Bab 116: Chapter 115
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"Ryoma?"
After leaving the Hokage Building, Aburame Ryoma followed his boss, moving quietly to avoid drawing Danzo's attention. Despite his caution, he still heard his boss calling him.
"Danzo-sama! What are your orders?"
Ryoma's heart skipped a beat upon hearing his boss's voice. He immediately responded, knowing that Danzo's anger was not to trifle with.
"Which is the ANBU team that 'protects' the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki?"
Though termed protection, with Kushina's strength, ANBU protection was more about surveillance than safety. If there were danger, it was unclear who would be protecting whom.
Ryoma's body tensed at Danzo's question. He knew the kind of tactics Danzo employed and that the inquiry was likely about monitoring Kushina Uzumaki.
"Why the hesitation?"
Danzo's tone was gentle, but Ryoma knew this was a precursor to an explosion. If he failed to provide a satisfactory answer, the consequences would be severe. It's just…as a Konoha ninja, he really doesn't know how to deal with his boss's question, as any information regarding Kushina is held to the highest secrecy.
"It's… Team 11," Ryoma finally said.
Seeing Danzo's unchanged expression, Ryoma continued, "Aoi is on this team."
"If you hesitate to follow my orders again, remember that a Ninja must not have emotions or hesitation when following my orders."
Danzo's voice was a warning. Despite Ryoma's valuable abilities, Danzo would not hesitate to assign him suicidal missions if he showed weakness again.
"Have Aoi focus on the girl named Nohara Rin."
Danzo resumed walking towards the base of his 'root' organization. Ryoma, relieved, realized Danzo wasn't just targeting Kushina but had broader plans involving Rin. Despite his boss's uncharacteristic leniency, Ryoma knew better than to question it.
---
"Kushina, you were too impulsive. How could you treat the elders like that? Ignoring Danzo is one thing, but Koharu-san and Homura-san deserve our respect!"
Back home, Namikaze Minato earnestly chided Kushina.
"Yes, yes! I'll be more careful next time."
Though she listened, Kushina's tone was perfunctory. Those elders annoyed her, constantly restricting her movements and sending inept ninjas to monitor her. She had long wanted to 'teach' them a lesson but had lacked the opportunity.
"You heard Danzo's terrible idea. How could I not get angry?"
She fumed, recalling Danzo's suggestion and that it would jeopardize Rin's life. The elders seemed all too willing to experiment, disregarding the lives of jinchuuriki.
"Don't worry, the Sandaime won't let that happen," Minato reassured her, confident in the Sandaime Hokage's commitment to ending the war.
"Instead of dwelling on this, what are you going to do about Rin?"
More than anything, Kushina was concerned about Rin's safety.
If Rin could stay in Konoha, Kushina would have a close friend. Minato was great, but he was always busy, either on missions or being summoned by the elders to discuss matters. Being alone at home made her feel lonely. Having someone like Rin around would be ideal.
"About Rin..."
Minato seemed uncertain as he spoke. The matter depended heavily on Kirigakure's attitude, something neither he nor Konoha could decide unilaterally.
"Minato-sensei, Kushina-san, thank you for everything you have done for me, but I am ready."
"If this can end the war early, I can..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear. After today's events in the Hokage building, she realized her fate might not be favorable. However, for the village and her friends, she was willing to sacrifice herself for their safety. She had already accepted this long ago, though Toshiro-senpai's arrival had delayed the inevitable.
As she spoke, Rin smiled peacefully at the two of them, as if she didn't mind what she was implying.
"Rin!!"
Kushina, overwhelmed by Rin's selflessness, couldn't control her emotions and hugged her tightly. At the same time, a wave of sadness washed over her.
There was another interpretation of the term "Jinchūriki." It was like placing a person in a pit and slowly filling it with sand, from their feet up to their chest, neck, and finally their head, suffocating them to death. This cruel method of slowly approaching death was something only a few could understand.
Like Kushina, Rin bore immense pressure and responsibility at a young age, something they should never have had to endure.
---
The next day.
"I didn't expect to see Minato-senpai on the Kiri front line."
Since their last meeting, Toshiro never anticipated they would reunite so soon.
Due to Rin's situation, Minato hadn't even visited him in the hospital. Now, he appeared on the frontlines. Could it be...
