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"All right, let's head out. The Land of Grass isn't far," Kakashi said, quickly cutting in to smooth things over.
"Never thought I'd be returning to the Land of Grass again," Shuuzawa muttered.
"You seem pretty nostalgic about it, Kakashi-senpai?" Shuuzawa tilted his head curiously as he glanced over at Kakashi. "But… didn't Uchiha Obito not die?"
Kakashi fell silent, his mood dropping. Why did this kid always bring up things he didn't want to discuss?
Obito hadn't died. That much was true. But the Obito Kakashi once knew had truly been buried in that land.
The person now known as Uchiha Obito was no longer human in the same way.
He had become a hollow shell—driven by rage and despair, lashing out at the world with no soul left inside.
Kakashi couldn't help but hold onto a sliver of hope. No matter what happened, he still wanted to bring Obito back.
Even if returning to the village meant punishment, at least it would be a path toward redemption. He didn't want to see Obito continue to wander the world like a soulless demon.
"This isn't something you'd understand," Kakashi sighed, his voice heavy. "And honestly, I hope you never have to. It's one of the most painful things a person can go through."
He didn't want to go into details, and though Shigenari Shuuzawa glanced at him, he didn't press the issue.
He might not fully understand Kakashi's pain, but it wasn't unfamiliar. After all, Hashirama had his Madara, Jiraiya had Orochimaru, and Naruto had Sasuke.
This kind of bond-turned-conflict wasn't anything new. Now, it was just Kakashi and Obito's turn in the cycle.
With their preparations complete, the six-man squad finally set off. Whatever other forces might have been trailing behind them didn't matter for now.
Their journey was lighthearted at times, with some banter along the way.
The Land of Fire remained peaceful. Though they ran into a few wandering samurai and rogue shinobi, none were looking for trouble.
However, the mood shifted after several days when they crossed the border into the Land of Grass.
The situation there was different—highway robbers, murders, and looting were everywhere.
"Why is this place such a mess?" Uchiha Itachi muttered, frowning.
He had come to the Land of Grass as a child, taken to the battlefield by his "good" father to face Iwagakure head-on. But even then, it hadn't seemed this chaotic.
"It's like this in most small countries," Kakashi said, scanning the surroundings and shaking his head. "Ignore them. Focus on the mission."
"But why are things like this?" Yuugao couldn't hold back her question. She had seen such situations, but something about it always left her uneasy.
"You idiot. If they didn't exist, what would we do?" Shuuzawa gave a helpless shrug.
"Small countries are vassals to the great shinobi villages. Their only use is giving us missions. These bandits and thieves aren't removed for a reason—because they can't be."
"They can't?" Tenzo blinked, confused. Back in Root, his only job was assassination. Danzō never taught him about anything else.
"More or less," Kakashi replied with a sigh. Since Shuuzawa already started the explanation, he felt obligated to finish it.
"The village needs income but prefers not to have problems inside its borders. So, small nations leave these bandits alone. Then their people post missions for us to eliminate them, keeping the system running."
"On top of that," Shuuzawa added, giving Yuugao a small smile, "these missions are also about prestige—defeating bandits builds our reputation against other villages. Let's not forget that young ninjas need real combat experience. Where else are they going to get it?"
"I see…" Yuugao looked pained by the explanation. She hadn't imagined it would be like this. Even Itachi seemed stunned.
He didn't say anything, but his mind was racing. Could the village operate this way?
"Don't be so upset, Yuugao." Shuuzawa gave her hand a gentle squeeze and grinned.
"Think about it. Why do these bandits even exist? It's because the daimyō and nobles suck their people dry. Most of these people were driven to banditry just to survive."
"Aside from a few real criminals, who would choose this life if they had a better option?"
"All right, that's enough of that!" Kakashi finally snapped. One thing was having a teammate with sharp insight, but Shuuzawa's mouth had no filter.
Some things just weren't meant to be said aloud. Who were they to judge, anyway? These bandits were the reason they got so many missions—and so much pay.
"Let's focus on our task. Some things are simply beyond our control."
"Yes," the others replied, though the mood had darkened.
