Sasori was not the type to let discussions stretch longer than necessary.
After a few days of talking it through with Yuji, he left the village and resumed taking missions at his usual pace. The wider ninja world had quieted considerably since the war's end, and the village's mission volume had dropped accordingly, most Sunagakure shinobi were taking the opportunity to rest for the first time in years.
Sasori had no interest in that.
If he wanted to enter the Anbu with enough standing to matter within a year, slowing down was not an option.
Getting into the Anbu was not the difficult part. Getting close to the Third Kazekage once inside, that required a record that justified the proximity.
And so Yuji and Sasori, who had operated together for years, began deliberately going their separate ways.
In the administrative building, Arai sat across from the Third Kazekage.
"Kazekage-sama, Yuji has grown considerably on the battlefield, but he is now visible to the wider ninja world and wanted by underground elements. Sending him out to lead a team independently carries real risk.
If word gets out, it could draw enemies directly to wherever he's operating. Iwagakure in particular."
The Kazekage's expression didn't shift. "I gave Yuji a session of instruction just yesterday. His strength is already at a high level, his Blood Release alone has developed significantly beyond where it was a year ago.
You know him better than most. Don't underestimate him. Beyond that, he'll be operating within the Land of Wind's own borders. Penetrating deep into our territory isn't something enemies can manage easily."
He continued without pause. "If his abilities are exceptional, then we must create challenges that match them. Protecting him from difficulty would be wasting what he has."
Arai was quiet.
"His early development happened under your supervision. The Iwagakure front was designed to build his practical combat experience, his capacity to handle large-scale situations, and his basic understanding of military affairs. That phase is complete. Now he needs to lead.
To develop the kind of command ability that will allow him to carry real responsibility in this village. If he is too fragile to function without protection, then his talent, however considerable, will ultimately amount to nothing."
The final sentence carried something beyond its surface meaning, and Arai recognized it immediately.
He had served alongside the Kazekage long enough to know the distance between what was said and what was intended. What had been spoken was only part of it.
The true purpose was to begin drawing returns on Yuji's value, to accelerate his development by force if necessary, and in doing so, to test whether his obedience to the village's direction was absolute.
The great war with Iwagakure had just ended. The village had veteran shinobi available in real numbers. There was no practical necessity that required a young shinobi of Yuji's profile to be leading a team into contested coastal territory against the Hidden Mist.
Unless the point wasn't the mission.
There was another dimension to it as well. Iwagakure had already learned what Sasori and Yuji were capable of.
Letting the Hidden Mist develop its own encounter with Sunagakure's emerging generation served a broader purpose, the village's reputation, its standing in the eyes of other powers, the message that Sunagakure's next generation was not to be dismissed.
Prestige had practical weight in the ninja world, and the names Sasori of the Red Sand and Blood Doctor Yuji were still relatively new. Wider circulation served the village's interests.
And underneath all of that, the Kazekage needed people who could share the load of village affairs. He wanted Sasori and Yuji to mature on an accelerated schedule so he could put them to use sooner.
On the surface, training. In practice, Arai thought, far too aggressive. The boy had already done more than enough. He had already demonstrated his importance to the village's medical infrastructure alone.
At minimum, they could have waited until the current instability settled.
But the Kazekage's style had always been this way, forceful, forward-pressing, indifferent to the distinction between readiness and necessity when he had decided something needed to happen.
"Go and notify him. Watch his reaction. If he shows any resistance, you know what to do."
Arai held the instruction in silence for a moment, then accepted it.
A quarter of an hour later, at Yuji's home.
They sat across from each other. When Arai delivered the assignment. lead a team to the coastal area to deal with Hidden Mist activity, by personal order of the Kazekage, Yuji's expression registered genuine surprise.
He had met with the Kazekage just yesterday. Nothing of this nature had been mentioned.
Arai, reading what he thought was resistance beginning to form, moved to head it off. "You only just returned from the front lines. You haven't had more than a few days at home. I understand if you're not happy about this, but this comes directly from the village's leadership, and..."
Because he knew very well that if Yuji developed any rebellious feelings because of this, once discovered by the Kazekage and other high-ranking officials, then... "When do we set out?"
However, before he could finish his sentence, Yuji suddenly smiled and said cheerfully.
"The sooner the better, within the next few days, you need to go to the school first to handle the handover." Seeing this, Arai once again marveled at Yuji's good temperament; anyone else might have shown displeasure.
But with Yuji's free-spirited nature, he really wouldn't care too much.
The important thing was that the Village had not taken any protective 'measures' for him.
It was equivalent to personally 'pushing' him out.
The same went for Sasori.
Logically speaking, recently, even if Sasori wanted to take on missions, the Village would try its best to prevent him from going out.
With Yuji's cleverness, he could probably guess some of the high-ranking officials' thoughts.
An obedience test.
"I didn't expect that one day I would actually become a team's instructor. At my age, I should be about the same age as those Genin who just graduated... Hahaha." Yuji rubbed his head and joked.
"You don't need to be too concerned about the team's mission; the main focus is on training the Genin and enriching their practical combat experience.
What you really need to pay attention to is your own safety, being able to eliminate the Village's new forces has always been something the other great Ninja Villages love to do.
You're not a newcomer anymore; some people should have heard of your name. If you clash with the Hidden Mist and are recognized, your intelligence will likely be leaked..."
"A long time ago, Konoha sent people to assassinate you. Iwagakure is also particularly concerned about you, plus the Hidden Mist..."
"The Ninja of each Village have their own characteristics. Our friction with the Hidden Mist is quite scattered in the coastal areas, almost all in the form of small-team collisions, there are no real large-scale battles, but the frequency of both sides killing each other is very high, and the Hidden Mist excels at assassination, your safety might not be higher than it was on the battlefield with Iwagakure."
"The completion of the mission is not the top priority for you; safety is."
Arai explained some things with concern.
"Rest assured, after this mission, such things shouldn't happen again, in the future, even if there are more arrangements, I think, they will seek your opinion first." Arai hesitated for a moment, giving a hint that carried more meaning.
As long as Yuji passed this test and put the high-ranking officials completely at ease, then he would have cleared this hurdle.
"I understand."
Yuji nodded.
Shouldn't?
Not necessarily, perhaps it was the long-term contact and interaction that made Arai have some special feelings toward him.
Just like a teacher and student.
There were some things he clearly didn't need to say.
Yuji could feel that Arai was also very dissatisfied with this approach by the high-ranking officials.
He felt a bit sorry for him.
But Yuji wasn't surprised by the Kazekage's mandatory assignment this time.
"Yuji, some things, Kazekage-sama has his own considerations."
After a few more exchanges, Arai got up to leave. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Yuji.
He seemed afraid that he might have too many thoughts or ideas.
Yuji smiled, but didn't respond.
Then, he waved and watched Arai walk away.