Chapter 109: Arrival

"Ha~," Kotetsu Hagane yawned lazily, slumping over the desk at the Konoha Village gate. "So boring."

"What do you expect? After that incident in the Sand Village, the whole place has been on high alert. Now that it's over, it's like everything suddenly relaxed," Izumo Kamizuki replied with equal lethargy, gazing at the blue sky.

Ever since Uchiha Itachi had hypnotized the gate guards with a Genjutsu during his infiltration, Konoha had stationed only highly skilled Chunin or Jonin-level shinobi, like Kotetsu and Izumo, at the gates. With Jiraiya's warning about the Akatsuki's resurgence and the recent attack on Gaara, Konoha's security had been at an all-time high.

A rumbling noise broke the calm, coming from a distance beyond the gate.

Kotetsu straightened up, his hand instinctively reaching for his kunai. "Akatsuki?"

"Wait!" Izumo held up a hand, peering through a telescope. "No... it's... oh no."

"Haha! Kakashi, this time, the victory is mine!" Guy's booming voice echoed as the source of the commotion came into view.

Kakashi, running alongside him, sighed and lightly stuck out his foot.

"Ugh!" Guy tripped over Kakashi's foot, flailing before instinctively kicking backward.

Kakashi dodged, but the two ended up hooking each other's ankles, tumbling forward. They caught themselves with their hands, narrowly avoiding face-planting into the dirt.

"You're too much, Kakashi!" Guy shouted.

"All's fair in competition," Kakashi replied coolly, brushing dust off his vest.

Their friendly rivalry escalated into a full-on battle as they clashed mid-run, turning into a chaotic blur of kicks and punches barreling toward the gates.

"Is that...?" Izumo asked, recognizing the dust-covered figures.

"Yep, it's them," Kotetsu confirmed, flipping their desk over to shield themselves.

Boom! Guy and Kakashi skidded to a halt, crashing through the gate and landing in a heap.

Guy, bent over the ground, turned to Kakashi. "It seems... this one is a tie."

Kakashi shook his head. "No, I win. My hair is longer."

"What?!" Guy quickly measured their hairstyles. Sure enough, Kakashi's hair extended just slightly farther.

"NOOO!!!" Guy wailed, burying his face in the ground as tears streamed down his cheeks.

Moments later, Lee sprinted through the gate, yelling, "Third place!" before collapsing beside Guy.

Panting heavily, TenTen leaned against Kirito as they passed through. "Fifth... finally."

Naruto and Sakura staggered in last, leaning on the wall for support.

"As expected from the class with thick eyebrows... this is insane," Naruto wheezed, sweat dripping from his chin.

"Did you really run all the way back from the Sand Village?" Izumo asked incredulously.

"Bingo," TenTen replied weakly, still leaning against Kirito.

Kirito handed Izumo the jar containing Sasori's core. "This is Sasori of the Akatsuki. Deliver this to Lady Tsunade for her to handle."

Izumo's eyes widened. "Sasori? The puppeteer?!"

"Yes. Make sure this reaches her safely," Kirito instructed.

"You're not going to report to Hokage-sama with us?" Kotetsu asked.

Glancing at the half-conscious group around him, Kirito smirked. "Someone has to take care of them."

"Hey, Kirito!" Naruto suddenly shouted. "How come you're not even sweating? That's cheating!"

"This level of exercise isn't a challenge for me anymore," Kirito replied casually, earning an exasperated look from Naruto.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Naruto muttered, sulking.

"Naruto, give up," Sakura said, her tone resigned. "You'll never match his stamina."

Naruto grumbled but couldn't argue.

By now, Guy and Kakashi had recovered from their tumble.

"Naruto, Sakura, let's report to the Hokage first," Kakashi said, pulling out his book as though nothing had happened.

"Yes! Let's go!" Guy added, his energy fully restored.

Kirito turned to TenTen. "Looks like your bath plans are delayed again."

TenTen sighed but smiled. "I should've expected this."

As the group made their way to the Hokage's office, Izumo intercepted them. "Kakashi, Lady Tsunade wants you to report the mission details immediately."

With a collective sigh and renewed determination, the group headed toward the Hokage Tower, ready to brief the village on the Akatsuki's actions and their hard-earned victory.

(End of Chapter 109)

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