Hokage Tower
"That's the situation. This mission is entrusted to you," Tsunade stated.
"I understand. When should we depart?" Sakura asked.
"Depart this afternoon. I've already informed the Sand Village that a small team will meet them at the border. You need to reach the border by tonight. The Sand's representatives will likely arrive tomorrow morning," Tsunade said, looking at Sakura.
"Understood. Our primary objective is to determine whether the Sand Village has any hostile intentions, correct?" Sakura repeated, confirming the mission details.
"Precisely. The village cannot afford another invasion. It would damage our reputation and unsettle the civilian population. If the Sand Village shows any signs of aggression, stop them," Tsunade emphasized again.
"Actually, I doubt the Sand Village would be foolish enough to attack Konoha again. It wouldn't benefit them," Sakura said, shrugging and offering her opinion.
Tsunade stared at Sakura for a moment, until Sakura started to feel uncomfortable, before speaking. "That's just the surface mission."
"Uh... please enlighten me, Master," Sakura asked, noticing Tsunade's serious expression.
"Do you remember the assassination attempt on me not long ago?" Tsunade stood up and walked over to Sakura.
"I do. What does that have to do with this mission?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"What I'm about to tell you is confidential," Tsunade said, her face turning solemn. "I suspect that Danzo was involved in that attack, and that he used the Sand Village to carry out the assassination. However, we haven't found any evidence yet. The Sand Village might possess evidence, and they might use this incident as a bargaining chip during the negotiations. If possible, obtain that evidence beforehand."
Sakura understood now. She had vaguely suspected something similar after Tsunade's assassination attempt, but since her master hadn't said anything, Sakura hadn't voiced her suspicions.
Now, it seemed her master had a plan. No wonder she had been chosen for this mission. Obtaining evidence beforehand would be extremely advantageous for the upcoming negotiations.
"I understand, Master," Sakura replied solemnly.
"Good. Go now and prepare for your departure," Tsunade said, handing Sakura a scroll. "When you meet the Sand team, give them this scroll. It serves as proof of your identity."
Sakura took the scroll and took her leave of Tsunade. The rest of Team 7 were still at the hospital.
This was a B-rank mission. Although it was B-rank, there wouldn't be any combat. It mainly involved gathering intelligence and escorting the Sand's negotiation team.
Sakura wasn't particularly skilled at gathering intelligence. Her only relevant ninjutsu was Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique. However, she had Karin, who was a natural sensor, a perfect reconnaissance ninja.
When she returned to the hospital, Naruto had already woken up.
"Sakura-chan..." Naruto greeted her as she pushed open the door.
"You're awake, Naruto."
"Yeah."
Naruto still seemed a bit listless, probably due to yesterday's battle.
"Here's yours," Sakura said, handing Naruto fifty ryo.
"This is yours, Sasuke."
"This is yours, Karin."
Sakura distributed the commission from yesterday's mission.
Seeing everyone's lack of enthusiasm, Sakura asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with you all?"
"..."
"Only fifty ryo?" Karin looked at the money in her hand with a hint of disdain.
"Sakura-chan, am I really that useless? I always need someone to save me," Naruto said suddenly, staring straight ahead.
"Haha, that's not true. Naruto, you did a great job yesterday. If it weren't for you and Sasuke holding off the enemy, we would have been in danger," Sakura reassured him. Then, she took out the mission scroll entrusted to her by Tsunade-sensei. "Alright, now we have another mission we need to complete."
Naruto's attention was gradually drawn to it.
Sakura continued, "A B-rank mission!"
"A B-rank mission!? Awesome! Granny Tsunade is finally entrusting us with a high-level mission!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.
"What's the mission, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, not as excited as Naruto.
"To go to the border and escort the Sand Village's envoy to Konoha, and to ascertain whether they have any malicious intent," Sakura explained.
"I see. When do we depart?" Sasuke asked.
"We depart this afternoon. We need to reach the border at full speed, but to conserve our stamina, I suggest we leave this morning," Sakura said, considering that Karin's physical endurance might not be up to par.
"Then I'll go back and prepare. Where should we meet?" Sasuke said, heading towards the door.
"Meet at the village gate at 10 o'clock. Naruto, you should get ready too. Karin and I are leaving as well," Sakura waved to Naruto and pulled Karin along with her.
"Ah, why am I the only one left?" Naruto muttered, scratching his head as he found himself alone in the room again. He quickly got out of bed and went home to prepare for the journey.
At 10:15, Naruto and Sasuke were already waiting at the Konoha gate. Sakura and Karin had yet to arrive.
At 10:30, Sakura and Karin finally arrived, late.
"Hey, wasn't the meeting time 10 o'clock? Why are you so late?" Naruto complained loudly.
"What, you got a problem with that?" Karin responded, clenching her fist at Naruto.
