Chương 481: CH_12.48 (481)

A merchant worked the thick farmer's wad of wheat between his teeth, the rhythmic chew matching the steady clop-clop of his mare. His carriage was piled high with hand-woven silk and jars of mountain honey—treasures bartered from the valley villages that would fetch a high price. The road to the military base was long and dusty, but the late afternoon sun was still warm. He was humming a jaunty folk tune, his eyes half-lidded, when his peaceful midday haze shattered.

A violent gust whipped the straw hat right off his head. Before he could blink, three streaks of shadow—a blur of black cloaks and white masks—shot past the carriage at a speed that defied the natural order. The mare shrieked, rearing on her hind legs in a blind panic. The honey jars rattled as the carriage lurched. The merchant choked on his gum, nearly swallowing the wad as he hauled back on the reins.

"Easy, girl! It's all good, my dear," he wheezed, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"Gods above." He looked back, but other than the billowing dust on its way to settling, the road was silent again. The group of three was Raven and the two reconnaissance trackers carrying the location of the ROOT base. They didn't slow until they reached the stone ramparts of the Leaf military installation, which rose above the forest canopy. They cleared the perimeter trench in a leap, landing with a collective thud before the heavy iron-reinforced gates.

"Identification!" the sentry guard barked, his hand hovering over a signal flare. Raven didn't stop to breathe. He flashed a scroll with a hidden seal—the mark of the ANBU—before throwing it to the man. After a minute, the gates groaned open just enough for them to slide through like ghosts.

"We need to speak to the base commander. Now," he rasped, his voice raw. Within minutes, the base commander appeared with Raven's scroll in hand.

"By wing and foot," Raven said, pressing the dirty piece of parchment into the Jōnin's hand.

"Now." At the top of the central spire, the master of the aviary whistled sharply. Three messenger hawks, specially bred for speed and endurance, took to the sky. They banked hard, heading south with their sharp cries echoing in the skies. Simultaneously, two runners—trained in long-distance, chakra-enhanced sprinting—bolted from the rear exit and into the hidden forest paths. As the birds vanished into the clouds, the two trackers finally slumped against the cold stone walls. They had done their part.

The intel was in flight—a race against time to reach the Hokage's desk as soon as possible.

"Take a rest. You deserve it," Raven said as he attached his refilled water canteen to his utility belt. He looked like he was ready to leave.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm heading to the village as well," Raven said.

"Huh? Why? You won't reach there before the runners."

"But I'll be there in time to give some context." They had sent other information, such as the squad wipe-out and the presence of a ROOT Jōnin, but all of it was kept to the barest facts so as not to cause any confusion or distraction.

"It would be better if the Lord Hokage had a clearer view of the situation before he makes any last-minute decisions or adjustments." Lord Hokage had sent him on this operation so he could help Weasel with his clan's hijutsu and to be absolutely sure that they had the accurate information—because they had to be sure it was right before they could move so many Jōnin.

But it was also to have someone he trusted and close to him on the scene; this was undoubtedly the most important thing currently for the Hidden Leaf, and they had to ensure that it was handled with the utmost care.

"I'm off. Pray that I reach it in time." ———. Back at Fune, Itachi allowed everyone to rest for a few hours before calling a meeting in the early evening. The accommodations had been arranged shortly thereafter, so everyone arrived at the meeting after showering and eating. They were set up in a guest house maintained by the Hidden Leaf for shinobi traveling on official business. Aquilla sat beside Takuma on a couch with a tired sigh.

He had been out there the longest, helping with the civilian rescue efforts, and had only had an hour of rest before coming to the meeting.

"Are your eyes feeling alright? You can skip the meeting if you aren't feeling well."

"Thank you. I'm a little tired, but I want to be here." That was true for everyone in the room. What they had managed to achieve today was a crucial step in dealing with ROOT. Everyone was invested in seeing it through to the end. Itachi entered the large living room where they had gathered, and everyone immediately hushed and settled down in the presence of the Captain. He didn't look like he had fought a Jōnin in the morning one bit, and everyone felt that as their admiration for him increased.

They knew of the Uchiha prodigy and had heard of his exploits, but seeing it all up close made it feel all the more real. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. He gazed at the operatives, and for a moment, his gaze lingered on the unoccupied furniture.

"The first wave of messenger hawks and runners will reach the village in the next couple of hours at most," Itachi began, his voice low.

"Lord Hokage will have the coordinates, making the ROOT base an official and tangible target. They'll leave at dusk, and by tomorrow afternoon, they'll be at the enemy gates to lead the strike. And we'll be there with them." Takuma looked at the map spread out on the low table before him, a location near the northern part of the Land of Fire marked in red. They had won the intelligence war, but that wouldn't mean much if they weren't successful tomorrow.

"We succeeded," Itachi continued.

"But let us not forget the price we paid." His eyes went again to the unoccupied furniture where Kingfisher and his squad would have sat.

"We came here together, but we will be leaving men behind." There was a moment of silence in the room as everyone felt the true weight of what had happened. Everyone else who would eventually learn of this day would focus on the ROOT Jōnin and how the team had managed to find the base location; while they would also see the lives lost, it wouldn't be the same for the team.

"It's a bitter taste," Itachi said.

