Chapter 202: Mission: Hell Valley Ambush! Sarutobi Hiruzen's Questioning!
"Alright, let's begin the mission briefing!"
"The objective of this mission is to head to Hell Valley and cooperate with the Uchiha clan stationed there to guard the area, preventing the elite forces of the Hidden Cloud Village from liberating the Clan of the Blood Pool."
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat solemnly behind his desk, puffing on his pipe with a grave expression.
To his right stood Nara Shikaku, who had recently succeeded the previous Nara patriarch as one of the Hokage's advisors. Shikaku held a mission report and spoke sternly to nine elite Konoha ninjas kneeling before him.
"Take note—"
"This mission carries a high probability of directly confronting the 'A-B Combination' of the Hidden Cloud Village, along with their elite ninjas, many of whom are at jōnin level."
"Hence, the mission is classified as S-rank!"
Hearing the mention of the A-B Combination, the nine ninjas kneeling in acceptance of the mission exchanged varied expressions. Those familiar with the duo's reputation couldn't help but glance at each other uneasily.
The A-B Combination had been known as the strongest force below Kage level since the establishment of the Hidden Cloud Village. Even though the current A and B were still young, their strength was already renowned throughout the ninja world. Ordinary jōnin wouldn't last ten moves against them before being overwhelmed.
And now, the Hokage expected them to face these monsters?
Am I running a flea market here?
Yet, among the group, three individuals remained calm, as though they had anticipated this outcome.
However, these three were not Uchiha Ci, Aburame Ryoma, and Yamato. At that moment, Uchiha Ci and Yamato stood silently behind Aburame Ryoma, leaning against the wall on the right side of the Hokage's office, staying as still as statues.
Opposite them, hidden behind the left wall, were the Hokage's personal ANBU guards.
For Uchiha Ci, this was his first time realizing that the Hokage's office had a hidden chamber in its walls. No wonder, in the anime, the Third Hokage could summon the ANBU with just a wave of his hand—they were all stashed here.
From his vantage point, Uchiha Ci could see Shikaku continuing the briefing, assigning groups and objectives.
"Team One: Aburame Shikuro, you will lead Shirakumo Hayama and Minazuki Yuki to form a tactical support team assisting the main elite forces."
"Yes!" replied a black-haired young man wearing tightly sealed protective gear and gloves in a deep voice.
"Team Two: Sarutobi Shinnosuke, you will lead Bhen Bao and Yuhi Mahong to form a tactical support team for the main elite forces."
"Yes!" This time, the response came from a burly man with dark skin, spiky hair, and a flak jacket. He carried two blade-like weapons resembling knuckle knives, named "Flying Swallow," on his waist.
"Team Three: Hyūga Hizashi, you will lead Hyūga Kenji and Inuzuka Gaku to form a sensory team to support the main elite forces."
This time, a stoic man with pale eyes, dressed in a light-green coat over black combat gear, accepted the command in a low voice.
With Minato Namikaze severely injured and unable to act, Konoha could only deploy second-tier candidates.
Shikuro, Shinnosuke, and Hizashi were all considered the "geniuses" of their generation, contemporaries of Minato.
But as Jiraiya had once said—
"Compared to Minato, everyone else seems lackluster."
Minato Namikaze's brilliance was so dazzling that it overshadowed his entire generation, making it seem as though only Kakashi's generation of geniuses filled the gap left behind.
In truth, Konoha still had many prodigies during this period. However, the flames of war buried most of these talents in the smoke of history.
The most lamented among them were the three captains of these teams.
As Uchiha Ci observed this impressive lineup, he couldn't help but nod in approval. Konoha was clearly showing substantial sincerity toward the Uchiha clan this time.
Aburame Shikuro was the father of Aburame Torune, a jōnin of unquestionable caliber who wielded the Aburame clan's nano-sized poison insects.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was the elder brother of Sarutobi Asuma and the eldest son of the Third Hokage. A matured version of Asuma, his strength was undeniably elite jōnin level.
Hyūga Hizashi was the combat cornerstone of this generation's Hyūga clan.
Beyond these three elite jōnin, the other members involved in this mission each had their own moments of brilliance in the original story.
Due to Uchiha Ci's actions rewriting the plot, the Hidden Cloud's scheme in Hell Valley failed. This shifted the original clash between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud from the Land of Fields to Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Water.
Moreover, this confrontation was set to be an extraordinary heavyweight battle right from the start!
Another factor was Orochimaru's intervention. His efforts to highlight the strategic importance of Hell Valley to Konoha's leadership prompted an unprecedented commitment from Konoha.
In the original timeline, the Uchiha clan stationed at Hell Valley suffered significant losses due to the Hidden Cloud's ambush. Uchiha Setsuna, the elder, was killed.
Yet now, thanks to Uchiha Ci's actions, the Uchiha clan inadvertently avoided a devastating blow.
This surreal turn of events left Uchiha Ci scratching his head. Truth be told, he had never intended to save the Uchiha clan. At the beginning, he was just trying to secure his own safety.
At this moment, the three captains frowned slightly at Shikaku's arrangements. Sarutobi Shinnosuke, glancing at his equally puzzled companions, raised his head and asked,
"Hokage-sama, the teams we lead are tasked with assisting the main elite forces in thwarting the Hidden Cloud's plans for Hell Valley."
He paused, then hesitantly asked,
"But where are our main elite forces?"
The Third Hokage gazed silently at his son, taking a slow puff of his pipe before exhaling a thick smoke ring. He then replied,
"The main elite forces for this mission are powerful ninjas who rendered great service during the Rain Country campaign."
"To prevent intelligence leaks, further details will be disclosed once you reach Hell Valley."
"Shinnosuke," Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared to want to say more, but after a moment of contemplation, he shook his head and solemnly stated,
"You all shoulder the vital responsibility of preventing a conflict on the scale of the Rain Country campaign.
"Keep this in mind. Go make your preparations."
"Departure is at 8 a.m. sharp tomorrow."
The nine elite ninjas exchanged thoughtful glances before rising, saluting, and leaving the Hokage's office.
Once silence returned to the office, Aburame Ryoma led Uchiha Ci out from behind the wall and into the presence of the Third Hokage.
This was Uchiha Ci's first face-to-face meeting with the controversial ninja hero, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At first glance, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't greet Uchiha Ci with the warm, grandfatherly smile he had anticipated.
Instead, Hiruzen's face was calm, his eyes contemplative. After a brief moment of thought, the aged hero spoke slowly,
"Uchiha Ci."
"Let me ask you a question."
"The answer will determine whether you go to Hell Valley or whether I personally go."
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes slightly, locking his gaze onto Uchiha Ci's, and then asked,
"Everyone yearns for power, but only those with true wisdom and courage can wield genuine power.
"Take your teacher, Orochimaru, for instance. Despite the malice and ambition lurking in his eyes, I pretended not to see them. In this war-torn era, his unparalleled talent made me hope that he would inherit everything from me.
"I can sense that the will I entrusted to Orochimaru is now being passed on.
"Orochimaru, like me, has placed this will upon you.
"So, if you are to become Konoha's Fifth Hokage, the Uchiha clan's Hokage—
"Do you understand—
"What is the essence of power?"