I woke up before dawn and wrote a short message for Kushina before I left to meet Shikaku. Yesterday, I stopped by the Nara compound on my way to my parents' place for dinner and arranged to meet him at the gates at dawn. He was there, yawning like he had not gotten much sleep the night before.
"Long night with Yoshino?" I asked with a chuckle.
He smirked and replied, "Let's just get back to the front."
I smiled then summoned Space and Chrono, who were both in Sage Mode. They placed their hands on our shoulders then teleported us away. After a handful of jumps, we reappeared in the command center where Phantom and Inoichi were sitting around the map table.
"How have things been?" Shikaku asked while I dismissed my clones.
"Quiet. Southern Outpost One has reported that they have finished with the repairs to their base," Inoichi reported.
"Good," he replied. "Are Choza and Fugaku rested?"
"They should be."
"Send a runner to collect them. We have a mission to plan," Shikaku instructed.
Inoichi nodded as he stood up and walked out of the building. I approached the map table and looked over it while Shikaku stepped over to the stack of scrolls and looked through until he found the one he was looking for.
"I imagine that you want to infiltrate the Mist Village alone, but we still need to figure out who to send along with you on the boat, and how you plan on infiltrating their Village in the first place," he remarked as he scanned the troop roster for the main camp.
"I have an idea on that, actually," I said with a light smirk, tapping a few points on the map. "We circle the main island while I leave anchors in various locations to act as signal towers, allowing me to triangulate where the Mist Village should be. I'm not crazy enough to attempt to teleport directly inside their Village, but Kurenai has developed a strong bond with her hawk, so she could send it with a few marked shuriken to drop around the Village as we sail around the island. Once we can confirm that the hawk is going to the Village, she can give it a simple command to land somewhere inside, giving me a likely obscure place to teleport in and multiple escape routes if needed."
"Sailing around the island increases your chance of being discovered... And what will you do if this hawk doesn't act the way you want or gets killed outside of the Village walls?"
"The danger of being discovered really only comes when they can tell others," I chuckled. "Renji Hyuga is stationed here, right? I can bring him and Fugaku with me; between the two, few Mist ninjas should be able to escape their perception, and my clones and I can handle the rest... As for the hawk, that's more for convenvence than true need."
Shikaku raised an eyebrow as he glanced at me, then changed the topic instead of commenting further on my idea. "What do you plan to reveal should you be discovered?"
"Ice and Boil for sure; I want the chance to test their strength against the real thing. With me healing Pakura, the Sand shouldn't be too mad if I reveal Scorch or Magnet Release, but then we risk people claiming that we're doing some kind of genetic testing, which could cause future problems... same goes for Explosion, though harder to argue," I mused.
He shook his head with a mix of annoyance and exasperation. "Do you know the stir that you're going to make in the Village, in the entire Shinobi world, when you reveal more of your strength?"
I chuckled, "Yeah, which is why I plan on living like a hermit unless the Village really needs something. My mother has a list of men around my age that have inquired about me in one way or another, so I can imagine how much worse it will get once I show a few more of my tricks. She means well but can be overbearing at times."
"I'm talking about assassination attempts, and you're worried about your mother setting you up?"
"I can't kill those fools," I retorted.
He sighed heavily then said, "Inoichi would also be a good choice to accompany you."
"On what?" Inoichi asked as he walked back into the small building with Choza and Fugaku behind him.
"A special mission from the Hokage..." Shikaku started to explain.
He did not go into detail about my part of the mission and told them about my idea of sailing around the main island. It was a risky plan, and there were clear implications that I was carrying out a secret assignment. There were few targets worth sending out the commander of an entire front after, so it was not too difficult for them to guess the plan though no one said it aloud.
We hammered out the details within an hour and sent runners to collect those we had chosen to accompany us, though I left to collect two specifically. Shisui had returned to manning the command center at night, so he had returned to his tent not long ago to sleep. I let him rest for now and headed to the medical building where Kurenai seemed to be visiting Asuma and Guy.
