"You just need to—hmm?"
Mid-sentence, Minato abruptly froze, his sharp senses picking up sothing unusual. His bright blue eyes scanned the surroundings as two specially marked kunai appeared in his hands in a flash.
"Kakashi, stay here," Minato instructed in a calm yet firm voice. "Don't run around, and don't panic."
Sothing was happening.
Kakashi obediently rooted himself in place, though his posture turned rigid with alertness. He nervously scanned the forest around them, but his current abilities weren't sharp enough to perceive what Minato had.
Minato's expression darkened slightly as he called out, his voice ringing clear through the trees:
"This isn't a place you're ant to be. If you're here to launch a surprise attack, I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed."
The thick canopy of leaves rustled faintly, and from the shadows, several figures erged into view.
The person at the front was noticeably short—about Kakashi's height—and at first glance appeared to be just a child. Yet the air around him was anything but innocent.
"Impressive," said the voice of the figure, a faint hint of admiration seeping through. "No wonder they call you the Yellow Flash of the ninja world. Konoha truly is the cradle of genius talent."
As the group stepped further into the sunlight, Kakashi's breath caught in his throat.
This is...
Minato narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowing slightly.
"It's just a aningless title," Minato replied, his voice calm and unruffled, though his body remained poised to move at any mont. "Compared to you, Yagura, I'm hardly worth ntioning."
"Perhaps," Yagura replied softly, shaking his head.
Minato didn't lower his guard. "I'll ask you to state your purpose. You've co a long way to get here."
Though Minato maintained a composed exterior, his mind was already calculating several plans. If things turned hostile, he would prioritize Kakashi's safety and retreat imdiately. If it were just him, he wouldn't hesitate to test Yagura and his group in combat, but protecting Kakashi was non-negotiable.
The location wasn't far from Konoha, aning Minato could take Kakashi back to safety, regroup, and return with reinforcents—or with Takuya.
After all, Takuya arriving on the scene would render even a group of elites from Kirigakure insignificant.
Minato's mind worked quickly, sizing up the unexpected visitors. Yagura, the infamous Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, wasn't soone who should appear this close to Konoha without reason. Yet here he was, accompanied by a few Jonin-level Mist shinobi. If this were a sneak attack, it was far too small of a force—almost laughably so.
Unless Yagura had lost his mind,Minato thought dryly.
"Don't misunderstand," Yagura said, raising a hand in a clear signal of peace. His voice remained calm and sincere. "We an no harm, nor have we co here to fight."
"Then why are you here?" Minato pressed, though he didn't lower his kunai.
"Certain... sensitive matters have brought us here," Yagura explained carefully. "I need to speak with your Hokage or whoever currently makes the decisions in Konoha. The situation is too delicate for us to approach openly, so we chose this route to avoid detection. I hope you can understand."
Delicate matters?
Minato's expression remained unreadable as he pondered the situation. Finally, he shook his head.
"This isn't sothing I can decide on my own," he said. "If you truly an no harm, stay here. I'll inform the appropriate people. In the anti, I'll ask that you and your n remain calm and do nothing to provoke suspicion. If you make any sudden moves, I can't guarantee you'll leave this forest alive."
Minato's words weren't a threat—they were a statent of fact.
Yagura nodded in understanding and signaled his n to sit down with him. Their movents were controlled and deliberate, a clear show of restraint.
"We'll wait here. Please convey my ssage."
Satisfied, Minato gave a quick nod.
"Stay put," he said once more before grabbing Kakashi's arm.
In a flash, Minato teleported them both back to Konoha.
The mont they landed, Minato turned to Kakashi. "Go ho. Don't tell anyone about what you saw today."
Kakashi nodded and departed without a word, though his mind buzzed with curiosity.
Minato didn't waste a mont. He teleported directly to where Takuya was.
Takuya, anwhile, was lounging in his courtyard, savoring a chilled waterlon under the afternoon sun. It was rare to enjoy simple pleasures during warti, and he planned to make the most of it.
Just as he bit into another piece, Minato materialized in front of him.
Startled, Takuya almost flung the waterlon like a weapon, but recognizing Minato's chakra at the last mont, he restrained himself.
"What the hell—"
"No ti to explain!" Minato barked, already grabbing Takuya's arm. "It's important, and I can't make the decision alone."
Before Takuya could protest, Minato teleported them both away.
"???"
Takuya's courtyard was left with nothing but the faint sll of waterlon. Nearby, Pakura glanced over briefly before returning her attention to a one-man shogi ga—where Danzo sat hunched, brooding as he played alone.
In the forest, Takuya found himself standing beside Minato, still holding his half-eaten waterlon. Across from him sat Yagura and his entourage of Mist Jonin, their eyes imdiately locking onto the newcor.
"???"
Takuya looked at Minato, then at Yagura.
"This is the important matter?" he asked, blinking.
To his credit, Minato simply turned his head, suppressing a grin.
anwhile, Yagura and his n stared at Takuya with awkward expressions, clearly unsure how to interpret the man who'd shown up mid-snack.
Takuya raised the waterlon. "You guys want so?"
Yagura coughed awkwardly. "Thank you, but no."
"Suit yourselves."
Unbothered, Takuya shrugged and resud eating. Waste not, want not—especially during warti, when sothing like waterlon was practically a luxury.
Once he'd finished, Takuya wiped his hands clean with a handkerchief Kushina had given him. The waterlon rind? He tossed it aside without hesitation. The handkerchief? That was sacred—no way was he tossing that out.
"So?" he finally said, fixing Yagura with a sharp look. "Care to explain what you're doing here? Don't tell losing your command left you so bored that you decided to vacation in the Land of Fire."
Yagura's face twitched. "We're here on matters that concern both our villages. If you're not the one in charge, then I request an audience with your Hokage."
"How do you know I can't make the call?" Takuya shot back.
Yagura let out a small sigh of frustration. He dearly wished he could just march into Konoha and speak with the Third Hokage directly, but doing so would only escalate tensions.
Finally, after repeatedly reassuring Takuya of their peaceful intentions, Yagura signaled his n to remain calm and stepped forward slightly.
"Both our villages have no reason to continue this aningless war," Yagura said, his tone sincere. "Kirigakure's people are just as weary of this conflict as yours. Yet the war drags on."
Takuya snorted, cutting him off. "Skip the speech. Your village started this war. Besides, it's not like anyone will forget about the Mizukage running out of a bathroom with his pants down."
"..."
Yagura visibly winced, clenching his fists.
Can we please stop bringing that up?
Even if he were here to undermine the Third Mizukage, Yagura had no desire to hear that embarrassing incident described again.
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Next Bonus: 400
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