Although Yugito was very gentle in the village, she was extremely strict when carrying out missions.
Perhaps that was precisely why she was paired with the lazy Darui.
Otherwise, if the other Jinchuriki, Killer B, were paired with Darui, the situation would probably make Raikage so angry he'd ascend to heaven on the spot.
"Wait, seems like there's a situation!"
The team's sensory Shinobi suddenly said.
The others immediately focused their attention.
This was Konoha's outskirts, and they were infiltrating secretly.
If discovered, their assassination mission would be ruined.
Even the lazy Darui had to concentrate and watch their surroundings at this moment.
But perhaps they never expected that the target of their assassination would actively come looking for them.
"We've been exposed!"
Neji, with his Byakugan active, said with a grave expression. "The enemy's sensory Shinobi has already detected our location."
"Who are the enemies?"
Shikamaru asked quietly beside him.
At that moment, they were about a kilometer away from where Darui and the others were.
Both sides had sensed each other and were all on guard in place.
Afraid that moving forward would lead them into an enemy trap.
Takumi's side was somewhat better.
With Neji and Hinata present, if there were traps, they could detect them immediately with the Byakugan.
The other side didn't have it so convenient.
Sasuke, who believed he had achieved great success, was somewhat restless. "What's there to hesitate about? They're just some trash. Watch me go over and finish them off."
Takumi placed a hand on his shoulder, and the restless Sasuke immediately calmed down.
Among those present, only Takumi could make him calm.
Not because Sasuke and Takumi had a particularly good relationship.
But because Takumi could genuinely use physical means to calm Sasuke down.
Like before they set out, when he shattered Sasuke's Susano'o with one punch.
Sasuke had no choice but to calm down.
"Calm down. A Shinobi's battle isn't about brute force."
Takumi, the one who could end battles in seconds, said with a heavy tone. "Battles between Shinobi are battles of intelligence."
"Sasuke, your strength might be great now, but if you lack intelligence, you'll suffer big losses in the future."
Sasuke glanced at him, wanting to say something but not daring to.
He was afraid of getting beaten.
Takumi was very satisfied with the deterrence effect, then gave a look to Neji, signaling them to continue.
"The enemies are from Kumogakure."
Seeing the enemy's forehead protectors, Neji's hands subconsciously clenched into fists.
No one else noticed, only Takumi, who was specifically watching him, saw it.
After all, Kumogakure was the culprit that caused his father's death.
Now, meeting the enemy, even though it wasn't the exact individuals who killed Hizashi, it was enough to stir up the immense anger hidden in Neji's heart.
Neji took several deep breaths to suppress the surging anger inside. "Six people. No traps seen."
"It seems to be a specialized assassination squad. Small in number but definitely strong in strength."
Shikamaru frowned, not underestimating the enemy just because their numbers were fewer than their own.
He was even more cautious now.
For the enemy to dare to come at them with such a small number, they must be very confident in their own strength.
Moreover, daring to penetrate deep into enemy territory also foreshadowed their recklessness.
If a fight broke out, the situation would definitely become very chaotic.
So, as the temporary leader of the team, Shikamaru had to make decisions carefully.
Yes.
Takumi didn't plan to directly engage this time.
As a perfect Jinchuriki who could fully control her Biju, Yugito was indeed strong.
But her foundation was much weaker compared to B.
She might not even beat Sasuke.
Against him, she stood no chance at all.
Such a one-sided battle held little interest for Takumi anymore.
Better to let these young Shinobi gain some experience.
He'd just cover them from the rear.
"There are two among the enemies with very strong strength. They're probably the main force."
Neji continued reporting the situation on the other side. "They're likely Jonin-level. However, one of them has an abnormally huge amount of Chakra."
Neji's words made everyone present frown.
Takumi silently watched Shikamaru, intending to see how he would assign tasks.
"In that case."
Shikamaru knew why Takumi appointed him as temporary leader. Although his personality tended to avoid trouble, he knew that in the future, he would inevitably take over his father's position as Jonin Commander, and Shikamaru understood.
The situations he would face in the future would be much more numerous.
And more complex.
Right now was just practice.
With Takumi backing him up, he just needed to fully showcase the abilities and specialties of his companions.
"Sasuke, can you handle holding off that guy?"
Shikamaru looked at Sasuke, his expression very serious.
"Are you looking down on me?"
Sasuke raised his head arrogantly. "Except for Takumi, I can beat anyone!"
"Leave that guy to me with confidence. Not just that guy, I can handle the others too. You all just need to watch from behind!"
