Danzo leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp. "You're right about one thing—Inoiki is powerful. But that doesn't make him trustworthy. We don't have enough history to place full confidence in him."
Koharu nodded in agreement. "Exactly. His strength isn't the issue—it's his reliability."
Tsunade's patience finally thinned. "What the hell are you talking about?" she snapped, her voice rising. "Do you even hear yourselves? This isn't some political appointment where loyalty to a faction matters—this is a field mission that requires strength and control. Inoiki has both."
She fixed them with a glare. "If anything, it seems like you're the ones letting personal bias cloud your judgment. Isn't that what you accused me of?"
Her words hit hard—blunt and deliberate.
Koharu remained unmoved. "Regardless, we cannot allow Naruto to leave the village based solely on trust in Inoiki. That decision is final."
Tsunade clenched her fists under the table, a flicker of fury in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to put these relics in their place—but she forced herself to stay composed.
"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "Then what exactly do you propose? Because Naruto is going on this mission. That's not up for debate."
Danzo answered calmly. "Then allow me to send an additional ANBU operative. Someone under my direction. He has unique skills that could prove useful, especially in the event of an emergency. He's capable of flight through a specialized ninjutsu—ideal for extractions if the situation turns volatile."
He carefully avoided mentioning Root—that name had been officially buried by the Third Hokage after the Uchiha massacre.
Tsunade paused for a moment, thinking. Then she spoke, her voice firm but even. "Fine. You can send your ninja. But I'll also be assigning an ANBU operative of my own—someone specifically trained to suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra. With both of them on this mission, I assume none of you have any further objections?"
Danzo, Koharu, and Homura exchanged a brief glance before nodding in agreement, offering no further protest.
With nothing left to discuss, Tsunade stood up without another word and walked out of the meeting room, her footsteps brisk and purposeful.
Shizune hurried after her. "Lady Tsunade… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to undermine you. I just— I was genuinely worried about Naruto leaving the village."
Tsunade waved a hand, brushing the apology aside. "I'm not angry with you, Shizune. I know you acted out of concern. But those old relics…" she muttered, irritation creeping back into her tone, "they never stop interfering with my work."
She returned to her office, where the tension in her shoulders slowly eased. Taking her seat, she rang the summoning bell on her desk.
Moments later, an ANBU operative appeared before her in a flicker of motion, kneeling respectfully.
"Lady Hokage," the ANBU operative said, bowing slightly. "What are your orders?"
Tsunade leaned forward slightly, her tone direct. "Tomorrow, you'll be shadowing Team Kakashi on their mission. You'll have two primary objectives. First, Danzo is sending a ninja of his own. I want you to keep a close eye on him—monitor his actions and report anything suspicious."
The ANBU nodded, silently attentive.
"Second," Tsunade continued, "if Naruto loses control and Inoiki struggles to contain the Nine-Tails' chakra, you're to step in immediately. Your unique skill set—including the Wood Release technique once used by my grandfather—makes you the best candidate for this role."
She paused, then added, "There's no need to wear standard ANBU gear. It won't make a difference—Inoiki will sense your presence regardless. You'll operate under the guise of a regular Jōnin."
The ANBU gave a slight smile behind his mask. "Understood. I'll need a name to use. How about… Yamato?" After saying this, he removed his mask.
Tsunade nodded. "As you wish. Good luck out there, Yamato."
----
The next morning, Inoiki woke early and prepared for his mission. His attire was unchanged—pure black clothing, his Konoha forehead protector, everything in place. The only new detail was the sword now strapped across his back—the same chakra sword he had distributed to his friends the night before.
As Ino, who was also preparing for her own mission, noticed the weapon, she paused and raised an eyebrow.
"You're carrying a sword now?" she asked. "Why the change?"
Inoiki adjusted the strap over his shoulder. "I'm working on something new—learning to restrain my chakra use. I want to stop relying on overwhelming force and focus instead on efficiency. Use less chakra, but with more precision. My goal is to create perfect balance in battle."
Ino nodded thoughtfully. "That's smart. You've trained your body hard enough—your physical strength alone is a weapon. Pairing that with chakra control could give you a real edge."
Inoiki offered a faint smile. "Exactly. Anyway, I should head out. The team meeting is about to start."
Ino nodded and wished him luck as he stepped out.
Soon after, Inoiki arrived at the village gates, where Kotetsu and Izumo stood on duty.
"Off on a mission?" Izumo asked, noticing the gear.
Inoiki nodded. "Yeah. Just waiting for Team Kakashi to arrive."
Kotetsu tilted his head. "You're working with them now?"
"Temporarily," Inoiki replied. "This assignment came directly from Lady Hokage."
Both gatekeepers nodded in understanding. They knew that if Tsunade had formed such a special team, the mission was important.
Just then, Naruto and Sakura arrived together. Neither of them was carrying the sword Inoiki had given them, but he wasn't surprised. They had never trained with swords before—it would take time to develop familiarity or techniques suited to the weapon. No one masters something new overnight.
Naruto raised a hand and called out cheerfully, "Hey, Inoiki!"
Inoiki nodded in greeting. "Morning."
But before another word could be exchanged, a sudden movement cut through the air—a white ink eagle dove straight toward Inoiki from above.
Inoiki didn't flinch.
The moment the eagle came within a foot of him, it burst apart, splattering ink across the ground.
Inoiki's hand moved to the hilt of the sword on his back. "Wait here," he said calmly to Naruto and Sakura.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
High above, seated on a nearby rooftop, Sai—the source of the attack—watched intently. But the moment he saw Inoiki disappear, his expression shifted. His fingers began forming the seal for the Body Flicker Technique, but he froze.
Cold steel touched the side of his neck.
A sword was resting against his throat, unmoving and precise.
From behind him, Inoiki's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Who are you? And why did you just attack me? Choose your words carefully… or your head will be flying before you can blink."
----
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