"Uh, n-no, not at all," Naruto stammered, swallowing nervously at the sight of Karin's menacing demeanor. Karin had definitely changed.
"Stop arguing. We need to reach the border fortress before nightfall," Sakura said, waving her hand.
"Hmph," Karin huffed and stood beside Sakura.
"Let me reiterate. Our mission is to ascertain whether the Sand team has any hostile intentions towards Konoha. If they show any signs of aggression, capture them alive if possible, while ensuring your own safety. If that's not possible, eliminate them on the spot," Sakura said, looking at Naruto.
"..." Naruto fell silent upon hearing Sakura's orders.
"Of course, according to the Fifth Hokage's assessment, the Sand's visit this time should be without incident," Sakura added, shrugging.
"Phew~~~" Naruto seemed relieved, letting out a long sigh.
"Check your weapons. Let's get going. Sasuke, you take the lead. Karin and Naruto, stay in the middle. Karin, be sure to report on the surroundings. I'll bring up the rear," Sakura assigned their positions.
The four of them set off towards the border fortress, one after the other.
The sun gradually climbed to its zenith. The temperature in the Land of Fire in October was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, a pleasant autumn. Various wild fruits were already ripe.
"Let's take a break," Sakura said from behind.
The three in front stopped upon hearing Sakura's command. The main reason for the break was to accommodate Karin. Karin hadn't undergone ninja training, so even with the enhancement of chakra, her stamina was significantly lower than Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke's.
Sakura, having undergone Lightning Style Body Tempering twice, now had stamina almost on par with Naruto's. Previously, Naruto had the best stamina, followed by Sasuke, then Sakura. Now, Sakura had taken Sasuke's second-place spot.
Seeing Karin clutching her chest and panting, Sakura walked over and patted her on the back. "Take a rest. Have something to eat."
"Huff~~~~~ Yeah, Sakura~~~~~ Huff~~~~~ I'm sorry," Karin said, gasping for breath.
"It's okay. You'll get used to it after a few more times," Sakura reassured her.
This kind of long-distance travel was quite taxing even for ninjas. But ninjas primarily relied on their legs for travel because there were no suitable means of transportation.
Horses were the common mode of transportation in this world, but they were unsuitable for ninjas. Horses were not much faster than ninjas themselves, and they were also very noisy. For ninjas, horses would expose their position to the enemy. Therefore, over time, ninjas developed the habit of traveling on foot.
"Naruto, go find some food," Sakura ordered.
"Hey~~~ Why me? Why not tell Sasuke to go?" Naruto protested, challenging Sakura.
"Well, you're the one with the best stamina among us. Even I can't compare to you," Sakura said, trying to flatter Naruto into doing her bidding.
"Hmph, no way," Naruto turned his head away and grunted, clearly not falling for it this time.
"Ah, then there's no other choice. We'll have to eat this," Sakura said, taking out a cloth bag from her ninja pouch.
"Wh... What's that?" Naruto had a bad feeling about the bag.
"Field rations," Sakura said expressionlessly, taking out a pellet and tossing it to Naruto.
"Alright, alright, I'll go," Naruto said, a cold sweat breaking out as he looked at the grayish-brown pellet in his hand. The taste of that thing was truly unbearable.
Ninjas usually carried field rations when on missions. Although they tasted terrible, they were convenient. Naruto had some too; he could get them from the logistics department by showing his mission scroll.
Normally, they had to be purchased with money. Even though they tasted awful, the ingredients used to make them were expensive, all high-nutrient items. Sakura actually knew how to make them, and the ones used for missions were all handmade by her.
In the bamboo grove, smoke from a cooking fire rose gently. The four of them sat around the fire, eating the bamboo rats Naruto had caught from the nearby bamboo forest. Perhaps it was the season, but the large bamboo rats, after being cleaned and grilled over charcoal, smelled incredibly delicious.
"How did you know these things were edible?" Sakura asked while eating.
"When I was a kid, I was often hungry, so I'd go into the forest to catch wild game. One time, I was starving and saw this thing crawling in front of me. I caught it, roasted it, and it tasted pretty good," Naruto said, munching happily. "But after that time, I never saw one of these again," Naruto added with a look of regret.
"I didn't expect these ugly little things to be so tasty," Karin commented from the side. "Sakura, why don't we catch some and raise them?"
"There are plenty more over there, Karin," Naruto interjected.
"Tch."
"Don't be silly, Karin. We're on a mission, not a vacation," Sakura said, her face stern, though her last bit of rationality as team leader was slightly wavering at the idea.
"I know," Karin said, looking a little dejected.
Seeing Karin's downcast expression, Sakura thought for a moment and said, "Maybe when we return."
"Yay!"
After finishing their lunch, the group rested for a while and then continued their journey.