[Bonus chapter]
The leisurely time always flew by quickly. Hyūga Shinichi's vacation was declared over with the arrival of Shisui and the others.
The team's assembly point was chosen to be the Hyūga compound. In the morning, shortly after Shinichi returned from taking Hinata to the Academy, he saw Shisui, Kakashi, and Might Guy arriving together.
After inviting them into the house and engaging in a brief conversation, Shinichi quickly understood the purpose of their visit. The Fourth Hokage's authorized leave for Shisui had ended. Guy also didn't have any ongoing missions during this period. As for Kakashi, he hadn't been particularly busy during his time in the Anbu. The three of them decided to come and talk to Shinichi about the mysterious organization.
In the living room, Hyūga Shinichi refilled the tea for his comrades before diving into the intelligence he had currently gathered:
"The organization the Fourth Hokage tasked our team to investigate is, as far as I know, a large-scale criminal organization composed of missing-nin gathered from various villages."
"Current intelligence is limited, but we know that Kakuzu, a missing-nin from Takigakure, is a member of that organization. Sasori, a missing-nin from Sunagakure, was also a member, though he is now deceased."
"Our goal is to uncover the full details of this organization. If possible, eliminating them before they cause greater trouble would be the perfect outcome."
As Shinichi spoke, he looked at Shisui and Kakashi.
Hmm... although Guy was also a team member, Shinichi didn't expect Guy to contribute much to intelligence analysis or action planning. In this squad, Guy was purely a combat specialist. For the brains, Shinichi had other candidates in mind.
"Shinichi, we were briefed by the Hokage-sama about the relevant intelligence before we came."
"The Hokage-sama also dispatched Anbu ninja during this period to search for information on the ninja named Kakuzu."
"Although the clues are scarce, the Anbu investigation did yield some results."
"This is the opponent's probable movement route."
The intelligence gathered by the Anbu was handed over to the analysis squad for detailed examination. At this moment, Shisui pulled out a map from his clothes and placed it on the low table in front of Shinichi.
It was a map of the ninja world. On the map of the Land of Fire, an "incident location" was marked. Shinichi needed only a glance to recognize that this marked location was where he had fought Kakuzu and Sasori. Several paths, marked with thick red lines, branched out from this "incident location," which were the escape routes the analysis squad theorized Kakuzu might have taken.
While only speculative, they did provide a few general directions for Shinichi's investigation. It wasn't entirely useless, but its utility was limited. Shinichi gave it a cursory look and then withdrew his gaze.
"Regarding the direction of our reconnaissance, I actually already have some ideas."
"Let's put this map away for now; we shouldn't need it for the initial phase of our work."
"Since we've all gathered, let's first confirm our departure time."
"Do any of you have unfinished work? Do you need time to prepare anything for the journey? This will be a long-term mission, and we likely won't return to Konoha for quite some time."
Hyūga Shinichi picked up the map from the table and handed it to Shisui.
The others exchanged glances, and then Might Guy spoke up:
"We came to find you precisely because we've finished our preparations and wanted to ask when we should depart."
"You are the Anbu Squad Leader. The Hokage-sama said you have full authority over this operation."
Guy wore a bright smile as he spoke. He and Kakashi had a very close relationship, and ever since Kakashi entered the Anbu, Guy had felt his comrade had become increasingly gloomy and withdrawn. Although the situation had improved in recent years, Guy still worried about Kakashi's mental state. He had more than once suggested to the Hokage that Kakashi should leave the Anbu, but he had never been taken seriously.
Now, they were in the same squad executing a mission, and he felt he could "look after" Kakashi. Furthermore, this was a long-term mission outside the village, which would allow Kakashi to escape his current environment, something Guy was very happy to see.
Guy also understood Shinichi's underlying concern, which was simply that this mission was very dangerous and would be long, prompting them to "make preparations." If it were other people, they might genuinely need time for mental preparation and farewells to family.
But for the three of them... they no longer had family to bid farewell to. Shinichi's concerns were, in fact, unnecessary.
Hearing Guy say they were already prepared, Shinichi was briefly stunned before realizing he had asked a rather silly question.
