Isn't teamwork supposed to be important for a small team on a mission? Yet, the moment Kakashi joined the team, he received ample "humane care," being hit with two excellent BUFFs.
One was called "sarcasm and ridicule," and the other was called the "cold shoulder."
How pitiful. Kakashi was just a child, after all.
After the three-person team set off, their movement speed wasn't fast. Even so, half a day later, Habara and the others were already a considerable distance from Konoha. Habara then announced that the team would temporarily stop.
The team hid in a forest, the three of them squatting together. Habara was about to unify the team's thinking.
"We'll rest for a bit, and then we need to confirm our course of action for this trip," Habara said. After finishing this sentence, he immediately turned his gaze to Kakashi. "The team's chain of command?"
"It hasn't changed," Kakashi replied.
That meant he was just joining this team as an ordinary member. Habara was still the team leader, and subsequent actions would still be primarily guided by Habara's will.
"Alright, I'll talk about the mission. Although the ostensible purpose of this mission is to negotiate a peace treaty between Konoha and Sunagakure, its essence is actually to buy time for Konoha to attack Kumogakure. Therefore, even if we fail to reach a peace treaty on this trip, that objective can still be achieved."
With this first sentence, Kakashi felt that something was off.
Habara continued, "Ultimately, the comparison of hard power between Konoha and Sunagakure hasn't changed. After the issue with Kumogakure is over, Sunagakure will still have to behave. Therefore, we will absolutely not make excessive concessions for the sake of a peace treaty; otherwise, we'd be putting the cart before the horse. Realistically, as long as we maintain a fair attitude and don't try to bully Sunagakure, and if Sunagakure can also be pragmatic and genuinely desire peace, I believe there's a high probability that a peace treaty can be signed. After all, continuing the war is pointless, and Konoha and Sunagakure have already been in a state of ceasefire for some time. But if Sunagakure wants to take advantage of the Fourth Hokage's death to achieve some unrealistic conditions, and a peace treaty becomes hopeless, then our methods will have to be a bit… sterner. I hope everyone is mentally prepared for that."
Hearing this, Kakashi finally couldn't help but speak up, "Wait a minute, are you planning to…"
"Team member Kakashi, please follow the captain's orders."
"…"
"In fact, I don't think Konoha will place too much importance on this peace treaty. However, based on my personal ambitions, I don't want this mission to fail, therefore I won't hesitate to take extreme measures… Tenzo, you need a success to prove your value."
Habara's logic was very clear. How could border stability be maintained? Either everyone lived in peace, or everyone was embroiled in internal chaos.
Tenzo nodded in agreement with Habara's words. At this point, he indeed needed to prove his value. So, even if only based on the principle of the minority obeying the majority, Kakashi could only keep his opinions to himself at this time.
After confirming the guiding ideology of the mission, Habara said to Tenzo, "Tenzo, extend your hand. There's something I need to test…"
Tenzo was puzzled, but he still extended his right hand. When Habara also extended his right hand and the two hands clasped together, Tenzo suddenly felt like he had received an electric shock, almost jumping up on the spot.
Fortunately, Habara's grip was very firm. After about thirty seconds, he finally released his hand.
"As I suspected, your jutsu and my jutsu are, in a sense, two sides of the same coin."
Habara naturally understood what he was doing right now, and Tenzo seemingly understood as well. Only Kakashi was completely bewildered. At this moment, he probably hated cryptic people.
With the successful completion of the small experiment, their trip to the Land of Clouds had an extra layer of assurance.
...
Three days later, Habara and his two companions arrived in the Sunagakure-controlled area of the Land of Rivers. Not long after passing the Kikyo Pass, they encountered the twelve Sunagakure ninjas who had come to meet them.
After careful contact and mutual verification of identities, these Sunagakure ninjas became Habara's and his companions' guards. They would now lead them to the Land of Wind.
The Sunagakure side actually felt that Konoha's envoys were a bit too young. However, from the travel permits to the Hokage's decree to the Land of Fire's official diplomatic letter, Habara's and his companions' paperwork was all in order.
When the environment changed from mountains to endless yellow sand, the spirits of Habara and his two companions tightened to their maximum. And while their spirits were tense, Habara began to chat with the captain of the Sunagakure ninjas.
"Is it necessary to be so heavily guarded just to meet us?"
Because he noticed that not only were his own team members tense, but the Sunagakure ninjas who had come to meet them were also quite nervous.
"Our role is to protect you. After the news of the imminent arrival of Konoha's envoys spread, the radical elements within the village became restless… To prevent the envoys from being ambushed, we came here," the Sunagakure squad leader said.
Habara nodded in understanding. It seemed that every village had its share of people with unclear minds. Even though Konoha had sent peace envoys, not all the feedback in Sunagakure was positive.
If they were to encounter an ambush, Habara and his two companions couldn't easily take action. The matter would have to be handled by Sunagakure's guards, unless the guards were all dead… After all, they were official diplomatic envoys; under normal circumstances, they shouldn't be engaging in combat. And if they decided to participate in combat, they would have to "kill with one strike."
However, fortunately, there were no surprises or dangers along the way. After crossing a large expanse of desert, Sunagakure was already in sight.
After another identity verification, Habara and his two companions finally passed through Sunagakure's unique "single-line sky" entrance and entered this ninja village hidden in the endless yellow sand. They were then escorted to the "Sunagakure State Guesthouse," Sunagakure had ostensibly arranged a place for them to rest, but in reality, it was a place to keep them under surveillance.
"Konoha envoys, you've had a long journey. Please rest first and regain your spirits," the Sunagakure captain said to Habara and his companions.
"When will we be able to meet the Kazekage?" Seeing that the other party was about to leave, Habara immediately asked.
"You are envoys on an important mission. The Fourth Kazekage will meet with you soon. The peace negotiations will begin shortly," the other party said.
As it turned out, the "shortly" spoken by others was completely unreliable. The negotiations did begin soon, but Habara's negotiating partner wasn't the Kazekage. For the next few days, Habara repeated the same words to several different groups of Sunagakure ninjas.
Just as he felt that Sunagakure was stalling for time and his patience was about to run out, the Kazekage finally decided to meet with them.
Peace always seemed difficult to achieve. What was the point of dragging things out like this? A show of force?
____
Join me on Patreon! A free subscription grants you immediate access to 25 chapters!: patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls