"Send our squad to scout the movements of the Sand Ninja?"
Uchiha Takashi tossed the mission scroll in his hand, glancing at the Root ninja who delivered the message.
Compared to regular messengers, Danzo trusted the Root more, so it was normal for them to deliver orders.
"Yes!"
The Root messenger nodded.
Danzo must be panicking!
Uchiha Takashi realized this.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been tasked with leading such a mission.
"I'll set off immediately!"
Though Uchiha Takashi had a rebellious streak, he knew he couldn't defy an official mission and agreed to leave right away.
Whoosh! The Root ninja vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
Uchiha Takashi quickly packed up his fishing rod and set off.
First, he needed to rendezvous with Yamakawa Koji and Hyuga Aotsuki.
Especially the latter.
Her Byakugan was essential for reconnaissance; they couldn't manage without her.
It only took half a day to find the two.
"Alright, pause your current mission. We're going to scout the movements of the Sand Ninja army!"
The mission to attack the supply convoy was put on hold.
The Sand Ninja were in a dire state; it wouldn't be right to keep hitting them.
Yes, before crossing over, he only knew from the anime that the Sand Ninja were unpredictable and didn't have a good impression of them.
But after crossing over, he realized it wasn't entirely their fault.
Konoha had pushed them to the brink (by taking over most of the missions from the Land of Wind), so it wasn't surprising they retaliated with a 'righteous backstab.'
Perhaps that's why Konoha forgave the Sand Ninja several times.
"Understood!" *2 So, their ninja squad, consisting of one elite Jonin and two quasi-Kage level ninjas, set off.
Uchiha Takashi also saw the plight of the civilians in the occupied areas.
The result was... unbearable.
It wasn't the Sand Ninja's doing.
To be fair, the Sand Ninja's invading force was only a few thousand strong, not enough to cause widespread devastation even if they were 'superhuman.'
The real problem was bandits, powerful clans, and nobles... and so on.
They were thrilled by the Sand Ninja's invasion.
Things they couldn't do before were now possible.
After all, the 'Sand Ninja' would take the blame.
In short, all the bad deeds were attributed to the Sand Ninja, while they remained 'innocent.'
Human lives were as insignificant as grass! In the ninja world, ordinary people and ninjas were two completely different kinds of beings.
For ninjas, losing a few hundred to a thousand was considered 'heavy casualties,' but for ordinary people, it was just a number.
The reconnaissance mission was no challenge for their squad, and they quickly gathered a wealth of information.
They also discovered an important trump card of the Sand Ninja.
An old monk, with hair and beard as white as snow, sat in a cage covered with sealing runes, joining the Sand Ninja army.
"...Bunpuku, the One-Tail Jinchuriki?"
Uchiha Takashi murmured to himself.
The others didn't know the identity of the person.
Because each village's Jinchuriki was a top secret.
Just like Uzumaki Kushina being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, not many in Konoha knew about it.
Uchiha Takashi knew because he was a 'transmigrator.'
However, he didn't plan to report this information.
Because he couldn't explain how he knew the person was the Sand Ninja's Jinchuriki.
After sending the reconnaissance information back, Team 404 began their return journey.
As they passed through a village reduced to ruins by fire, Hyuga Aotsuki suddenly stopped and looked towards a corner.
"What is it?"
Uchiha Takashi knew she wouldn't stop for no reason.
"There's someone there!"
Hyuga Aotsuki pointed to the still-smoking ruins of the village.
In a war zone, this wasn't uncommon, but they hadn't stopped before.
There were too many such situations, and even if they wanted to help, they couldn't save everyone, so it was better to turn a blind eye.
This time was an exception.
"Let's take a look!"
Uchiha Takashi was intrigued.
If Hyuga Aotsuki spoke up, it must be an unusual situation.
As for Yamakawa Koji?
He was the squad's muscle and engineer, silent and reliable, not one to voice opinions easily.
Soon, Uchiha Takashi spotted the target.
A blue-haired girl, not yet ten, lay on the ground, blood slowly oozing from her waist. If left untreated, she would soon die.
"This is..."
Uchiha Takashi crouched down, his gaze fixed on the girl's hand.
She held a pink, blood-stained crystal, and not far away lay the corpse of a bandit.
"It's a crystal made from chakra!"
Hyuga Aotsuki added, explaining why she had stopped.
A crystal made from chakra?
An image of a beautiful blue-haired woman appeared in Uchiha Takashi's mind.
Guren!
The future follower of Orochimaru, the blue-haired woman with the Crystal Release kekkei genkai.
Calculating the age, she should be around eight or nine now, and the blue hair matched.
The opponent's skeletal frame and appearance were indeed a far cry from the future's beautiful and strong demeanor. If it weren't for the unique Crystal Release bloodline limit, it would have been hard to recognize her. If it was her, then she would grow to start at the level of an 'elite jonin.'
Thinking of her loyal dog-like personality, Uchiha Takashi took out a bottle of healing liquid from his tactical belt and gave it to her before standing up.
