Chapter 42: Joint Mission of the Root and Anbu
If he returned to the village now, it would be walking straight into a trap.
Jiraiya stood still for a long while, then turned and left.
He had made up his mind—to find Tsunade and Orochimaru, and see if the three of them could return to the village together.
With them, he would feel more secure. Even if they couldn't win against the Uchiha, the three of them—the Legendary Sannin—could certainly escape. Their summoning beasts alone were enough to turn the tide of a battlefield.
Without delay, Jiraiya left the Land of Fire, heading out in search of his old teammates.
---
Land of Fire – Border Outpost
Nestled within a hidden valley near the border, this place served as one of Konoha's frontline military camps. Five squads of shinobi were stationed here to monitor border activity. If a threat appeared, their mission was to both relay intel to the village and act as a first line of defense.
That day, uninvited guests arrived.
High in the trees surrounding the camp, a lone ANBU crouched—silver-haired, wearing a fox mask. Dozens of other ANBU, clad in the same dark armor, waited silently behind him.
If any Konoha elder were present, they would have recognized this for what it was: a rare joint operation between the Hokage's personal ANBU division and Root, the shadow organization once controlled by Danzo.
At the front was Hatake Kakashi, captain of the Hokage's ANBU.
Standing just behind him was a figure cloaked in black—a hooded man wearing dark sunglasses: Aburame Ryūma, the current head of Root.
> "Tents one through nine are occupied by members of the Sarutobi clan."
An ANBU kneeled before them, having just returned with intel.
In this operation, Kakashi held command. Ryūma was his second-in-command.
Kakashi's lone eye narrowed, the glint behind his mask cold and emotionless. Smoke curled from the campfires down below.
> "We strike after dark," he said flatly. "Leave no Sarutobi alive."
---
Nightfall
It was the perfect night—moonless, with a biting wind.
Like ghosts, the ANBU moved silently through the valley. The sentries were the first to fall. Then came the tents.
One by one, the remnants of the Sarutobi clan were silently eliminated.
Not a scream. Not a single alarm.
When dawn came, the ANBU and Root were gone. The valley was silent—just as it had been the night before.
Except now, blood leaked from tent seams like dark ink on paper.
---
Dawn
A few Hyuga clan shinobi emerged groggily from their tents. They had been tasked with border surveillance.
One of them—Hyuga Daichi—froze.
> "Something's wrong!"
The others looked around. The ground beneath their feet was stained dark red, pooling where water once gathered.
Streams of blood flowed from nearly every tent.
> "Did we get attacked? Are… are we the only ones left?"
Confusion gripped them. If the camp had been raided, why were they still alive?
Other Hyuga appeared from nearby tents, all equally stunned.
> "Daichi, what happened?"
Daichi shook his head.
> "I don't know. I came out and saw… this."
Several of them activated their Byakugan. With veins bulging around their eyes, they scanned the entire valley.
No enemies. No survivors.
Only they remained.
Hundreds of ninja had been in this camp the day before—Jonin, Chunin, ANBU retirees. Now? Gone. All of them.
And none of the Hyuga had even stirred during the attack.
> "It's not safe here," Daichi muttered, swallowing hard. "We need to report this to the village. Someone's targeting Konoha."
They all nodded grimly.
But just as they turned to leave, one of them pointed to something outside their tent.
> "Wait! There's a letter—nailed to that post!"
They hurried over.
> "What does it say? Hurry!"
They were just Chunin—Hyuga or not, they knew they weren't capable of handling whoever had done this. If seasoned Jonin could be killed without a sound, what chance did they have?
This had to be a declaration of war.
Daichi tore open the envelope. His eyes widened.
> "…It's from Kakashi."
Everyone froze.
They all knew Kakashi Hatake—the son of the White Fang, a prodigy who had become a Jonin in his early teens, and one of the most famous shinobi in Konoha. Some of them had even graduated in his class.
The letter explained everything:
The "Sarutobi Clan" in the camp were in fact traitors.
Their presence here was unauthorized.
The Hokage had ordered a joint Root-ANBU operation to eliminate them.
Kakashi's letter also instructed that a relief squad would arrive shortly to take over the outpost—and requested the Hyuga clean up the site before then.
Daichi's face twisted with frustration.
> "Damn it… We've got a morning left. Let's clean up."
They began their grim work.
---
Later that morning – 20 li away
A squad of Konoha shinobi approached the valley.
All wore Konoha headbands, but their flak jackets and uniforms varied—members from multiple clans, supported by civilian shinobi.
Leading them was Uchiha Yashiro, one of the key figures now rising under the Uchiha-led regime.
This was the new border surveillance team, dispatched per Kakashi's orders to replace the purged outpost.
Their mission: secure the valley, and hold the line.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics