Assigning Shūichi Hoshita as the team's medical ninja was Minato Namikaze's way of looking out for and protecting him.
Shūichi understood this well and immediately responded, "I'll take care of everyone's backs!"
Uchiha Shisui and Sanyō Kurama both smiled and said in unison, "We'll make sure to protect you too, Shūichi."
Seeing this interaction, Minato felt a sense of relief. The atmosphere was unexpectedly positive.
Given the unique nature of this newly formed team, Minato decided not to conduct the traditional bell test, which is usually used to assess team cooperation.
Instead, he directly announced their mission: "Earlier, when I met with the Third Hokage, I received a mission. It seems that a summoning beast has appeared in the Forest of Death. Our task is to investigate and, if the summoning beast is confirmed, track it down and capture it if possible."
Shisui asked, "Minato-sensei, do we have any more information about the summoning beast?"
Minato shook his head, "No, we don't. The assumption is based on the disturbances caused by the wild animals in the Forest of Death, leading us to speculate that a summoning beast might be involved."
"Any more questions?"
Shūichi and the others shook their heads in unison.
"Let's move out!"
With Minato's command, he took the lead, and Shūichi and the others quickly followed.
For Shūichi, the first day after graduation was clearly beyond his expectations.
No bell test, straight into a high-stakes mission.
If there truly was a summoning beast involved, could this mission be classified as a C-rank?
After all, the danger posed by a summoning beast could be on par with that of a ninja.
The group swiftly left the core area of Konoha, reaching the entrance of the Forest of Death within minutes.
"The Forest of Death is full of wild beasts and poisonous insects, so be careful," Minato reminded them before leading the team inside.
The ancient trees towered overhead, making the people below seem insignificant.
The four of them moved through the forest, occasionally stopping to analyze traces left by the animals.
Minato, Shisui, and Sanyō did most of the talking, while Shūichi listened intently, absorbing the information like a student in class.
The three of them were clearly making an effort to guide him.
Shūichi humbly sought their advice, eagerly learning from them, gradually converting the theoretical knowledge he had acquired at the academy into practical experience.
Through this tracking process, Shūichi noticed that while Minato didn't say much, Shisui's skills in tracking were clearly superior to Sanyō's.
Of course, Sanyō Kurama, who hailed from a clan known for their genjutsu, was also quite adept.
Those who specialize in genjutsu often pay close attention to details.
An hour later, the four of them landed on a thick tree branch.
Shisui said, "Minato-sensei, it should be here."
Sanyō Kurama added, "The traces of animal activity around here have noticeably decreased, and there are signs that they've been migrating outward. It seems this area has already been claimed as a territory by the summoning beast."
Wild animals have territorial instincts, especially powerful ones.
Summoning beasts are no exception.
Minato nodded, "Based on the traces, this summoning beast appears to be a wildcat, with speed likely being its primary advantage, so everyone stay alert."
Shūichi and the others nodded in unison, "Yes, Minato-sensei."
Minato gave a hand signal, and the four of them moved forward in a semicircular formation, closing in.
Suddenly, Shisui signaled for them to stop, and Shūichi and the others followed his gaze.
On a tree branch, in a patch of sunlight filtering through the leaves, a black cat lay lazily, its tail swaying back and forth.
Minato quickly signaled again.
Encircle it!
Except for Shisui, Shūichi and the others immediately moved to surround the black cat.
However, the black cat was very alert. Before they could complete the encirclement, it sensed something, stood up, and with a "meow," leaped in the direction of the gap in their formation, right where Shūichi and the others had left an opening.
"Stop it!" Minato shouted.
Since their cover was blown, there was no need to be cautious anymore.
In an instant, Shūichi Hoshita and the others surged forward with chakra bursting from their feet, each using the Body Flicker Technique to pounce on the black cat.
However, the cat's speed was astonishingly fast—at least, Shūichi felt that he was no match for the cat in terms of speed, especially in this environment.
But Minato Namikaze and the others were even faster.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Kunai flew through the air, embedding themselves with sharp thuds into the branches ahead of the black cat.
They were thrown by Minato.
The cat, startled, immediately changed direction.
Just as Shūichi saw the cat land on another branch, it abruptly changed course and leapt straight toward Uchiha Shisui.
"It's genjutsu!" Shūichi noticed Sanyō Kurama lowering his hand.
The next moment, Shūichi saw Shisui and the cat lock eyes mid-air, and then the black cat fell limp, caught by Shisui.
Sharingan! As Impressive as ever.
So Sanyō Kurama used the False Surroundings Technique, perhaps?
So what is the technique used by Kurama Sanyo here?
Shūichi silently speculated.
Minato smiled, "Excellent teamwork."
"Well, the mission is successfully completed. Let's head back."
The four of them left the Forest of Death without any hesitation.
However, Shūichi noticed a new leaf on his Tag Tree.
Tag: Tracking Expert
Condition to Obtain: Successfully track an enemy's whereabouts at least five times during missions.
Effect: Increases tracking talent by 100%, and sensitivity to traces by 100%.
Another "Expert" tag—Shūichi was starting to feel numb to these now.
But the conditions didn't seem too difficult, as this recent mission had already been counted toward the requirement.
This meant he didn't have to track the enemy entirely on his own to succeed.
Watching Minato and the others ahead, Shūichi thought, [Tracking Expert] might be the easiest and quickest expert tag for me to acquire.
Smiling to himself, Shūichi caught up to Sanyō Kurama, walking alongside him and asking about genjutsu techniques.
Of course, he only asked about theoretical aspects and avoided specific jutsu.
Sanyō, not one to be stingy, answered every question.
Upon returning to the Hokage's office, Minato reported the mission and received the commission fee, distributing it afterward. Shūichi immediately earned 6,000 ryō.
"We're done for the morning. How about I treat everyone to some barbecue for lunch?" Minato said with a smile as they left the Hokage building.
Shūichi and the others quickly thanked him and headed to the barbecue restaurant.
On the way, Minato asked, "Shūichi, what's your next focus in training?"
"Is it Fire Release?"
Although Minato hadn't personally witnessed Shūichi using Fire Release, he had received information from the Third Hokage.
He knew that Shūichi had managed to replicate the Great Fireball Technique just by observing a classmate perform it—a clear sign of exceptional talent in ninjutsu.
"Fire Release?" Shūichi shook his head. "Minato-sensei, I've already mastered five Fire Release techniques, covering short, mid, and long-range."
"For me, there's no need to learn more Fire Release techniques, given the chakra limitations."
This statement surprised Minato and the others.
Sanyō Kurama couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Are rookies this amazing nowadays?"
He had been graduated for over a year but hadn't mastered five genjutsu techniques.
Minato nodded and continued, "So your next focus will be on close combat and swordsmanship?"
He pointed to the Totsuka Chakra Blade at Shūichi's waist.
Shūichi nodded, "Yes, Minato-sensei."
"Due to my chakra limitations, I believe I'll be engaging in close combat most of the time on the battlefield."
"And the overall physical conditioning is the foundation of a ninja's abilities, so my training will focus on enhancing my physical strength, taijutsu, ninja tools, and swordsmanship."
Minato smiled approvingly, "That's a very wise choice."
Shisui then offered, "If you need any help with ninja tools or swordsmanship, Shūichi, don't hesitate to ask me."
Sanyō Kurama also smiled, "My taijutsu is decent, so I think I can manage as a sparring partner."
Shūichi, thick-skinned as ever, didn't hold back, "Then I'll be counting on you both from now on."
The barbecue lunch was thoroughly enjoyable, though it did eat up the mission reward Minato Namikaze had just received.
There was no helping it—Minato didn't say anything, but Shūichi Hoshita and the other two were all big eaters.
After lunch, the four of them arrived at a forest on the outskirts of Konoha Village.
"Rest for an hour," Minato said before disappearing into the forest.
Watching Minato vanish into the trees, Sanyō Kurama grinned, "Shūichi, how about a taijutsu match?"
Shūichi Hoshita readily agreed, "No problem!"
Uchiha Shisui took on the role of referee. At his signal, Shūichi and Sanyō clashed.
As Shisui observed silently, he quickly noticed, "Sanyō's moves are being completely read by Shūichi. This kind of ability…"
The first thought that came to his mind was the dynamic vision of the Sharingan.
Although Sanyō Kurama was two years older than Shūichi, their hand-to-hand combat skills were surprisingly similar.
