Chapter 111: Special Operations
To be fair, Naruto's reasoning was convincing enough that most people present accepted it immediately.
Even Kakashi felt Naruto's explanation sounded both reasonable and unexpectedly warm-hearted.
Meanwhile, certain Konoha higher-ups standing near the front—who originally felt Naruto was acting somewhat recklessly—couldn't really object either.
After all—
Why exactly Uchiha Shisui lacked even a single surviving relative capable of offering flowers…
They understood that situation all too clearly.
Objecting now would only make things awkward for themselves.
Especially the Third Hokage.
Hearing Naruto's "heartfelt words," Hiruzen felt genuinely moved.
Naturally, he approved Naruto offering flowers on behalf of the family.
After all—
Hiruzen deeply wished for Naruto to develop this kind of mentality:
Becoming "family" to all of Konoha.
Thus, Naruto successfully approached the coffin.
And while bowing to place the flowers, he finally saw the person lying within clearly.
At the same time—
Kurama instantly recognized him as the mysterious Akatsuki member who stopped him during the Uchiha massacre night.
So he really was Konoha's undercover operative within Akatsuki?
Besides Uchiha Itachi, there was another one?
And now he's dead?
Wait…
Did the previous timeline simply hide this from Naruto because his clearance level wasn't high enough back then?
Naruto instinctively activated his sensory abilities slightly.
Any living being carrying hostility or malice would never escape his perception.
Yet—
The Uchiha Shisui inside the coffin possessed no presence whatsoever.
After quietly placing a Flying Thunder God marker onto the body, Naruto slowly straightened up.
Then, looking at the peaceful young face resting within the coffin—
Naruto unexpectedly paused for a moment.
Afterward—
He bowed deeply once again.
"Although I never knew you personally…"
"And only learned your story today…"
"Thank you very much for everything you did for Konoha."
"From today onward…"
"I'll remember your name forever."
Naruto's voice remained calm.
Yet everyone present—being experienced shinobi—heard every word clearly.
"As a fellow shinobi of Konoha…"
"I'm your junior."
"And although this might be presumptuous…"
Naruto smiled gently.
"It's an honor to offer flowers for you on behalf of your family."
Those words…
Were truly from Naruto's heart.
A genuine expression of respect toward a hero of Konoha.
Soon afterward, the coffin lid slowly closed.
And as the funeral ceremony finally concluded, everyone gradually dispersed after brief farewells.
Meanwhile, Guy apparently had another mission immediately afterward.
He barely exchanged a few words before hurrying away again.
Naruto didn't even have enough time to ask the thick-eyebrowed uncle about Lee's and Neji's recent situations.
"So it's over?"
Naruto looked toward Kakashi somewhat wistfully.
"It's over."
Kakashi nodded quietly.
He didn't say much more.
After all, this had merely been a temporary memorial gathering.
For strangers, Uchiha Shisui simply became another name added to Konoha's Memorial Stone.
And for those who knew him—
They had already accepted years ago that he was supposedly a missing-nin traitor.
There wasn't much emotional fluctuation left anymore.
Truthfully, Kakashi himself felt similarly.
Still—
He could clearly sense Naruto's current mood.
Which was why he remained behind.
"This…"
Kakashi's tone softened slightly.
"Is a path every shinobi eventually walks, Naruto."
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei."
After a long silence, Naruto nodded.
Then surprisingly, he quickly seemed to recover his energy.
"Alright!"
"Since you're back now, we can finally start accepting higher-ranked missions again!"
"Sasuke and Hinata are probably already waiting for us at mission assignment!"
"Ah…"
Kakashi awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"About that…"
"There's still some troublesome business that hasn't been resolved yet…"
Just as Kakashi searched desperately for excuses—
A familiar lazy yet alluring female voice suddenly sounded nearby.
"So the 'troublesome business' you're referring to…"
"Wouldn't happen to be me, would it?"
Naruto instinctively turned toward the voice.
Approaching them was a stunning older woman dressed in deep blue almost-black clothing.
"This isn't that Mizukage lady?"
Kurama's voice immediately echoed in Naruto's mind, filled with confusion.
"Big sis, you're the Mizukage?"
Naruto stared at Mei Terumī in complete disbelief.
"Hm?"
Mei blinked playfully.
"I'm the Mizukage?"
"Who told you that, little brother?"
"Ah! No no no!"
Naruto immediately panicked.
"I mean, are you from… Water Hidden Village?"
