The next day, Minato Namikaze was summoned to the Hokage's office. The daimyo of the Land of Fire had personally appointed him to undertake a secret A-rank mission.
Though it seemed odd, Minato didn't question it. It was common for daimyos to directly request well-known ninjas for secret missions.
These missions were typically challenging but highly lucrative, and such requests occasionally occurred in the ninja world.
Being recognized by the daimyo brought numerous benefits to both ninjas and their villages.
Firstly, higher recognition and trust from the daimyo meant more missions for the ninja village in the future.
Secondly, the reputation of a daimyo-approved ninja would spread, making them more favored by employers.
"Minato, this is a good opportunity," said Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had dark circles under his eyes. He patted Minato's shoulder and spoke earnestly, "You have the strength but need more reputation and a chance to prove yourself. This mission from the daimyo can help you overcome that last hurdle!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that Minato was considering running for Hokage, which is why he emphasized this point.
When it came to choosing the next Hokage, Hiruzen actually preferred Minato over Orochimaru.
The reason was simple: Hiruzen believed that Orochimaru's character could potentially lead Konoha to ruin, while Minato, with his more moderate political stance, was better suited for the current state of Konoha.
"I understand, Lord Hiruzen," Minato replied with a smile. His yellow hair shone like the sun, radiating warmth and gentleness.
"I'll feel at ease knowing you're handling this," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, confident in Minato's abilities. "However, the mission location is quite unusual, so you must be cautious."
Prompted by this, Minato looked at the mission scroll. After just a glance, he frowned. "The Land of Hot Springs? Isn't that an overseas country? Why is the daimyo suddenly interested in it?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen lit his pipe and took a puff. "Look further down the scroll."
Namikaze Minato continued reading, his brows furrowing into the shape of the "川" character. "The sudden emergence of the X-cult organization has even infiltrated the Land of Fire. No wonder it attracted the daimyo's attention."
The mission intelligence reported that a cult organization had suddenly appeared and was conducting brutal blood sacrifices in the Land of Fire, particularly targeting the nobility.
Panic spread, causing the nobles to feel insecure. The daimyo ordered an investigation, and the source was traced to the Land of Hot Springs.
Thus, the earlier scene unfolded.
"I understand, Lord Hiruzen."
Namikaze Minato carefully stored the scroll in his robes and said, "Time is of the essence, please forgive my rudeness!"
With that, he vanished on the spot.
"Flying Thunder God Technique."
Watching Minato disappear, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes glinted with envy. "After so many years, the teacher's ninjutsu finally has a worthy successor."
Minato Namikaze's team assembled quickly.
He served as the team leader, and the members were Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, and Nohara Rin.
After packing his luggage and backpack, Minato Namikaze hurriedly bid farewell to Kushina, then took his three disciples and rushed to the Land of Hot Springs without delay.
"Kakashi, Obito, what are you looking at?" Nohara Rin asked, noticing the two frequently looking back.
"Uh, I was checking if Brother Sogetsuki would come to see me off," Uchiha Obito said dejectedly, head hung low. "I told him in advance that I'd be going on an A-rank mission this time, but Brother Sogetsuki still didn't show up. Ahhhh. It's so frustrating!"
Kakashi, beside him, added coldly, "Maybe he finds you annoying and doesn't want to see you."
"He wouldn't!"
Obito, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, retorted angrily, "I have a good relationship with Brother Sogetsuki. Kakashi, stop trying to cause discord between us!"
Kakashi pursed his lips and stopped arguing, but a hint of loneliness appeared in his eyes.
Since his last psychological treatment ended, he had been wanting to see Uchiha Sogetsu again. He had many questions in his mind and wanted to ask him.
But unfortunately, it seems he would have to wait until he returned to ask.
"Lord Sogetsu, they have already set off."
At this time, in the Uchiha clan's territory, White Zetsu slowly emerged and truthfully reported everything that had just happened.
"Yes, I understand."
Uchiha Sogetsu sat on the tatami, his clothes draped over his body, and nodded lazily.
"Do you need me to follow them, Lord Sogetsu?" White Zetsu asked, making a gesture of wiping his neck. "While they are both injured, I could... kill them!"
"There is no need for that. Namikaze Minato cannot die, at least not now."
Uchiha Sogetsu shook his head and said, "But even with the abilities of the AB brothers, they still won't be able to defeat Minato Namikaze. We need to add more fuel to the fire."
White Zetsu blinked, showing a bewildered look. "I don't quite understand."
"Hehe, you don't need to understand."
Uchiha Sogetsu raised his hand, tore a few pages from a parchment notebook, and threw them over. "Take these pages and use them at the appropriate time to make things more difficult for Minato Namikaze."
The pages he tore off from the notebook clearly recorded the Mizukage's ninjutsu.
With the AB brothers from the Hidden Cloud Village and the Mizukage's ninjutsu, it wouldn't be so easy for Minato Namikaze, right?
White Zetsu's eyes rolled around, and he immediately revealed a sinister smile. "So that's how it is. I understand what you mean. Hehe, I will 'use them well'!"
Then, White Zetsu slowly merged into the ground and disappeared.
In the wind and snow, Minato Namikaze and the other two moved forward rapidly.
After several days of running, they finally arrived at the border of Konoha and planned to take a boat to the Land of Hot Springs.
"Let's take a day off for now."
Minato Namikaze looked at the three tired individuals with some reluctance. If the daimyo's mission deadline hadn't been so tight, he wouldn't have rushed them like this.
"Haha! Finally, I can take a break!"
Obito was so exhausted that he collapsed on the ground, looking completely defeated. "So this is what an A-rank mission feels like. It's impossible for a human!"
"Instead of complaining, why not focus on recovering your strength?" Kakashi, in better condition but still drained, remained alert and lowered his voice, "Remember, we're outside of Konoha now. It's easy to run into ninjas from other villages."
"Kakashi's right, everyone needs to be cautious."
Minato didn't miss a teaching moment and said seriously, "Missions outside of Konoha are dangerous. We face not only the mission itself but also potential ambushes from ninjas from other countries!"
"Uh, Minato-sensei, hold on a second."
Obito's face suddenly froze. He pointed carefully behind them, "Is that ninja from another village the one you're talking about?"
"!!!"
Kakashi and Minato's eyes shifted slightly, following Obito's direction.
They saw a dark-skinned man wearing black sunglasses, muttering to himself, and walking towards them without noticing their presence.
"Someone from Hidden Cloud Village?"
Minato frowned, on high alert, and addressed the man directly, "Why has a ninja from Hidden Cloud Village appeared at Land of Fire's border?"
"Huh?"
The man looked up, confused, and upon seeing them clearly, scratched his head, "Oh no, I've been spotted already?"
"This is bad. My brother told me to be careful."
He scratched his head in frustration, then smiled brightly, "How about pretending you didn't see me, okay?"
Namikaze Minato realized the other party had ill intentions. "Capture him!" he commanded.
Almost instantly, a specially made kunai shot out like a sharp sword.
Swish!
The kunai sliced through the air but was swiftly cut down by a flash of sword light.
The man sighed, holding his sword while shaking his head. "What a pity, I didn't want to fight, but you've forced my hand!"
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