Oh, speaking of which, it's been a long time since I returned to the Village. Uncle Fugaku hasn't been back in a while either, has he?
Ren said with some emotion as he watched Itachi and Ken's receding figures.
After all, no matter what, he still had a home there, even if he was the only one left.
"Hmm, it's been half a year, hasn't it?"
At this, Fugaku's expression softened a bit, and a hint of longing appeared in his eyes.
Even he, the dignified head of the Uchiha Clan, would miss his wife at home. To send Itachi away again after only one day with him was a separation that no one could face calmly.
But there was no other way; sending Itachi back to the Village was the best choice, both publicly and privately. He had already violated regulations by bringing Itachi to the battlefield, and since his goal had been achieved, staying any longer would not be beneficial for his growth.
"It should be soon, right?"
For a moment, both fell silent, as the topic of war was somewhat heavy.
Even the powerful Uchiha Clan would receive bad news back at their clan grounds every now and then.
The war had reached its most intense phase and passed, but both supplies and manpower were still being consumed at a frantic rate. Now, it was a matter of who would collapse first.
"By the way, Uncle Fugaku, you should be rushing back to the border defense force now, right?"
"Hmm."
Fugaku did not deny it, nodding his head.
"Kumogakure has reduced its offensive recently, and the A-B Combo hasn't shown up for a long time. We can't let our guard down on the front lines."
As the first line of defense against Kumogakure, a lack of leaders and commanders would not do. In the entire Konoha Camp, only Fugaku and Minato were capable enough to command respect and meet the required strength. Their combination firmly intercepted the Stone Ninjas and Cloud Ninjas outside the Land of Fire, preventing their invasion.
"It's almost curfew. I'm heading back first, Uncle Fugaku."
Seeing several small teams queuing up to enter the Konoha Camp in the distance, Ren knew he couldn't delay. The patrol teams had already rotated back, which meant curfew was not far off. While he could still enter then, the inspections would be much more troublesome.
"Hmm, then I'll be going. Be extra careful when performing missions."
"Alright!"
Watching Fugaku flash into the jungle and disappear, Ren also turned and walked towards the Konoha Camp. The two people responsible for registration were the same ones from when he left, so they quickly recognized him and allowed him through after a routine check.
After entering the Konoha Camp, Ren did not immediately return to his tent to rest. Instead, he went to the commander's tent. At this time, Minato was eating dinner. As someone who handled countless matters every day, he could only use this brief rest period to replenish his energy. The empty desk beside him would soon be piled high with a large number of documents again. Dealing with documents was indeed very troublesome.
Just as Ren was lost in thought, Minato had already put down his chopsticks and spoke.
"Is the matter resolved?"
"Ah, oh, it's resolved."
Ren finally came back to his senses, then sat down next to Minato and got straight to the point.
"Minato Big Brother, I came to see if you have any other types of team missions here. I'd like to take one."
After more than two months of patrol missions, the effectiveness of improving Shio and the other two's strength had become minimal. Continuing like this would only be a waste of time. Ren figured he should switch to a different mission to continue honing them.
Minato also guessed Ren's intention. After a moment of thought, he got up and went to his desk, picked up a document, opened it, looked at it, then turned around and handed it to Ren while explaining.
"These missions are scheduled to be assigned tomorrow and haven't been decided yet. You can take a look first."
"Alright!"
Ren took the document and read it carefully. After one pass, he had a good idea of what was available.
"How is it? Have you decided?"
While Ren was thinking, Minato had finished dinner. After cleaning everything up, he came closer again and asked.
"Yes, I've decided. This one."
Minato's gaze followed Ren's finger to a spot. After seeing that mission, he was first stunned, then turned his head and said with some surprise.
"Are you sure? The danger of this mission is not low."
"Of course I'm sure. This mission is very suitable for our team."
Ren grinned, speaking with a firm tone.
"Okay, wait a moment."
Seeing that Ren had made up his mind, Minato no longer said anything. After searching through the pile of documents for a while, he finally took out a scroll and handed it to him.
"All the intelligence for this mission is here. Pay attention to the time limit, go early and return early, and protect those children well."
"Hmm, leave it to me."
As the two spoke, the tent flap was lifted again, and several more stacks of documents were carried in. Seeing Minato's expression turn from clear to gloomy, Ren wisely did not stay. Under the other party's resentful gaze, he tucked the scroll away and ran off.
Who knew that as soon as he left the commander's tent, Ren's expression changed. He quickly flashed to a nearby corner and hid. From another corner behind him, the night patrol team passed by, surveyed the surroundings, and then continued forward, leaving the area.
"Phew, I forgot the time."
Ren emerged from the shadows, a hint of relief on his face. If he were caught wandering around the Konoha Camp at night, punishment would be secondary; the main thing was that he would be fined, and Ren didn't want to pay that unjust money.
Relying on his perception, Ren dodged several times along the way and finally returned to his tent.
"Captain, you're back."
Noticing Ren's return, Shio put down the scroll in her hand and said softly.
"Hmm, it's this late and you're still not sleeping, Shio?"
At this time, Suzuki and Yao were already asleep. To avoid disturbing them, both unconsciously lowered their voices.
"Oh, I'm going to sleep now."
Shio put away the scroll, and as she lay down, she didn't forget to remind Ren.
"Missions will resume tomorrow, Captain. You should also go to bed early."
"Okay, sleep. Tomorrow onwards, we won't have any peace."
"Hmm?"
Shio was a little confused. Just as she was about to ask, she saw that Ren was already asleep, so she had no choice but to give up.
The night passed uneventfully.
When Shio opened her eyes again, she saw her Captain sitting on the bed, looking intently at the scroll in his hand.
"Awake?"
"Hmm."
Shio's movement of getting up also attracted Ren's attention. Seeing her nod, Ren closed the scroll and then tossed it over.
"Perfect, let's take a look at our new mission first."
"New, new mission?"
Shio unconsciously took the scroll, opened it, and after scanning it twice, her pupils immediately widened. She looked at Ren with some astonishment.
"Captain, is this… an A-rank mission?"
"Yes."
No wonder Shio was so surprised. Their previous patrol missions were only in the B-rank range, but the difficulty of this mission, anyone could see, was definitely A-rank. Could their team, which had only been formed for less than three months, complete it?