The Hokage's office had rarely been this crowded.
Team 7 stood in a line near the center of the room—Naruto rocking on his heels, Sakura rigid, feeling like she was standing on spikes, Sasuke calm but only from the outside, internally stiff, and Kakashi standing behind them with his usual air of mild laziness, which didn't make any of his genin feel reassured.
Off to the side was Team 11, who had also arrived almost at the same time as Team 7 and were lingering near the office wall, waiting for their turn since Team 7 had beaten them to the Hokage's office by just a few minutes.
Izumi was quiet and watchful. Even after having years of experience from real Izumi's memories, this was arguably her first time giving a mission report. Before that, it had all been D-rank mission junk.
Kiyomi was utterly uninterested, though she did catch a slight hesitation on her brother's face, enough to know that the mission Team 7 took wasn't that simple. Karin was still asking how she had suddenly fallen asleep during the mission. She was certain she heard something about Sukuna's ex before he suddenly woke up with her on his back, piggybacking, already near the village. And of course, Sukuna stood apart, arms folded, convincing Karin that nothing like that happened, that it was all a dream.
And just like his other teammate, he too noticed the distress on his own sibling's face. Sakura was way too stiff, already giving away that they were guilty of something.
As for dead coming back to life, huh how that is even possible. Karin must be dreaming. Silly girl!
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe and exhaled slowly. "Very well," he said. "Team Seven. Begin your report."
Kakashi lifted a hand lazily. "Right. So. The mission was an escort to the Land of Snow—"
"We know that part," Hiruzen interrupted, already weary.
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Of course you do. Things became… complicated."
Sukuna rolled his eyes. "That's one way to put it."
Sakura shot him a look, as if saying that if he said anything more, his own involvement wouldn't stay hidden either.
Kakashi continued, unfazed. "The actress Yukie Fujikaze turned out to be Koyuki Kazahana, the daughter of the former daimyō of the Land of Snow.
"I previously took a mission, if you remember, to escort her out of the Land of Snow. We never knew that girl would become an actress down the line…" Kakashi added.
Hiruzen couldn't recall it immediately. There were too many missions he had assigned to remember every single one of them. However, he believed Kakashi and motioned for him to continue.
"Her uncle, Doto Kazahana, had illegally seized power and placed a bounty on her life."
Hiruzen nodded. "That much was in your mid-mission request."
"Yes," Kakashi agreed. "What wasn't in the report was the part where—"
"We totally beat him," Naruto blurted.
The room went quiet.
"…Beat him," Hiruzen repeated.
Sukuna, Sakura, and even Sasuke felt like grabbing this loudmouth and beating the shit out of him right here. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut?
Sasuke closed his eyes, just accepting his fate.
"Well, about that…" Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "They mean that they infiltrated Doto's castle, dismantled his forces, and defeated him."
Hiruzen stared.
Team 11 stared—minus Sukuna, of course.
Karin's drowsy mood immediately evaporated. "You did what?"
She solemnly looked at Naruto while asking this. Did she just hear him admit that he infiltrated a daimyō's castle?
Izumi's earlier completely bored mood lit up suddenly upon hearing this. "And here I thought my team had loose screws… haha, what is that kid's name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto… Dattebayo." Naruto grinned, ignoring the murderous looks from his teammates.
Kiyomi just ignored the idiot. She had listened enough from her brother to know the blond was an idiot; ignoring him was for the best.
But really, she could understand that pink-headed benchēe and that blond idiot. But why did Sasuke go along with them?
"You disobeyed direct orders," Hiruzen said slowly.
"Sigh… yes," both Sakura and Sukuna sighed harder than ever. They knew this was coming.
The original idea was to help Koyuki without Kakashi knowing. However, Kakashi figured it out before they even reached the castle. The only saving grace for them was that he didn't stop them from taking Doto down.
"But it worked!"
"We totally took that Doto down. Even found that Koyuki's father left a big heater in that snow land. Now it's no longer even covered in snow…" Naruto grinned.
Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose. "You realize this could have sparked an international incident."
"That's why she wrote you this," Kakashi said, pulling out a letter and placing it on the desk.
Hiruzen took it, eyes scanning quickly. His brows rose.
"…She requests leniency," he read aloud. "And proposes opening a permanent trade route between the Land of Fire and the Land of Snow."
Naruto grinned. "See? Diplo—aufff…" Before Naruto could continue, both Sasuke and Sakura blocked his mouth and dragged him back.
Hiruzen stared at the letter for a long moment, then at Naruto's teammates gagging him, then at Team 11 on the side enjoying the show, and sighed. He leaned back in his chair.
"Well," he murmured, "this is… unprecedented."
Hiruzen finally looked up. "Regardless of the outcome, rules were broken."
