After the great war, despite the victory, Konoha was severely weakened. Meanwhile, other ninja villages were also in turmoil, as if a hidden hand were driving the Third Ninja World War.
To quickly recover, Konoha accepted every type of mission—from delivering items to assassinating powerful feudal lords. The shortage of personnel meant that even more tasks were piling up, stretching the remaining ninjas thin.
The ninja academy, which normally took three years to graduate, began to graduate students early to alleviate the manpower shortage. Konoha even borrowed a group of ninjas from the Grass Village, among them being the outsider, Kotone.
Whether it was a deliberate move by the higher-ups or not, Ye Zi, who had been working in the shadows as part of the Anbu, was suddenly summoned by the Third Hokage to take on a mission. His teammates were Kotoe from the Grass Village and the Uchiha siblings, Kōri and her brother, who were to be led by him.
"Ye Zi..." Hiruzen stood by the window, his back turned, looking at the view outside.
The decision to assign Ye Zi here was a consensus between him and Danzo. The reason was his remarkable efficiency in completing missions. Given the current shortage of personnel, high-efficiency operatives like Ye Zi were invaluable.
Years had passed in the blink of an eye. The once little boy had now grown into a jonin. Hiruzen couldn't help but reflect with a sense of nostalgia.
Back then, he was worried Ye Zi might be a spy. Now, he had no such concerns. The boy from back then was now a pillar of Konoha.
Knock, knock!
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Hiruzen said, his complex emotions hidden as he turned to face the door.
Ye Zi entered, followed by the three others. Kotone, being an outsider, was somewhat nervous as it was her first time in the Third Hokage's office. Ye Zi and his teammates, however, were accustomed to frequent visits.
Ye Zi approached the desk calmly and said, "Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen nodded slightly and said, "There is a mission that requires you to handle. It's an S-rank mission. Do you have confidence in taking it on?"
An S-rank mission?!!
The Uchiha siblings, known for their pride in their abilities, were shocked, and Kotoe could hardly believe what she was hearing. S-rank missions were typically reserved for elite ninjas like the Konoha White Fang or the Three Legendary Ninjas. To think that a team led by a young jonin was being asked to undertake such a mission seemed implausible.
Kotoe wanted to refuse the mission, but as an outsider, she kept her silence.
Kōri Uchiha opened her mouth, about to express their inability to handle such a task, but her older brother stopped him.
Ninashi looked at his brother with confusion and then shook his head slightly.
Despite his surprise, Ninashi quickly regained his composure. He couldn't believe that the Third Hokage would recklessly assign them an S-rank mission that could be a death sentence. The only explanation for this decision seemed to be the person standing before him.
He gazed at Ye Zi, his eyes growing serious. If his guess was correct, the Hokage's confidence in assigning the S-rank mission was due to Ye Zi.
Upon hearing it was an S-rank mission, Ye Zi remained unperturbed and asked calmly, "What is the content of the mission?"
His calm demeanor and tone caused a shift in the expressions of the three behind him.
Hiruzen was not surprised by this reaction. After all, he had previously completed several S-rank missions on his own under the code name Thunder Fang. Though he had barely survived each time, that was a long time ago, and Ye Zi was now a different person.
"The mission is to capture the rogue ninja Hara Kanyoru. You are allowed to eliminate him on-site if necessary, but capturing him alive would be ideal." Hiruzen explained.
"Hara Kanyoru…!"
Uchiha Ninashi was momentarily stunned and said, "If I remember correctly, he defected over a month ago."
Hiruzen glanced at him and nodded, saying, "That's right. Three teams, all led by elite jonin, have previously attempted this mission, but none have returned."
Uchiha Ninashi's expression changed, and he nearly refused the mission. However, he remained silent, biting his lip.
Kotoe and Kōri were left stunned by the revelation.
Ye Zi furrowed his brow. The fact that all three elite teams had been wiped out indicated that the mission was indeed extremely difficult and dangerous. He, who was used to working alone, felt that he might have a better chance completing it on his own.
The Third Hokage, noticed Ye Zi's expression but chose not to speak, merely waiting for his response.
After a moment, Ye Zi asked, "I need detailed information."
Hiruzen smiled slightly, pushing the documents forward and saying, "Hara Kanyoru
is currently hiding in the Rain Country, which is rife with internal strife. Many rogue ninjas from other villages are there as well. Be extremely cautious. If you find yourselves outmatched, failing the mission is acceptable as long as you return safely."
"I understand." Ye Zi nodded and took the documents.
"Do we really have the capability to complete this mission?" Kōri finally asked.
Hiruzen remained silent, but Ye Zi looked at him and said coolly, "If you are afraid, I will allow you to withdraw from the team."
"What did you say?" Kōri's face flushed with anger as she glared at him.
Ye Zi sneered and looked at him with disdain, saying, "Where is your Uchiha pride?"
Kōri, who had always exhibited exceptional talent, had never been so dismissed before and was now fuming with anger.
Ninashi quickly intervened to calm his brother, saying, "Don't be foolish."
"Hmph." Kōri huffed, turning her head away, clearly displeased.
Ninashi sighed inwardly and apologized to the Third Hokage, "I'm sorry for the trouble we've caused."
Hiruzen shook his head, unconcerned, and said, "Given your current abilities, this mission is indeed very challenging. However, Ye Zi has previously completed several S-rank missions on his own. I hope you can trust in Ye Zi's capabilities."
The three were taken aback, looking at him with newfound respect. They hadn't expected him to have completed several S-rank missions, likely even before he became a jonin.
"Could it really make such a difference?" The Uchiha siblings thought to themselves, with Uchiha Kōri feeling particularly unwilling to accept this.
"Follow me."
Ye Zi showed no reaction to their varied expressions and, after bidding farewell to Hiruzen, turned and left the office.
The three also said their goodbyes to Third Hokage and quickly followed him.
Join the patreon to get 46 chapters in advance