Naruto: Thousand Hands of Glory

After three days of temporary training, the Hatake Sakumo team officially received orders and left the village to carry out the mission.

"Sakumo-senpai, please wait a moment."

Just as they were about to embark on their journey, a hurried call made them stop.

Looking at the person who came, Liuxia smiled slightly. He had already seen through Tsunade's hypocritical appearance. He knew that this strong sister would always be unable to hide her worries at critical moments, and would definitely come to see him and Nawaki off before leaving the village.

"There is a rope tree under the willow. You guys go over there while the others check the supplies they are carrying."

When Hatake Sakumo saw Tsunade, he understood. He whispered to the other team members to check the supplies they carried again, and then signaled Yanagishita and Nawaki to go forward.

"elder sister!"

"Sister Tsunade!"

Tsunade held them tightly in her arms, as if she wanted to convey all her courage and strength through this hug.

"You two brats, you must, must come back alive, understand?" Tsunade's voice trembled a little, but her words were full of determination and expectation.

When Yanagishita was caught off guard, he only felt a slightly hot breath on his forehead, followed by a light kiss from Tsunade's warm lips. At this moment, time seemed to freeze, and Yanagishita's heartbeat seemed to stop at this moment.

He could feel the temperature of Tsunade's lips, a gentle touch, like the sunshine in spring, warm but not hot. Her kiss was full of indescribable affection, as if conveying silent encouragement and blessings. On his forehead, Tsunade's kiss left a light wet feeling, which was the moisture between her lips, with a barely perceptible tremor.

This kiss, though gentle, was like a brand, deeply imprinted on his skin and in his heart. It was not just a simple kiss, but also Tsunade's expectations and trust in them, a beacon of light in the journey they were about to embark on, guiding them forward.

As Tsunade's embrace gradually loosened, a trace of reluctance flashed in her eyes, but was quickly replaced by determination. She said softly but firmly: "Go, your teammates are waiting for you." Her words contained both encouragement and expectation, as if to tell them that no matter what the road ahead is, they should not forget that their companions are waiting for them.

Yanagishita and Nawaki turned around and looked past Tsunade to see their teammates. Senior Sakumo seemed to have expected this scene. He pretended to look away as if nothing had happened, but there was a hint of concern in the corner of his eyes.

Uchiha Yan lowered his head to check his equipment again. His movements were focused and meticulous, as if he was using this method to hide his inner fluctuations.

As for Hinata Suzuran, her gaze lingered on Yanagi for a moment, complex and deep, as if she was silently telling something, but soon her eyes returned to calm, as if she had hidden all her emotions deep in her heart.

The two waved goodbye to Tsunade, with a hint of determination and reluctance in their movements. Tsunade stood there quietly, watching their backs gradually go away until they were no longer visible.

As Yanagishita and Nawaki followed the team away from the village, Yanagishita came back to his senses from Tsunade's gentle kiss, and suddenly a thought flashed through his mind, making him shudder. He remembered the legend in the village, it seemed that everyone Tsunade had kissed, except for the protagonist Uzumaki Naruto, had suffered an unfortunate fate.

"Fortunately, Sister Tsunade didn't give the necklace away, otherwise it would be even more troublesome." Liuxia muttered to himself, thankful that he and Nawaki were two people, while Tsunade only had one necklace. He didn't notice that he actually said out loud what he was worried about.

"What necklace, Xiao Xia, do you want grandpa's necklace?"

Shengshu, who was standing next to Liuxia, could only vaguely hear a few words in the wind, but he knew that Liuxia often stared at his sister's necklace, probably because he liked it very much.

"No, I didn't, you heard it wrong." Liu Xia hurriedly denied, passively triggering the third quality combo.

Just then, Hatake Sakumo's voice interrupted their conversation, and he began to give the team detailed information about this mission.

"The intelligence this time shows that the Sand Village has sent a total of three special teams to invade River Country. The number of people is not large, but the specific strength is still unclear. We must deal with it carefully." Hatake Sakumo's voice was calm and firm. His eyes swept over each team member to make sure everyone was listening carefully.

"Our first target is the village on the border of River Country. Intelligence shows that this group of Sand Ninjas have looted more than a dozen villages in succession, and stole a large amount of food supplies. It seems that the judgment of the Third Hokage is correct. This group of people should be coming to harass and test, and to rob supplies by the way." Senior Sakumo analyzed the situation, and his words revealed the importance he attached to the mission and his vigilance against the enemy.

