Naruto Shippuden: girl from whirlpools

Call of Duty

Chapter Nine: Call of Duty

The day everything changed came just a few months later. Minato awoke in a camp that was alive with activity and talk, and he watched this all with mild consternation as took his shower and brushed his teeth. Something was clearly in the air that morning, but Minato was slightly more preoccupied with his face.

"Can I borrow a razor?" he asked Shikaku.

"No," said Shikaku at once.

"I need to shave."

"You don't need to bloody shave. You're blond. No one can see your weak-ass beard."

Minato scratched his cheek. "I can feel it though."

"There's barely anything there," Shikaku said dismissively. "If you want to scratch that fluff off your chin, get your own razor. Or use a kunai."

And so Minato arrived in the breakfast tent with a face cut to hell, courtesy one a kunai that had been slightly on the rusty side. Thankfully, before anyone could comment, a strange hush fell over the tent. Minato looked up to see Danzou and one of his captains had entered. Normally they ate separately, so the only reason they were be here now was to make an announcement.

Minato wondered if the time had come at last...

"As some of you might already know," the captain began, and several people including Minato moved to sit on the tables to see him better, "Kiri's outpost on the First Island has received reinforcements that put their number at double what it was before."

Minato's spoon fell into his bowl with a clack.

"Well, shit," Shikaku sighed quietly to himself.

"We have also received word from our spies that the reinforcements belong to General Akuze, who you'll most likely know as one of the seven swordsman, second only to the Mizukage in skill and one of the best military strategists alive. He is also at the outpost and its suspected that they may be preparing to launch one massive offensive against this very camp. With their numbers and a strategist like Akuze leading them, it's very possible that we will be overwhelmed within a week."

"I think I want to go home," Shikaku whispered, and he didn't look as if he was joking. Plenty of people around them were looking grim.

"The situation is very dire," Danzou began, taking over from his captain. "But we may prevail if we act quickly and decisively. Frontal assaults against the outpost on the island have failed in the past and with their numbers today it would be next to impossible to drive them out by force. However, with the new arrivals, the outpost will be seeing a lot of strange, new faces and we have been presented with an opportunity to place one of our own among them who is unlikely to be detected. We have decided that in order to save this camp and our village and strike a devastating blow to Kiri, we will assassinate General Akuze."

Minato remained quite still as everyone around him shifted uncomfortably. Everyone knew what was coming, or at least they thought they did. Minato had a better idea of what was really going on.

"While we fortify this camp and call for reinforcements, we need someone to infiltrate the Kiri base. This may be asking a lot, perhaps even asking the impossible, but we need someone of exceptional skill and talent and discretion to take down Akuze." Danzou's eye drifted over the faces of his subordinates as he spoke, as if looking for his assassin. "This person must also understand the risks. Even once Akuze is down, escape is unlikely. But if this brave man succeeds this could turn the tide of this war for good."

Danzou's gaze lingered on Minato for far too long to be a coincidence.

"I would like you all to think about this," the commander went on. "And any volunteers may come to my quarters tonight and-"