"The difficulty of this mission is very low; it's basically for you to gild your resume."
Yagura took a sip of tea, looking at Karatachi Makoto holding his head, and finally softened his tone slightly.
He came personally this time to advise this unmotivated cousin.
"The Third Mizukage has dispatched the 'Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist' to execute a secret mission. They will infiltrate the heart of the Land of Fire to conduct sabotage and assassination, coordinating with the frontal battlefield offensive."
"The Swordsmen's mission is crucial, and they need someone to support their retreat. I recommended you to Lord Mizukage to be in charge of the pre-set support point at the border and lead a squad to meet them upon their return."
Supporting the Ninja Swordsmen?!
Karatachi Makoto's vision went black.
Going to the battlefield is one thing, but why such a screw-up mission!
Knowing the plot well, he clearly remembered that in the Third Great Ninja War, the seemingly majestic Seven Ninja Swordsmen infiltrated the Land of Fire, only to run into Might Duy a few steps in. They were directly kicked into the 'Three Auspicious Treasures' and nearly wiped out!
This isn't a gilding mission; this is clearly checking in at the Gates of Hell.
No matter how outstanding he was, facing the Blood Steam from the Eight Gates Released, there was no way to play.
"Cousin."
Karatachi Makoto looked utterly done with everything.
"With the strength of those Lord Swordsmen, they can come and go as they please after completing the mission. Why would they need a burden like me to support them?"
"Wouldn't I just be dragging them down if I went? If I delay important matters because of me, wouldn't that be..."
"You're good at finding excuses."
Yagura snorted coldly, interrupting him.
"The support point is set in a relatively safe area on the border of the Land of Fire. If the Seven Swordsmen's operation goes smoothly, you won't encounter enemies at all. Even if there are accidents, you are only responsible for guidance and support. With your abilities, there is no threat."
"This is the best opportunity for you to accumulate war merits."
"With this seniority, you will be able to hold your head high within the clan and the village in the future, saving you from being poked in the spine all day by people saying you are trash relying on family protection."
Yagura's words allowed no doubt; clearly, the decision had been made.
This mission was indeed carefully selected by him—controllable risk, high reward.
Successfully supporting the return of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen would be enough credit for Karatachi Makoto to gain a substantial status promotion in the Police Force and even the clan!
Karatachi Makoto complained endlessly in his heart.
He knew Yagura meant well and wanted to pull him up, but he knew the plot.
What safe area? When a humanoid Tailed Beast like Might Duy explodes, there is no safe area.
But he couldn't say it out loud.
Seeing Yagura's unquestionable expression, Karatachi Makoto could only put on a bitter face and respond weakly, "Yes, Cousin, I know. I'll go prepare..."
Seeing his cowardly appearance, Yagura got angry again.
With Karatachi Makoto's natural talent, if he cultivated properly, his future achievements would certainly not be below his own, perhaps even a step further.
But he just had to have this personality.
But Yagura ultimately didn't say anything more. He just stood up and patted his shoulder.
"Cheer up. Don't lose face for the Karatachi family!"
After speaking, Yagura turned and left, leaving Karatachi Makoto alone staring blankly at the room full of chirping beauties.
"Young Master..."
The beautiful maid who fed him grapes earlier approached cautiously.
"All of you leave. No one is staying tonight."
Karatachi Makoto waved his hand irritably, having no mood for pleasure anymore.
Seeing this, the beautiful maids didn't dare to say much and bowed to retreat one by one.
The room, which was full of charming atmosphere just a moment ago, instantly became deserted.
Karatachi Makoto lay on the soft couch, looking at the thick fog that never dispersed in Kirigakure outside the window, feeling a layer of gloom cast over his heart.
"Damn it, I've been hiding so well, how did I still run into this kind of thing!"
If it's a blessing, it's not a curse; if it's a curse, it cannot be avoided.
Now, he definitely couldn't hide.
He had to calculate properly.
If he really ran into that pervert in green tights, protecting everyone behind him is a given.
But in the state of the Eight Gates Released, protecting anyone behind him didn't seem to be of any use.
"Headache!!"
...
The mission to support the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was very important. Although Karatachi Makoto was unwilling in every way, early the next morning, he still dawdled and appeared at the entrance of Kirigakure.
He wore the clan's secret lightweight soft armor on the inside, the standard Police Force uniform on the outside, and his waist pouch was stuffed with Soldier Pills, smoke bombs, explosive tags, and various antidotes and special Chakra pills he had procured at a high price.
He also carried a short sword on his back!
His outfit could be described as armed to the teeth.
Seeing him looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy, wishing he could carry all his belongings on his back, Yagura's mouth twitched, but he ultimately held back the urge to scold him.
As long as he came, it was fine!
He simply assigned a five-man squad to Karatachi Makoto.
The squad members were not the standard four-man configuration but consisted of two Jonin and three Chunin.
After all, it was a mission to support the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Although the Intelligence Division analyzed the safety of this mission as extremely high, in case of danger, a certain level of combat ability was required.
Two Jonin, plus Karatachi Makoto, a Tokubetsu Jonin, making a total of three Jonin.
Even if they really encountered some unexpected situations, three Jonin were enough to deal with them.
Karatachi Makoto looked over the five-man squad before him.
Two Jonin: one with a cold expression named Hoshigaki Shin.
The other was a taciturn middle-aged man named Ōkawa Yōsuke, who looked experienced.
The three Chunin were all unfamiliar faces, with nervousness and excitement about the mission in their eyes.
"Tsk, standard cannon fodder configuration."
"Captain Makoto, please take care of us."
Hoshigaki Shin stepped forward and spoke politely, though the sense of alienation in his eyes was obvious. Clearly, he felt he had been assigned to babysit a silk-pants rich kid.
Ōkawa Yōsuke and the few Chunin also came over to say hello; their attitude was a bit friendlier than Hoshigaki Shin's.
"Easy to say, easy to say. Let's look out for each other. Safety first, achievements second, haha."
Karatachi Makoto laughed it off.
He also had an analysis of this mission in his heart.
Judging from this lineup, the higher-ups didn't actually attach much importance to this mission, or rather, the higher-ups basically assumed by default that this mission had no difficulty, just as Karatachi Yagura thought.
This wasn't strange either.
The Third Great Ninja War had been erupting for almost two years. Fighting to this extent, the major nations had suffered heavy casualties.
As the initiator of the war, Kumogakure suffered defeat after defeat.
First losing to Sunagakure, then to Iwagakure, and even losing the Third Raikage in the process.
Now they wanted to seize the timing of the fierce battle between Konoha and the Sand/Rock villages to point their swords again. As a result, their leading figures, the AB Brothers, couldn't even get past a "Yellow Hair," and they were basically declared out of this war!
Although Iwagakure still had some reserves and used a wave of encirclement to take down Kumogakure's Third Raikage.
However, in the war with Konoha, it didn't go as smoothly as imagined. In the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Namikaze Minato cut off their important supply line, completely trapping them in the quagmire of a protracted war.
Needless to say about Sunagakure and Konoha.
The two sides were in a tug-of-war, filling the gaps with human lives every day.
It could be said that the four great nations of the Ninja World participating in the war had all suffered heavy losses.
Wasn't it only natural for the Land of Water's Kirigakure to seize the perfect moment, join the battlefield with an absolute stance, and harvest the fruits of victory!
Moreover, the ones making the move were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the number one group in the contemporary Ninja World!
Unfortunately.
The idea is beautiful, but reality is skinny.
Karatachi Makoto sighed inwardly.
No matter what happened, he would probably have to put in some extra effort.