Chapter 43: The Team
Hiruzen handed Tonbo a mission file across the desk.
"I am entrusting this to you."
The report contained a chain of intelligence from the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Iron. Kumogakure shinobi had become unusually active in the region, apparently conducting reconnaissance. An ANBU operative had returned with the latest information on the brink of death, and several experienced spies had already been lost.
"We suspect the Land of Lightning intends to disrupt cooperation between Fire and Iron," Hiruzen said. "That would threaten Konoha's largest supply route for shinobi tools. I want you to reinforce patrols along our northern border. Your sensory ability is particularly valuable there."
The danger extended beyond trade. genin, chūnin, and most jōnin relied heavily on kunai, shuriken, wire, explosive tags, and specialized weapons. Much of the ore and finished equipment came through the Land of Iron. A serious shortage would weaken Konoha at every level.
Kumogakure did not need to invade the Land of Fire to inflict damage. A few destroyed caravans, frightened merchants, or forged attacks blamed on Konoha could make the neutral samurai reconsider the route. By the time prices rose and armories began rationing supplies, the original infiltrators might be safely home.
Tonbo scratched his head. "What about my work with the Barrier Team?"
Hiruzen had only recently assigned him an extra day of research each week. Now a border mission threatened to overturn his schedule completely.
Worse, friction with Kumogakure was rarely simple or safe. Ayame had recently confirmed that she was pregnant. Tonbo wanted to remain in Konoha, where he could care for her, not spend months watching a distant frontier.
"The barrier project can wait," Hiruzen said. "The border takes priority. I have selected three shinobi to form a patrol unit with you. You already know its captain, Shirakumo Hayama."
"And the other two?"
The Hokage smiled. "You will meet them at the gate."
Tonbo complained silently. Concealing the identities of his own teammates served no operational purpose. Inaccurate or incomplete information could ruin a mission before it began. Apparently Hiruzen simply enjoyed the surprise.
"Fine. But please find a replacement for me as soon as possible."
Hiruzen looked surprised. Tonbo rarely objected to assignments.
"If you have an urgent matter, the others can depart first. You could follow in several days."
"Nothing that prevents me from serving. My wife is pregnant, and shinobi work is never safe. I would rather not leave her worrying long enough to affect her health."
Hiruzen's expression softened. "I understand. I will try to rotate another shinobi into your place early."
He could not promise an immediate replacement. Sensory shinobi capable of operating near hostile jōnin were scarce, and assigning someone merely to satisfy Tonbo's domestic concerns would endanger the entire patrol. Still, he would watch for the first safe opportunity.
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He had experienced the same conflict between duty and family. Even now, he worried about Asuma in the capital. News that his older son's wife was expecting a child had brought some comfort to an aging father.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Tonbo left the office and walked home through Konoha in a dark mood. He had believed weekly overtime was inconvenient. Border patrol was worse—exhausting, dangerous, and second only to espionage in the amount of misery it could produce.
Patrol meant long hours moving through the same forests, sleeping lightly, and treating every broken branch as a possible ambush. If Kumogakure truly intended sabotage, the assignment could become combat without warning. If nothing happened, three months of vigilance would still grind down everyone involved.
Who were the remaining teammates? Kakashi? Shisui? Someone from ANBU?
At home, Ayame sat in the sunlight near the entrance. Guilt tightened Tonbo's chest. His wife was carrying their child, yet duty was about to pull him away.
"I'm home."
Ayame smiled. "Your father went for groceries. He says he is going to make something especially nourishing."
One hand rested on her belly with unconscious tenderness.
"When he returns, I need to speak with both of you."
Tobitake Tōsei came back with his arms full of food. When Tonbo explained the assignment, pride overtook every other reaction.
"Guarding the border? Excellent. Hokage-sama would not give you such a responsibility unless he recognized your ability."
His son had surpassed the career Tōsei lost with his arm. A difficult mission sounded like proof of success rather than a burden.
Ayame's worry appeared only for an instant before she forced a smile.
"Your father is right. We support you. Just promise you'll be careful."
"I will finish the mission and return as quickly as I can."
Tonbo sensed the shift in her mood and hated causing it, but the supply route mattered to every shinobi and civilian Konoha protected.
He gave them the information he could safely share: the direction of travel, the expected rotation, and the fact that Hayama would command. He omitted the dead spies and the possibility of deliberate action by Kumogakure. Reassurance did not require burdening Ayame with every classified danger.
After dinner, he devoted the remaining hours to Ayame. They walked through the village, shopped for small things they did not need, and stopped whenever she grew tired. Tonbo borrowed shamelessly sentimental phrases from his former life until she laughed at him.
Border units normally rotated every three months. Even if Hiruzen found a replacement sooner, Tonbo could not promise when he would return. By the end of the evening, he had eased Ayame's fear without pretending the danger was imaginary.
The next morning, sunlight fell across Konoha's main gate. Izumo and Kotetsu were already at their post when Tonbo landed outside the walls.
One shinobi waited nearby with a high ponytail and a long sword across his back. He stood quietly beneath the morning light, more composed than Tonbo remembered.
"Captain Hayama. It has been a long time."
Shirakumo Hayama turned and smiled. "Tonbo. You still look energetic."
"I'll be relying on you during this mission."
Apart from their Academy years and the Nine-Tails' attack, they had rarely met since graduation. Hayama had grown into his features and carried the calm of a mature jōnin. Beside him, both Kakashi and Tonbo looked younger than their records suggested.
The sword on Hayama's back was not ceremonial. His kenjutsu had earned respect during the war, and Hiruzen would not have placed him over a sensitive patrol without confidence in his judgment. Tonbo felt some of his unease recede. Whatever surprises remained, the captain was dependable.
"Where are the others?" Tonbo asked. "Hokage-sama refused to name them. That shameless old man expects me to guess."
"Careful," a woman's voice said behind him. "Speak about Hokage-sama that way and he may decide to punish you."
Tonbo turned.
The newcomer had violet hair, gray-brown eyes, and mesh armor beneath her flak jacket. She blew a bubble with her gum until it popped.
"I am two years older than you," Tonbo said. "Show some respect, girl."
Her eyes narrowed. "Girl? Do you know who I am?"
"Mitarashi Anko. Orochimaru's former student. Also, I am married and about to become a father, so you may call me uncle if you prefer."
The mention of Orochimaru darkened Anko's face. Her hands clenched before his second remark redirected her anger.
She examined the slim, bandaged shinobi in front of her.
"Marriage only ties you down and distracts you from the shinobi path. Why boast about it?"