Black Ops: Anbu Naruto

"For now," Naruto shrugged, walking over to the table and leaning against it. "I have to stay here and finish my mission."

"Then we'll be on our way. Who are you looking for?"

"I want to meet with the squad commander."

As Tayuya began leading him around, Naruto followed.

He looked around and saw the tension etched on the faces of the ninja outside.

"So how is everything here? Any problems?"

Tayuya shook her head, frowning.

"It's kind of like the 'glass half full or half empty' thing. Not far to the west is a river—it's Mujin territory. Nothing major happens on this side strategically speaking, but if you step into their line of sight on the opposite bank, you won't make it. That's where our terrain ends and the unknown begins."

"A strange forest?"

"Yeah," Tayuya said, clicking her tongue dramatically. "Very strange. Nothing like anything you've ever seen in the Land of Fire. A bamboo-and-mushroom forest, an impassable thicket of tall grass. You can't see a thing in there—it's like a booby trap."

"So we can't even send troops across the river?"

"I think we could," Tayuya continued as she led him through the camp base, "but it's not worth it. They've got sensors—every time we try sending an expedition across, no matter how well we cover them, they're wiped out before they even reach the other side. Anything crossing the river gets fully exposed and completely destroyed. Right now, we're just holding the line. It's a stalemate phase. Everyone's at their wits' end."

Kusagakure didn't attempt direct engagements with them—they simply held the border very effectively.

Finally, Tayuya brought him to one of the smallest buildings around and started heading toward the guards at the entrance.

"The person you're looking for is here. The commander's inside. Go ahead." The guard let Tayuya pass without issue and didn't stop Naruto either.

The building housed only a single room, and the man poring over the table was clearly the commander.

"Yamato?" Naruto asked doubtfully as he walked up to the table with Tayuya.

Yamato looked up from the maps sprawled across the table.

"You finally arrived. Welcome to a living hell of stalemate."

Naruto and Tayuya pulled up chairs and sat beside Yamato's table. Naruto asked,

"You called me here?"

Yamato nodded firmly.

He beckoned them closer so they could see the maps laid out on the table.

"That river and gorge—we can't cross it. No one can. We've tried in multiple places, but we just can't make it across. We can't even construct a bridge there. As soon as they detect us, they unleash a heavy barrage on our side."

He narrowed his eyes with wrath, sighed, and rubbed his temples. "And they control the only usable bridge—Heaven Lake Bridge." He pointed to that location on the map. "On the other side of the bridge, they have a fortress ready to retaliate against anyone attempting to cross."

Yamato rubbed his chin and pointed toward another border slightly further north:

"They might try bypassing us by crossing through Takigakure's territory, flanking us from the North. It's obvious, but they could catch us off guard and cause heavy losses. Then their forces on the bridge can attack from there, leaving us trapped between two fronts."

Naruto looked at the map, then at Yamato, scratching his cheek.

"So what do you want me to do now?"

Yamato placed his finger on their camp's location and slowly moved it toward the northern border controlled by Takigakure.

"I want you to cross the tri-border region shared with Kusagakure and Takigakure, then enter Grass Country. From there, move southwest back toward that bridge and fortress. Destroy it completely, and we'll be able to cross over, establishing a foothold on their territory."

Sneaking alone deep behind enemy lines to destroy their fortress?" Tayuya said dryly, a look of disbelief on her face. "That's seriously what you're asking him to do? Or are you also expecting him to march straight into Kusagakure, force their leadership to surrender, and bring back souvenirs while he's at it?"

Yamato glared at Tayuya with an icy expression.

"Did I just detect even the slightest hint of defiance coming from your mouth?"

Seeing both Tayuya and Naruto freeze in fear, he seemed somewhat satisfied.

"Good. Naruto can handle it. Believe me, I've seen him walk right into a hornet's nest and come out completely unscathed."

"I can handle it," Naruto said firmly. "Let me go—I'll get in, blow it sky-high, and get out."

Tayuya stared at Naruto, stunned by how quickly he accepted the mission.

"Are you insane? Under normal circumstances, just getting there and back would take four days, and now you also have to avoid patrols, not to mention that damn tri-border zone. You'd need a full squad just to stand a chance of reaching the place."

"Do you want to join me?"

Tayuya blinked in surprise. "What?"

Tayuya didn't know quite how to respond. She turned to Naruto, a rare shyness in her demeanor.

"Really, Naruto…do you need help?"

Before Naruto could think carefully about it, the voice in his mind interrupted: *She's scared.* The Nine-Tails seemed amused. *Isn't this the girl who broke into Konoha alongside the Uchiha, leaving with only three others as backup?*

But that was after the invasion when Konoha was significantly weakened.

Sasuke had willingly chosen to leave with them back then, and the entire nation wasn't at war yet.

The situation now was different. Even then, she'd endured horrifying consequences from the mission's failure—she had been the sole survivor of that chaos.

Naruto shook his head and placed his hand on Tayuya-chan's shoulder. "I don't need help. You don't have to go, Tayuya-chan. I can do this alone."

"I never intended to send her anyway," Yamato suddenly cut in, interrupting their conversation. "Tayuya is our branch's expert in genjutsu—both casting and breaking it."

"She's basically single-handedly thwarted several nighttime raids from the Bridge District."

Tayuya glared venomously at Yamato. "Then why are you wasting time with all this back-and-forth, debating whether or not to send him help?"

"Hmm, just wanted to entertain the two of you a bit."

Naruto firmly gripped Tayuya's shoulders.

"Fine... I'll head out tonight. If it takes four days to get there, then so be it."

Yamato nodded his head. "Okay, if you're traveling through the night, find an empty bunk in the barracks and rest until sunset. I'll update you on our status by then."

Naruto stood up and left the office. Tayuya followed him out.

"Be safe."

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