The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked at the three shinobi in front of him and spoke in a deep voice, "I am assigning you a mission. Uzuki Yugao will act as team leader, with Mitarashi Anko and Tsukiyo Furen. The three of you will form a temporary squad and head to Kikyō Castle to investigate the disappearance of Konoha's Moonlight Hayate."
"Understood," the three replied in unison, then disappeared from the Hokage's office in a blur.
Once outside, Uzuki Yugao glanced at Furen and Anko. "Prepare for thirty minutes, and meet at the village gate." After that, she donned her Anbu fox mask and vanished.
Furen looked at Anko and asked, "Do you have anything you need to prepare?"
Anko, usually outgoing and brash, suddenly felt a bit shy when left alone with Furen. For some reason, she seemed a bit flustered. "N-nothing special," she muttered, avoiding his gaze.
Seeing Anko acting uncharacteristically bashful, Furen smiled, then gently took her hand. "In that case, why don't we grab something to eat before we leave? This mission could keep us out in the field for a while, and we'll likely have to rely on ration pills."
Anko's face turned red as Furen took her hand, but after a moment of hesitation, she allowed him to lead her away.
Furen guided Anko through Konoha's bustling food street. They looked just like a couple, though their ninja headbands occasionally drew curious glances from passersby.
"What... what are you doing?" Anko stammered, blushing even more as she realized the villagers might mistake them for a couple. Though she was flustered, there was a hint of pleasure in her expression.
"We're here!" Furen exclaimed as they entered a small shop. "Let's have some red bean soup."
Anko froze in place at the door. Furen noticed and playfully flicked her forehead. "What's going through that head of yours? Didn't you say you love red bean soup with dumplings?"
Mitarashi Anko's favorability towards you +5%.
Thirty minutes later, outside Konoha village...
The newly-formed team, led by Uzuki Yugao, stood in the shadows of a tall tree, watching a Suna ninja with a forehead protector walk below.
Even though there was still about half a month until the third round of the Chunin Exams, the movement of Suna ninjas had already increased.
"The Hokage has placed restrictions on the number of Suna ninjas entering and exiting. Aside from the genin participating in the exams, only four Suna escorts are permitted. This one, Baki, is among them," Furen said, keeping an eye on the ninja below. "Baki is an elite jonin with a solid reputation in the Sand Village. If the Kazekage has any instructions, Baki would likely know about them."
Furen recalled the night when Baki had killed Moonlight Hayate with a single strike, a reminder that Baki was no ordinary opponent.
Uzuki Yugao turned to Furen. "What are you suggesting?"
"We should follow him. Baki will have to pass through Kikyō Castle on his way to the Land of Wind, and we might find some clues there."
After weighing the situation, Yugao nodded in agreement with Furen's plan. "We'll follow him discreetly," she ordered.
For a while, the team followed Baki without issue. But after the first night, his figure suddenly vanished from the forest!
"He's gone!" Anko exclaimed, her face tense.
"Look over there!" Furen pointed to a tree, where a faint footprint was visible in the moss.
"To notice such a small detail... His observational skills are as sharp as mine," Yugao thought to herself, glancing at Furen's profile.
With the footprint as a lead, Anko started looking around as well. After a bit of searching, she proudly held up a broken branch. "Look what I found!"
Furen examined the broken twig in her hand. "A snapped branch? It seems someone stepped on it..."
Anko beamed at the praise, though she quickly tried to compose herself and act serious again.
"However... this is fake." Furen took the branch from her and pointed to its condition. "This branch isn't dry enough to snap just from being stepped on."
Anko pouted in frustration, while Yugao's eyes sparkled with intrigue as she watched Furen.
Furen then pointed to the clean break. "Besides, the break here is too smooth. This wasn't a natural break—it was cut."
Looking closely, Anko and Yugao could both see the unnatural, clean cut at the break.
"It seems whoever did this was in a hurry and wasn't careful with the deception," Furen said with a smirk, tossing the useless branch aside.
Anko couldn't help but look at Furen with a new sense of admiration in her eyes.
Mitarashi Anko's favorability towards you +5%.
Uzuki Yugao, too, regarded Furen with a newfound respect.
Uzuki Yugao's favorability towards you +10%.
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T/N:
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