Soon, Sanyō began using kunai, and Shūichi responded in kind. The sound of metal clashing filled the air.
But the flow of the battle didn't change much.
After about five minutes, Shūichi and Sanyō stopped.
"Impressive!" Sanyō gave Shūichi a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed, despite taijutsu not being his strong suit.
At this point, Shisui stepped forward, pointing out the flaws in both Shūichi's and Sanyō's techniques, giving them a detailed analysis of their fight.
As Shūichi listened, he quickly realized that Shisui's combat intelligence was on a much higher level.
After the review, Shūichi immediately took the opportunity to ask Shisui for tips on using short swords.
Before they knew it, an hour had passed. Minato reappeared and looked at the three, saying, "The next training exercise is to follow a designated route through this forest."
"The direction is straight behind me—go straight through."
After saying this, Minato vanished once more.
Sanyō immediately turned to Shisui, "Shisui, what should we do?"
Shūichi also looked to Shisui. Among the three of them, he was the strongest and most experienced.
Shisui responded, "I'll take the lead. Sanyō, you stay in the middle, and Shūichi, you take the rear. We'll advance in a single line formation."
Both Shūichi and Sanyō nodded in agreement.
With Shisui leading the way, the three of them dashed into the forest.
The moment they entered, Shisui activated his Sharingan.
At the back of the formation, Shūichi immediately entered a state of 100% focus.
As for the 10x concentration boost from his [Scholar] tag, he didn't dare to use it lightly due to the significant drain on his stamina.
From his hidden vantage point in the forest, Minato watched the three as they moved.
Suddenly, he used a kunai to cut a thin wire.
In the next moment, a pre-set trap was triggered, sending a barrage of kunai and shuriken flying toward the three of them from the side.
More specifically, Sanyō in the middle was the primary target, with the most kunai and shuriken aimed at him.
"Watch out!" Shisui reacted first, stopping in his tracks and shouting a warning as he hurled a kunai forward.
Sparks flew in the forest, accompanied by the sharp clanging of metal. Shisui's single kunai deflected four or five of the incoming weapons aimed at Sanyō.
Shūichi wasn't far behind, reacting a split second later. But he was better prepared, launching two kunai with both hands, intercepting two shuriken headed their way.
Shūichi Hoshita and Uchiha Shisui quickly moved closer to Sanyō Kurama, both drawing their blades. At the same time, Sanyō held a kunai in each hand.
In the next moment, a barrage of projectiles rained down on them. The three of them swung their weapons, deflecting the incoming attacks amidst a chorus of clashing metal.
Sanyō inwardly chuckled bitterly—had he become the weak point of the team?
After clearing the first hurdle, the trio continued forward.
Not long after, Shisui's ears twitched as he shouted, "Shūichi!"
Shūichi immediately heard the whistling of projectiles behind him, stopping in his tracks and turning around to see a dense volley of weapons headed their way.
This time, instead of drawing his sword, he quickly retrieved two kunai while biting down on a senbon needle.
Activating 200% focus, he spun his arms like windmills, using the kunai to deflect the barrage of weapons.
Behind him, Shisui and Sanyō also had their hands full as projectiles came at them from both the front and the sides.
The three of them formed a back-to-back formation, working together to fend off the assault.
When the attack finally ended, a variety of projectiles lay scattered in front of each of them.
Shūichi's kunai were chipped, and the senbon he had been holding in his mouth had been spat out at the last second to block a shuriken.
The intensity of this training was worlds apart from their time at the ninja academy—a single mistake could lead to serious injury.
Shisui and Sanyō weren't much better off; Sanyō even had two cuts on his arm.
Shūichi quickly checked the wounds and smiled, "Just scratches."
Covering the wounds with his hands, he used the simplest healing technique, and within a minute, the wounds were healed.
The three of them resumed their journey, this time adopting a triangular formation.
They encountered explosive tag traps and ambushes from Minato's shadow clones before finally making it through the forest to the other side.
Once they stopped, all three were breathing heavily.
Shūichi was still shaken.
They hadn't noticed the explosive tag trap until it was nearly too late, reminding him of how Nawaki had died in an explosion trap.
The ninja world was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
He also realized more clearly that the hierarchy among ninjas wasn't just about strength; there were deeper reasons at play.