Takumi raised an eyebrow.
He had just suppressed Sasuke's arrogance.
And now it was back up again.
Should he say, as expected of Uchiha Sasuke?
This arrogant attitude was just too fitting.
"Shikamaru, capture those two Jonin alive."
Takumi said calmly.
The clever Shikamaru immediately understood Takumi's meaning. "To lure out the big fish behind them?"
If it were just them, he might have considered their safety more carefully.
But with Takumi covering them, he didn't need to think too meticulously in certain aspects.
If problems arose, Takumi could perfectly handle them.
He just needed to ensure his companions could display their strength well.
"What riddles are you two talking about?"
Naruto looked at them, confused. His simple-minded nature didn't allow him to think deeply. "There's no fishing spot here."
"Just shut up, Naruto."
Kiba said impatiently.
Even Kiba felt Naruto could be annoyingly stupid sometimes.
"I'll leave the other one to me, Neji, and Lee. The rest will handle the remaining enemies."
After simply assigning opponents, Shikamaru looked at Takumi.
It wasn't that he wanted Takumi's approval, but before the battle, he hoped Takumi, who had the highest strength and prestige, could say a few words.
"Before the battle begins, I need to say a few things. Perhaps this can stir a stronger will to fight within you."
Receiving Shikamaru's look, Takumi said calmly, "Several years ago, when we were younger, Shinobi from Kumogakure, under the pretext of a peace agreement, came to Konoha attempting to kidnap Hinata."
Gasp!
His words immediately made everyone look at Hinata.
Hinata lowered her head, somewhat flustered.
Neji gritted his teeth, fists clenched.
He, of course, knew what Takumi was going to say.
Now, even before Takumi finished, his heart was already filled with anger.
He wished he could immediately charge out and kill those Kumogakure's Shinobi.
"The Kumogakure's Shinobi, of course, didn't succeed. Hyuga Hiashi detected their scheme and killed the Kumogakure's Shinobi, saving Hinata."
As Takumi spoke, he saw the others show relief, only Neji and Shikamaru's expressions were different from the rest.
Neji was furious.
And Shikamaru sensed some issues from Takumi's words.
"During the peace agreement period, Kumogakure daring to do this must have had something to rely on."
Shikamaru said. "What price did we pay back then?"
He directly mentioned 'price' because from Takumi's attitude, he understood that Konoha must have suffered a loss this time.
"Kumogakure turned the tables, falsely accusing Konoha of lacking sincerity and threatening to start another war."
Takumi's calm words couldn't fully conceal the killing intent within. "The Hokage didn't want to restart the war. Konoha had already lost too much due to war, so the Hokage didn't want to lose more."
"So, to protect the head of the main family, Hyuga Hiashi, the clan elders killed Hiashi's twin younger brother, my father, and handed him over as an explanation."
Neji said through gritted teeth.
The group gasped again.
Ino and the others looked somewhat lost.
Although they had experienced many missions, seen many corpses, and even killed people, this was the first time they had encountered such tragic events involving someone close to them.
Neji's almost distorted expression made them feel inexplicably fearful.
"Neji-niisan..."
Hinata looked at Neji with deep concern, guilt appearing on her face.
If she hadn't been kidnapped back then, that incident might not have happened.
Neji's father might still be alive.
Unfortunately.
There's no 'ifs'.
Neji lost his father and consequently harbored deep hatred for the clan.
Although things had eased somewhat during the Chunin Exams, Neji, not having been influenced by Naruto's 'Talk no Jutsu', found it hard for Hiashi's apology alone to soothe the pain and anger deep in his heart.
"It seems we have another goal."
Kiba said straightforwardly. "We absolutely cannot lose this battle!"
"Right!"
Lee shouted. "For Konoha! For Neji! We absolutely cannot lose!"
The atmosphere was immediately fired up by the two of them.
Takumi showed a satisfied smile, then said, "I said all this so that you won't hold back in the upcoming battle. The enemies have come with the intent to kill us. In that case, we don't need to hold back either."
"But during the battle, you must remain calm. Absolutely must not let anger affect your judgment."
"A Shinobi's battle isn't about brute force, it's a battle of wisdom."
"Alright, go. I'll be behind you."
"Yeah!!"
Lee shouted, charging out first!
"Hey!"
Shikamaru was startled, quickly shouting, "Don't forget to maintain formation!"
But Lee had already run off, unable to hear him.
He shook his head helplessly, then looked back at Takumi. "You stoked the fire a bit too strongly. I'm worried they might not be able to control themselves."