Chapter Nineteen

"Indra since you're bent on the war, you will go and assist Hoki in the battle against Sunagakure," Tobirama said, before passing a sealed scroll to him.

Indra nodded before leaving the office, his destination being the gate of the village. He'd be leaving as Indra and not Kitsune, so he doesn't need to leave the village via a secret entrance.

*************

A few hours later, I was seated around a campfire. It was late at night and I was about to get a rest, as I'd reach the Suna front by noon tomorrow.

Taking out the scroll Tobirama gave me before I left, I unfurled it and read the contents. Inside the scroll was just a simple message, a picture of the current Kazekage. I didn't need any more information to know what it meant. "So I'm to assassinate the Kazekage. Interesting!!" A wide grin spread on my face, as I rested my back on the huge tree behind me.

I slowly opened my eyes as I sensed five shinobi enter my sensory range, 'One of them is a sensor, so they should have noticed me by now,' I thought, as I analysed their chakra signatures.

I didn't bother standing up, having been asleep up until a minute ago my sensory range was reduced to 200m. If their sensor was skilled, he'd have noticed me at about the 500m mark, so I was just going to wait and confirm if they've actually noticed me.

'Kiri shinobi,' I thought as I shrunk myself, dodging the senbon that struck the spot I was sleeping. 'Well, that's my answer there.'

"Where did he go? Find him fast!!" One of them yelled out.

A thick chakra-laden mist quickly fills the air, originating from the Kiri shinobi that had yelled out the instruction.

'Mist technique. Pointless,' I thought as I activated my byakugan. I could see every one of them huddled around the sensor with his fingers placed on the ground.

I appeared above the crouched sensor with my tanto aimed at his exposed nape. Returning to my original size, I dropped down with my tanto ending the life of the shinobi.

'Water Release: Water Prison Technique'

One of them yelled as a sphere of water appeared, trapping me in it. 'So they used the sensor as bait.'

I summoned chakra rods around me and sent them hurtling towards the four shinobi surrounding me. The chakra rods made new holes in the body of the four kiri shinobi, going through the heart of three of them while disabling the one I recognised as the leader.

The water prison surrounding me scattered, sending water everywhere. "Now, You'd tell me what you're all doing so far from your main force," I said to the groaning shinobi with a slight smile on my face.

The shinobi brought out a kunai and aimed it at his neck, intending to take his life. I shrunk the kunai, stunning the shinobi that started scrambling back in fear. Appearing in front of him, I sealed his tenketsu, before lifting him by his neck. "Seeing how determined you're on keeping your secrets, I doubt you'd be spilling with torture so I'm just going to send you to Konoha," I said to the kiri shinobi, with his eyes widening in fear.

Knocking the shinobi out, I created a shadow clone and passed his unconscious body to the clone. With a nod, the clone turned and left for Konoha, while I left too for the Suna front.

A few hours later, I got within range of the Hyuga shinobi acting as guards. Showing them the secret code that signifies my affiliation, I then took a step forward as I felt their gazes leave my body.

After walking for a few more minutes, I arrived at the camp the Konoha shinobi under Hoki was situated. A masked shinobi appeared in front of me, "Hoki-sama has requested your presence," the masked shinobi said, he then started walking towards the centre of the camp without even waiting for my response.

Stopping at the biggest tent in the camp, the escorting shinobi turned back and another masked shinobi came out of the tent. "You can go in Indra-sama," he said.

Entering the tent, Hatake Hoki, Shimura Danzo, Uchiha Kagami, and Akimichi Torifu were seated around a table discussing what I assume to be their battle strategies. "Indra, I'm glad you're able to join us," Hoki said as I joined them around the table.

"Sunagakure is on their last leg in the war against us but their Kazekage isn't willing to let his shinobi retreat. We need to deliver a crushing defeat to them for their Kazekage to see why it's useless against our Will of Fire," Hoki stated, letting me know of the current war status. "Indra, you'd join team Danzo as a vanguard for our next assault," he added. I let out a frown upon hearing what Hoki said, the idea of teaming up with someone else was repulsing.

"What's the matter, Indra?" Kagami asked.

"As great as it would be joining your team, Kagami. I have a different mission from the rest of you."

"What do you mean?" a slightly pissed-off Danzo asks.

"Exactly what I said. I originally wanted to fight on the front lines, but I have a more interesting mission."

"What mission could be better than fighting for the village," Hoki asked.

"If you weren't informed by Tobirama, then there's no need for you to know," I got up from the chair, ignoring Danzo who was barely restraining his bloodlust.

"If I were you, I'd hide that bloodlust," I said to Danzo. "We don't want you dying prematurely, do we?" I added, summoning five chakra rods in front of me.

"Danzo, It's enough. Indra is allowed to do whatever he wants as long as it brings no harm to the village." Hoki said, trying to de-escalate the tense situation. "Indra, I'm guessing your mission is critical to ending the war with Suna?"

Letting out a chuckle, I left the command tent without replying.

*******************

The moment Indra stepped out, the furious voice of Danzo resounded in the command tent.

"Hoki-sama, how can you let him do whatever he pleases?!" Danzo demanded. "You need to teach him respect!! He's a subordinate as long as he's a konoha shinobi, if he has forgotten that, then I'd instill it into him. If you let him ignore the chain of command...."

"It's enough, Danzo" Hoki interrupted. "You seem to forget Indra's status in Konoha. A subordinate or not, he's still the only student of Hashirama-sama. And in the village, the nidaime Hokage is the only person he answers to. It would do you well to remember that."

"But..."

"Hoki-sama is right, Indra is someone you can't control," Torifu said to Danzo, speaking for the first time since Indra entered and subsequently left the tent.

Danzo has always been a hot-headed and eager shinobi, with the burning desire to prove himself. But he has constantly been overshadowed by his friend Sarutobi Hiruzen, this has caused a slight jealously to take root and blossom in his heart, alongside a constantly nagging voice in his head that whispers the feared words of his inferiority towards Hiruzen. And now with a 12-year-old boy showing strength that surpasses his, superiority to even the most talented shinobi, the roots of jealousy were on the move again, slowly making its way deeper into his heart.

Seeing Indra doing whatever he pleases, having no need in proving himself to anyone, Danzo had started feeling inferior once again to someone that isn't Hiruzen. This has caused him to start rethinking his entire shinobi creed.

Gritting his teeth, Danzo lowered his head while he subconsciously balled his fist. The inferiority he felt towards Hiruzen and Indra that he struggles to bury deep in his mind has now resurfaced, playing in his mind over and over again. And this time, it is exacerbated by Indra's lack of regard for the shinobi hierarchy, and his inability to do anything about it.

'A shinobi is a tool for the village.' His thought on shinobi beginning to morph into something that won't bode well for the shinobi world.