I could have teleported directly there, but I felt like walking there. The two boys were sharing a room on the top floor of the recovery ward, so it gave me a chance to assess the wounded personally as I walked through the main floor. The beds were fuller than they had been at any point since we were stationed out here, but the faces looking back at me were not disappointed or upset. Rather they looked at me with respect and appreciation.
I did not shy away from their gaze, but I did not linger either. There were some that relished the admiration of others, but I had never understood it. We were supposed to be ninjas, discreet and invisible, yet most of our techniques were loud and unmistakable. I did not need people singing my praises and complimenting my strength; that just led to more problems like assassination attempts and more work.
On the third floor, most of the rooms on the third floor had once been empty since it was reserved for long-term recovery and patients awaiting transfer back to Konoha, but several more were occupied now Asuma's and Guy's room was at the end of the floor to keep them from disturbing other patients since they tended to be loud, and I could hear them before I even stepped onto the floor. From the sound of it, Kurenai had brought them breakfast and was filling them in on what had been going on around camp.
"Onee-chan!" Asuma exclaimed as I stepped through the doorway.
"Akari-sensei! You have recovered," Guy said happily.
Kurenai blushed when our eyes met, and she looked away quickly. The boys were sitting up in their beds with a ration bar in their laps and, while Asuma looked fine, Guy had bandages down both legs and there were faint signs of fading bruises and swelling. Asuma had repeatedly used the Third Gate while on the mission to save Rin while Guy had managed to open the Fourth Gate for the first time. Both had done impressively well but pushed their bodies too far, even if they looked mostly okay.
"I have. You two are looking good, but if I hear that you are trying to push your bodies too hard, I'll put you both on latrine duty for a month," I threatened.
"But I'm fine! Yuri-sama is just being dramatic," Asuma retorted, waving his hand dismissively.
"Oh really?" I asked as I approached his side and placed a hand on his shoulder then channeled my chakra into his body. "Muscle tears across sixty percent of your body and there are seven places where your forearm bones were recently repaired."
"You went out on that mission with your injuries," he grumbled.
I flicked his forehead as I said, "I'm the battlefield commander and the only person qualified to seal a tailed beast on the front. I wasn't there because it sounded like fun; I did it to ensure that all of you were safe."
"Still," he complained, rubbing his forehead.
"You did well, so don't force me to put a mark in your file for insubordination right after you completed your first S-rank mission."
It took him a moment to realize what I had said which gave Guy the chance to exclaim, "S-rank mission!"
"Yep," I replied with a smile. "All four members of Team Kurenai received outstanding marks on an emergency S-rank mission and, if you two can behave and rest properly, I'll even consider a chunin promotion for both of you."
"Really?" they both said in unison.
"Your strength has reached that level, so as long as your maturity has as well, I'll approve it," I stated.
"I understand, Akari-sensei!" Guy said as tears streamed down his face.
"You hear that, Kurenai? I'm a chunin now," Asuma boasted proudly, puffing out his chest.
Kurenai chuckled softly then said brutally, "I've been a chunin for nearly a year now, and it's not official yet."
Asuma's pride deflated almost instantly as he slumped.
"Well, say your goodbyes to Kurenai; she'll be joining me on a mission, and we are leaving within the hour," I remarked, making Kurenai look at me with surprise.
"WHAT?!?" Asuma yelled in disbelief. "Let me come! I'm nearly healed! Please!"
"No. Kurenai is only coming along because I have an idea for using her hawk. She shouldn't see combat like most of the group coming with me."
"But…"
"No buts. This is an official mission, and even at a hundred percent, you would still be sitting on the sidelines, so stay and recover," I said firmly.
"You know how protective Akari is. There's no point in arguing," Kurenai said as she stood up from her chair.
"Fine," he replied dejectedly.
"There will be more missions, Asuma. Rest and recover, and you'll be back to missions in no time," I said before walking out of the room.
"Goodbye, Asuma, Guy," Kurenai said.
"Be careful," Asuma replied.
"Let your youth burn brightly, Kurenai-san," Guy cheered, and I could imagine him holding up a thumb with a big smile on his face.
Kurenai hurried out of the room and followed me down the hall. As we started down the stairs, she asked, "What is the mission?"
