Chapter 65: Failing Mission, Turmoil Begins
Uchiha Tonan returned to the town, had breakfast at a local inn, then went back to rest and recover. The next few days passed quietly. Tonan stayed inside the inn, dispatching his white pigeons as reconnaissance—silent sentinels—to monitor any movement from the border.
But with each passing day, an uneasy feeling gnawed at him. With Hatake Sakumo's prowess, the team should have returned by now. Had Sakumo and the others reached the border towns where the two Root operatives were assigned?
And if they had—why was there no signal flare? No distress beacon from the missing Root ninjas?
The thought lingered, but Tonan had no intention to investigate further.
If he crossed paths with them unexpectedly, how could he explain himself? Would he claim some kind of telepathic insight, guessing their disappearance from afar?
On the tenth night, a red flare streaked across the sky, blazing toward the town like a fiery comet. Tonan sprang up and rushed to the window. He saw the signal flare explode above the town in a shower of scarlet sparks—much like fireworks.
"Hmph, looks like this flare has tracking properties after all," Tonan muttered, intrigued.
Without hesitation, he vaulted out the window and sprinted toward the flare's direction.
Kamiya Kazuki and Yoshida Taro had deliberately sent Tonan to the farthest border town, hoping to ambush him and seize the Sharingan.
The place was the outermost frontier from the flare's origin. Tonan ran tirelessly for nearly five hours before arriving at the remote garrison town, where dawn had already painted the sky a soft blue.
At the town's central crossroads, Hatake Kakashi stood waiting. Upon spotting Tonan, Kakashi gave a weary wave.
Tonan jogged over, feigning exhaustion. "What's the status of the mission?"
"Failed," Kakashi answered, his tone flat, as if shrugging off the failure like an inconvenient truth.
Tonan frowned, disbelief coloring his voice. "What happened? With White Fang-sama involved, how could it have failed?"
Kakashi glanced back over his shoulder, then lowered his voice. "That guy was poisoned by Suna. To save him, my father exchanged the hostage for the antidote."
Suddenly, Tonan understood. "I see… That was the only choice. After all, he's the Root captain. For Konoha, his life outweighs any hostage. Besides, even if the hostage was handed over, Suna would ensure they safely delivered it to their employer. Konoha lost the ransom money, but it's not a strategic failure."
Kakashi nodded. "That guy has a conscience. He said he'll repay the mission's reward after we return."
He gestured toward a nearby teahouse. "Minato-sensei has already arrived. You should join them. I need to wait for the other two."
Tonan gave a faint smile. "You've been waiting all this time? How about I wait here instead? Your father failed the mission—maybe you should go and console him."
He didn't want to face the Root captain. Talking about the missing two might expose too much.
Kakashi rolled his deadpan eyes. "There's no need to console. It's just an S-rank mission."
Tonan pushed him lightly. "Just go. Whether you wait here or I do, it makes no difference."
Unable to sway Tonan, Kakashi relented with a nod. "Fine."
Time dragged slowly. Noon arrived with no sign of the missing teammates.
Sakumo, Aburame Ryoma, Namikaze Minato, and Kakashi gathered again at the crossroads.
Sakumo's voice was heavy with concern. "They're still not back. Maybe they ran into enemies. Let's split up and search for them."
Ryoma cut him off immediately, eyes hard. "No point. They haven't arrived or sent any flare signals. They're dead."
Minato scratched his head, hesitant. "Shouldn't we check, just in case they're alive?"
Ryoma's reply was cold and final. "It was made clear: in this mission, arriving late or failing to release a signal flare during danger are both capital offenses. Even if they survive, Root will execute them on return. It's the law."
Sakumo sighed and nodded solemnly. "Then we won't waste more time. Let's return to the village."
Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed at the four standing before him, a thin veil of irritation visible behind his calm exterior as he smoked his pipe.
"White Fang, you did what you had to do. Ryoma, you're his companion and the Root captain. Saving him was more important than the mission—or the S-rank reward. Go rest. This mission took its toll."
Once they left, Hiruzen stared down at the mission paperwork. The hefty reward stared back—if only he'd known sooner, he might have sent White Fang alone.
At the Root headquarters, Shimura Danzo loomed over Ryoma, who knelt in formal submission.
"Do you realize how much I sacrificed to get this mission? And what did you deliver? The hostage slipped to Suna, we didn't get that brat's Sharingan, and Kazuki and Taro have vanished."
Ryoma bowed his head without emotion. "Danzo-sama, the mission's failure is my fault. I suspect Kazuki and Taro made mistakes mid-mission, and Minato grew suspicious."
A cold spark flickered in Danzo's eyes. "You mean Minato killed them?"
Ryoma hedged. "It could have been the Uchiha kid too."
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "That possibility can't be dismissed. Any adult Uchiha who awakens the three-tomoe Sharingan gains strength rivaling an elite jonin. This kid's young but already advancing rapidly."
"Last time, he killed Ryosuke using traps. This time, he might genuinely be capable of defeating two jonin alone. The odds are slim—after all, I warned Kazuki and Taro about his genjutsu before they left."
Danzo studied Ryoma's unflinching posture and dismissed any thought of punishment for now. He sighed. "Withdraw for now. We'll revisit this later."
"Yes."
After Ryoma left, Danzo leaned back and muttered, "Orochimaru's experiments have completely stopped. I need another way to get Sharingan… but none of the three-tomoe Uchihas leave the village. That cursed clan…"
Everyone expected life in Konoha to return to normal.
But news from the Land of Waterfall shattered the fragile peace.
That day, Hiruzen stormed into Root's headquarters. Danzo stood unmoved.
"Hiruzen, what brings you here?" Danzo asked coldly.
Hiruzen threw a scroll at Danzo's feet, eyes burning with fury. "Look at this. The village deserves an explanation."
Danzo frowned as he opened the scroll. His pupils constricted in shock.
"How could this be?!"