Naruto: Wood-Wood Fruit

"That's basically the situation."

Half an hour later.

Inside the Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke, looking at Kurenai standing before him. 

"This will be classified as an S-rank mission, so I'm counting on you for this one, Kurenai."

"This is my duty," Kurenai replied seriously with a firm nod.

Thinking of her close friend, Anko, Kurenai hesitated for a moment before asking, "Hokage-sama, does this mean I'm allowed to assemble my own team for this mission?"

For a task like this, she figured Anko would be thrilled to join. 

With the recent training guidance she received from Kiyoshi, her strength had skyrocketed. 

Kurenai also remembered that Kiyoshi had gifted Anko a rather unique devil fruit.

"Yes, you'll be forming a four-person squad. To ensure everything goes smoothly, you may choose at least four allies at the Chunin level or above to create a tracking team," the Third Hokage said with a smile. 

"I'll also recommend someone—Uzuki Yugao."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." said a masked figure as they suddenly appeared in the office.

"Huh?" Kurenai looked at the masked figure in surprise. "Yugao?"

As a Konoha Jonin, Kurenai knew Yugao and had a good relationship with her. 

Kiyoshi had once mentioned that Yugao had helped him on the border of the Land of Fire several months back.

The Hokage gave his instructions directly, "Remove your mask. This time, you'll be assisting Kurenai on this mission as a Special Jonin."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

Yugao removed her mask, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. She smiled and nodded politely at Kurenai. "Kurenai-san, please look after me."

"We're all doing this for the village." Kurenai smiled back. "Hokage-sama, I already have some people in mind for the rest of the team."

Recalling Kiyoshi's words before he left, Kurenai's heart was filled with confidence. She wasn't worried about hiding anything or keeping cards up her sleeve. 

Kiyoshi had assured her to train without fear—if anyone dared to threaten her, they would face his wrath without delay. 

And with the Flying Thunder God markings he left on her and Anko, she felt a deep sense of security.

With this assurance, she could make full use of Konoha's resources to grow her strength without reservation.

"Oh?" The Third Hokage looked intrigued. "And who are you thinking of?"

"Kiba's cousin, Hana Inuzuka, and my friend, Anko Mitarashi," Kurenai replied with a smile.

This was the perfect mission to call upon Anko, or she'd complain non-stop if she were left out. 

As for Hana, Kurenai trusted the Inuzuka clan's tracking abilities over, say, the Aburame clan's quiet bug-users.

Yugao gave a supportive nod at Kurenai's selection. 

Their target was an S-rank rogue ninja from the Mist Village, a former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. 

She knew Kurenai's strength had surged after Kiyoshi's training. 

Kiyoshi, rumored to have chakra reserves like a Tailed Beast, was a skilled medical ninja who could support his teammates continuously. 

He'd even taught Kurenai a range of fire and earth-style jutsu, honing her skills to the highest level.

There was no doubt Kurenai was now a versatile Jonin. Anko, too, had improved drastically under Kiyoshi's training. 

She'd even learned the advanced version of the Peacock Technique, which allowed her to shape her chakra freely and even fly.

With this squad of a versatile Jonin, a Summoning Beast user, Yugao's expertise in Konoha-style swordsmanship, and Hana's expert tracking abilities, Kurenai's team seemed ready to take on even the most elite enemy.

"I agree with those choices. Anko's strength has improved lately, hasn't it?" said the Third Hokage as he nodded approvingly. "I'll leave it to you, Kurenai."

The Hokage wrote two notes and handed them over. "Here are my instructions for you to gather your team."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. We'll take our leave now."

"Yugao, gather at the village gates in thirty minutes." Kurenai instructed.

"Yes, Kurenai-san."

---

Thirty minutes later.

At the Konoha gates.

"Hehe, I can finally show what I'm made of." Anko was practically bursting with excitement. 

She was thrilled by the prospect of taking on Raiga, a former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. 

Anko had been eager to test her newly acquired skills against a worthy opponent.

"Anko, don't get too carried away." Kurenai cautioned her, "Our target is an S-rank rogue ninja from the Mist Village. Don't underestimate him."

Anko confidently patted her chest. "No worries. With all the jutsu Kiyoshi taught us, if things go south, we can always make a quick getaway."

In the past, even Anko wouldn't have dared say something so brazen. Ninjas were taught to prioritize the mission above all else, even at the risk of their lives. 

But now, with Kiyoshi backing her, Anko wasn't scared. 

Having witnessed Kiyoshi's strength, she believed that even a single wood clone of his could give the Third Hokage a run for his money.

Kurenai could only shake her head. She knew Anko was only half-joking. After all, the devil fruit Kiyoshi gave her had granted Anko some frightening abilities.

Yugao could only sigh. They hadn't even left the village yet, and Anko was already talking about retreat.

"Ahem." Hana, tall and youthful, arrived at the gate with her ninja dog trio, the Haimaru Brothers, just in time to catch Anko's remark. 

She couldn't help but twitch at the unexpected rebelliousness.

"Oh, come on." Anko laughed, putting her arm around Hana's shoulders with a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

"With us Four Beauties of Konoha here, there's no mission we can't complete."

"Wait, what? The…. Four Beauties of Konoha?" Hana's cheeks turned pink.

Yugao's face reddened slightly as well. "Anko-san, please don't say things like that."

"Where did you even come up with that name?" Kurenai looked bemused.

Anko crossed her arms and tilted her head proudly. "Don't you think it's fitting? Just think about it—each of us is a knockout."

She even patted Hana's blushing cheek. "See, our little Hana here might be young, but she's a beauty in the making too."

The others were speechless, but they couldn't deny that the label was oddly satisfying. 

Confident in their appearances, the thought of being recognized as Konoha's beauties made them smile.

"Alright then." Anko's eyes sparkled with excitement as she shouted, "Konoha's Four Beauties, let's go."

Silence fell over the group. Even Kurenai and Yugao took a step back, and Hana, embarrassed, scooted away with her ninja dogs.

The guards who'd overheard the declaration from nearby, were stunned, and Anko's face turned red.

"Anko, I am the team leader." Kurenai said with an exasperated sigh.

Anko pouted. "Kurenai, you..."

"Sigh.." Kurenai muttered to herself.

"Ugh, Kiyoshi's the one who filled my head with these lines." 

Anko laughed nervously and clutched Kurenai's shoulder, rubbing her cheek against Kurenai's face.

"Will you stop with the nonsense?" Kurenai sighed, playfully knocking on Anko's head.

Kiyoshi had shared a lot of scandalous stories about the Third Hokage and Danzo, and Kurenai and Anko's respect for Konoha's top officials had certainly diminished as a result.

Hana and Yugao exchanged looks of disbelief. By now, they'd grown accustomed to Anko's quirks and didn't even bother commenting.

"Alright, let's get serious." Kurenai finally called them to order. "Let's move out."

The four figures and three ninja dogs swiftly took off into the distance.

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