"What the heck?!"
Nawaki let out a groan of frustration. They had just gotten back to camp, barely had time to sit down, and now they were being assigned another mission. Was there really no other team available to handle this? Damn you, Danzo!
After spending so much time with Takuya, Nawaki's opinion of Danzo had become entirely negative. Getting slapped with a mission right after returning to camp was just plain unfair.
Takuya didn't bother complaining. Instead, he opened the mission scroll and, after a quick glance, a smirk spread across his face. He kicked Nawaki lightly.
"Quit whining. It's actually good news. Our mission is to escort a group of injured shinobi back to the village, and then we get to stay there and rest."
With shinobi returning from various fronts, the camp was overloaded with medical cases. This meant that Danzo had no choice but to assign some teams to escort the less severely injured back to Konoha. This would help ease the burden on the camp and prevent too many wounded from gathering in one place, which could lead to negative morale.
So, Takuya's team had been given an escort mission. Given how Takuya had proven himself on the battlefield, Danzo naturally wouldn't overlook him for this crucial task. Escorting injured shinobi was no small responsibility; if they were ambushed, the entire mission could end in disaster.
The camp had already been breached, the medical unit decimated, and Danzo himself had been seriously injured. His reputation was hanging by a thread. If even the wounded didn't make it back safely, Danzo might as well kiss his position in Konoha goodbye.
"That's awesome!"
One second Nawaki had been complaining, the next he was practically bouncing with excitement, wiggling his hips in a way that made Minato want to kick him. It looked ridiculous.
The thought of returning to Konoha for some well-deserved rest lifted everyone's spirits. They quickly gathered their things and set off with the injured.
Several other squads were also tasked with escorting wounded shinobi back to the village. The goal was to get them proper medical care. Those too severely injured to travel would have to wait for Tsunade to return or for reinforcements from Konoha.
Those who could walk did so, while others were loaded onto carts. The long procession made its way from the camp toward Konoha.
To guard against potential ambushes, Takuya, Minato, and Nawaki took turns scouting the area, even if it was just for show.
"I wonder how long the war with the Sand Village is going to drag on," Nawaki mused.
"It won't end anytime soon," Takuya replied, patting Nawaki on the shoulder. "But that's not our concern right now. Our job is to get these injured shinobi back to the village safely, complete the mission, and then take some time to recover ourselves."
"I've had enough of this constant rain and gloomy weather in the Land of Rain. Just seeing clouds makes my head hurt."
"Tell me about it," Nawaki agreed, nodding enthusiastically.
The harsh weather of the Land of Rain was unbearable for most, especially for shinobi from Konoha. The peaceful, sunny climate of the Land of Fire was much more preferable.
Because of the injured, their pace was slow, but once they crossed into the Land of Fire, they were able to speed up considerably. Fortunately, they didn't encounter any attacks from the Sand shinobi, much to everyone's relief.
Takuya wasn't too worried. If any enemies showed up, his companion Snowy would alert him immediately.
Once they were back in familiar territory, Snowy emerged from hiding and lazily draped himself over Takuya's shoulder, basking in the sunlight. Even a tailed beast like Snowy found the constant rain of the Land of Rain unbearable.
After seven days of travel, they finally arrived back in Konoha. As soon as they got there, Takuya tossed the mission scroll to Minato.
"Why is it always me?" Minato protested.
"Because you're the diplomat of our team," Nawaki said with a smirk.
Minato's eyes gleamed with mischief as he grabbed Nawaki's hand. "Then you're coming with me. Otherwise, you're staying here with me."
"Let go!"
"No way!"
"I said let go, or I'll jab you in the ribs!"
"Then I'll twist your arm."
Bring it on.
"..."
Takuya rolled his eyes at their antics and walked off, leaving them to their bickering. He was too eager to get home, change into clean clothes, take a long bath, and enjoy a good meal.
The ordeal was finally over. Aside from special missions, he wouldn't have to return to the Land of Rain anytime soon, which was a relief. He was sick of that hellhole.
In the end, Nawaki caved in, knowing better than to poke at Minato's sore spot. He didn't want to find out just how far Minato was willing to go to defend himself.
Meanwhile, back at the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage took one look at Minato and Nawaki walking in together and knew Takuya had already bolted. He was probably already at home, enjoying a drink and relaxing in the bath.
"Thank you for your hard work," Hiruzen said with a smile, signing off on their mission. With another stroke of his pen, Takuya's team had earned another battle commendation.
Since their mission involved escorting wounded shinobi from the battlefield, it still counted as part of the war effort. And battle commendations were worth far more than regular mission points.
Just as the Third Hokage had guessed, Takuya had indeed just finished his bath and was now enjoying a cold drink he had pulled from the fridge. The drink, of course, had been prepared by Kushina and Mikoto, his favorite orange juice.
As for the bath, Takuya would have liked to take one, but his house didn't have a bathtub.
After completing their mission, Minato dragged Nawaki to the market. "What are we doing here?" Nawaki asked. "All I want is a bath and some food."
"You don't get it," Minato said, flashing a mischievous grin that seemed out of character for him. He lowered his voice. "If we just show up, Takuya will probably suggest we go out for ramen or barbecue. Do you really want ramen or barbecue?"
"No," Nawaki quickly shook his head. After eating either dry rations or barbecue on the battlefield, he was sick of both. He didn't want to see either of them for a long time. He craved something different.
"Exactly. That's why we're buying groceries. That way, Takuya has no choice but to cook for us. There's an art to getting free meals—pay attention."
After years of tagging along with Takuya, Minato had become quite adept at securing a good meal.
When Minato and Nawaki returned with bags of fresh vegetables, Takuya could only sigh. He had been planning to suggest ramen because he was too tired to cook, but Minato had effectively blocked that option.
Looking at the fresh produce they had brought, Takuya knew he couldn't get out of cooking now.
After dinner, the three of them headed to a hot springs inn for a soak. Ever since Takuya's prank, business at the hot springs had taken a hit. Many owners had received funding from the village to build enclosed hot springs, turning them into indoor baths. After all, the "Telescope Technique" couldn't see through walls.
With rumors about the technique spreading, how many girls would feel comfortable bathing in an open-air hot spring? If anyone still did, it was almost like they were inviting someone to peek.
When Takuya returned to Konoha, Kushina and Mikoto were thrilled. Kushina even took Takuya to meet some of her clansmen.
Seeing a group of redheads left Takuya a bit confused. When did Konoha get so many Uzumaki? Weren't there just Kushina and Nami?
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Note: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 225+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters