Chapter 254: Everything Under Control

 

The Sound Four raced through the forest with a large barrel strapped among them.

"So much for the opponent Orochimaru feared," Kidōmaru said. "He never discovered us. Our master worried for nothing."

"Stop talking nonsense," Tayuya snapped.

"How dull."

They continued without slowing.

Inside Konoha, a security patrol found Sakura before dawn. The village remained short of shinobi, but the defensive adjustments made during Tonbo's acting term and Tsunade's first days in office ensured that the residential routes were checked frequently.

"Sakura. Wake up."

By the time she opened her eyes, the moon had sunk far toward the horizon.

"What happened...?"

Then memory returned.

"Sasuke!"

The report reached the Hokage Tower in the middle of the night. Tsunade slammed one hand upon her desk.

"Kura, gather every available jōnin. Bring Sasuke Uchiha back."

As the last known Uchiha in Konoha, Sasuke could not be allowed to fall into Orochimaru's hands. His bloodline would strengthen an enemy who had already brought the village to the edge of disaster.

The office door opened before the ANBU messenger could leave. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado entered.

"No, Tsunade," Koharu said. "Konoha cannot afford to lose more of its strength tonight."

"You want me to hand Sasuke to Orochimaru?" Tsunade demanded. "Do you understand how dangerous that would be?"

"Most of our jōnin are already outside the village," Homura answered. "Their missions are part of Konoha's recovery. Those who remain are the minimum force required to defend it. If you send them all after one genin, an enemy could strike while the village is empty."

"But Sasuke—"

"He is not more important than Konoha," Koharu said. "Even if Orochimaru gains the Sharingan, the danger of his retaliation lies in the future. An undefended village would be in danger now."

Homura nodded. "The village comes first."

Tsunade's expression darkened. The two elders still tried to limit her despite her new title, and their interference infuriated her. Yet the depleted duty roster supported their warning.

"Then I will send Tonbo."

She knew he possessed more than enough power to recover Sasuke.

"Do not act on impulse," Koharu said. "Tonbo is one of Konoha's most important defenders. You have read the reports. Itachi Uchiha, the masked man, and Amegakure's leader could each inflict terrible losses. If Tonbo leaves and one of them attacks, who will accept responsibility?"

To the elders, Sasuke remained expendable beside the village itself. Orochimaru could be confronted later. The forces guarding Konoha could not be replaced tonight.

Their reasoning was brutal rather than careless. Konoha's enemies knew the village had lost its Third Hokage and many defenders. A sudden deployment of the remaining elite could be the opening an infiltrator was waiting for. Tsunade had inherited responsibility for every family behind the walls as well as the missing genin beyond them.

Tsunade hated the conclusion, but she could not ignore it.

"Kura, summon Nara Shikamaru. Immediately."

"Yes."

The ANBU vanished with a Body Flicker. This time the advisers did not object. Sending a newly promoted chūnin and a few genin would not meaningfully weaken the village's main defense, and refusing Tsunade every choice would undermine the Hokage they had helped install.

At the Nara home, Shikamaru woke beneath his blanket to a coded knock upon the window.

An emergency mission.

He changed out of his nightclothes, fastened his flak jacket, and checked his tools. An ANBU operative waited outside. Shikamaru gave the signal that he was ready, and they crossed the sleeping village toward the Tower.

Tsunade stood behind her desk when he entered.

"Emergency assignment. Gather whichever available shinobi you judge capable and recover Sasuke Uchiha. Move quickly. This is your first command since your promotion."

Shikamaru understood the urgency at once and forced away the last of his drowsiness.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

After he left, Tsunade glared at the empty doorway.

"Being Hokage is no fun at all."

She moved to the window. The moon was nearly gone behind the forest.

A team composed mostly of genin and one chūnin might not be enough. The pursuit had to remain small to preserve speed, but the enemies were powerful enough to infiltrate Konoha and carry Sasuke away.

"Notify the ANBU cipher division," she ordered. "Contact Sunagakure."

Tonbo had already resolved the main disputes with the Sand during his acting term. The Land of Wind accepted the controlled-resource exchange, and Konoha's firm position left its leaders little room to resist. Tsunade could now use the restored relationship to request support along the route.

Sand's assistance could not arrive immediately, and Tsunade did not know whether the pursuit would pass close enough for its shinobi to intervene. Even so, the message created another chance to stop the Sound Four if Shikamaru's team fell behind. In the village's current condition, she could not afford to ignore any ally Tonbo's negotiations had made available.

At Konoha's main gate, Shikamaru inspected his team. Naruto, Neji, Chōji, Kiba, and Akamaru carried the tools and supplies he required. He explained the mission, assigned their positions, and reviewed the basic signals.

"We depart."

Kiba grinned as the gates opened.

"New enemies, huh? If I get the chance, they can test my ultimate move."

Naruto's Thousand Years of Death had knocked him out of the earlier chance to duel Sasuke, an indignity Kiba had not forgotten. Now fate had given him another opportunity, though this time the mission was to bring Sasuke home.

Kiba considered himself the strongest member of the group. That meant taking on more responsibility—and, in his mind, the most dangerous enemy.

The team disappeared into the forest.

Four more figures followed after them.

Anyone capable of seeing through their concealment would have recognized all four as Tonbo.

The clones spread across the flanks and rear rather than joining Shikamaru's formation. They would remain unseen unless intervention became necessary. Tonbo wanted the young commander to make his own decisions, and he wanted the Sound Four to reveal their techniques without realizing a senior Konoha shinobi watched every stage.

"There goes a night of research," one Shadow Clone muttered. "Four clones wasted on babysitting."

Despite his confidence in the young shinobi, Tonbo could not rest while the timing differed so much from the future he remembered. The original pursuit had begun during daylight. This one started at night. His clones would protect the team if an unexpected change placed their lives in danger.

They also served a second purpose: making sure Sasuke reached Orochimaru alive and remained himself.

Tonbo had already prepared for the worst while Sasuke lay in the hospital. He had secretly altered the boy's body. For the next three years, Orochimaru would be unable to take it through reincarnation.

Even if Orochimaru discovered the interference, understanding and removing it would require time. Tonbo trusted his own work enough to let Sasuke enter the snake's lair.

With the pursuit ahead, four invisible safeguards behind, and a final contingency hidden inside Sasuke, Tonbo believed the situation remained under control.