"Yes, although the current king was able to secure the lost sacred artifact Shuigu, the method to activate and use its power was lost ages ago. So, the current Shuigu was nothing more than a fancy wand with no use."
"Oh! So, what happened next? Did the prime minister make a move on the king?" Kushina asks, out of curiosity.
"No! Instead, the prime minister somehow found a young man with a royal bloodline. The young man claimed that his grandfather was a prince who was exiled from the royal family. The royal family traced their ancestor tree and found the records of the banishment of a young prince. The young prince, who was presumed to be dead somehow survived and even gave birth to an heir."
"So, did the prime minister assassinate the king or did the king send assassins to kill that young man?" Tsunade questions.
"Well… nothing of that sort happened." The mayor sweatdrops at her remark.
"Though there was a fire in the king's chamber; the king was escorted to safety before any threat to his life. The next day, the royal guards assessed the situation and a tally of lost items were made."
"So, someone stole that artifact," Mei remarks.
"Ah!" The mayor is surprised.
"Indeed!" He nods in affirmation.
"The king blamed the prime minister for thievery and the latter denied the claim. However, one of the prime minister's men informed him about the missing young man. Apparently, a few people spotted a cloaked figure with a staff fleeing out of the capital."
"So, the young man with ties to the royal family stole the artifact." Minato remarks.
"Yes, the young man not only possesses the artifact; he even knows the method to wield it. He flooded the soldiers and guards chasing after him and escaped to the Tataru Mountain range." The mayor ends the narration.
"Hmm… a Six of Sage Path artifact with the power to produce unlimited water. Indeed, in the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic to the world." Minato ponders.
'There are records of the Six Paths Sacred Treasures in the shinobi world. According to the records, there are a total of five-six path sacred treasures called Bashōsen, Benihisago, Kohaku no Jōhei, Kōkinjō, and Shichiseiken. Previously, all of these treasures were in the possession of the Kumogakure and were passed down the lineage of the Raikage as an heirloom.
These ninja tools were so powerful that any ordinary shinobi could compare surpass the Kages after wielding them. However, the shinobi will eventually die from chakra exhaustion. It's part of the reason, these shinobi tools barely made any mark on history. However, they made their reappearance before the first shinobi war. The infamous gold and silver brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku stole four of the five six-path sacred treasures and assaulted the second Raikage and Hokage during the peace pact to stage a coup d'etat.
With their overwhelming powers, they almost brought the second hokage to the brink of death. They were condemned for their disgraceful actions. However, the two brothers escaped with the four six-path sacred treasures. Now, Kumo is in the possession of the last remaining six-path treasure Kohaku no Jōhei which was frequently used by the Third Raikage to seal a rampaging Eight-tails before searching for a suitable jinchuruki.
The Six paths sage created those five sacred treasures during his adulthood and he created the Shuigu during his later years. This means that Shuigu possesses much more power than the other five six paths sacred treasures. So, based on this speculation; we can only assume that it indeed possesses enough power to flood the entire shinobi world.'
"Minato! What's the matter?" Tsunade notices the worry on Minato's face.
"It's nothing!" Minato glances at Tsunade and shakes his head in Mayor's direction as a signal. He turns to the mayor.
"Alright, Adachi-san, we accept your proposal. However, we will filter the missions and won't partake in any missions, which might result in a conflict between the two places. Also, since it's such a big decision; we will discuss it with the elder council of the village and will decide the terms of our agreement." Minato agrees to the mayor's request.
"I have no problem with these conditions." The mayor agrees with Minato's terms.
"Then, I hope for friendly cooperation." Minato shakes hands with the mayor.
"Thank you so much, Hokage-sama!" The mayor bows to the group and takes his leave.
After the mayor leaves the meeting room, Tsunade turns to Minato.
"What's the matter Minato? We would like to hear the details." Tsunade voices her concern.
"Then we will take my leave." Akari and Viktor vacate the room, leaving only the shinobi group in the room.
"I am not worried about the cooperation, but rather the nature of that artifact," Minato explains the situation to them.
"Hmm… indeed! This is slightly worrisome. Too much power in the hands of a fool could lead to a catastrophic outcome. So, should we send a secret group to oversee the situation? Also, if possible, we should seize the artifact and seal it." Kushina remarks.
"That might be troublesome. If the people of Redaku discovered the involvement of shinobi, then this might ruin the relationship between the two sides." Tsunade assesses the severity of the situation.
"Yes, Tsunade-san is right! So, to lower the possibility of such a scenario, we have to send our elite members to perform the task." Mei adds.
"Hmm…" Minato enters in deep thought with a frown.
After a few minutes, the frown on his face disappears.
"Looks like you have reached a conclusion." Tsunade smiles.
"Yes, I plan to…" Minato erects a barrier and narrates his plan to the group.
---------------------
Later the next day,
The shinobi group boards their ship and departs for the Land of Iron from the port of Donut island.
"See you soon, Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto and Sakura wave their hand at Kakashi who is staying at the port.
Their ship is escorted by two cargo ships with the Trinity corporation symbol.
The guards also wave at Izumi.
"Farewell, Goddess Izumi-sama!"
"Eh? Goddess!" The rest of the group turns to Izumi with a smile.
"Looks like someone else other than Izuna amassed enough popularity in this foreign land to get a stone statue in the town square.
"Izumi as a Goddess! I can totally see it." Mei remarks with a smile.
"Don't tease me like that, Mei-san!" Izumi's face turns red in embarrassment.
"Oh! Soon, Itachi will visit this place. I wonder what will be his reaction when he sees your statue in the town square." She continues her teasing.
"Ah! I am so embarrassed to even think about it." Izumi covers her face.
Yesterday, during the meeting…
"So, Minato, you want Kakashi to stay behind in Redaku as part of our deal with the mayor?" Tsunade asks him.
"Mm… later, I will send an urgent order to the anbus in Konoha to select their member and send an elite force to Redaku. Kakashi will rendezvous with them and explain the details of the mission to them."
"Hmm… so Kakashi will not only act as the intermediary between the two lands, but also a spy to collect the information of Redaku and the Shuigu. Later, the anbus will carry out the mayor's bidding under the guise of help; but will secretly gather intel about Shuigu and its current location." Tsunade continues.
"That's what I am planning? The situation in the shinobi world is volatile enough. I don't want to see Redaku add more fuel to the flames. So, we must take the initiative."
'Hmm… makes sense." Kushina agrees with him.
"Alright, then…" Minato explains the details of the mission to Kakashi. The latter also offers a few suggestions.
"Kakashi, you will overlook this mission for the time being. I will summon you to Konoha during any emergency or once the Fourth Shinobi war breaks out."
"I understand, Sensei!"
Kakashi waves at the departing group. Once the ship disappears from his vision, he turns towards the escorts on his side.
"Please!" The escorts gesture to him.
"Alright, then escort me to Aduchi-san!"