"I feel as though I lost even though we accomplished what we came for… However, tomorrow, we return to our mission. Today was a desperate chase to the front door. Tomorrow, we will kick it down. I won't lie. Even with the larger force taking charge, it'll be dangerous because we're going to the heart of the hive. When we corner them, they'll be entrenched, desperate, and twice as lethal.

"We are tired, we are mourning, and we are a mess of feelings, but you must set it all aside before the sun rises. Tomorrow, you aren't just fighting for a mission objective; you're fighting for the reason we wear these masks in the first place." He looked out the window toward the distance, in the general direction of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Somewhere in the village, people are returning from work to their families. There are academy students complaining about the homework they have to do. There are mothers waiting for their children to return home from playing outside, blissfully unaware of the ROOT base location or the threat it represents. We do what we do so they never have to know. We spend our lives fighting the darkness so they can live in the light. We protect the Will of Fire so that it can spread its warmth and brightness.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Every drop of blood spilt today was a shield placed in front of our home. Tomorrow, we finish the job. We owe Kingfisher's squad that. Rest now. Heal your wounds. Eat your fill. Because when the sun hits the land tomorrow, we are going to fight for the peace of everyone who depends on us." The silence that lingered in the room had now changed. It wasn't the silence of exhaustion; it was the silence of resolve. ———.

In the small dining area of the Hokage's private residence, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat with a smile across from his grandson as they ate their dinner together. He had set aside his iconic Hokage hat and coat and looked less like the leader of the Hidden Leaf and more like a tired grandfather in a simple kimono. Across from him, a young Konohamaru was mid-sentence, waving a pair of chopsticks with enthusiasm.

"And then, Gramps, I'm gonna learn a jutsu so big it'll blow the roof off our office! Even you won't be able to—""Eat your carrots, Konohamaru," Hiruzen interrupted with a soft, crinkled smile.

"A great shinobi needs a strong body as much as a sharp mind. Grand plans require a full stomach." Konohamaru groaned, looking at the 'dreadful' vegetables, but before he could protest, Hiruzen said, "I only became the Hokage because I ate my vegetables." The young boy's eyes flickered with doubt, but he looked down at the vegetables in his bowl and eventually ate them with great reluctance.

"Good boy," Hiruzen smiled. The wind chime hanging by the door to the garden sang melodiously. Hiruzen's smile didn't drop, but his eyes shifted towards the open sliding door. A silhouette coalesced out of the darkness—an ANBU operative kneeling in the corridor, just out of Konohamaru's sight.

"Gramps?" Konohamaru looked up at Hiruzen as the latter got up.

"Finish your vegetables, Konohamaru," he replied before walking to the corridor.

"Lord Hokage," the operative whispered.

"Weasel has sent back information. They have secured the location of the ROOT base." With his back turned to his grandson, the old grandfather vanished, and the leader of the Hidden Leaf, who had survived three Shinobi World Wars, stood in his place. He was surprised by how quickly the information came back. It was either because something had gone exceptionally well or things had gone wrong.

"What's the integrity of the information?"

"Raven extracted it himself. He's sure of it." Which meant that they had the right location. Hiruzen's heart picked up pace. He regretted not taking care of Danzo the last time they had faced each other. Since then, the Hidden Leaf had no clue about his location despite devoting substantial intelligence resources to it. Even Jiraiya had failed to find ROOT's location.

"Anything else?"

"ROOT was expecting us. A Jōnin ambushed the mission team; we lost a full squad… Weasel engaged the Jōnin in battle, but we don't know the outcome of that battle." Hiruzen closed his eyes for a brief moment, offering a silent prayer for the fallen, before opening them with worry for Itachi. He had confidence in the young man, but things were never simple out on the field. Even if he didn't think Itachi would lose, he worried about any grave injuries.

Even though it was his choice, he didn't know how the Uchiha clan would feel if they suffered more harm at the hands of ROOT. Itachi, for his potential, was their future, and any harm to him meant harm to the clan.

"Has Stag been informed?" he asked.

"Yes, he's heading to the war room and awaits your arrival. The information has also been disseminated to the Jōnin as well."

"Gramps? Is everything alright?" Konohamaru asked quietly. He had seen the ANBU, who were a normal part of his life—and had even ordered some around to carry him on their shoulders so he could feel tall—but even he could tell that this was not the time for anything like that.

"Of course, my dear. However, I am sorry that I must leave now. I hope you will eat everything and go to sleep on time," Hiruzen said, kneeling and stroking his grandson's hair.

"But you said you'd tell me a bedtime story," Konohamaru said with tears in his eyes and his lower lip quivering.

"That I did, and I will make up for it later. However, your grandfather must now perform his duties as the Hokage and serve our village. Listen well, Konohamaru. If you want to become a great shinobi, you must remember that your duty is to serve the people. Remember what we talked about?" Hiruzen wiped the tears from his grandson's eyes.

"About the Will of Fire?"

"Indeed. I love our village, which is why I named you after it, and I love you, so I must do everything in my power to make sure that it is safe. And that's the Will of Fire. One day, when you become a shinobi, you must also protect what you love." Konohamaru nodded, now trying to look brave through his red face. Hiruzen smiled before getting up and turning around to face the operative.

"Shall we?"