"You all did very well," Minato said, appearing with a smile. "Rest for an hour."
The three of them immediately sat down, pulling out water and food from their packs to replenish their strength.
An hour later, Minato created three shadow clones and said to them, "Each of you will face one of my clones in a fight. Treat it as if it were an enemy you need to kill."
"Yes, Minato-sensei," they responded in unison before each took on a clone, attacking with full force.
Minato stood a short distance away, observing.
He had been watching his three students closely since their mission that morning.
This afternoon's training was also a way for him to gauge their abilities.
"Shisui is the strongest—he has a keen mind, the powerful insight and genjutsu of the Sharingan, and excellent skills in the Body Flicker Technique and swordsmanship. He also has the most experience and is fully capable of becoming a Chūnin."
"Sanyō excels in genjutsu. His taijutsu and experience are lacking, but he has the potential to become a Chūnin."
"As for Shūichi… his Fire Release hand seals were so fast that even I couldn't see them. Is it a concealed seal, or perhaps no seals at all?"
"What an astonishing talent for Fire Release!"
"And his reaction speed is extraordinary—Lord Third wasn't exaggerating at all."
Minato analyzed quietly, planning how best to teach each of them according to their strengths.
In terms of technique, there wasn't much he could teach Shisui. The Sharingan had its own unique system, so his role would be to help Shisui gain more combat and mission experience.
For Sanyō, aside from improving his taijutsu, the focus would also be on gaining combat and mission experience.
The Kurama clan had an impressive heritage in genjutsu.
As for Shūichi...
When Minato Namikaze looked at Shūichi Hoshita, his first thought was about the Flying Thunder God Technique.
For someone outside the Uchiha clan to have such extraordinary reflexes, Shūichi was indeed a promising candidate for mastering the Flying Thunder God.
Of course, mastering this technique required not only exceptional reflexes but also a strong sense of perception and spatial awareness.
"But it's too early for that," Minato thought with a smile.
Shūichi was only six years old, while Shisui Uchiha and Sanyō Kurama were just eight. For now, they needed to focus on building a solid foundation, gaining combat experience, and completing missions.
---
The first day after graduation passed quickly.
The next day, the morning was spent on another mission, helping villagers near Konoha deal with wild animals that were destroying their crops.
This time, it was a group of wild boars.
Following the tracks, Shūichi and the others quickly located and dispatched them.
This mission brought Shūichi just three tasks away from unlocking the "Tracking Expert" tag.
The afternoon was once again dedicated to Minato's special training—traps, shadow clone battles, and taijutsu guidance.
To Shūichi's surprise, this pattern continued for an entire week.
Morning missions, afternoon training.
Before he even had a chance to leave Konoha, Minato had helped him unlock the "Tracking Expert" tag.
With a 100% increase in tracking talent and a 100% increase in sensitivity to traces, Shūichi's progress in both missions and training became visibly faster.
March 24, Year 39 of the Konoha Calendar.
As usual, the team gathered on the rooftop. However, when Minato arrived, he announced, "Today's mission is a C-rank mission outside the village. Meet at the village gate in half an hour."
"Understood!" Shūichi and the others replied in unison before using the Body Flicker Technique to disperse.
At home, Shūichi quickly packed his gear into his backpack.
Kunai, shuriken, a medical kit, soldier pills, a change of clothes, as well as explosive tags and grenades…
After packing, with some time to spare, Shūichi went to Konoha Hospital and Tenka's shop to bid farewell to Yakushi Nono and Tenka.
When he arrived at the village gate, Minato and the others were already there.
However, Shūichi wasn't late.
"Let's move out!" Minato ordered as soon as Shūichi arrived. The four of them left Konoha and headed south along the main road.
Before long, they veered off the path leading to the Daimyo's residence and entered the forest, moving southwest.
As they leaped through the trees, Minato explained the mission: "Our target this time is a group of bandits based on the border of the Land of Rivers."
"These bandits have crossed the border into the Land of Fire multiple times, attacking villages in the area."
Shisui immediately sensed something was off: "The border has ninja team outposts. If they've managed to cross the border and raid villages multiple times, it means they've figured out the patrol routes of the border ninja teams."
A C-rank mission? This was likely more than that!