Then, Senior Sakumo began to assign specific tasks: "However, since the Sand Village only sent three teams to invade the Land of Rivers, their strength must not be underestimated. Hyuga Suzuran, I need you to enter the target location and use your Byakugan to find the invading ninjas. Uchiha En, you must be prepared to use illusions to obtain intelligence at any time. Yanagishita, you must prepare the Flying Thunder God Mark to ensure our flexibility. As for Nawaki, once we encounter the enemy, you will be responsible for protecting Hyuga Suzuran's safety."

After hearing Senior Sakumo's arrangement, Nawaki and the other team members nodded in understanding. Senior Sakumo glanced at them and noticed that everyone except Yanagishita had a hint of nervousness on their faces. He smiled slightly and comforted everyone in a gentle but firm voice: "Don't worry, as long as you find the enemy, most of them will be left to me." His words were full of confidence and strength, which made the team members feel at ease.

Nawaki was encouraged by Sakumo-senpai's words. He clenched his fists, waved his arms, and said loudly: "Don't underestimate us, I want to be the Hokage!"

Senior Sakumo looked at Nawaki with a hint of admiration in his eyes. He knew that these ninjas were the pride of Konoha, and as long as they did not die in battle, they would become the pillars of Konoha.

He nodded, then announced loudly: "Come on! Now, full speed ahead!" His voice echoed in the air, inspiring everyone's fighting spirit.

Following Hatake Sakumo's order, the team moved quickly, and everyone showed their speed and agility. They shuttled through the woods like a group of agile cheetahs, moving quickly towards the target location.

......

After more than two days of rapid travel, Sakumo's team finally arrived at the village where the recent looting incident occurred. The scene before them was shocking, with collapsed houses and broken furniture and daily necessities scattered on the streets. However, the most puzzling thing was that despite the severe damage, there were almost no bodies found, which was very different from the routine cleanup scene after the ninja operation.

Hatake Sakumo frowned, knowing full well that this kind of situation often meant that there was a bigger conspiracy waiting for them. He turned to Hyuga Suzuran and asked in a deep voice, "Suzuran, how is it, is there anything going on nearby?"

Hinata Suzuran closed her eyes and concentrated, using her Byakugan ability to search the surroundings. After a moment, she opened her eyes and reported, "Captain, I didn't detect any chakra reaction nearby. It's very likely that the enemy has moved a long way away."

Senior Sakumo nodded, his eyes revealing a hint of determination: "It seems that we need to look for clues to pursue. You all go ask the surviving villagers to see if you can get some clues. I will search the area nearby. Be careful and don't separate."

Liu Xia and his men acted quickly, knowing that in this situation, any clue could be the key. Senior Shuo Mao began to search the village carefully, with a sharp eye, not missing any corner that might hide clues.

Yanagishita and his team quickly approached a group of frightened survivors, their eyes full of fear and anxiety. Yanagishita took a deep breath and asked in a gentle voice: "We are ninjas sent by Konoha. Our mission is to eliminate the Sand Ninjas who invaded you. Can you tell us where they are going?"

After a moment of silence, the survivors looked at each other, as if looking for someone who could stand up. Finally, a white-haired old man pointed in a direction and said hesitantly with a trembling voice: "They...they went over there."

Liuxia nodded. Although he felt that the survivors' reactions were a little unusual, now was not the time to investigate. He quickly signaled Nawaki to send a signal to recall Hatake Sakumo who was searching nearby.

With a swish, Senior Sakumo appeared in front of them almost at the moment the signal was sent, and his figure suddenly appeared like a ghost.

"Why, is there any valuable information?" Senior Sakumo's voice was calm and firm. His eyes swept over the survivors, as if looking for something.

"Captain Sakumo, they told us that the Sand Ninjas went in that direction." Yanagishita reported, but he felt a little uneasy. He noticed that the survivors seemed to be avoiding the gaze of Senior Sakumo.

Suddenly, Hatake Sakumo made a move that shocked everyone - he drew his short sword and pointed it at the survivors. Rope Tree reacted almost instinctively, holding a kunai to protect the terrified survivors and shouted: "Captain?! What are you doing!"

Hatake Sakumo's eyes were like a sharp blade, sharp and deep, as if he wanted to dissect the secrets of the survivors one by one. His voice was cold and firm, revealing unquestionable authority: "Get out of the way, Nawaki-kun, these people deceived us."

Nawaki stood in front of the survivors, holding a kunai, his eyes full of doubt and confusion. His voice was a little trembling, but more of a question to Senior Sakumo: "How is it possible? They are the survivors of the Sand Ninja Sword."

Hatake Sakumo did not answer immediately. His eyes were fixed on the survivors, as if waiting for their reaction.

At this time, Liu Xia suddenly spoke, with a hint of enlightenment in his voice: "Sheng Shu, get out of the way, the captain is right, there is something wrong with this group of people."

Shengshu turned his head and looked under the willow, his eyes full of confusion.