Chapter 20: Anomaly in the Hidden Sand Village

"Furthermore, he has even resumed his regular training. Watching him spar with his teammates, one would never guess he is a ninja who has lost his sight."

"Is that so? It seems that even the loss of his eyes cannot dim the brilliance of that boy's genius. It would be a terrible waste if such adaptability and talent were to fade away just like that."

The Third Hokage gazed out the window, seemingly having reached a decision.

"Go, notify Yuhi Shinku. Tell him to be at the mission hall early tomorrow morning; perhaps he will find a suitable task."

"Understood." With a respectful response, the masked Anbu vanished using the Body Flicker technique.

After the Anbu departed, Sarutobi Hiruzen began sifting through various intelligence reports to select a mission. Although he had decided to try and protect the boy, he could not allow Yuhi Shinku’s team to leave the village for free-roaming activities; it would be an inefficient use of ninja resources. Besides, it was time for Asuma to be properly challenged. As a ninja, beyond sheer power, a wealth of mission experience was indispensable.

An escort mission for a large cross-border caravan to the Land of Lightning? No, that wouldn't do; those barbarians were unreasonable. If they discovered Asuma's identity, who knows what they might do.

Clearing out spies within the Land of Fire? These targets had been under surveillance for some time, and their movement patterns were mostly mapped out. However, this was a task Hiruzen had specifically set aside for his eldest son, Shinosuke, and the timeframe was too short to be suitable.

Investigating a mysterious organization within the Land of Rain? That mission was interesting, but it was Hanzo of the Salamander’s territory. Although that old man had learned his lesson after the last Great Ninja War, there was no guarantee his arrogant ambitions wouldn't reignite. It was best to leave that pending.

Ah, here is one: infiltrate the Land of Wind to rendezvous with a spy returning from Sunagakure.

Hiruzen recalled that he had personally authorized this mission. The situation at Sunagakure had been abnormal lately, which was why he had deployed spies to gather information. Based on the recent intelligence, the activity in Sunagakure seemed to be escalating; it was unclear what they were planning. Perhaps he could send Yuhi Shinku’s team to rendezvous with the spy and then find a way to station them along the border of the Land of Wind.

His reasoning was not because he wanted Sarutobi Asuma to undertake the dangerous work of a spy, but rather to have them stationed long-term in the Land of Wind, specifically to act as handlers for the spies returning from Sunagakure.

Indeed, among the five great ninja villages, planting spies in one another was a long-standing tradition. Konoha, naturally, held the largest network—they had the most ninja, after all. Normally, a full team wouldn't be dedicated to such a task, but the current situation in Sunagakure was clearly unique. Hiruzen had already decided to activate several more sleepers within the Sand Village to investigate their true intentions. In this light, assigning Yuhi Shinku’s team there would not be a waste.

Just as Hiruzen was weighing his plans, a surge of extra memories flooded his mind. He paused, but realized within a second that his Shadow Clone, which had been on duty at the office, had dispelled itself. This was the fastest way to transmit information over short distances.

After carefully processing the influx of memories, the relaxed expression on Hiruzen’s face vanished.

"Sunagakure, what on earth are they up to? Are they trying to incite a war?" Hiruzen’s voice was exceptionally calm and grave.

His Shadow Clone had received an emergency report from border patrol ninjas while on duty. They had discovered numerous traces of Suna-nin activity along the border of the Land of Wind, and intelligence suggested that Sunagakure was intentionally moving a large number of ninjas toward the frontier. While they had not acted with blatant aggression, such behavior was already highly dangerous. As for why Konoha’s patrol ninjas were near the border of the Land of Wind in the first place—well, those in the know understood.

In an instant, Hiruzen thought of his order to notify Yuhi Shinku, and then of his youngest son, Asuma. A flicker of hesitation stirred in his heart. He felt inclined to change their mission, but after careful deliberation, he decided against it.

Even if one protects a fledgling well, there comes a day when the young eagle must spread its wings and fly alone. Could he, as a father, protect Asuma forever? Having lived through two Great Ninja Wars, Hiruzen knew what the right choice was.

He thought of his eldest son, Sarutobi Shinosuke, who was only slightly more talented than the average Jonin. Shinosuke was also a genius, yet his strength had barely reached the level of an elite Jonin. Was it because he hadn't worked hard enough? No, it was because he had been pampered too much, and his personality made it difficult for him to achieve anything truly great. Was he to let Asuma follow in his brother's footsteps?

"Asuma, if you were to decide for yourself, what choice would you make?" After muttering to himself, even Hiruzen chuckled. Through his observations over the past few days, the answer was already obvious, wasn't it?

"And it is truly time for the fledgling eagle to learn to spread its wings." At this moment, though it was a stretch to say Hiruzen was in his prime, he was certainly at the peak of his power, and with his eldest son still by his side, he possessed the necessary resolve.

Having finalized the mission for Yuhi Shinku’s team, Hiruzen began preparations to deal with the Sand ninjas. If Sunagakure had merely been playing games within their own borders, having spies monitor the situation would have sufficed. But now, with the enemy making such significant moves, Hiruzen had to prepare for the worst. While bracing for a potential war, he also had to dispatch several teams of Jonin to uncover exactly what was happening in Sunagakure.

The Third Hokage left the Sarutobi clan compound and headed toward the Hokage Building. This night was destined to be a sleepless one.

The next morning, Yuhi Kurenai arrived early at Kawaki Aoba’s home to inform him that their team had been assigned a long-term mission outside the village.

"A long-term mission? I understand. Let me gather my things, and we shall depart." Kawaki Aoba began organizing his ninja tools, just as he did for any ordinary mission.