Tsunade rested her head in her hands, her gaze deep as she spoke slowly.
"This happened three days ago. That doesn't even include the delay from the messenger hawk flying from the Land of Wind to the Land of Fire."
Upon learning that the incident had already occurred three days prior, Rorin's brows furrowed tightly. The scroll contained a request for aid from the Land of Wind. After the Konoha Crush, news of the Fourth Kazekage being killed by Orochimaru had somehow leaked, causing surrounding smaller nations to set their sights on the Hidden Sand Village. With no Kazekage to lead them, the village had fallen into instability.
Those smaller nations had joined forces, and it seemed that the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Cloud Village were secretly fanning the flames. Already struggling with the loss of their Fourth Kazekage, the Hidden Sand Village was now facing a full-blown crisis. With both internal and external threats closing in, they turned to their trusted ally—the Hidden Leaf Village—and sent a request for reinforcements.
Understanding the urgency, Rorin looked at Tsunade and quietly awaited her orders.
The two met each other's eyes before Tsunade spoke again.
"I called you here today because I want to assign this rescue mission to you. I heard from Nara Shikamaru that you and Gaara seem to get along pretty well."
Rorin paused slightly. Why was his relationship with Gaara being brought up?
Tsunade smiled. "This time, Gaara will be leading the Hidden Sand Village's forces against the external enemies. Since I've heard you're friends with him, I thought you'd be a good fit. Your mission is to meet up with him and fully assist them in resolving this external threat."
Rorin suddenly understood—so Gaara was his point of contact this time. Still, he felt a bit awkward. Since when were he and Gaara close enough to be called friends? They had only met twice at most. If anything, Gaara's heart probably only had room for Uzumaki Naruto.
Rorin chose not to argue. The more he explained, the more suspicious it might sound.
"And Kakashi, you'll be leading this mission together with Rorin. You've been fairly free lately anyway," Tsunade added, glancing at Kakashi, who had been spacing out nearby.
"Understood," Kakashi replied without hesitation.
Rorin glanced at him. That made sense—Kakashi was the leader of Team 7, but Sasuke had run off with Orochimaru, Naruto had gone off training with Jiraiya, and even Sakura was now studying medical ninjutsu under Tsunade. Of course he was idle.
This mission was classified as S-rank. If he completed it perfectly, he might even be able to request to learn the Flying Thunder God technique from Tsunade. The thought stirred in Rorin's mind.
"One more thing—you two will organize the team yourselves before heading out," Tsunade concluded.
"Yes!" x2
Rorin and Kakashi responded in unison before leaving the Hokage's office.
...
After they left, Nara Shikaku spoke quietly.
"Lady Tsunade, setting Kakashi aside, why send Rorin as well? It can't just be because of his supposed relationship with Gaara. Sending him out of the village… is there another reason?"
Tsunade glanced at him and smiled.
"As expected of you."
"That person came to see me yesterday. He wanted Rorin to join Root. I refused, of course—but there's a chance he'll make a move on Rorin anyway. Letting him leave the village for a while is safer," Tsunade said, her expression turning serious.
Nara Shikaku frowned. Shimura Danzo… truly a troublesome figure.
...
Root headquarters.
A middle-aged man with bandages wrapped around his right eye—Konoha's infamous "Shadow," Shimura Danzo—stood with a cold expression as he listened to a subordinate's report.
"Danzo-sama, by the time we reached the battlefield, it was already too late. The guard squad appears to have been eliminated by the target."
Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly before he let out a cold chuckle.
"So, he's quite capable… good. A weapon like this should be firmly held in one's grasp and carefully cultivated. He could become a sharp blade in my hand."
At that moment, another Root member stepped forward respectfully.
"Danzo-sama, the target has accepted the Hokage's assignment and is about to leave the village on a mission."
A shadow crossed Danzo's face as he muttered, "Tsunade… how troublesome."
He then looked down at his subordinate and ordered,
"He won't be going alone. Find out who's accompanying him, then decide how to proceed based on the situation."
"Yes!"
The Root member accepted the order and departed.
Danzo gazed toward the Hokage's office with a meaningful look, remaining lost in thought for a long time.
...
Meanwhile, Rorin and Kakashi discussed preparations for leaving the village. In the end, Rorin left the selection of team members to Kakashi. After all, he was only a chunin—his status made it inconvenient to take charge. Perhaps that was also why Tsunade had paired him with Kakashi for this mission.
Afterward, Rorin returned home to pack. He mainly brought twenty sets of clothing, sealing them into a scroll for easy storage—convenient and efficient, requiring only a small scroll to carry everything. He had consulted Tenten about these space-time storage techniques, and with the help of money, she had held nothing back in teaching him.
It would also help with his future research into the Flying Thunder God technique.
Once he finished preparing, Rorin headed to the village gate to wait for Kakashi.
A quarter of an hour later, Kakashi arrived with ten others. Among them was someone Rorin knew well—Might Guy. The rest were nine chunin he didn't know by name, though two of them were from the Hyūga clan.
"Yo! Rorin-kun! Let's burn with the power of youth together this time!" Might Guy declared, flashing his signature thumbs-up and gleaming smile.
"Guy-sensei, long time no see!" Rorin greeted him, nodding to the others before turning to Kakashi.
"Alright, let's move out!" Kakashi called.
The group of twelve departed the village together. From behind a tree, a Root operative wearing a tiger mask slowly stepped out, then vanished from the village gate with a Body Flicker.
...
Root headquarters.
"Danzo-sama, the target is accompanied by Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy—two jonin—as well as nine chunin."
The tiger-masked ninja reported respectfully upon returning.
Danzo frowned slightly before giving his order.
"Then suspend the mission for now. We'll wait until he returns to Konoha."
"Yes!"
...
As Rorin headed toward the Land of Wind, the Hidden Sand Village itself was already in turmoil.
Inside the council hall, the elders were discussing countermeasures. Baki stood before them, arms crossed, and spoke steadily.
"Everyone, the most important matter right now is to select the Fifth Kazekage—someone who can lead the Hidden Sand Village through this crisis."
One of the elders, with a square face, showed clear displeasure and asked coldly, "And who do you think is capable of shouldering such responsibility?"
Baki replied calmly:
"I recommend the son of the Fourth Kazekage—Gaara."