Shūichi Hoshita thought, "Even if ordinary bandits had ninjas among them, it wouldn't be enough to consistently figure out the patrol routes of the border ninja squads and manage to infiltrate and return to the Land of Rivers each time."
Sanyō Kurama commented, "So, Shūichi, are you suggesting that these bandits might be disguised ninjas?"
Shūichi replied, "That's a possibility."
"But if that's the case, this mission might not be for us."
"There's another possibility: the bandits could indeed be ordinary bandits, maybe with just one or two lower-ranked rogue ninjas among them. However, they might have precise intelligence support."
Minato Namikaze smiled, "Shūichi's analysis is very good."
Shisui Uchiha asked, "Minato-sensei, if that's the case, where would their intelligence come from?"
"From Amegakure?"
"Before the Second Shinobi World War, the Land of Rivers was within Amegakure's sphere of influence, and the missions there were managed by Amegakure. After the war, Amegakure's influence was limited to the Land of Rain, while the Land of Rivers' missions were divided between us and Sunagakure."
"So, it could be that Amegakure wants to make a comeback, or Sunagakure wants to take over all the missions in the Land of Rivers."
Minato nodded and asked, "So, Shisui, which possibility do you think it is?"
Shisui thought for a moment and said, "Sunagakure!"
Kurama asked, "Shisui, why Sunagakure?"
"Hanzō of the Salamander from Amegakure is known as a legendary shinobi. It wouldn't be surprising if he wanted to make a comeback and take over the Land of Rivers."
Shūichi analyzed, "But if it were Hanzō, he would be facing us and Sunagakure. That wouldn't be a wise move."
"Sunagakure, on the other hand… It has been quite some time since the Second Shinobi World War. Their ambitions may have reignited, and it wouldn't be surprising if they wanted to take over the entire Land of Rivers."
"And the current situation fits Sunagakure more."
Kurama was puzzled and asked, "Why is that?"
Shūichi explained, "Because if it were Hanzō from Amegakure, he wouldn't need to use such methods. He could just send people south to reclaim the Land of Rivers directly."
"Sunagakure, however, might not have the determination to confront us directly, so they might use such methods instead."
"This bandit group might not be simple."
Shisui quickly asked, "Shūichi, are you saying there might be other issues with these bandits?"
Shūichi replied, "It's just a guess."
"For instance, if these bandits have legitimate identities in the Land of Rivers, and we deal with them there, the Land of Rivers' daimyo might be displeased and deteriorate relations with the Land of Fire and Konoha. At that point, Sunagakure could easily align with the daimyo of the Land of Rivers and take over all the missions there."
Kurama was astonished, "How… How did you come up with this, Shūichi?"
Shisui was also surprised.
Minato was equally astonished, as Shūichi's final analysis was something he hadn't considered yet.
Of course, he was aware of the hidden aspects of this mission.
"The Third Hokage was right. Shūichi's level of maturity in thought is on par with that of an adult. His insights are precise, and his analytical abilities are remarkable."
Minato marveled privately and then said to Shūichi and the others, "Shūichi's analysis is excellent. It looks like this mission won't be too simple."
"Therefore, we need to be extra cautious once we enter the Land of Rivers."
"After we find the bandits, the first step is to thoroughly investigate their situation."
Shūichi and the others responded in unison, "Yes, Minato-sensei!"
---
They set off at 9 a.m., rested for two hours at noon.
By evening, Shūichi and the team reached the border of the Land of Fire but did not immediately cross. Instead, they set up camp at the border.
Early the next morning, after having a meal of fish soup, the four crossed the border and entered the Land of Rivers.
After entering the Land of Rivers, following Konoha's intelligence, Shūichi Hoshita and his team found a cave on a mountain. It seemed to have been inhabited in the past.
"Judging by the traces, it's been at least a month since someone was here," Shisui Uchiha observed.
Shūichi scanned the cave and then volunteered, "Minato-sensei, I'll go check outside."
Minato Namikaze nodded, "Sanyō, go with Shūichi."
Sanyō Kurama quickly nodded, "Yes, Minato-sensei."
The two of them left the cave to investigate the surrounding area.
Before long, Shūichi reached the top of the mountain and gazed southward.