Aside from Kakashi and Shuuzawa, the rest of the team seemed unusually quiet. Kakashi cast Shuuzawa a sharp glance but soon found himself distracted by a thought.
Wait… Danzō trained Shuuzawa, didn't he? Could all this insight be from him?
Kakashi's expression turned strange. Danzō raised Shuuzawa and Tenzo, but their personalities were completely different.
It was hard to believe they shared the same mentor. But maybe that explained why Shuuzawa understood the darker sides of the shinobi world so well.
"The old Warhawk, really…" Kakashi shook his head. He'd never thought of Danzō as a good man.
Not after being tricked into attempting to assassinate the Third Hokage or the experiments he'd heard whispers about.
The more Kakashi matured, the more disturbing truths he uncovered—including things connected to his father.
"Hm?" As they walked, Kakashi suddenly paused. Something had caught his attention.
Tenzo looked puzzled. "What is it?"
"There's something off," Kakashi replied, scanning the area while sniffing the air.
His sense of smell was nearly on par with the Inuzuka Clan—back during the Third Great Ninja War, he had relied on it to detect enemies early more than once.
Shigenari Shuuzawa also picked up on something at the same moment. His sensory abilities expanded outward, and his expression shifted.
"Be careful—it's an ambush!" he warned.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than explosions erupted around them.
Flames from the blasts surged toward the team in an instant. "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Both Shuuzawa and Kakashi formed hand signs at the same time. Two massive walls of water rose from the ground, clashing against the searing heat.
The collision created a dense mist that filled the area.
Just then, they felt the ground tremble beneath their feet. Shuuzawa noticed it first and quickly pulled Yuugao into the air with him.
"Watch your step!" he shouted.
His warning came just in time. Sharp earth spikes burst from the ground, aiming straight for the group.
Thanks to Shuuzawa's alert, they all jumped to safety, avoiding the deadly assault.
"Looks like someone rolled out the red carpet for us," Shuuzawa muttered as he scanned the surroundings.
Even through the thick mist, he locked onto the enemy's positions.
"So your name is Shigenari Shuuzawa, huh, brat?"
A gust of wind suddenly swept through the battlefield, scattering the water mist. The voice came with it—Scorpion's cold tone carried on the wind.
As the mist cleared, they saw him standing amidst a swarm of puppets, manipulating the puppet of the Third Kazekage cloaked in black chakra.
"I've been looking for you for quite some time."
"Are these the ones?" a second voice chimed in, unexpectedly calm.
Another man stepped into view—a man with dull green eyes, wearing the Akatsuki cloak with red clouds on black.
He examined the group, then slowly spoke. "I heard that among you are those with the Mangekyō Sharingan… and someone who can use both Wood Style and the Flying Thunder God Technique. I'm curious—just how strong are you?"
"This is bad…" Kakashi muttered. Just the sight of those two told him how serious the situation was.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had warned them this mission might turn troublesome, but he hadn't expected this level of danger.
Scorpion's intel had already reached Konoha—Shuuzawa hadn't kept his encounters a secret.
But the puppet master's abilities were even more terrifying than the reports described.
As for the other man, Kakashi vaguely remembered his name: Kakuzu. A bounty hunter.
There wasn't much intelligence on him. The reason? None of his targets had ever survived.
He was a living legend, and his lack of known weaknesses made him much more dangerous. Kakashi didn't want to fight these two.
Even with superior numbers, that meant nothing against enemies like them.
"So it's you," a voice cut in before Kakashi could speak. It was Shuuzawa.
"Thanks again for your hospitality in Sunagakure. If it weren't for you, that mission wouldn't have gone nearly as smoothly—or ended as easily."
Kakashi stared in disbelief. Is this guy seriously provoking them right now?
Sure enough, Scorpion's expression twisted at Shuuzawa's words. His irritation turned to a quiet smile after a pause.
"Last time was my mistake," he said softly. "So this time…" With a subtle twitch of his fingers, the skies turned deadly.
Countless puppets surged forward, raining down with a storm of hidden weapons—shuriken, needles, and more—swarming toward the team without pause.
"You're all going to die here," Scorpion vowed, his voice echoing through the battlefield.
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