"Hokage-sama."
In the Hokage's office, Tatsuma, dressed in ANBU attire but without his mask, looked at Hiruzen's obscure expression, feeling quite puzzled.
"You're here?"
It seemed Hiruzen only just noticed Tatsuma in the Hokage's office. He blinked before regaining his composure and speaking to Tatsuma.
After a brief silence, Tatsuma slightly raised his head, wanting to break the eerie silence. It seemed Hiruzen had also thought of what to say and began speaking:
"Kushina Uzumaki's kidnapping has some leads."
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma showed a curious expression. Hiruzen didn't keep him in suspense and tapped his fingers on the desk a few times before speaking, "You should know about the Hidden Cloud Village's A and B duo, right?"
The A and B duo of Hidden Cloud Village consists of A, who inherited the name of the Kage, and B, who inherited the Eight-Tails. The current A and B duo are the Third Raikage A of Hidden Cloud Village and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B.
Unlike the later Fourth Raikage A and Killer B, there is a significant age difference between Third A and Blue B. This is because the pairing conditions for the A and B duo are extremely stringent, and each generation of Raikage requires a long time to find their B.
The current Blue B is only fifteen years old, and it's only been three years since Konoha learned that he is the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. Moreover, this information came from intelligence theft.
No Konoha spy has ever seen Blue B in person, and since becoming the Jinchuriki, Blue B has not appeared in the public eye, almost as if it's a deliberately fabricated falsehood.
Tatsuma furrowed his brows in confusion. He didn't understand what this had to do with Kushina's kidnapping. He looked at Hiruzen and nodded, waiting for him to continue.
Hiruzen reached for his pipe but stopped midway, saying, "Three years ago, Blue B became the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. At the same time, A's son began his selection process for a new 'B.' Over these three years, Blue B has not taken any action, but this next generation A and B duo has made quite a name for themselves."
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Tatsuma had a sudden realization. After Hiruzen paused, he added, "Hidden Cloud Village doesn't have much confidence in Blue B as the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, do they?"
Starting the selection for the next Jinchuriki at the same time Blue B became one is indeed strange. This might also explain why Hidden Cloud Village went to great lengths to kidnap Kushina.
Whether it's the Uzumaki Clan's physique or their Sealing Jutsu, they are the best candidates for Jinchuriki of the tailed beasts, and Kushina is Hidden Cloud Village's backup plan.
Blue B could not become the ideal Eight-Tails Jinchuriki in the eyes of Hidden Cloud Village, so they began the selection for the next B. At the same time, they needed a more reliable "vessel."
Kushina was the perfect candidate. As a "vessel," she might not gain the trust of Hidden Cloud Village, let alone become the new B, but she could serve as a container for the Eight-Tails when Hidden Cloud Village couldn't control it.
If something were to happen to Blue B, the new B couldn't handle the burden, and the village couldn't find a better candidate immediately, then Kushina could be used to safely store the Eight-Tails for a while until Hidden Cloud Village found a better option.
Moreover, Kushina would also be the best candidate for Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. If Hidden Cloud Village's plan succeeded, it would not only add a layer of security for their own village but also cause significant trouble for Konoha.
This potential benefit is what made Hidden Cloud Village dare to take the risk, colluding with "rogue ninjas" from Hidden Rock Village to infiltrate Konoha and kidnap Kushina.
Seeing the change in Tatsuma's expression, Hiruzen knew that this excellent young man had already figured everything out. Tatsuma regained his composure and asked, "Hokage-sama, what should I do?"
"The village needs to know the current state of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. If possible, create some commotion to warn Hidden Cloud Village."
Hearing Hiruzen's instructions, Tatsuma pursed his lips. This task was exceptionally difficult, beyond what he could accomplish.
He had no idea where Blue B was. Even though he had some ideas, finding Blue B was a huge challenge. Moreover, Blue B's own strength and the protection provided by Hidden Cloud Village would certainly be beyond Tatsuma's ability to handle.
In this situation, discovering information about Blue B was already extremely difficult, and Hiruzen was not satisfied, even wanting to stir up some trouble.
As an ANBU member, Tatsuma had no position to refuse such a task. He could only try to express subtly that it was beyond his capability.
Before Tatsuma could think of a way to express himself, Hiruzen seemed to have already understood his concerns and said, "For such a difficult task, I wouldn't make it hard on you. You won't be leading this mission.
The one in charge is Sakumo, and your task is to assist him in completing this mission.
However, for this mission, aside from you, I only recommend Owl from your team to participate. Caterpillar and Vulture are not suitable. You understand, right?"
Hearing that Sakumo Hatake would be leading the mission, Tatsuma felt a wave of relief. With Sakumo Hatake in charge, at least the safety of the operation was assured.
After all, given Sakumo Hatake's character, even if something unexpected happened during the mission, he would prioritize rescuing his teammates.