He raised an eyebrow and then took a monocular from his backpack to look down at the valley. "There's a village down there…"
"There are a lot of people, but the fields seem somewhat neglected."
Shūichi frowned slightly. He noticed women and elderly people working in the fields but didn't see any young, able-bodied men.
Looking closer at the village, there were children playing around, and occasionally, he could spot a few young men.
"Are they just lazy?"
Shūichi put away the monocular, met up with Sanyō Kurama, and then rejoined Minato to report what he had discovered.
Minato asked, "Shūichi, do you suspect there's something unusual about that village?"
Shūichi nodded, "The information leading us to this hideout wasn't baseless. This place was likely a hideout for rogue ninjas, but it's now abandoned."
"And conveniently, there's a village just below. In fact, this would be an ideal location for a hideout."
Sanyō added, "Judging by the traces around here, someone did live here for a long time."
It's impossible for all signs of life to vanish within just a few months unless someone meticulously cleaned up, but it's clear that wasn't the case.
Everyone understood Shūichi's point. If this hideout belonged to rogue ninjas or bandits, then the village below might have been under their control in the past, possibly paying them tribute.
This village could be a valuable source of information.
"Indeed, the village is a good place to gather intel," Minato concluded, making a quick decision. "We'll start our investigation with the village."
Sanyō suggested, "The simplest method would be to bring someone back here and use genjutsu to interrogate them."
Both he and Shisui had the skills to do so—direct and straightforward!
However, Shūichi offered an alternative, "Perhaps we could gather information in a more discreet manner."
Minato and Shisui understood Shūichi's underlying concern—that the village might be more complicated than it seemed, possibly with ties to external forces.
After all, they had previously speculated that Sunagakure might be involved.
Shisui added, "If we want to collect information covertly, it would be best to wait until nighttime."
Entering during the day, even with a transformation jutsu, could easily raise suspicion.
After all, gathering intel discreetly requires subtlety.
Directly questioning the villagers would be too risky. A stranger entering the village would immediately arouse suspicion.
Sneaking in at night, using genjutsu when everyone is asleep, would leave minimal traces, most of which the villagers would likely dismiss as a dream.
Minato immediately decided, "Then we'll wait until nightfall to infiltrate the village."
Shūichi then suggested, "Minato-sensei, maybe we could first familiarize ourselves with the village in a simpler way."
Minato, Shisui, and Sanyō all turned to Shūichi.
Shūichi smiled, and in the next moment, he transformed into a black cat.
Minato Namikaze immediately recognized the black cat—it was the same stray cat from their first mission a few days ago.
Shisui Uchiha's eyes lit up as he smiled, "Shūichi's idea is indeed clever. A stray cat in this area shouldn't raise any suspicions."
Minato nodded with a smile, "That's true."
Meanwhile, Shūichi Hoshita felt a bit strange inside because he had just triggered a new tag.
Tag: Transformation Master
Condition to Obtain: Achieve 100 different forms of transformations, meeting the required standards.
Effect: Able to change into countless forms; transform into a bird to fly, a fish to swim.
The effect was impressive, but the difficulty was also daunting. Humans count as one form, and cats as another.
He had already met the requirements for the human form, but not for the cat. While his cat form had no visible flaws, his lack of knowledge about feline behavior could easily expose him.
But in reality, just achieving 100 different transformations forms was already an extraordinary feat.
Releasing the Transformation Jutsu, Shūichi turned to Shisui with a smile, "Shisui, you probably know cats better than I do."
Minato also looked at Shisui, "Shisui, I'll leave this task to you."
"Understood!" Shisui nodded.
Minato then turned to Sanyō Kurama, "Sanyō, you'll be responsible for supporting Shisui."
Sanyō quickly responded, "Yes, Minato-sensei."
Shisui and Sanyō immediately set off.
However, instead of entering the village right away, Shisui transformed into a stray cat and moved through the forest, quickly finding a group of raccoons.
Shisui then transformed into a raccoon and mingled with the group, allowing himself to pick up the scent of the wild raccoons.
The drawbacks of the ordinary Transformation Jutsu are numerous—not only in chakra but also in scent, which is difficult to alter. Shisui compensated for this by using alternative methods.
Shūichi observed this and couldn't help but silently give Shisui a thumbs up. He had learned something valuable.