Naruto's shoulders slumped. "Aw, but Jiji, we saved the Land of Snow. Didn't we—" Even two genin were useless at keeping Naruto's mouth shut, apparently.
"As Hokage," Hiruzen continued, "I cannot ignore that. However—given the circumstances and the daimyō's personal request—the punishment will be… restrained."
Kakashi relaxed slightly. He knew they would be punished. Still, he hadn't stopped them, even though he was fully capable of doing so before they entered the daimyō's castle.
Because somewhere, he too had wished to do something similar. Konoha didn't actively wish to participate in this entire fiasco just because the village wasn't getting anything out of it.
Now that was solved, with the Land of Snow's new daimyō opening a trade route with the Land of Fire. There was good justification for their actions, though there was never good justification for insubordination.
"Team Seven will receive no monetary reward for this mission," Hiruzen said. "And you are barred from taking C-rank or higher missions for one month."
Naruto blinked, ready to say something that would definitely worsen the matter. Sakura immediately elbowed him hard.
Hiruzen gave him a sharp look. "In wartime, insubordination would have earned far worse."
Naruto swallowed. "Right. Yes, sir."
All in all, they got out cheap.
"And Team 11, what happened with the mission in the Land of Demons…" Hiruzen sighed, puffing on his pipe again before taking the other team's mission report.
There was a pause. No one answered for a second until Izumi realized everyone was looking at her.
'Ah yes, I gotta do it.' She internally grumbled and stepped forward.
"We failed."
Hiruzen blinked.
Once again, he sighed hard and asked, "Explain…"
It wasn't a very lengthy explanation. Much of the intel had to be hidden due to its nature. The only thing that made it into the report was that the priestess of the Land of Demons was already dead by the time Team 11 arrived.
The Third Hokage sighed but didn't say anything about that. Since the client had already died before they arrived, there was nothing the shinobi could have done.
Later on, Hiruzen dismissed everyone. Everyone besides Sukuna, that is. And the purpose was quite simple.
"Tell me, my boy, did you find anything on Izumi Uchiha?"
Sukuna had no intention of talking to this old man right after getting his brain ground down by recent events, but still, duty called.
"No. I had my eyes on her the entire time. There was no trace of her being a spy till now. She didn't try to communicate with anyone, she didn't try to leave behind hidden messages, nor— I was with her all the time," Sukuna added.
Hiruzen sighed, looking dejected.
"However…"
Hiruzen perked up again.
"I do believe there is a certain connection between the killer who killed the priestess of the Land of Demons and the one who attacked Izumi-sensei back then," Sukuna said thoughtfully, making Hiruzen focus.
"And why do you think that way?"
"Because of how both deaths were done. I read the report later given to me by the ANBU. Here—this is what I got from Lady Shion's person after she was found dead." Sukuna handed a piece of paper to Hiruzen, confusing him.
However, as Hiruzen read what was written on the paper, his eyes shot wide.
[I'm certain I'll die before the shinobi team ever arrives. I foresaw it. Just like shrine maidens in my line, I can see my death. That's how I survived the first time that masked man attacked.
However, even running away wouldn't save me. So I leave this behind in the hope that someone will find out the culprit.
He was after Mōryō, the spirit sealed by my ancestors at the temple in the Land of Swamps.
He is after the power that Mōryō grants.
That power could destroy the world.
I don't have much time, so please… stop him. Don't let him unseal Mōryō. It would be our doom.]
Hiruzen's face turned stern upon reading this. He too knew about the sealed spirit called Mōryō, and he utterly dismissed that part of the message.
For someone who had faced the Nine-Tails once, even mentioning that spirit was useless. Besides, they didn't even know it existed. Even if he did, Hiruzen didn't care. It couldn't possibly be worse than the Nine-Tails.
What mattered to him more was one line that caught his breath.
'Masked man…' Exactly what Izumi had said about who attacked her back then.
Multiple thoughts stirred inside Hiruzen's mind.
"Are you certain this was found on her?" Hiruzen asked, seeking confirmation.
Sukuna wished to roll his eyes. Of course it wasn't. That was all his handiwork, just so the village would focus on that masked man and he could get some useful intel.
You know—Konoha had a good intel network.
"Yes," Sukuna nodded.
Hiruzen paused, then nodded.
"Good job, my boy. You're dismissed for now."
Sukuna nodded. Finally, the day was coming to an end.
"Oh, by the way. Aizawa wants you back in the hospital. Apparently, he has a job for you…"
'Fuck that old man…' Sukuna closed his eyes. There went his free time again.
xXx
A/N : I didn't wished to write about the entire team 7 infiltrating Doto's castle. That would have been too annoying. And honestly not much help since we know they are capable by now. So I decided to skip it.
Unlike me though, please don't skip on those stones !
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