Hokage Building
Mission Assignment Office
"Yosh!"
"Naruto, this time we'll be escorting a prince back to his homeland, the Land of the Moon!"
Might Guy's body seemed to ignite with fiery passion as he read the mission details.
"Nani?! A prince?!"
Naruto's face lit up with excitement as he stared at Might Guy.
"Oh!"
"My youth is burning brightly!"
"I will ensure this prince is returned to his country safe and sound!"
Upon hearing this, Rock Lee felt the flames of his fighting spirit surge uncontrollably.
"That's right!"
"This is an A-rank mission!"
Might Guy flashed his signature gleaming smile and gave Naruto a thumbs-up.
Due to the war, what would normally be a B-rank escort mission had now been elevated to A-rank.
"Yosh!"
"So where is this prince right now?!"
Naruto couldn't wait to lay eyes on the legendary prince.
"Hold on, before we meet the prince, there's something even more important!"
Might Guy suddenly adopted a serious expression, which made Naruto freeze. Seeing Guy's grave demeanor, Naruto gulped nervously.
"No way…"
"It's definitely…"
Neji and Tenten, standing to the side, watched Might Guy and Naruto with exasperation, while Rock Lee burned with youthful passion in the background.
They could already predict what was coming next.
"Ding ding ding!"
"Might Guy's exclusive uniform!"
Might Guy pulled out a green spandex suit from who-knows-where and held it up in front of Naruto.
"This spandex isn't just warm and breathable!"
"It also perfectly showcases the contours of your muscles!"
"And most importantly!"
"This vibrant, life-affirming color!"
"It perfectly embodies our never-give-up, passionate youth!!"
"Now, this super spandex isn't 998, not even 99.8!"
"It's only 9.9!"
"Just 9.9, and it's yours!"
Might Guy enthusiastically promoted his perfect green spandex to Naruto.
"Ohhhh!"
"That's such a steal!!"
"Guy-sensei, I'll take a hundred!!"
Rock Lee's eyes gleamed with excitement, and he immediately rushed toward the spandex in Might Guy's hands.
Bam!
"Bastard, Lee!"
Might Guy didn't hesitate to punch Rock Lee away.
"You're already my student!"
"You can have as much spandex as you want!"
"Right now, the most important thing is to help more people understand our youth, you idiot!"
Might Guy clenched his fist tightly, tears streaming from his large eyes as he looked at Rock Lee with a mix of disappointment and determination.
"Yes!"
"Guy-sensei, I was wrong!"
"Wahhhh!"
"My youth is far from as pure as yours!"
Rock Lee got up from the ground, tears streaming down his face as he embraced Might Guy tightly.
Naruto stared blankly at the scene before him.
"It's fine, Naruto, you'll get used to it."
"After all…"
Tenten patted Naruto's shoulder, trying to reassure him.
But then she noticed something was off with Naruto.
"This is…"
"Such a great deal!"
"I want it! I want it! I want it!"
"Guy-sensei!"
"I'll take a hundred!"
Naruto's eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked at Might Guy.
Warm, breathable, muscle-defining, youth-celebrating spandex!
Its only flaw was that it was too perfect!
"Naruto!"
"Guy-sensei!"
"Naruto!!"
"Guy-sensei!!"
Naruto and Might Guy embraced tightly, tears of joy streaming down their faces.
"..."
"...….I feel like things are only going to get more chaotic from here."
Neji finally broke the silence after a long pause.
"Yeah, no kidding…"
Tenten sighed as she watched the scene unfold.
Sakura had asked her to keep an eye on Naruto before she left…
But now it seemed completely unnecessary.
Naruto, Guy-sensei, and Lee were practically made for each other.
Land of Frost
Crunch
Once again stepping onto the familiar snow-covered ground, Sakura, draped in a snow-white cloak, couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.
Last time, she had been pulled from the battlefield due to Inner Sakura's interference. This time, she was determined to reclaim everything that was rightfully hers.
She had received the latest intelligence.
The Cloud ninja had been using guerrilla tactics to push Jiraiya to his limits.
The front lines had been forced to retreat repeatedly.
Even with the Hyuga clan's support, their formations were being rendered useless.
Moreover, a significant number of Hyuga ninja had been targeted by the Cloud.
Nearly twenty Hyuga ninja had already been killed.
This was unprecedented. The enemy had found a way to bypass the Byakugan's perception and carry out targeted assassinations.
This had spread unease throughout the ranks.
Although Jiraiya's reputation had managed to stabilize the situation for now, it wasn't a sustainable solution.
They needed to break the deadlock.
And with such heavy losses among the Hyuga clan, the silence from the Hyuga elders back in Konoha spoke volumes. They continued to send Byakugan users to the front lines without a word, but this unspoken pressure only added to Jiraiya's burden.
Ino widened her eyes as she took in the vast, white landscape.
The snow-covered plains stretched endlessly, with snow-laden pines resembling frost-covered trees. Even in Konoha's winter, such a sight was rare.
"Ino, stay alert."
"This is a battlefield."
Sakura's voice brought Ino back to reality.
Having known Ino for so many years, Sakura could practically tell what Ino had for lunch just by the way she walked.
It was a crude analogy, but it was true.
"Uh, yeah."
Ino's momentarily lifted spirits were quickly dampened.
Karin, for once, didn't engage in her usual bickering with Ino. The hardships she had endured since childhood had honed her instincts to a razor's edge.
In this unfamiliar territory, her first thought wasn't to admire the scenery but to remain vigilant against potential enemies.
Asuma glanced at the girls behind him but said nothing, simply urging the convoy to pick up the pace.
However, the thick snow significantly slowed their progress.
Even Asuma, a chain smoker, hadn't lit a single cigarette since leaving Konoha.
Until they reached the front lines, he had to remain on high alert.
The group trudged through the snow, moving slowly across the vast, white expanse.
Suddenly, Karin spoke up:
"There are people ahead, about twenty-four of them, roughly twenty kilometers away."
"Chakra signatures suggest two jonin and twelve chunin."
???
Ino stared at Karin in confusion.
Wait, how did you, red octopus, sense them from that far away?
"I haven't heard of any reinforcements meeting us in this area."
Sakura said calmly.
"Then they're enemies."
Asuma quietly pulled out his trench knives from his ninja tool pouch.
Before they had set out, the Hokage had emphasized Karin's importance.
She was a member of the Uzumaki clan, possessing the Uzumaki's unique sensory kekkei genkai, the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
Its range far surpassed that of the Byakugan.
Karin was the key to countering the Cloud's guerrilla tactics.
"It seems the Cloud's sensory ninja are quite skilled."
Facing an impending battle, Asuma pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes, took one, and lit it slowly.
"Karin, did you sense any of their sensory ninja?"
This area was within Konoha's territory.
It could be considered the rear of Konoha's forces. The fact that over twenty Cloud ninja had appeared here suggested they were well-informed about Konoha's deployments. They were likely targeting this supply convoy.
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