The accompanying steward had originally planned to invite Takuya and the others to join them for lunch, but upon seeing the three happily munching on roasted rabbit, he quickly swallowed his words and quietly returned the way he came.
Watching the steward's retreating figure, Minato felt a bit puzzled.
Is this guy being too friendly with us? Or is it just my imagination?
"Hey, Takuya, have you noticed that these people are a bit too enthusiastic towards us?" Minato nudged Takuya, who was sitting next to him, with his elbow. He recalled that Jiraiya had mentioned that Konoha's relationship with these officials from the daimyo's court wasn't exactly great. Yet here they were, being shown kindness over and over again—it was starting to feel a little unsettling.
"That's because they think we're worth cozying up to. Or rather, they think you, Namikaze Minato, are worth cozying up to," Takuya replied casually, biting into his piece of rabbit.
Cozying up to me? Minato thought, bewildered. What's so special about me that they'd want to cozy up to?
"Why?" he asked aloud.
"Because your teacher is Jiraiya, and Jiraiya's teacher is Hiruzen Sarutobi. Does that answer satisfy you?" Takuya said, as if it were obvious. Did these officials really think they could fool him? If this had been any other team, those officials would've probably been up in arms by now, maybe even demanding a new escort team. But instead, they were being treated with such goodwill—if that wasn't worth thinking over, what was?
Takuya didn't believe for a second that these officials were being nice to them because of Uchiha. No, the real reason for their niceness was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
At this point in time, the legendary Sannin weren't yet famous across the ninja world. Other than Tsunade, known as the Princess of Konoha, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya were merely recognized as geniuses, but their reputations were nowhere near Tsunade's level. However, their teacher was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha.
Tossing the last of his bones into the fire, Takuya continued, "Don't be fooled by how high and mighty these officials act in the daimyo's court. Once they leave that place, they're nothing. And that includes the daimyo."
In other countries, the daimyo is the highest authority. But in the Land of Fire, a single look from Danzo is enough to make the daimyo tremble in his boots—that's the difference.
This is because Konoha isn't highly dependent on the funds provided by the daimyo's court. Even if relations with the daimyo were to break down, Konoha could sustain itself for a short period. But other villages don't have that luxury—that's the disparity.
And besides, does the daimyo really dare to cross Konoha? If he did, it wouldn't even take three days before other noble families would overthrow him and appoint a new daimyo, who would then scurry off to negotiate with Konoha.
"Shh! If someone hears you, this could cause problems," Minato whispered urgently, tugging on Takuya's sleeve. Uchiha Mikoto also shot him a warning glance, signaling him to stop talking—walls have ears, after all.
What Takuya said might be true, but such things shouldn't be spoken openly. It could stir up a lot of trouble.
"Oh, that reminds me!" Minato exclaimed, clapping his hands together as he turned to Takuya. "I've learned the Summoning Technique that Jiraiya-sensei taught me!"
"Minato's already signed a contract with a summoning animal? That's impressive!" Uchiha Mikoto's eyes lit up. She had always wanted to sign a contract with the ninja cats, but hadn't found the right opportunity yet.
"Of course!" Minato couldn't help but puff up with pride at the compliment, a smug smile spreading across his face. He rubbed his thumb under his nose and tilted his head back.
You're getting cocky, huh? Just wait till I see your summoning; it's gonna crack me up!
Seeing Minato showing off, Takuya smirked. "You didn't summon a tadpole, did you?"
Oh, so you think you're all that, huh? Takuya thought, knowing full well what was coming. He knew Minato inside out—others might not know, but Takuya did. Sure, Minato would one day become a legend, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, feared by countless enemies. But at this point in time… well, let's just say "clumsy" might be a kind way to describe him.
Especially when it came to the Summoning Technique—he wasn't much better than Naruto in the early episodes.
"No way!" Minato yelped, jumping up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his face flushing red with embarrassment. "I've already successfully summoned a toad from Mount Myoboku! Here, I'll show you!"
With a flurry of hand signs, Minato bit his thumb and slammed his hand onto the ground.
Boom!
A cloud of smoke erupted from the ground, and both Takuya and Uchiha Mikoto leaned in to see.
"..."
Mikoto's eyes twitched slightly as she raised a hand to cover her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"..."
Is this your toad? Takuya thought, staring at the tiny creature. The little toad's four legs were flailing in the air, clearly not prepared for the sudden summoning. But that wasn't the best part—the best part was the small tail sticking out from its rear.
In other words, this toad hadn't fully matured yet.
"Pffft— Hahaha!" Takuya couldn't hold it in any longer. He clutched his stomach, doubling over with laughter. "Minato, are you trying to kill me with laughter? This is your toad?"
"How is this possible... I was sure I got it right... Did I use too little chakra?" Minato mumbled, dumbfounded. He had been practicing in secret, mainly to avoid being laughed at by Takuya, but it seemed that fate had other plans. Instead of summoning a proper toad, he had brought forth something that wasn't quite a toad yet.
Seeing the little toad's cute, wiggling tail, Minato felt an overwhelming urge to bury his face in his hands and cry.
"Alright, you better head back," Minato said with a sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he sent the confused little toad back to its realm.
He had hoped to show off a bit, but instead, his attempt had backfired, turning into a humiliating spectacle. Feeling his pride take a hit, Minato shouted, "Takuya, you have a summoning animal too, right? Summon it! I bet it's not any better than mine!"
It wasn't a secret that Takuya had a summoning animal. Even Uchiha Mikoto knew about it, but neither of them knew what it was since Takuya had never summoned it in front of them. Every time they asked, he would just brush it off with a vague answer.
"Nice try, but your cheap tricks won't work on me. If I summoned mine, I'm afraid it would scare you stiff," Takuya replied, still wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Hahaha!" Takuya laughed so hard his stomach hurt, and tears streamed down his face. Uchiha Mikoto was also laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
It wasn't that she wanted to laugh, but the tiny, tailed toad that Minato had summoned was just too hilarious.
"Liar, I don't believe you," Minato grumbled, still trying to provoke Takuya, but it was no use.
He had picked the wrong person to mess with.
As the convoy continued its journey, Minato remained sullen for the rest of the afternoon, still frustrated by the tailed toad. If circumstances allowed, Takuya was sure Minato would have rushed to Mount Myoboku to demand an explanation.
Why was it that every time he tried to summon a toad, he ended up with a tadpole or a toad with a tail?
Minato's worries weren't unfounded. The convoy had been traveling all day, yet they hadn't covered even a third of the distance an ordinary person could walk in that time.
At this rate, who wouldn't be frustrated?
Takuya had to admit, the Third Hokage really knew how to push their buttons. Assigning such a mission to a newly promoted Chunin team—seriously?
The daytime wasn't too bad, but night was when things got tough. With so many people, the camp took up a large area, and the three of them had to split up to set traps, patrol, and scout for potential threats.
"Mikoto, you go rest. Minato will take the first watch, and I'll take the second," Takuya said as they settled in for the night.
The next day, the convoy continued its slow crawl towards the border of the Land of Rivers. Takuya, meanwhile, climbed onto a supply wagon to catch some rest, knowing he'd need his strength for the night watch.
And so, the convoy inched closer and closer to the border of the Land of Rivers.
At the Fire Country's border outpost, the ninja on duty continued to stand guard.
In the dead of night, a large force from the Sand Village, using the cover of darkness, began to silently approach the outpost as they infiltrated the Land of Fire.
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 100 at patreon.com/Emik01