."
The ANBU dipped his head respectfully but said nothing.
Minato turned to me with a quiet chuckle. "We both know why."
I sighed. "Two children of the Hokage on the front would make too tempting a target."
Minato nodded. "And if something were to happen to both of you…"
"I know," I said. "Still does not make it less frustrating."
He patted my shoulder. "While I am gone… keep Kushina company? She will pretend she is fine, but she is not."
"I will." I smiled. "I planned too anyways."
He returned the smile and turned to leave.
The next day, I broke the news to my genin team during a morning sparring session.
We were in our usual clearing. Guy and Asuma were sparring under strict form rules, no killing blows and only clean strikes. Kurenai was observing, occasionally commenting with sharp precision.
"So," I said as I stepped onto the field, "we will not be heading to the front."
Asuma froze mid-throw. "What?!"
"You heard me. We are on local patrol rotation."
"But you said...!"
"I said you were improving. I never promised a war zone."
He threw his hands up. "This is ridiculous. We are ready!"
"This was not my decision," I said. "Take it up with Dad."
Guy struck a dramatic pose. "Then we shall defend our village with the passion of our youth!"
Kurenai nodded but looked quietly relieved.
~~~~~~
Three days later, I reviewed the mission board and picked out a C-Rank that interested me. A merchant caravan route headed towards the Fire Capital was being hassled by bandits. Isolated attacks, smart timing, so it was likely a group of amateur criminals. It was a perfect chance to give my team real danger without throwing them into full war.
I met with Tetsuro, an old friend of mine that retired from shinobi service but managed a small shop in the village now. With his help, we prepared a full disguise completely with an old wagon, faded canvas covers, and crates filled with enough scrap to jingle whenever the cart would hit a bump. Before we set out, I gathered my team near the southern gate, just outside the view of the bustling morning crowd.
"We are not just going for a walk," I told them, holding up a weather-worn map of the merchant route. "Bandits are clever, especially the kind that survive long enough to become a problem. They target vulnerable-looking caravans, merchants without guards, no shinobi escort, and preferably a little slow."
"So… we are bait," Asuma said.
"Yep," I retorted with a smile.
"Seriously?" Asuma groaned.
"They only attack merchants they think are unguarded, so we will look like a struggling family caravan. Guy, you are my limping cousin. Asuma, you are the grumpy pre-teen brother. Kurenai, you are our quiet, bookish niece."
Guy's eyes sparkled. "I shall perfect my limp immediately!"
"Asuma, no flashy chakra and keep your gear hidden. This is a mission of subtlety."
"Subtlety?" Guy asked with concern.
"Yes, Guy. No heroic declarations until after the fight," I replied which made the boy slouch with disappointment.
~~~~~~
As we traveled, the team kept up their roles well. The rickety cart creaked with every bump, and Tetsuro hummed merchant tunes off-key. We passed a few genuine caravans and travelers along the way, nodding politely.
During a lull in the journey, Asuma asked, "Who do you think will become the next big war hero?"
"Minato," Kurenai said confidently. "Or Orochimaru."
"Maybe Jiraiya," Guy added.
"Who do you think, Sensei?" Asuma asked.
"I think those who survive will be the true heroes," I replied.
They grew quiet after that.
Meanwhile, Tetsuro leaned closer to me. "Heard more whispers. Cloud and Stone are definitely cooperating."
"That's a first, but ANBU confirmed as much. I wonder how long that will last."
"If the Sand or Mist join in, we could be in serious trouble."
"Not if I have anything to say about it… but, dear, old Dad would actually have to let me go to the front. It's not like someone else can take over my team while I'm gone."
"Don't get cocky, kid, or you'll end up like me at best," Tetsuro grunted as he glanced at the kids. "They do not get it yet, but you do. You've seen teammates die, and on the battlefield that's a daily thing"
"I know, but our special identity will only protect us for so long before we're drawn in. I would leave them behind than drag them with me to the battlefield. If I don't go soon, that means all three of them will follow me, and I don't have a chunin and the Flying Thunder God technique like Minato, so they will face danger without me around eventually."
"I forget how mature you are," he muttered then mocked, "You aren't a fired up fifteen-year-old, but a plotting old lady that only makes a move when you've made your plan and eight more back up ones."
"You remember that mission in the Hot Spring Country and I caught him spying on the women's bath?" I chuckled.
Tetsuro laughed, "Yeah, you bound his hands and feet then hung him upside in a tree for the night in nothing more than his boxers. God, you were seven and beat down a grown man like it was nothing. No wonder Tsunade was your sensei."
"Good times," I smirked.
