Chapter 91
In Konoha's Third Training Ground, Minato's squad was in the middle of training.
Suddenly, an ANBU ninja appeared, using the Body Flicker Technique to arrive in front of Minato. He handed him a mission scroll and said, "This is a mission assigned by the Hokage. Set off after reading it."
"Also, the details of this mission are strictly confidential. You are not to disclose them to anyone!"
Hearing the ANBU's serious tone, Minato's expression grew more focused. He took the scroll and opened it with his right hand.
There were only a few words on the scroll:
"Shinobi Team 9, led by Sakumo, was ambushed in the Land of Rain. Sakumo is critically injured, and Haneda is missing."
"Minato, take your team and depart immediately to search for Haneda's whereabouts. Do not inform the Uchiha clan, except for Obito."
After reading the mission scroll, Minato instantly understood the gravity of the situation. His team was a complex mix, including Kakashi, the son of the White Fang, and Obito, a member of the Uchiha clan.
As a representative of the Hokage's faction, it was necessary for him to lead the team—both to reassure the Uchiha and to support Sakumo.
At that moment, Obito and Kakashi noticed Minato's unusual expression and approached him.
"Is it a mission from the Hokage, sensei?" Obito asked, his voice filled with a mix of curiosity and excitement. He leaned closer for a peek at the scroll, and his expression instantly froze.
Seeing Obito's unusually serious face, Kakashi sensed that something was wrong and thought of a possibility. His face tightened as he walked over to Minato.
When the contents of the scroll came into view, Kakashi also froze in place.
"Obito, Kakashi, what's wrong?" Rin asked, walking over with a puzzled expression. After glancing at the scroll, her empathetic nature quickly pieced everything together.
"Minato-sensei! We need to leave right now!" Obito snapped out of his daze, looking up at Minato with a pleading urgency in his voice.
Kakashi, on the other hand, appeared downcast. His father had been severely injured, and Haneda… the chances of him being alive seemed slim.
Suddenly, a hand rested on Kakashi's shoulder—it was Minato's.
"Kakashi, don't worry. If the Hokage has sent us, it means there's still hope for Haneda."
Minato's bright blonde hair and gentle smile reminded Kakashi of Haneda's own reassuring smile.
Rin's comforting voice followed, "Minato-sensei is right, Kakashi. If we all search together, we'll definitely find him!"
Even Obito chimed in, albeit indirectly, "Hey, dumb Kakashi, are you really going to sulk like this?!"
Truthfully, Obito was just as worried about Haneda, but deep down, he believed that his close friend and brother would overcome any challenge.
Hearing the encouraging words from Minato, Rin, and even Obito, Kakashi's mind flashed back to various moments from the past.
He remembered the time when his father was slandered by rumors, and Haneda had stepped up to defend him, shaking the entire village.
He recalled when he was on the brink of death after being injured by an explosive tag, and Haneda had been a beacon of hope.
To Kakashi, Haneda was the one who could always work miracles.
He regained his composure. In his heart, he believed that someone like Haneda, carrying the Uchiha name, could never fall so easily.
"Obito, I'm not going to act like some useless ninja!" Kakashi retorted, turning to Minato.
"Let's go, Minato-sensei. It'll take at least two days to reach the Land of Rain from Konoha. We need to hurry!"
...
When Team 7 arrived at the village gate, they saw a familiar figure leaning against the railing.
He was tall, wore a forehead protector with the character "oil," and had long white hair flowing down to his waist. It was none other than Jiraiya.
"Well, it looks like you're leading a team to the Land of Rain too, Minato," Jiraiya said with a smile.
After being informed of the mission to search for Haneda, Jiraiya had already figured that Minato would be leading a team to join the effort.
"Perverted Sage! Get out of the way!!" Obito shouted loudly at Jiraiya.
"Oh? It's you again, that brat from the Uchiha clan?"
"Jiraiya-sensei, let's talk as we walk," Minato said with a wry smile. He didn't understand why Obito and Jiraiya seemed to clash like children every time they met.
"Alright." Jiraiya shot a glance at Obito, then began moving swiftly in the direction of the Land of Rain.
"I heard from the old man that Sakumo's team ran into two strange enemies—one with at least three hearts and another who turned the Third Kazekage into a puppet."
"The Third Kazekage?!" Minato looked at Jiraiya in shock.
"That's right. All the recent movements by Sunagakure are probably related to this."
"Haneda apparently fought the mysterious puppet master almost single-handedly, while his teammate Asuma was forced back to Konoha by Haneda's genjutsu."
"You know, Uchiha tend to be quite loyal and emotional in their youth," Jiraiya mused.
"Perverted Sage! What happened to Haneda after that? Tell us already!" Obito yelled impatiently.
"And after that? Sakumo stayed behind to hold off two Kage-level enemies by himself, ensuring the next generation could escape."
Talking about this, Jiraiya couldn't help but compare Sakumo to the Third Hokage. He realized that perhaps Sakumo was the true inheritor of the Will of Fire—not the Third Hokage, who had been sitting comfortably in the office.
"So does that mean Haneda could be hiding somewhere, recovering from his injuries?!" Obito said, his face lighting up with hope.
Kakashi's expression also brightened slightly.
"Maybe. But we still don't know why he hasn't sent any message back to Konoha. That's why the old man sent us to find him," Jiraiya explained. "The Land of Rain has been in turmoil for years. Who knows, Haneda might have been captured."
As he spoke, Jiraiya recalled the time he had spent teaching Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. Memories of that small cabin, with the red wooden plaques bearing their names, resurfaced.
Since the Second Great Ninja War, the Land of Rain had been plagued by endless conflict. The country had become known as a place that always wept.
'I wonder how Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan are doing now?'
'Konan must be quite the beauty by now. Nagato had a crush on her, didn't he?'
'Poor kid… though it seems Konan actually liked Yahiko.'
Thinking of the complicated relationships among his former students, Jiraiya saw a reflection of his younger self in Nagato.
He shook his head and focused on the mission at hand.
...
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