"In that case, we will leave the village and begin our operation tomorrow morning."
"The reason we were able to detect the existence of that organization is that they systematically attacked a Bounty Station under the Hyūga clan."
"Therefore, we can boldly hypothesize that the organization is in great need of funds."
"I want to focus our investigation from this angle."
"Blindly pursuing them along speculative routes is too impractical."
Hyūga Shinichi explained his idea. After Shisui and Kakashi exchanged a look, Shisui couldn't help but ask:
"How do we investigate? Focusing on which person? Which faction? Which area?"
Shisui was clearly very experienced in this area. While asking Shinichi these questions, he was also guiding Shinichi to consider concrete aspects, rather than just abstract concepts. Although either Shisui or Kakashi would be better suited to lead the action team than Shinichi, since the Hokage had confirmed Shinichi's leadership, Shisui would support him wholeheartedly. He was using this method to guide Shinichi's thinking.
However, Shisui didn't know that Shinichi was already well-prepared.
"Wait a moment."
As he spoke, Shinichi disappeared from the living room using the Flying Thunder God Technique. A few seconds later, Shinichi returned with several documents.
"These are the detailed files on all the Bounty Stations currently operating on the market."
"This includes not only the businesses under our Hyūga clan but also Bounty Stations outside the Land of Fire."
"Based on our Hyūga clan's intelligence network, some Bounty Stations had already been attacked before my clan's station was hit."
"These documents contain the specific locations of the Bounty Stations. Some of the attacked stations are also marked on the map, along with the time they were attacked."
"According to this data, the first Bounty Station to be attacked was located within the Land of Rain."
"If my guess is correct, the initial area of operation for their organization was this Land of Rain!"
Hyūga Shinichi pointed to the location of the Land of Rain on the map and stated.
Listening to Shinichi's analysis, Shisui, Kakashi, and Guy all leaned in to examine the various maps of different sizes and scales and the various markings on the table.
The Hyūga intelligence personnel's work was meticulous; the markings on the map were clear at a glance. Of course, this intelligence map was nine parts true and one part false. The Hyūga clan had indeed located all of their competitors' positions and had gathered intelligence from their colleagues regarding the specific time and general circumstances of their Bounty Station "storefronts" being attacked.
However, in reality, the Hyūga clan's reach did not extend outside the Land of Fire! The information regarding the Land of Rain was actually a result of Shinichi's knowledge of the future.
But Shinichi did have other evidence: the last Bounty Station under the Hyūga clan to be attacked in the previous year was located close to the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire. Of course, since it was within the country, one could loosely claim it was close to the Land of Grass or the Land of Rivers...
Ultimately, it was just one direction for investigation. Shinichi provided the general direction, and the rest would depend on reconnaissance. In fact, Shinichi had a backup plan. If investigating the Land of Rain proved too risky, they could shift their direction to the Land of Grass. He had heard that Orochimaru had caused quite a stir in the Land of Grass in recent years, and Jiraiya was desperately pursuing him.
Shinichi remembered that Orochimaru had joined Akatsuki. At this point, he should not have left Akatsuki yet, especially since Uchiha Itachi had not yet become a missing-nin. How could Orochimaru leave Akatsuki? In this timeline, whether the Uchiha clan would still be annihilated was uncertain. It was highly probable that Uchiha Itachi would remain Konoha's Uchiha Itachi. The direction of Orochimaru's relationship with Akatsuki was also something Shinichi was curious about.
The intelligence data Shinichi provided was information that Shisui and Kakashi did not know beforehand. Initially, they were slightly uneasy about Shinichi, who was captaining a team for the first time. Now, it seemed that Shinichi's analysis and judgment so far were sound. Starting the mission from this angle presented no problems.
With a general direction for the investigation, the details could quickly be discussed.
Cross-border investigation required a low profile. Traveling with Konoha headbands and in Anbu attire was clearly impractical. The team planned to disguise themselves as merchants. Shinichi didn't intend to use the Flying Thunder God to speed up travel; instead, he planned to gather intelligence through the underground black market while traveling.
