Chapter 44: Uchiha, Anko, and Hayama
"You should not say that," a young voice told Anko. "Marriage and children are how one generation passes the Will of Fire to the next."
A boy scarcely one hundred forty centimeters tall approached the gate. The Uchiha crest marked the back of his clothes, and his dark eyes carried an exhaustion too old for his face.
He moved without the restless energy expected of someone his age. Each step was measured, and before reaching the group he had already inspected their equipment, the gate, and the road beyond it.
Anko frowned. "Who are you? Don't tell me you're our last teammate. A border mission is no place for a child. Go home and train."
Sending someone that young toward a region where open fighting might begin seemed reckless even by shinobi standards.
Hayama raised a hand. "The team is assembled. We will introduce ourselves and state our useful abilities before I assign roles."
The boy bowed. "Uchiha Itachi. I specialize in analysis, Fire Release, shurikenjutsu, and the Sharingan's perception. I look forward to working with you."
Tonbo studied him. Itachi looked as though he had gone several nights without sleep, with shadows beneath his eyes that rivaled those of men three times his age.
So this was the young Itachi.
He was much less cheerful than Sasuke had been. Whatever people meant when they claimed Itachi thought like a Hokage at seven, Tonbo saw a child carrying thoughts no child needed.
Hiruzen's decision troubled him. Only days after hearing about Itachi's dead teammate and awakened Sharingan, Tonbo had been assigned beside him. Was the boy about to lose another team?
The thought was not entirely a joke. Obito had survived one disastrous team only to be reshaped by loss. Itachi's future contained enough death already. Sending him toward a disputed border immediately after the event that awakened his eyes seemed almost designed to deepen the wound.
Then Tonbo considered the unit. Hayama was an experienced jōnin, and Tonbo's own formal rank understated his ability. Hiruzen clearly believed the two of them could protect Itachi even if the patrol encountered enemy elites.
"Mitarashi Anko," Anko said. "Chūnin. Balanced combat skills, with experience in reconnaissance and field operations."
She remained displeased to find such a young Uchiha on the mission, though graduating at seven made his ability difficult to dismiss. As for his speech about marriage, that was easy for a child to say. Finding a worthwhile man was another matter.
Her glance drifted toward Tonbo. The bandaged fool was irritatingly fortunate to be married already.
"Tobitake Tonbo," he said. "Psycho Mind Transmission, genjutsu, sensory ninjutsu, and battlefield first aid."
The others looked at him.
Hayama had not known about the medical training. Hiruzen's briefing had omitted it. Even limited battlefield care gave the team a way to stabilize serious injuries until a true medical-nin could take over.
Tonbo could stop bleeding, set fractures, manage shock, and preserve a wounded shinobi through evacuation. He could not perform the cellular regeneration or surgery expected of a hospital specialist, but border teams often needed survival more than perfection.
Itachi nodded. "That is an impressive range, senpai."
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Anko looked skeptical. "You aren't exaggerating, are you? A small error in our capability assessment could get someone killed."
She was only two years younger than Tonbo and had trained under Orochimaru, yet she could not claim comparable breadth.
Her suspicion was professional as much as personal. Orochimaru had taught her that false confidence killed teammates. A shinobi who claimed medical, sensory, intelligence, and combat expertise sounded either exceptional or dishonest, and the border was a poor place to discover which.
"That is why I am a jōnin and you are a chūnin," Tonbo said.
Anko's teeth clenched. "I will become a jōnin soon enough."
"Tell me when it happens."
"Enough," Hayama said. "I am Shirakumo Hayama, your captain. Jōnin. I specialize in Body Flicker, genjutsu, Wind Release, taijutsu, and kenjutsu."
He rested a hand near the sword on his back.
"Check all equipment now. Resupply will be difficult near the border."
The argument ended. Each shinobi inspected weapons, wire, tags, medicine, rations, and field supplies. Tonbo performed the check with the care learned during war. Skill did not make missing equipment harmless.
He counted every kunai, tested the seals on his storage scrolls, examined the knots securing his barrier talismans, and confirmed that the woven figures inside his coat had not been damaged. Anko checked antidotes twice. Itachi balanced each shuriken briefly on one finger before returning it to his pouch. Hayama inspected the edge and binding of his sword.
Ayame was too young to become a widow, and Tonbo had not yet held his son or daughter.
After registering with Izumo and Kotetsu, the four departed.
They traveled northeast through the Land of Fire, moving over forested ridges toward the narrow region connecting Fire, Iron, and the approaches to Lightning.
Hayama set a sustainable pace rather than racing for the border. Their mission could last months, and exhaustion on arrival would serve no one. The formation rotated naturally: Itachi and Anko watched the flanks, Tonbo extended his perception ahead and behind, and Hayama chose the route.
"Our immediate task is to intercept Kumogakure shinobi operating inside Fire territory," Hayama explained as they moved. "We also need to determine their objective."
Itachi considered the known facts. "The most likely goal is disrupting the ore trade between Fire and Iron. A secondary possibility is reconnaissance deeper into the Land of Fire, allowing Kumogakure to prepare operations against Konoha."
Tonbo added another possibility.
"We should not assume every actor belongs to Kumogakure. The Land of Hot Springs lies nearby, and Kirigakure can reach the region across the sea. Memories recovered from enemy operatives suggest severe internal turmoil in the Hidden Mist. They may be seeking new resources or using trade through Hot Springs as cover to approach Iron's ore supply."
He separated likelihood from possibility as he spoke. Cloud activity was confirmed. Mist involvement was inference, and Hot Springs might be nothing more than a convenient route. Treating all three as equal facts would scatter their attention; ignoring the alternatives could leave them blind to a coordinated deception.
Anko's expression tightened. "Then our opposition could include Cloud shinobi, Hot Springs agents, or Mist shinobi."
"Correct," Hayama said. "That uncertainty is why Hokage-sama formed this unit. What we can confirm is that someone has begun targeting the ore trade. Multiple routes have suffered losses, and the Land of Iron formally requested Konoha's assistance."
The attack was economic as much as military. Tools were among the foundations of every hidden village. Without dependable ore, prices rose, stockpiles diminished, and even ordinary missions became harder to equip.
A shortage would first affect genin and low-priority assignments as quartermasters preserved weapons for elite teams. Mission failures would follow, then lost contracts and declining revenue. An enemy could weaken Konoha without winning a single open battle.
The four discussed likely routes, enemy observation points, methods of sabotage, and ways to distinguish Kumogakure activity from a false trail. Itachi supplied sharp deductions despite his age. Anko understood reconnaissance. Hayama combined battlefield experience with command judgment, while Tonbo contributed sensory coverage and intelligence analysis.
The difference from leading new genin was immediate. No one needed lessons in basic discipline, and no one argued merely to prove independence. Every disagreement refined the plan.
Even Anko's sharpness had value. She challenged assumptions instead of accepting them out of respect for rank. Itachi listened before speaking and supported each conclusion with evidence. Hayama allowed discussion without surrendering command.
Tonbo finally understood why Hiruzen had selected them.
Even the strongest shinobi lost a meaningful share of combat effectiveness without tools. Minato needed marked kunai. Hiruzen used shuriken and staff techniques. Tonbo himself relied upon weapons, talismans, and prepared anchors. Protecting the supply chain protected Konoha's strength.
He landed on another branch and pushed onward.
May this mission remain quiet.
They had barely left the village, and he already missed Ayame.