Konoha’s Five-Element Ninja

Chapter 58: The Night Before Departure

Hayama skipped lunch, spending the entire afternoon in the training grounds. Only when the sun had set did he finally leave, satisfied with his progress.

Walking through the bustling streets, he first stopped by a ninja tool shop to purchase some essential supplies. After a quick meal, he headed to Yamashiro Tatsun's home.

Unlike Hayama, Yamashiro Tatsun came from a more affluent background. His home was in a prosperous district, well-decorated and noticeably better furnished.

Hayama knocked on the door and waited.

To his surprise, the one who answered wasn't Yamashiro Tatsun or his younger brother but a young woman dressed casually, clearly a member of the household.

"Who are you?" she asked, puzzled.

"I'm Hayama. Is Yamashiro Tatsun home?"

"He is. Please, come in—I'll go get him," she said enthusiastically, opening the door wider to invite him in.

But Hayama wasn't in the mood for small talk. Shaking his head, he declined politely. "Just call him out. I only need a word with him."

A moment later, Yamashiro Tatsun appeared, gripping his longsword.

"Captain, is there a mission?" he asked immediately.

"Pack your gear. We're leaving."

"Understood."

Soon after, Hayama and a fully armed Yamashiro Tatsun left his home, heading toward the Uchiha compound.

On the way, Hayama briefly explained the mission's origins and objectives so that Tatsun would be mentally prepared.

Undoubtedly, this would be a dangerous mission. Otherwise, Hayama wouldn't have chosen to bring Yamashiro Tatsun along.

In battle, a reliable teammate was as important as a second life. Hayama wasn't about to entrust his safety to some Hokage-affiliated ninja.

It was always better to play it safe.

Outside the Uchiha compound, two ninjas stood under a tree, chatting casually.

As Hayama approached, he recognized them—it was Uchiha Fugaku and his cousin, Uchiha Seiji.

Hayama was a little surprised.

He hadn't come to ask for help—he had simply intended to inform them of his departure and express gratitude for Uchiha Shinichi's support earlier that morning.

"Fugaku, what are you doing here so late?" Hayama asked directly, skipping formalities.

Fugaku smiled. "Obviously, I'm waiting for you."

"You probably don't know yet—the Uchiha clan will be sending two jōnin squads on this mission," Uchiha Seiji added. "My brother is leading one of them."

Hayama's heart soared at the news.

Having Uchiha forces involved would greatly reduce the mission's danger level. With Sharingan, enemy jutsu would have nowhere to hide.

"Your clan leader is a genius," Hayama praised with a grin. "Sending just two squads—not too conspicuous, yet earning goodwill from the civilian ninja faction. Brilliant. Simply brilliant."

Flattery was free, so Hayama laid it on thick.

Fugaku waved it off. "The clan is only sending six jōnin. Seiji and I will be joining your squad, and you'll be in charge of commanding us."

Hayama immediately shook his head.

"No, no, no—Fugaku, you should lead. I haven't been a team captain in years."

Without giving Fugaku a chance to refuse, he dragged Yamashiro Tatsun over and started calling Fugaku 'Captain' right away.

Fugaku sighed in exasperation. "You're too cautious."

"Hehe." Hayama chuckled. "Anyway, I won't be going inside. See you at the main gate at 6 AM."

After parting ways with Fugaku, Hayama took Yamashiro Tatsun to Sakumo Hatake's home.

Perched atop a building nearby, they surveyed the area.

The Hatake Clan, though diminished, still retained a sizable estate. With Sakumo's strength, no one dared to underestimate them.

At the entrance, a group of fully armed ninjas sat in silence, polishing their weapons, waiting for dawn.

Sakumo had served as a frontline commander during the Second Shinobi War—he naturally had loyal supporters.

Hayama's eyes narrowed as he scanned the crowd carefully.

Sure enough, he spotted Koshi Kakuro among them, the experienced elite jōnin he had once trained under.

More interestingly, the gathered ninjas seemed to subtly defer to him.

Sarutobi's call for volunteers was phrased as a request, not a direct order—a sign of high-level dissatisfaction with Sakumo.

Otherwise, they would have simply dispatched elite forces to deal with the Sand and Rain interference directly.

Clearly, the Hokage's faction wanted to gauge Sakumo's influence—to see which of his die-hard loyalists would step forward.

After all, identifying them now would make it easier to eliminate them later.

Hayama couldn't help but admire Sarutobi's cunning.

The Senju and Uchiha clans had both fallen, and now, Hatake was next.

And this scheme? Most likely improvised—which spoke volumes about Sarutobi's political brilliance.

A true master strategist, always turning disadvantages into advantages.

That was why he was Hokage—and why Danzo was stuck as his shadow.

Just then, Koshi Kakuro's sharp gaze flickered toward Hayama's rooftop.

For a brief moment, his eyes gleamed as if he had noticed something unusual.

Immediately, two ninjas vanished into the shadows, reappearing where Hayama had been just moments ago.

One of them knelt, forming a quick series of hand seals to sense lingering chakra.

After a moment, he shook his head and returned to report.

"Sir, there were two unknown ninja observing us. Judging by the residual chakra, they were strong—I suspect Anbu."

Koshi Kakuro chuckled darkly but turned his gaze to another shadowed corner.

"Let them watch. It doesn't matter."

Later that night, Hayama didn't sleep.

Instead, he carefully polished the short sword that Sakumo had given him, his expression intensely focused.

"Captain, do you think Lord Sakumo… will end up like Uchiha Kagami?" Yamashiro Tatsun asked hesitantly.

Hayama's hand paused, but he didn't lift his head.

"No. At worst, he'll lose his position as Anbu Commander."

Hayama was convinced that this was just a maneuver to install Orochimaru as the new Anbu leader.

All the talk about Fire Country's authority and national interests? Utter nonsense.

If anyone had truly weakened the Land of Fire, it was the destruction of the Senju and Uzumaki clans—not the loss of a few thousand refugees.

Even if this mission failed again, Sakumo could just retire. His role as Anbu Commander was nothing more than a glorified secretary job anyway.

Finishing with his blade, Hayama took out two large ninja tool pouches.

He filled one with kunai, shuriken, and steel wires, while the other was packed with medical supplies and rations.

Yamashiro Tatsun watched nostalgically.

"I've seen you do this before, Captain. Feels just like old times."

Hayama smirked. "Heh. Check my wrist. Notice anything?"

Tatsun grabbed Hayama's wrist and noticed a sealing formula inscribed there.

"What's inside?"

"Explosive tags. Over a thousand of them, courtesy of the Uchiha."

Tatsun whistled. "Damn. We used to ration those like gold dust on the battlefield. Now you're carrying a whole arsenal."

"Uchiha produces most of the explosive tags in the ninja world," Hayama shrugged. "This? This is nothing to them."

If Orochimaru hadn't killed the wielder of the Blast Sword, Hayama would have snatched it up himself.

A weapon preloaded with thousands of explosive tags? That would have been a fortune.

Too bad Orochimaru wasn't the type to share.

Stretching, Hayama threw a cloak over himself and lay down on the floor.

"Get some rest, Tatsun. We might have many sleepless nights ahead."

Across the village, many ninjas who had once received Sakumo Hatake's kindness were doing the same—sharpening their weapons, donning their armor, and waiting for dawn.

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