We stayed on the road until dusk then pulled our cart off the road and camped near a river bend. As expected, the bandits came just after nightfall; fifteen of them, armed with blades, clubs, and overconfidence. I was not going to step in unless they needed saving from a serious injury; this was their test, after all.
Asuma struck first, rushing towards the nearest bandit. He ducked low, chakra flaring around his kunai. With a sharp twist, he created a small wind blade that tore across one attacker's stomach. Another leaped in, and Asuma whipped around, fire chakra streaking from his blade. With a follow up from the kunai in his other hand releasing a bit of wind as he spun, the two combined and transformed into a wave of fire on scale with a B-rank jutsu at a portion of the chakra cost. Asuma was learning some of my personal techniques that took me years to develop, so I was proud to see him use this move.
Kurenai moved like smoke. She danced backward, her hands flickering through seals. "Genjutsu: Crimson Web."
Two of the charging bandits stopped mid-sprint, staring at phantom threats. One turned, yelling, and drove his blade into his comrade, shouting something about betrayal. The other screamed at invisible spiders and slashed wildly until he fell to his knees, sobbing and convulsing.
Guy did not hold back. He erupted forward, faster than the eye could follow. A knee to the chest sent one bandit flying into a tree. A rising elbow shattered another's jaw. He ducked under a wild swing and countered with a sweeping kick that sent his attacker into a pile of broken crates. His strikes were brutal—but clean. No one died directly by his hand, but they likely would if they injuries were left untreated, and even then, walking would be a luxury.
Eleven remained. I gave the order.
"Finish it," I said coldly.
All three looked at me with hesitation, but I only met their gaze with an icy glare. Asuma stepped forward, ending three more with clean strikes to their hearts. Kurenai hesitated, then slit the throat of one writhing victim with trembling hands. Guy stood over his fallen foes, fists shaking.
"Do not freeze," I said. "They would have killed others, innocent people. You did your duty. This is just the first step to becoming a true ninja, and one you must take if you are to ever step out on a battlefield."
Guy swallowed hard as he looked at me then nodded his head. He pulled out a kunai from the pouch on his waist then drove it into the heart of the man in front of him.
~~~~~~~
After it was over, and the silence returned, I stood watching their faces in the firelight.
Asuma approached me first. His hands were still bloody. He kept trying to wipe them clean on his cloak, but the stains clung.
"I… I did what I had to," he said. "They would have killed others."
"You did," I nodded. "But it was not easy, was it?"
He shook his head. "I thought it would be. I've trained so much. I wanted this moment. But now… I just feel hollow."
"That is the part you keep. If you stop feeling it, that is when you are in danger, that's when you can become a monster. To feel sorrow and even regret is not wrong, that's part of being human, but you can't let that make you hesitate. We are ninjas that protect the citizens of the Land of Fire, and more often than not, that means killing."
"I understand, Onee-chan."
I sighed and ruffled his hair playfully. He did not bat my hand away as normal, but he still looked a little annoyed which was a good sign that he would recover soon.
Next, I checked on Kurenai. She sat by the fire, arms wrapped around her knees, rocking slightly.
"I made them kill each other," she whispered. "I twisted their minds. I did that."
I sat beside her. "Yes. You protected your team. You did it to survive."
"But what if I lose control? What if I do that to a teammate someday?"
"You won't. You care too much. That is your strength, and your curse. Carry it. But do not let it crush you," I said softly as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
She nodded silently, tears falling unchecked then leaned into my embrace. We sat like that for a while, until the tears stopped. As she sat up straight, I wiped away the remains of her tears and gave her a gentle smile with a slight nod before I stood up; there was still one left to talk to.
Guy stood apart from the group with his arms folded and staring at the stars, on the edge of the campsite.
"You did not want to kill anyone," I said as I approached.
"I know," he said softly. "One man cried for his mother before I hit him. He was evil, but still human."
"That is true."
"I do not want to become like that. Like someone who forgets they are fighting people."
"You won't," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That is why you stopped. That is why you are strong. But remember, when you face a true ninja, that urge to resist killing could be used against you and put your teammates in danger. One person pretends to be badly injured just to wait for your guards to be down and then kill who they can. That burden is much harder to bear than that of an enemy's death."
"I understand, Sensei."
"Good, now go back and rest. I'll stand watch tonight."
Now that the silence had fallen, the weight of their first battle settled into them, not just pain, but the birth of understanding. They were ninjas now, and none of them would ever forget it.
~~~~~~
Later that night, the fire burned low, casting flickering shadows across the clearing. The bandits' bodies had been moved out of sight, buried hastily in a ditch that my Earth Clone created. My team sat around the flames, their meals mostly untouched.