Thinking of this, Tatsuma took a deep breath, wondering if he might end up being the teammate who causes Sakumo Hatake's downfall. But he quickly dismissed this thought.
The timeline didn't match up. It was still early; Kakashi hadn't even enrolled in the academy yet. Sakumo Hatake's incident was at least two years away, giving them enough time to plan carefully.
As for Hiruzen calling Sakumo Hatake by his name instead of his code name, Tatsuma didn't find it strange. After all, as the ANBU Squad Captain, Sakumo Hatake's code name no longer served to conceal his identity.
After the Second Shinobi World War, everything about Sakumo Hatake was exposed. Whether he appeared as himself or donned the ANBU uniform and mask, everyone knew he was Sakumo Hatake.
His reputation couldn't be suppressed, and any disguise was pointless. Therefore, Sakumo Hatake simply stopped pretending.
Hiruzen tacitly approved of this. After all, Sakumo Hatake was over thirty and wouldn't stay in ANBU much longer. A gradual return to normal ninja life was a good choice for him.
As for Hiruzen only allowing Owl, meaning Minato, to participate, Tatsuma understood. Currently, there were only two people in the village who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique: himself and Minato.
Their mission was to stir up trouble in Hidden Cloud Village. No matter how strong Sakumo Hatake was, it would be difficult for him to escape if surrounded.
However, if accompanied by two ninjas proficient in Space-Time Body Flicker Jutsu, the team's chances of survival and mission completion would significantly increase.
Hiruzen's plan seemed to be for Sakumo Hatake to handle the mission while Tatsuma and Minato dealt with any unexpected situations.
Understanding this, Tatsuma nodded and accepted the order, saying, "Yes, Hokage-sama. I will notify the team members. When will the mission be executed?"
"Go back and prepare first. When Sakumo returns, you can discuss it further."
Sakumo Hatake had been very busy lately, primarily handling or leading teams on ANBU's arduous missions. He was likely still out on a mission somewhere in the ninja world.
Tatsuma didn't inquire about the details. Even though they were both in ANBU, there were differences in their levels of access, and he might not have the clearance to know about the missions Sakumo Hatake was executing.
Leaving the Hokage's office, Tatsuma informed the team about the new arrangements. Caterpillar and Vulture had no objections. Previously, as a team specializing in handling corpses, they were used to being seconded.
When they heard that the leader and one team member would be seconded, they understood.
Since Minato was part of the mission, Tatsuma revealed some details of the task to him. Hearing that he could team up with Sakumo Hatake, Minato was thrilled.
It wasn't until Tatsuma reminded him of the incident nine years ago, when they were nearly disgraced by Sakumo Hatake, that Minato calmed down.
"Time flies. It feels like not long ago, we were just students at the Ninja Academy favored by Hokage-sama and Sakumo-sama. I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, we'd be able to carry out a mission with Sakumo-sama," Minato said, sitting on a hard rock, feeling a sense of security.
Tatsuma smiled and nodded, saying, "In the blink of an eye, nearly ten years have passed. How many decades do we have in life? We're about to share one of them."
Having a friend with whom you can share a decade is truly rare. Most friends only accompany you for a few years, especially during school.
After these school-bound friendships end, the shelf life of friendships quickly shortens. Friends who used to talk daily for hours become mere acquaintances who send holiday greetings in group messages.
To have a friend you can spend ten years or more with, without the friendship diminishing, is a true treasure in life.
After a brief reflection, Minato stood up, regaining his earlier excitement, and asked Tatsuma, "Tatsuma, do you think we need to make any special preparations for this mission? I've never been to the Land of Lightning and am not very familiar with their customs. I hope I won't hold you back."
"I haven't been there either. Before the mission is officially carried out, there will be a briefing. We can consult Sakumo-sama then."
When they said they were unfamiliar, it wasn't in the ordinary sense. If given a test on the customs of the Land of Lightning, they would score perfectly. However, many details and practical experiences aren't covered in books.
After briefing Minato, Tatsuma went to find Orochimaru to discuss matters concerning Dan Kato. As soon as he stepped into Orochimaru's research room, he heard Orochimaru say, "I heard you're going after the Eight Tails?"
Tatsuma was taken aback. He had only recently learned this news himself and had only told Minato. How did Orochimaru know?
Without waiting for Tatsuma to ask, Orochimaru continued, "Jiraiya and I have our own intelligence networks. He focuses more on external matters, while I lean towards internal village affairs, so it's not surprising."
Hearing this, Tatsuma nodded without further questions. Orochimaru didn't dwell on the topic either; instead, he took out a small vial and said, "These are the results of some experiments I conducted in my spare time. It's a hallucinogenic drug that even a tailed beast jinchuriki might struggle against. Take it, just in case."
As Tatsuma looked at the hallucinogenic drug in Orochimaru's hand in surprise...
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