"Looks like Konoha really doesn't teach geography properly."
Mei laughed lazily.
"It's not 'Water Hidden Village.'"
"It's Hidden Mist Village."
Naruto quietly sighed in relief.
Meanwhile, Kurama immediately explained inside his mind.
"Oh right."
"This old man forgot she technically isn't the Mizukage yet."
"She becomes one later."
Kurama, maybe you should talk less from now on…
"Alright."
Kakashi smoothly interrupted before things became more awkward.
"You already attended Shisui Uchiha's memorial service."
"And you've also witnessed the Fourth Mizukage's request toward Konoha."
Then he looked toward Mei.
"So where exactly do you plan on going next?"
"Going?"
Mei smiled lazily.
"I'm not planning on going anywhere."
"Hm?"
Kakashi blinked.
"But didn't the Mizukage order you not to return to Kirigakure until the Chūnin Exams?"
"Exactly."
Mei nodded naturally.
"So during that time, I'll simply stay in Konoha."
Kakashi blinked repeatedly.
Clearly questioning whether his ears malfunctioned.
"Wait."
"I need to confirm this."
"You mean you'll literally remain inside Konoha the entire time?"
"Well…"
Mei stretched lazily.
"Not exactly."
"Oh, thank god."
Kakashi visibly relaxed.
"Otherwise I'd really need to spend half a year personally monitoring you, and that would be—"
"No need to worry."
Mei instantly interrupted him.
"I understand the rules."
"Even though our villages are allies, I'm still ultimately a Kirigakure shinobi."
"So naturally Konoha would keep me under surveillance."
"I fully understand that."
Then she smiled brightly.
"I won't make things difficult for you."
"When your team leaves the village for missions, I'll simply leave alongside you."
The moment those words fell—
Three suspicious gazes instantly locked onto Kakashi and Mei simultaneously.
"In other words…"
Hinata slowly summarized.
"Because Kakashi-sensei needs to stay in Konoha and personally monitor Miss Mei Terumī…"
"We'll continue handling chores— I mean…"
"Low-ranked missions."
"Hinata."
Sasuke coldly added from the side.
"You don't need to fix your wording."
"... That's basically the situation."
Kakashi helplessly nodded.
At last, Sasuke and Hinata fully understood why Naruto returned from the memorial with an extra person beside him.
"Can't the village assign someone else?"
Sasuke immediately asked.
"Oh?"
Mei laughed softly.
"Little handsome boy, besides your Kakashi-sensei…"
"There probably aren't many Jōnin in Konoha capable of monitoring me properly."
"After all…"
She deliberately leaned slightly closer toward Kakashi.
"I'm currently Kirigakure's strongest active Jōnin."
"And you should also respect my wishes."
"I can't exactly be treated like a prisoner."
"After all, Kirigakure and Konoha are allies now."
"Really?"
Sasuke and Hinata immediately looked toward Kakashi.
Kakashi nodded with an expression of complete honesty.
Then both children turned toward Naruto instead.
Silently asking for confirmation.
Thus—
The three Genin began collectively glancing suspiciously back and forth between Kakashi and Mei.
Mei herself looked completely unconcerned.
In fact, she deliberately leaned even closer toward Kakashi with an increasingly ambiguous posture.
Naturally—
The three Genin became even more suspicious.
"Then let's ask the village for a replacement Jōnin instructor."
Naruto's clever little brain suddenly produced another "brilliant" idea.
"We'll just leave Kakashi-sensei inside the village."
"There's no way we should keep wasting our youth doing boring chores because of this!"
Sasuke and Hinata both looked visibly tempted after thinking about it.
Honestly…
That didn't sound impossible.
"Alright, stop messing around."
Kakashi finally realized he might genuinely get kicked off the team and immediately stopped joking.
"Just endure it a little longer."
"Everything's already been approved by the village."
"After all…"
Kakashi's expression finally became more serious.
"Mei Terumī is still a foreign shinobi."
"So she obviously can't openly participate in Konoha missions."
"And because Team Seven currently has both a Jōnin and a Chūnin leading the squad…"
"We've already applied for a special long-term external operation."
"A special operation?"
"Correct."
Kakashi nodded calmly.
"For at least the next half-year…"
"Team Seven will conduct external investigations outside the village."
Then he pointed toward Mei standing beside him.
"Together with our allied shinobi from Kirigakure…"
"We'll investigate Akatsuki."
"And search for someone."
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> [email protected]/AiraTales7 (replace @ with a)