This mission is indeed very special; it is not an ordinary mission, but an important mission directly assigned by the village.
Since the outbreak of the war in the Land of Rain, the entire village has been in a tense atmosphere, and the border areas have entered a state of high alert.
In response to potential threats, the village continuously dispatched more ninjas to various border regions to strengthen its defenses.
Located in the southeast of the Land of Fire, bordering the Land of Water, this area forms an important defensive line.
The Third Hokage was well aware of the importance of this defensive line, so he personally went to the Uchiha clan and had an in-depth conversation with the current head of the Uchiha clan.
After the conversation, the Third Hokage made an important decision: to dispatch a large number of Konoha ninja, mainly from the Uchiha clan, to the southeastern border defense line to shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending against Kirigakure.
Although this decision seems simple, it actually has three profound implications.
On one hand, the Uchiha clan, as an important force in the village, possesses outstanding strength and combat experience, which can effectively enhance the defensive capabilities of the line of defense.
On the one hand, involving the Uchiha clan in this mission demonstrates the Third Hokage's trust in and regard for them, which helps to ease the tension between the Uchiha clan and the village.
Finally, if Kirigakure were to actually invade the Land of Fire, they could take the opportunity to strike at the Uchiha's power and weaken the Uchiha clan's strength.
However, the Konoha leadership, led by the Third Hokage, did not go too far.They did not leave the Uchiha clan to face the immense pressure from Kirigakure alone, but instead adopted a relatively moderate approach.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado did consider using Kirigakure to weaken the Uchiha clan, but they ultimately lacked the ruthlessness and shamelessness of Danzo Shimura, and couldn't bring themselves to suggest that the Uchiha clan fight a village alone.
The three boys received orders from the ANBU and quickly arrived at the Hokage's office.Standing in the center of the Hokage's office, they looked exceptionally spirited.
Hatake Kaede received the mission scroll from the Third Hokage, unfolded it, and the mission details were displayed before him.This mission was to escort a shipment of important supplies to the southeastern border, and the mission difficulty was set at Rank B.
The Third Hokage explained, "Due to the impact of the war, the village has accumulated a large number of missions and requests.Although this mission is relatively simple, it is very urgent, and because it requires leaving the village, it carries a certain degree of danger.Therefore, I have decided to send you to complete this mission."
Hatake Kaede gripped the mission scroll tightly: "Third Hokage, please rest assured, the Teruharu Squad will do its utmost!"
The Third Hokage picked up the pipe on the table and took a deep drag.
"I'm sorry, children," the Third Hokage's voice was deep and gentle, "your instructor, Jonin Yuhi Teruharu, will not be participating in this mission."
He paused, as if considering how to phrase it, "He has more important tasks to complete."
Upon hearing this, the three children's expressions changed.Sarutobi Shota was the first to lose his composure, asking excitedly, "Third Hokage, what does this mean?Does this mean our Teruharu Squad is disbanding?"
The Third Hokage looked at Shota Sarutobi with a slight smile.He shook his head and said, "Hehehe, of course not, child.It's just that your instructor, Jonin Yuhi Teruharu, has a more important mission and cannot leave for the time being."
"Don't worry, kids.Although Yuhi Teruharu can't participate in this mission, he specifically instructed me before he left to tell you that Hatake Kaede can serve as the team leader for this mission."
Shota Sarutobi and Haruyu Yuhi exchanged a glance and then nodded, indicating that they had no objection to the captain's arrangement.
So, Hatake Kaede stepped forward and said without hesitation, "Yes, Third Hokage, we will definitely complete the mission."
After a brief pause, Hatake Kaede bid farewell to the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage smiled and said, "Go, children!You are the future of Konoha!"
Hatake Kaede bowed and left the Hokage Building with Shota Sarutobi and Yoharu Yuhi.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Hatake Kaede explained the details of the mission to Shota and Haruhi Suzumiya.Before long, the two had a thorough understanding of the mission's objectives.
Immediately afterwards, Hatake Kaede, Shota, and Haru discussed and confirmed the departure time and place.After everything was arranged, the three children smiled at each other, and then, as if on cue, turned around and went to prepare their respective equipment.
When Hatake Kaede returned home, he was surprised to find his father, Hatake Sakumo, standing in the living room organizing his equipment.
"Hey, Old man, what are you up to?" Hatake Kaede curiously stepped forward and teased with a grin, "Judging from your posture, are you going out on a mission too?"
Hatake Sakumo was already used to his son's "mischief." He looked up and glared at Hatake Kaede with annoyance: "Hmph, you brat, how dare you talk to your father like that!"
He continued, "Your old man is a Jonin in the village, going on missions is just a regular occurrence for me!"
Hatake Kaede wasn't angry at his father's retort.Instead, he grinned and continued to ask, "So where are you going on your mission this time?It's not to the Land of Wind, is it?"
Hatake Sakumo suddenly stopped what he was doing.He glanced at the equipment he was organizing and immediately understood how his son knew the destination of his mission.
Damn, this kid has really good eyesight!
"You can't just ask about ninja missions, don't you know that?" Hatake Sakumo said to Hatake Kaede with a stern face.
In front of Hatake Kaede, Hatake Sakumo was completely unable to show any of his abilities.The stern image of a "strict father".
He casually waved his hand, a nonchalant expression on his face, and muttered, "Come on, Old man!What are you trying to prove to me?I'm not the kind of person who talks big."
Immediately afterward, Hatake Kaede seemed unfazed by his father's attitude and continued unhurriedly, "I guess the village sent you to the Land of Wind this time to gather intelligence on Sunagakure, right?"
Hatake Sakumo was startled when he heard this.
He thought to himself that although some people knew about this mission, it was absolutely impossible for his son to be involved.
However, it was quite unexpected that Hatake Kaede could guess the true purpose of the mission so accurately.
Then, Hatake Sakumo stared curiously at his son, Hatake Kaede, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
He was amazed by his son's insight and also became very interested in how he had learned the news.
After a moment of silence, Hatake Sakumo finally couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked calmly, "How did you know I was going to gather information about Sunagakure?Who told you?"
Hatake Kaede glanced at his father with disdain, then explained to Hatake Sakumo, "Do I need anyone to tell me?Isn't it obvious?It's too quiet!The defenses of the Land of Wind are just too quiet."
"The village is currently engaged in fierce fighting with the Land of Rain.If I were the Third Kazekage, I would definitely launch an attack while the village's attention is mostly focused on the battlefield in the Land of Rain."
Hatake Sakumo interrupted, "Wait a minute.Why launch an attack now?Why not wait until the village has invested more resources in the Land of Rain before launching the attack?"
"Kid, don't forget.Sunagakure can wait until both Sunagakure and Amegakure are weakened before launching an attack.They'll profit even more then!"
Hatake Kaede nodded noncommittally and said to Hatake Sakumo, "Old Man, you're absolutely right.The best time for Sunagakure is to wait until both Sunagakure and Amegakure are exhausted before striking and reaping the rewards.That's when we can maximize our profits."
"However, you've overlooked two unfavorable factors.First, is Amegakure capable of mutually damaging itself against the village?Second, I've heard Lady Tsunade say (placing the blame on Tsunade), that Sunagakure doesn't seem to have a very good relationship with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind!"
Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo suddenly understood.Waiting for Sunagakure to intervene later was the optimal solution, but the longer it dragged on, the greater the depletion of their military resources.Sunagakure simply couldn't afford to wait any longer.
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