Akatsuki was not just an organization of missing-nin; its essence was actually a mercenary organization.
Especially after the Third Great Ninja War, the scale and funding of the ninja villages began to be limited by the Daimyō through various means. At this juncture, the Iwa ninja were the first to begin employing these mercenary organizations.
These mercenary ninja were strong, highly efficient, didn't require self-training, and their deaths were not lamented, making them synonymous with ease and efficiency. Therefore, the Akatsuki organization was involved in quite a few military activities. By carefully investigating, Shinichi was confident they could find traces.
Shinichi's main concern, however, was how to find Akatsuki members and defeat them one by one. The best way would actually be to capture Orochimaru and force him to become their mole. In the original timeline, the Third Hokage had already sensed the existence of the Akatsuki organization and its threat, but all he could do was send Itachi to join Akatsuki as his secret agent. As for the effect? At least Akatsuki didn't "level Konoha" before Itachi died.
The difficulty of Shinichi's mission... was actually very high.
Shinichi's impending departure for a secret mission, though already known to his family, still brought feelings of reluctance and worry when he finally prepared his gear to leave.
Hinata, after returning from school, just ate silently when she heard the news during dinner. Hiashi, however, gave many, many instructions, acting even more "fussy" than Hanako. Perhaps Hiashi also sensed the enemy's power, and the danger level for his son's deployment this time was extremely high.
This was their final farewell...
This was the reality of a ninja family: every time a ninja went out on a mission, it might very well be the last time they saw them alive.
After dinner, Shinichi packed his bags in his room, sealing clothes and daily necessities into a scroll.
Hinata, who had been silent during dinner, stood quietly outside Shinichi's door, watching her brother organize his things. Although the child's personality seemed to have become a bit prideful, her kind nature remained unchanged. She was equally full of worry for Shinichi's departure.
"Hinata, train hard."
"When your brother returns next time, I hope to see you grow into an excellent ninja."
With his packing finished, Shinichi stood outside the door with his arms crossed, then gently patted Hinata's head and said softly.
Hinata gently pushed Shinichi's hand away and mumbled, "Don't you dare die out there!"
With that, Hinata turned and walked toward her own room.
"Hmm, that's not a nice thing to say."
"I wish she'd say something a little sweeter."
Hinata's words were rough, but Shinichi could feel her concern embedded in them.
The next morning, Hyūga Shinichi was fully dressed. Before leaving the room, he casually threw a kunai that lodged into the wall. He then closed the door and left the Hyūga compound, heading towards the gate of Konoha Village.
Lingering for prolonged goodbyes was not Shinichi's style.
However, shortly after Shinichi left the house, Hiashi and his wife, Hanako, came out to the open space in front of the clan grounds, watching Shinichi depart.
Hiashi gently put his arm around Hanako's shoulder and comforted her, "Hanako, don't worry. He will return safely."
"He is already a mature ninja, an excellent Jōnin who has successfully executed S-rank missions."
Hiashi's comforting words didn't comfort Hanako: "It's different... The mission to guard Kushina was S-rank, but it was still different, wasn't it?"
"Jiraiya-sama was with him on that mission, and Minato would often check in."
"But this time..."
Before Hanako could finish, Hiashi interrupted:
"It's no different. Jiraiya-sama was not with him the entire time, and Kushina had plenty of times when she went berserk during training!"
"Shinichi is far stronger than you imagine. Don't treat him like a child!"
"He killed Sasori of the Red Sand, the murderer of the Kazekage, in a two-on-one fight!"
"The number of ninja in the village stronger than him is now very few!"
"Don't worry, he will be fine!"
Hiashi and Hanako did not share the same perspective. Perhaps in Hanako's eyes, he would always be a child, but in Hiashi's eyes, his son had already become a powerful ninja capable of standing on his own.
Shinichi was unaware of the conversation between the couple. At this moment, he had instantly appeared at the gate of Konoha Village and met up with his comrades.
With all personnel assembled, the group hurriedly set off, quickly vanishing from the entrance of Konoha Village.
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