"Take her with us!"
With that, he stood up and left.
Perhaps he had accumulated enough good fortune recently, which is why he managed to draw this SR-level character in one go.
Loyal and powerful! With these two qualities, it's already quite good, not to mention her top-notch appearance.
Having such a capable and attractive female subordinate, who needs anything else?
Moreover, her potential is inherently at the elite jonin level. With enough resources invested, reaching Kage level isn't out of the question.
There's no helping it; mastering core technology is just that domineering.
The most unfortunate might be 'Orochimaru.'
After all, this counts as snatching his future subordinate, but if he doesn't know, it doesn't count as snatching (Orochimaru: I've got something to say, and I'm saying it today!).
'What a lucky guy!'
Yamakawa Koji thought as he looked at her small face, bending down to carry her over his shoulder.
Yes, she was indeed lucky.
In the harsh ninja world, people die everywhere, but she was saved by them. How could she not be lucky?
"Is it a bloodline limit?"
Hyuga Aotsuki turned her head to glance at the blue-haired girl being carried like a straw doll on Yamakawa Koji's shoulder, hesitantly asking.
A bloodline limit!
It's not something common, and she still found it hard to believe.
"It is!"
Uchiha Takashi nodded.
He was in a good mood, after all, he had picked up a subordinate with limitless potential for free.
At the same time, he was contemplating which of Orochimaru's future subordinates he could intercept (Orochimaru: Please, just be a decent person!).
There's no helping it; since Orochimaru has a good eye, it's better to intercept than to cultivate on his own.
The team first made a stop in the Land of Rivers on their way back.
Then, in less than two days, they returned to Kikyo Mountain.
They didn't bring back the girl they picked up, Guren.
Why bring her back?
They weren't planning to supply talent to Konoha, so they settled her in the Land of Rivers laboratory, planning to deal with it after the war.
But as soon as they returned, they were called to a strategy meeting.
The Sand Ninja army was about to attack Kikyo Mountain, and at such a critical time, a strategy meeting was essential.
Others might not need to attend, but Uchiha Takashi certainly couldn't be absent.
The strategy meeting was held in the commander's office, not the usual meeting room, indicating it was a small meeting, not a large one.
Uchiha Takashi arrived right on time.
By then, the others were already getting a bit impatient.
Besides the Konoha F3, there was a pineapple-headed individual, but it wasn't Nara Shikaku, rather a younger version.
Nara Shikaku!
He was also the leader of the jonin squad, an elite jonin.
He was temporarily at Kikyo Mountain.
"Hmph, some jonin sure have a big attitude, making us elders wait!"
Koharu Utatane said sarcastically.
She was naturally petty, and with her clan constantly saying Uchiha Takashi was targeting her family, it was normal for her to vent a little.
"Can't help it, I'm busy, unlike some people who just sit in the office all day!"
Uchiha Takashi retorted sarcastically.
He wouldn't have dared to speak like this before, as she was a senior advisor elder, and her clan was at the top of Konoha's food chain.
But now?
Sorry, his exposed strength was 'quasi-Kage level,' and with Sage Mode, at least 'strong Kage level,' so he wasn't afraid.
With a sharp blade in hand, the intent to kill arises! This was the biggest reason his personality had changed from before.
Without power, acting humble is wisdom; with power, acting humble is cowardice.
Since he couldn't be a small, invisible figure anymore, he naturally couldn't stay low-key.
"You... you!"
Koharu Utatane trembled with anger.
As a Konoha advisor elder, even Sannin and White Fang-level Kage-level powerhouses wouldn't dare be disrespectful, yet this brat dared to speak to her like this.
"What, did I say something wrong?"
Uchiha Takashi pressed his advantage.
The Utatane and Mitokado clans had troubled him before, and he hadn't forgotten. Now, given the chance, he naturally retaliated.
With no desires, one is strong!
Other powerhouses had too many concerns, but Uchiha Takashi had none, so he could confront them as he wished.
"Enough, we're here to discuss how to face the Sand Ninja, let's not waste time!"
Danzo, seeing Koharu Utatane at a loss, felt quite pleased.
Serves you right for siding with the monkey all the time, but he knew now wasn't the time for this, so he got straight to the point.
"You just give the orders, I have no objections!"
Uchiha Takashi replied, inwardly sneering.
Being included in a 'small meeting,' if successful, the credit goes to the commander and the two advisor elders, but if it fails, it's the 'decision-makers' fault. Did they think he didn't understand?
This tactic might be clever in the ninja world, but to Uchiha Takashi, who had seen countless schemes, it seemed a bit basic.
"Shikaku, explain our arrangements...!"
Danzo frowned slightly, giving up on troubling Uchiha Takashi for now.
The priority was dealing with the Sand Ninja army; everything else could wait until after victory.
"Yes, Lord Danzo...!"
Nara Shikaku began explaining the arrangements for the next day.
The meeting ended quickly, and now it was just a matter of waiting for the Sand Ninja army's attack the next day.
(End of Chapter)