Guy was the first to break the silence. "Is this what every mission will be like? Fighting men who are not strong, not trained, just… desperate?"
I stirred the embers with a stick, my eyes distant. "Not every mission. But more than you would like. War draws out more than just soldiers. It creates predators that use this chaos to rob, steal, and worse while our people protect them from the other Villages."
Asuma looked up from his rice. "How do you sleep after something like this?"
"You learn to. Slowly... by reminding yourself of why you fight."
Kurenai's voice was a whisper. "And if the why ever starts to feel hollow?"
"Then you talk to someone. If you keep it in, it can break you. Every ninja who has seen blood understands that feeling, and none will judge you for it."
They fell quiet again. The fire crackled, and overhead, the stars offered no answers, just the cold truth of a world in flux.
~~~~~~
At sunrise, I found Tetsuro checking the wheels of the cart. His hands were busy, but his eyes flicked up as I approached.
"Your team held up," he said simply.
"They did," I agreed. "But it changed them."
"It always does."
We shared a moment of silence. Then he added, "You did right by them. Better they see it now than when it is too late to flinch."
I exhaled slowly. "I just hope it did not break anything inside them."
Tetsuro glanced toward the tents where the genin were stirring. "If it did, they will heal. They are not alone."
He handed me a rolled map. "Two more routes to clear in the next week. Ready for round two?"
I looked at the rising sun, the weight of responsibility pressing on my shoulders.
"I will never be ready," I said. "But I will be there."
~~~~~~
The road back to Konoha felt longer, though perhaps that was just the weight everyone carried now. Still, I knew we could not let silence smother them for the entire return. So, as the wheels of the cart rumbled along the dirt road and the afternoon sun warmed our backs, I decided to poke the hornet's nest.
"Alright," I said, glancing over my shoulder. "If you could bring one thing back to camp from the village right now—no rules—what would it be?"
"Barbecue," Asuma said immediately.
"Predictable," I smirked. "Anyone else?"
"Flaming nunchaku," Guy declared.
"...What?" Kurenai asked.
"Made of blue fire! Like my youthful passion! I have been sketching designs. Would you like to see?"
"No, thank you," Kurenai muttered. "I would bring silence."
"Spoken like a true genjutsu user," I teased. "What about you, Tetsuro?"
"Hot bath," he grunted from the driver's seat.
"See, that is a sensible answer," I nodded. "Unlike weaponized fire-juggling."
Guy did not seem offended. "You will all regret mocking my vision when I am awarded 'Most Inventive Weapon of the Decade' by the Hokage himself!"
"Uh-huh. And I suppose you will ride to the ceremony on a giant flaming tortoise?"
Guy gasped as if I had suggested the idea of enlightenment. "That... is genius!"
Asuma cracked a smile, the first real one since the battle. "Can it wear sunglasses too?"
Kurenai finally chuckled, though she tried to hide it behind her hand. I leaned back in the cart, hands behind my head. The clouds were starting to roll in, but for now, we still had sunlight and a road ahead. Even in the wake of blood, laughter could bloom. That, more than anything, gave me hope.
By the time we reached the gates of Konoha, the sky had darkened to a dusky purple, the sun sinking behind the hills. The guards nodded as we passed, recognizing both my face and the tired posture of my students. None of us spoke much as we made our way through the familiar streets. But as soon as I turned toward the Hokage Tower, all three genin groaned in unison.
"Now?" Asuma moaned. "We just got back!"
"You will thank me later," I said, tugging him by the collar. "Come on. This is important."
The Hokage's office was quiet when we arrived, only two ANBU guards posted inside. Hiruzen stood by the window, pipe in hand, his robes catching the last rays of sunlight.
"Akari," he said without turning. "Mission accomplished?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," I answered with formality, my students lining up beside me. "Target groups eliminated. Civilians unharmed."
He turned and took a long look at the three of them. They stood straighter under his gaze.
"I will read the report later, but I wanted to hear it from you." His eyes softened. "This was your first real encounter with death, was it not?"
All three nodded slowly.
"You did not falter. You did not run. You protected each other and carried out your duty. That is the mark of true shinobi."
Guy bowed deeply. Asuma looked both proud and exhausted. Kurenai blinked quickly but held herself together.
"You have made the village proud. Take the next three days off. Rest." He said then dismissed us with a light wave of his hand.
As we turned to leave, I caught his eye. He nodded once, and I knew what it meant, that he was proud. And for a moment, I let myself believe I had done something good.