Chapter 22: Hiruzen Sarutobi
In a tempura joint in Konoha.
Kamishiro was holding the menu and ordering food.
However, each time Kamishiro ticked off a dish on the menu, Minato Namikaze felt a pang in his heart.
"Eel tempura. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water! I'll have it!"
Just as Kamishiro was about to tick off the next dish, Minato Namikaze couldn't hold back any longer and reached out to hold Kamishiro's hand that was holding the pen.
Minato Namikaze forced a grin and said, "Hey, Kamishiro. You've already ordered a lot on the menu. Let's start eating. We can order more if we're still hungry. Otherwise, it'll be a waste if we can't finish it, right?"
Kamishiro nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Lord Minato, you're so thoughtful."
Minato Namikaze called the waiter over and specifically instructed, "Don't bring all the dishes at once. After we finish the tempura on the table, then fry the next batch for us."
The waiter replied, "Sure."
Minato Namikaze thought Kamishiro had ordered too much and probably couldn't finish it. He hoped he could still cancel the unfried dishes.
Kamishiro's way of ordering was really taking a toll on his wallet.
Soon, the first batch of tempura was served. Kamishiro looked at the tempura on the table and looked at Minato Namikaze with expectant eyes.
After all, Minato Namikaze was treating, so Kamishiro had to be polite and wait for Minato Namikaze's permission to start eating.
Minato Namikaze smiled and said, "Okay, everyone, start eating quickly. Tempura won't taste good when it gets cold."
Kamishiro picked up a sea bream tempura and put it in his mouth to chew.
The crispy texture and the freshness of the sea bream made Kamishiro, who had hardly ever eaten anything delicious, want to cry from how good it tasted.
Screw etiquette! Let's dig in!
Kamishiro started to devour the food on the table like there's no tomorrow.
Sitting down, he couldn't reach some of the dishes because of his height, so he just stood up.
Minato Namikaze, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara stared at Kamishiro gobbling up the food in shock, with their chopsticks halted in mid-air.
Obito, who was stunned, stammered, "Hey, didn't he eat on the way today? Why does he look like he's been starved for ages?"
Kakashi guessed, "He probably hasn't eaten such delicious food before. The Land of Wind is full of sandstorms. There aren't many plants, let alone rivers. The supplies are scarce. As long as the food can be eaten and fill the stomach, they don't really care about the taste."
"Man, it's so delicious I could cry!"
Kamishiro, with his mouth stuffed full of food, spoke in a muffled and unclear voice.
Rin Nohara looked at Kamishiro, who was still stuffing food into his mouth even though it was already full, and reminded him, "Kamishiro, you'll choke! Eat slowly. No one's gonna take your food."
Minato Namikaze now had a bit of a sinking feeling lingering in his heart.
Looking at how Kamishiro's eating, even if he can't finish it all, the bill's gonna be hefty.
I'm a bit regretful now.
An hour later.
"I really... can't eat anymore. Ugh~ Mm!"
Kamishiro had stuffed himself so full that the food was almost coming up his throat. He almost threw up when he spoke but managed to swallow it back down.
Minato Namikaze, Kakashi and the others stared blankly at Kamishiro.
Even if the food was delicious, there was no need to eat like this, right?
"Sigh~"
Minato Namikaze let out a sigh. In the end, Kamishiro almost finished all the food they'd ordered by himself.
When it was time to pay, Minato Namikaze felt like his heart was bleeding.
After putting his flattened wallet back into his pocket, Minato Namikaze said, "Alright, the bill's paid. Let's go. It's time to see the Third Hokage."
Kamishiro held his bloated belly and slowly trailed behind Minato Namikaze.
Kamishiro couldn't walk faster because the slightest jolt would make him throw up the food in his stomach.
Having finally gotten to eat such delicious food, Kamishiro didn't want to throw it up.
It usually took half an hour to reach the Hokage Building, but this time it took a full hour.
After arriving at the Hokage Building, Minato Namikaze said to Kakashi, the others, and Kamishiro, "You guys wait in the hall for a while. I'll come get you after I report the mission and tell the Third Hokage about Kamishiro."
Minato Namikaze went to the Hokage's office alone.
After knocking on the office door, a strong - sounding voice came from inside the office.
"Come in."
Minato Namikaze pushed the door open. Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a small black goatee under his chin, wearing a white Hokage robe over a red ninja uniform, was sitting on the chair.
Seeing Minato Namikaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile, "Ah, it's Minato."
Minato Namikaze told Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Third Hokage, I've brought the child back. He's waiting in the Hokage Building's hall now."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression immediately became serious. "The child with the [Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai]? I've read Saiichi's letter. After Saiichi used his [mind - reading technique] to check the child's memories, it seems there should be no [Mondai]. So I'm thinking of letting that child join Konoha, accept Konoha, and become a part of it. What do you think, Minato?"
Minato Namikaze shook his head. "Third Hokage, that child is actually an undercover agent sent by Sunagakure Village to our Konoha. Maybe he was under the effect of some [secret techniques], which caused the most important part of his memory to be missing, so Saiichi failed to detect it. His purpose is to spy on our Konoha's intelligence, [ninjutsu], and [secret techniques]...
The Kazekage of Sunagakure Village, Gaito, plans to invade our Konoha Village when the war breaks out fully. He'll use that child as a guide to [Ubau] our Konoha's [ninjutsu] and [secret techniques]..."
Hearing Minato Namikaze say that Kamishiro was an undercover agent, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes instantly turned sharp.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi felt something was off. "Minato, how did you know that kid was an undercover agent?"
Minato Namikaze told Hiruzen Sarutobi in detail about his previous analysis, subsequent tests, and the letter from the ninja hawk.
At first, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and looked serious. But as Minato Namikaze spoke, his expression softened, and now he looked rather odd.
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in confusion, "That kid thought being an undercover agent was easier than going to The Battle, so he agreed to do it. Now he feels it's even tougher and wrote to the Kazekage wanting to go back? Why on earth would the Kazekage choose an inexperienced kid as an undercover agent?"
Minato Namikaze speculated, "Actually, I was also puzzled at first. Why would the Kazekage send an inexperienced Kamishiro as an undercover agent? Then I thought of a possibility.
Sunagakure Village lacks high - end combat power. And Kekkei Genkai ninjas are generally stronger than ordinary ones. So the Kazekage wanted to lure us into a trap. He didn't wanna sacrifice those talented Kekkei Genkai ninjas. Although Kamishiro has Kekkei Genkai abilities, in his eyes, Kamishiro is an untalented kid.
So in his opinion, it'd be great if Kamishiro could infiltrate Konoha as an undercover agent. Even if he was exposed and discovered, it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't be a loss for Sunagakure Village.
Moreover, Kamishiro is socially awkward and rarely goes out. He knows very little about Sunagakure Village, so we can't get any useful information about the village from him.
What's more, Kamishiro and the Kazekage are of the same clan, so the Kazekage trusted that as a clansman, Kamishiro wouldn't turn against Konoha. Finally, he decided to send Kamishiro as an undercover agent to Konoha and take a chance."
After listening to Minato Namikaze's analysis, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought it made a lot of sense.