If he wanted to unlock the [Transformation Master] tag, mastering animal transformations would be a significant advantage.
---
Back in the cave, Shūichi practiced using senbon needles, and before he knew it, it was already noon.
Shisui and Sanyō returned together.
"Minato-sensei, Shūichi's earlier speculation was completely correct," Shisui reported, clearly astonished, and then relayed the gathered information.
Although it was just bits of overheard conversation, they had confirmed that the village below housed two rogue ninjas who also led the bandits.
Almost all the able-bodied men in the village were their subordinates.
Moreover, the two rogue ninjas indeed had a source of intelligence. They were scheduled to meet their contact tonight, with plans to act the following day.
After Shisui finished his report, the cave fell into silence.
The village was a bandit stronghold, responsible for significant harm to the Land of Fire. Revenge seemed inevitable.
But it was still a village.
Would they target only those who had raided the Land of Fire, or would they root out the problem entirely?
"What a messed-up world..."
Shūichi sighed inwardly.
He had heard of similar situations in his previous life, but now, faced with the reality—if he were to seek revenge in the village, would he kill everyone or just the able-bodied men? Would he carry that burden in his heart?
Minato's gaze swept over the three of them before he said, "For now, we won't concern ourselves with the village. We'll split into two teams to keep an eye on those rogue ninjas."
"Yes, Minato-sensei!" The three of them quickly composed themselves and responded in unison.
Shūichi and Minato formed one team, while Shisui and Sanyō formed the other, and they began closely monitoring the village.
It was a long process.
By late night, the two rogue ninjas finally left the village and headed west.
Shūichi and the others immediately followed, keeping a safe distance behind.
Under the moonlight, by a riverbank, two rogue ninjas finally met with a contact.
In the forest, Shūichi Hoshita and his three companions silently observed.
The contact didn't display any obvious signs of being a Suna ninja. Instead, he appeared to be a wandering samurai.
The distance was too great to hear what they were saying, and Shūichi didn't know how to read lips.
Within five minutes, the meeting concluded.
As the rogue ninjas began to head back, Shūichi and the others quickly concealed themselves.
In the darkness, Minato Namikaze used hand signals to communicate.
"Track the contact!"
However, the contact, who resembled a wandering samurai, was very cautious and ran downstream along the river.
Shūichi and the others followed through the forest.
After covering nearly 10 miles, Minato used hand signals again to issue a new command.
"Strike!"
They split into two groups again. Shūichi and Minato moved ahead to intercept, while Shisui Uchiha and Sanyō Kurama dove into the river to chase the target.
As soon as the command was given, Shisui and Sanyō changed direction, rushing out of the forest and into the river, sprinting across the water's surface to pursue the wandering samurai.
The samurai, sensing their presence, glanced back under the moonlight. "Konohagakure! Two kids?"
Realizing that someone might be moving ahead to cut him off, the samurai sneered, "You're underestimating me!"
Without hesitation, he turned and charged toward Shisui and Sanyō, intent on dealing with the two kids first.
In the forest, Minato immediately led Shūichi in a charge towards the fight.
Shisui and Sanyō came to an abrupt halt.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Shisui hurled several shuriken, while Sanyō quickly formed hand seals.
The samurai deftly dodged the flying shuriken, but Shisui suddenly tugged on the thin steel wire attached to the shuriken, causing them to change direction and converge on the samurai from three different angles.
At the same time, Sanyō completed his jutsu.
Genjutsu - Mirage Technique!
This genjutsu distorted the target's vision, making what they saw differ from reality.
At that moment, Sanyō aimed to disrupt the samurai's perception of the shuriken's trajectories.
The samurai drew his sword, slicing through the wire and deflecting two of the shuriken, but he missed the third.
Thud!
The shuriken lodged into the samurai's right arm, blood spilling out and staining the river red.
The agonized scream of the samurai echoed loudly in the stillness of the night.
"Damn it!"
Breaking free from the genjutsu, the samurai roared in anger, the water beneath his feet exploding as he leaped into the air, bringing his sword down towards Shisui.
"Retreat!"
Shisui and Sanyō quickly withdrew.
The wandering samurai missed his strike and was about to pursue when he heard the sound of something cutting through the air.