"I'll brief you properly on the boat, but you need to prepare for a week of deployment and report to the dock with Kagero by eight o'clock," I replied.
"There are other ninjas with flying summons," she said quietly.
I stopped and turned to look at her before making a hand sign to create a Wind barrier jutsu. "Yes, but your hawk already carries my Flying Thunder God mark, which most people would not be comfortable with. I know what you are worried about, but it isn't what you think. You and Shisui will be the most junior members of this mission, but I'm within my right as Commander and Mission Lead to bring you along. There will be significant merits with this mission, but you have an important role to play."
"Oh... I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"You're fine, Kurenai; I understand," I replied, cutting off the jutsu.
"So, Shisui is coming as well?"
"Yes," I said as we started walking down the stairs again. "He is the real one getting privileges by coming since I don't have a task for him aside from being your teammate."
She chuckled softly then, at the bottom of the stairs, she said, "I'll go pack my gear now."
I nodded and watched her hurry through the recovery ward. Since I did not feel like drawing more attention, I teleported to Shisui's side. It had absolutely nothing to do with the angry glare from Yuri and her moving my direction.
Shisui stirred the moment I appeared in his tent, but he did not draw his kunai this time. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, then looked at me expectantly.
"Pack up your gear for a weeklong mission and meet me at the dock in thirty minutes," I instructed.
"Yes, sensei," he replied without hesitation then stood and started gathering his things.
I chuckled since Shisui's trust in me still seemed to be unshakable. He did not even question what the mission was, just started preparing. It was no wonder that he had such a tragic fate in canon, but at least I had saved him from it now.
"Have you adjusted to your advancement?" I asked.
"The passive effects, but I haven't sparred or used them in combat."
"Did you tell Fugaku yet?"
"No," he said softly then looked at me seriously. "I didn't want to reveal it without talking to you first... Clan Head Fugaku is a good leader, but… there are some in the clan who would use the clan strength to rule Konoha."
"Every clan has those types of voices, but I do agree that the Uchiha does have the potential to be a problem if they are ignored," I replied honestly, crossing my arms. "That is part of the reason why I took you as my personal disciple, aside from your unique talent, and why I have been forging a strong relationship with Fugaku. As great as the Second Hokage was, he passed his prejudice onto my father and the other elders about the Uchiha clan, so I'm trying to undo the damage in my own way. The Senju and Uchiha clans were the founders of the Village, yet no Uchiha has led it. The position of Fourth Hokage may be out of reach, but the Fifth Hokage could be an Uchiha and, hopefully, I'll be able to arrange an Elder position for Fugaku before then."
He stopped and looked at me with surprise. "Elder Sadamune often blames the Second Hokage."
"Sadamune? That's Setsuna's younger brother, right?"
"You know the Uchiha family well, sensei."
"No, just that particular branch... Setsuna caused some problems for the Second Hokage, and I heard the stories. So, are you worried about Sadamune?"
"When I was still in the Village, he would talk about how the Uchiha just needed one pair of Mangekyo to claim the mantle of Hokage," he said quietly.
"It's a powerful technique. There is no question of that, but the Uchiha clan didn't rule the world during the Warring States period. A single person or a single clan cannot unite the world through strength alone; that's suppression, and eventually, the people will rise against it," I replied seriously then smiled and added, "Besides, it's your technique, and your decision on how to use it."
"I understand, sensei," he said with a lighter expression.
"You can trust Fugaku, or at least, he has my trust, so do as you want. He'll be joining us on this mission and, while I have hope that you won't need to use them, there is always a chance that you may be forced to."
"Yes, sensei," he replied.
I messed up his hair as I instructed, "Finish packing and meet me at the dock. I still need to pack myself."
He sighed, but I just chuckled and teleported back to my personal bunker under the command center. Phantom had kept the place clean since she had been here more than I had been in the last two weeks and would be for the next week or so. My armor had been ruined in the fight against the Six-Tails, so I grabbed an old flat jacket and packed the rest of my gear, hoping that I would be packing for more than just a mission soon.