Kakashi looked miserable. These two people were staring at him without saying a word. Should he leave, or should he stay?
"I don't have anything... this is the report."
"I'll just hand it in and leave."
Kakashi glanced at their faces as he put the mission report on the desk.
For some reason, he had a bad feeling. The way these two were looking at him felt strange.
It felt like they were trying to trick him. He should probably run while he still could.
Just as Kakashi was about to back away and quickly leave this troublesome place,
Tsunade's voice suddenly came from behind him. Tsunade said to him,
"Wait a minute, Kakashi."
Many excuses flashed through Kakashi's mind, but when he thought about it being a Hokage order, Kakashi stopped in his tracks in a second.
Damn, here comes some work.
And based on her tone, according to Kakashi's understanding of Tsunade,
when she called him like this, it basically meant she wanted him to do the mission alone.
Don't make him do this kind of thing. Compared to his lazy attitude, Naruto really wants to do new missions.
Kakashi took a deep breath and hesitantly turned around.
"What is it, Tsunade-sama?"
"How is your injury from last time? How's your recovery going?"
Tsunade asked casually.
"Uh... ah, it's nothing anymore."
Kakashi scratched the metal plate on his glove, his nails making a faint clicking sound.
"Then for now, you and Shikamaru will go to the Nara clan's secret forest to search."
"The head of that Akatsuki member who was dealt with by Hidan before, someone took it away today."
It's just investigating the situation, it's not a big deal.
Kakashi is in recovery anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to do this kind of mission.
And compared to Naruto's rash personality, Kakashi is clearly more suitable for this mission.
"The head... was taken away?"
Kakashi nodded slightly, agreeing, and then raised his eyebrows in confusion.
What does it mean that the head was taken away?
"Ah... wait, isn't that forest only accessible to people from the Nara clan?"
Kakashi paused, then realized something.
These two sentences don't sound right.
And it sounds like it's just a simple investigation. Is it really necessary for him and Shikamaru to investigate together?
Wouldn't Shikamaru be enough on his own?
And wasn't that head buried deep underground?
They even took a look at it back then, and they secretly admired Shikamaru.
Even if the opponent is immortal, he can still find a way to get rid of him.
At the same time, Shikamaru made such careful preparations to avenge Asuma.
But that head, buried dozens of meters underground, could still be found and taken away?
That seems very strange.
"It's okay, you can go in and investigate. You're better at this kind of thing."
Tsunade has a lot of confidence in Kakashi's abilities. Kakashi's ninja dogs were originally for tracking.
Now is the time to use that skill.
Go, Kakashi.
So she's saying he's more experienced in tracking, huh?
Kakashi frowned helplessly. He glanced at Shikamaru next to him, who looked serious.
Shikamaru's mind doesn't seem to be on whether or not people can enter the forest, but on the head.
"It doesn't matter, the more evidence we can collect, the better, because I have no clue about the people we encountered this time."
"It would be great if Kakashi-sensei could find some useful clues."
Kakashi blinked his droopy, lifeless eyes, as if surprised by what Shikamaru said.
It's strange for Shikamaru to say he has no clues.
Isn't this kid the best at using his brain? From what he's saying, it sounds like he can't figure it out either.
"I understand, take me there."
"If we delay too long, the scent in the forest will fade."
"It will be even harder to find those people then."
Kakashi decided to ask Shikamaru for details on the way. For now, it's better to take him to the secret forest to investigate.
"Okay."
Shikamaru nodded and followed Kakashi out the door.
Kakashi's tense mood relaxed a bit. He loosened his shoulders and stretched his neck.
"This isn't like you. What's the deal with the head being taken? Did someone tell you something?"
Kakashi doesn't believe that someone could dig so deep into the ground just to get a head.
And no one would be able to dig the hole open in such a short amount of time. Aren't their Nara clan's deer watching inside?
Surely all the deer wouldn't have missed it.
It doesn't sound like they could have taken the head without leaving a trace.
Shikamaru pursed his lips with a bitter expression, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
"I... saw those people leave."
Shikamaru hesitated for a moment, then honestly told Kakashi what happened.
He even mentioned the small puppets used to block the deer's view.
It sounds organized and premeditated, as if they knew the secrets of the Nara clan's secret forest.
But that shouldn't be possible. Who would know such private information? Could the culprit be a Konoha ninja?
"They should be ninjas, but no one was wearing a headband. There was even a small child who wasn't wearing a mask and was just staring blankly at those people."
"They weren't wearing Akatsuki clothes, and they didn't really look like Akatsuki members."
"For one thing, the Akatsuki shouldn't have that many people left. Who would bring a child into battle?"
"There are too many suspicious things, but I don't have any answers that can solve the mystery."
Shikamaru shared all the strange things he noticed with Kakashi. They talked as they walked towards the forest.
"Not Akatsuki members, but they want to save Akatsuki members."
It's really inexplicable. And it seems like those people are very familiar with the Nara clan.
This is a huge challenge for Shikamaru too. It seems like his ninjutsu has been completely seen through.
Kakashi thoughtfully rubbed his chin. It seems like the opponent is someone even Shikamaru can't handle.
---
Read 30 advanced chapters on my patreon
patreon.com/GustinaKamiya
---