Turning his head, he saw a kunai flying toward him. His pupils dilated in shock as he stumbled, the kunai barely missing his face.
But before he could feel relieved about dodging the attack, a figure appeared in front of him, catching the kunai mid-air.
"You..."
The samurai was stunned. Before he could finish speaking, Minato Namikaze's powerful punch cut him off, sending him flying off the river's surface.
As he fell, Shūichi Hoshita arrived just in time, landing a whip-like kick that sent the samurai crashing into the river with a loud splash, knocking him out cold.
Shūichi quickly retrieved the unconscious samurai from the river and brought him to the shore.
The interrogation that followed was naturally led by Shisui Uchiha.
Even with just a single-tomoe Sharingan, Shisui's genjutsu abilities surpassed those of Sanyō Kurama.
After enduring a beating, the wandering samurai's willpower was severely weakened, and it took less than ten minutes for Shisui to extract the information.
The man turned out to be a Suna ninja, a Chūnin named Tonegawa Ryō.
Moreover, he wasn't working alone—his mission involved a four-man team.
The other three members consisted of one Jōnin and two Chūnin.
The Jōnin from Suna was a seasoned veteran, while the two Chūnin were sensor-type ninjas.
The bandits led by the rogue ninjas were receiving intelligence from this Suna team.
Their goal aligned closely with what Shūichi had previously speculated.
Those two rogue ninjas had originally enslaved the small mountain village until they were discovered by Tonegawa Ryō's team. They then recruited the village's young men as forced labor, with Suna providing intelligence to help them cross the border and raid the Land of Fire.
After just one operation, the young men of the village were completely trapped in the cycle.
As a result, the two rogue ninjas moved into the village, abandoning their mountain hideout.
Suna's goal was to use this bandit group to stir conflict between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, creating an opportunity for Suna to take over missions in the Land of Rivers.
The bandits were set to act again tomorrow, but this time Suna had deliberately fed them false information. They were going to run straight into a Konoha border patrol squad.
A battle would ensue, the bandits would be defeated, and Konoha would discover the bandits' hideout, leading to a massacre in the village.
Even if Konoha and the Land of Fire managed to restrain themselves, they would inevitably hold the Land of Rivers accountable.
Of course, there was a risk that Suna would be exposed during this operation.
Therefore, Tonegawa Ryō and his team would also take action tomorrow, planning to kill the two rogue ninjas amidst the chaos and dispose of the bodies.
"Sunagakure is truly despicable!" Sanyō Kurama said angrily.
Shūichi and Shisui nodded in agreement.
The plan was indeed vicious—low-cost, high-reward, and not particularly difficult to execute.
With the current calm in the shinobi world, Konoha's patrols along the Land of Fire's borders were relatively lax, making it easier for Sunagakure to exploit the situation.
Minato Namikaze looked down at the unconscious Tonegawa Ryō in thought before raising his head to ask the three young shinobi, "What do you think we should do next?"
Sanyō immediately replied, "Minato-sensei, we should take down his comrades as soon as possible, preferably capturing them alive. We should also notify the border patrol squad and leave the rogue ninjas alive. With this evidence, we can present it to the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers, showing him Sunagakure's ambitions and pushing him to fully align with Konoha."
Minato turned to Shisui.
"I agree with Sanyō," Shisui said. "If Tonegawa Ryō doesn't return in time, Suna will definitely suspect something is wrong."
Minato nodded, then looked at Shūichi.
Having already thought it through, Shūichi said, "We should capture the Sunagakure team, inform the border patrol, and report the situation to the Third Hokage. Since this mission involves the Land of Rivers and Sunagakure, only the Third Hokage can decide how to handle the situation."
Minato's eyes reflected approval, though he didn't express it outright. He said, "We'll split into two groups. Shisui, Sanyō, Shūichi, you three take Tonegawa Ryō back to the Land of Fire's border and assist the patrol squad in capturing the rogue ninjas and bandits—alive if possible."
Sanyō was startled. "Minato-sensei, you're going alone...?"
Shūichi smiled and said, "Sanyō, let's follow Minato-sensei's orders. We should trust in our sensei's strength."
Minato smiled, "Alright, it's decided."
He then took out a specially made Flying Thunder God kunai and handed it to Shisui. "Shisui, take this. I'll return as quickly as possible."