Konoha Village entrance.
Just as Akihara Kagura expected.
Little Sasuke cried miserably when he heard his brother was going on a mission, clutching Uchiha Itachi's arm, unwilling to let go.
"Don't cry."
Akihara Kagura watched as Uchiha Itachi carefully comforted his brother and stepped forward to help out: "Kid, actually we don't want to take your brother on the mission either. He can't beat me, and probably can't help much. How about you take your brother back home?"
"Uh... hic..."
Little Sasuke's sobbing was immediately choked, then he cried even louder: "...Wah... Nii-san! Nii-san is the best! He definitely can help complete the mission!"
"Alright, then."
"You can cry a little longer."
Akihara Kagura patted Uchiha Sasuke's head and waved at Uchiha Itachi: "Let's go, listen to your brother, don't let him down."
"..."
Uchiha Itachi felt a bit at a loss.
"Let's go, Itachi."
Uchiha Mikoto took her younger son in her arms and smiled, persuading: "Don't keep everyone waiting, I'll take Sasuke home first."
"Nii-san..."
Little Sasuke cried as he left with his mother.
"Thank you."
Only then did Uchiha Itachi shyly thank Akihara Kagura. In comparison, he appeared particularly polite: "Kakashi-senpai, Kagura-kun, let's head out!"
Kakashi Hatake, who had been watching coldly from the side, finally stepped forward, nodded and said: "Let's go, let's move quickly while on the way."
As a senior, Kakashi Hatake was still qualified.
Throughout the journey, Kakashi Hatake took good care of the two youngsters, generously teaching them the small techniques of how ninjas hide their tracks and avoid tracking in the wild.
Even Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, who had learned such knowledge, couldn't help but admire the Dark Department for being elite ninjas of the village, their methods were more sophisticated and detailed...
Of course.
Except for Akihara Kagura.
This former rival, in Uchiha Itachi's view, was a bit delicate, seemingly having never survived in the wild. The only survival skill was probably fishing by the river in the evening.
Moreover…
This opponent had quite a temper.
Whenever a large fish didn't bite, he used Wood Release Ninjutsu to catch fish directly.
Late at night.
First camping session.
The three gathered under a tree.
Kakashi Hatake gazed at Akihara Kagura, a rare hint of relaxation in his eyes: "Kagura, could you build a resting house using Wood Release?"
The Anbu Ninja liked to act with Tianzang.
Besides Tianzang's strength, it's also because Wood Release Jutsu made life very convenient, even in the wild, Tianzang could construct a resting mansion.
"Is this okay?"
Akihara Kagura looked at Kakashi Hatake, voicing concerns: "A house appearing suddenly in the wild is too conspicuous; perhaps we should be a little more low-key outside."
"No problem."
Kakashi Hatake frowned, feeling Akihara Kagura has become somewhat strange, since when did this kid have the normal ninja thinking?
Kakashi Hatake believed it was very safe here: "We are within the Land of Fire, and have already scouted the surroundings, no enemies around, traps have been set, so tonight we can rest well and hurry up again tomorrow."
"I can't."
Akihara Kagura extinguished Kakashi Hatake's thought with one sentence, continuing: "If you want a house built, all I can do is provide a centennial old tree."
Indeed, Akihara Kagura couldn't use Wood Release to build a house.
Since the Chunin exams, Akihara Kagura had no time to rest and train, let alone develop the Wood Release Bloodline's techniques. After resolving Uchiha Obito's spying crisis, rushed off with Kakashi Hatake on a mission.
Moreover…
The First Hokage's Wood Release Jutsu was sufficiently powerful.
Now that Kakashi Hatake suddenly mentioned needing a resting house, Akihara Kagura thought about it, and what could be provided was only a world of genjutsu in a limited Tsukuyomi.
That fearsome Dojutsu…
Definitely couldn't be exposed here.
"Forget it."
Kakashi Hatake sighed, called the two boys to gather, and said: "Since we've temporarily formed a team, let's share what Jutsu we can use beforehand. Gathering intelligence in the Land of Water this time carries a high probability of encountering danger…"
"All that I can do, you should've seen it."
Akihara Kagura leaned lazily against the tree, spreading a palm: "After all, I haven't been to a Ninja Academy, and have no Instructor Jonin, asking more wouldn't be courteous."
"I'm skilled in Fire Release and Genjutsu."
Uchiha Itachi modestly mentioned his expertise, then asked: "What about you, Kakashi-senpai? I remember Kakashi-senpai knows a lot of Ninjutsu…"
"Kind of everything a bit."
Kakashi Hatake didn't have a clear concept of his abilities; he just mentioned what he was best at: "If I have to say, it would be Lightning Release…"
"Want to show some skills?"
Akihara Kagura sprang up.
"My Chakra isn't as plentiful as yours, kiddo."
Kakashi Hatake shook his head, not wanting to waste Chakra at this time. He became curious: "Can you only use the two Wood Release Jutsu?"
"Already… very powerful."
Uchiha Itachi had personally experienced Akihara Kagura's Wood Release.
"..."
Even Kakashi Hatake felt something was off.
Though Akihara Kagura consistently used only two Wood Release Jutsu, those two were enough to be termed as earth-shattering, even he had no way to counter them.
Akihara Kagura wasn't bothered about his lack of knowledge and continued: "If you consider Wood Clone and the like, I can use five Wood Release Jutsu."
"Wood Clone…"
Kakashi Hatake rubbed his chin, contemplatively said: "Wood Clone is harder to distinguish than Shadow Clone, quite suitable for reconnaissance…"
The issue is…
Akihara Kagura's character isn't suited for reconnaissance missions.
Day three.
The team arrived at the coast.
The entire port had no ships willing to head to the Land of Water.
All along, only ships from the Hidden Mist Village appeared here, aiming to raid the Land of Fire, unlikely to let them hitch a ride.
The ninja world's technology is very strange.
Many small boats in the ninja world are made of wood, yet aren't rowed with oars but driven by a motor at the stern, requiring expert operation to navigate the boat.
What they needed was a ship that can sail, equipped with professional crew and captain, as heading to the Land of Water is considered a long voyage.
"Should we try another port?"
Uchiha Itachi had studied geography and knew another port nearby: "The journey to the other port isn't far."
"No need."
Kakashi Hatake shook his head, whispered: "The Hidden Mist Village has long sealed off the Land of Water, even at another port, no one would be willing to let us onboard."
Akihara Kagura proposed his idea: "You both have Sharingan, why not use Sharingan to hypnotize and control a ship's crew?"
Kakashi Hatake was very positive: "The Hidden Mist Ninja would inspect vessels entering the Land of Water's seas, risking innocent civilians and exposing ourselves to the Hidden Mist's view…"
Akihara Kagura was equally positive: "When Hidden Mist Ninja come to inspect, just kill them; would the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist village come to do such trivial inspections personally?"