"Long time, no see. I didn't have the chance to thank you for the last time. I have something to trouble you with."
With an apologetic smile, Namikaze Minato continued, "Do you know anything about the senior management of the Kiri ninjas on the other side? I have a mission that requires talking to their kage."
"It would be best if the person had some status and autonomy in front of the Third Mizukage."
Minato directly stated his purpose upon seeing Toshiro. He wanted to know if Toshiro had insights about the Kiri ninja's higher officials and if he could provide a 'recommendation.'
Rin's situation couldn't be resolved without involving Kirigakure. Minato's mission was to communicate with their kage. Approaching the Third Mizukage directly was impractical, given the odd plan they had devised. It was better to find a breakthrough with other senior members of the Kiri Ninjas, as advised by the Sandaime Hokage.
When he was in Konoha, Minato had obtained some intelligence about the upper echelons of the Kiri Ninjas, but the information was scant and outdated. Kiri Ninja's stringent confidentiality policies, coupled with Konoha's recent focus elsewhere, had led to significant distortions in the intel.
Upon arriving at the Bear Country camp, Minato sought to update his knowledge by consulting a familiar face about the latest developments within the Kiri Ninja ranks. Orochimaru had been a potential source, but their current relationship as rivals for the Hokage position made such a meeting awkward, and Minato doubted he would receive help. Thus, he turned to Toshiro.
"I came in contact with the senior management of the Kiri Ninja... There are two potential candidates I know of, though I'm unsure if they're suitable," Toshiro began. "One is Terumi Mei, who possesses two bloodline limits: Lava Release and Boil Release. She's from a union of two prominent Kiri Ninja clans and has close ties with an elder named Genji. The other is Karatachi Yagura, the commander of the Kiri ninja, and rumored to be a candidate for the Fourth Mizukage. However, his relationship with the current Mizukage is peculiar."
Minato furrowed his brow at this information. Logically, Yagura, the potential Fourth Mizukage, seemed the most suitable contact. However, given the complexities of his relationship with the Third Mizukage, Minato was uncertain.
"Let's meet Terumi Mei first," Minato decided. Before departing, the Third Hokage had emphasized the importance of Genji, second only to the Mizukage among the Kiri Ninja. No one seemed more suitable.
"Could you take me to find Miss Terumi Mei?" Minato asked Toshiro.
"Of course, we can start looking right away. Even if we don't find her today, she'll surely appear tomorrow," Toshiro replied. Recently, the Kiri Ninjas had been particularly eager to fight against the Konoha Ninjas, and Terumi Mei was among them.
As they walked toward the camp exit, Minato addressed Toshiro with a smile, "I recall you're interested in sealing techniques. If you need any help, feel free to come to me or Kushina when we're back in Konoha."
Whether it was Obito, Kakashi, or Rin, all had benefited from Toshiro's assistance, especially last time, making him practically Rin's savior. Minato hadn't properly thanked him and now needed his help again. Despite being comrades, expressing gratitude felt essential.
"Thank you, Minato-senpai!" Toshiro exclaimed happily. Sealing techniques were notoriously difficult to master, and although he had studied them since childhood, he could only perform many advanced techniques without fully understanding them. With Minato and Kushina's guidance, he hoped to solve many of his problems easily.
"There's no need for formality. My friends call me Minato; you can too," Minato said warmly, smiling. Toshiro was a comrade, and Minato had no problem sharing his knowledge of sealing techniques.
Meanwhile, Mei Terumi was patrolling the battlefield with her teammates. They weren't just idly patrolling; they had devised some strategies to deal with Toshiro and needed to test their effectiveness on suitable subjects. The Konoha ninja were perfect candidates.
"Nee-san, do you think our strategy will really work against that guy?" a young man with light blue to white hair and sharp teeth asked, addressing the figure walking along the forest path.
The young man, Mangetsu Hozuki, had heard from Terumi Mei about an Uchiha Kenjutsu master on the front line and had come all the way to challenge him. However, the opponent had evaded a proper confrontation for days, leaving Mangetsu feeling frustrated.
"Aren't the other Konoha ninjas enough for you?" Mei Terumi asked.
"Those guys..." Mangetsu began, tilting his head in thought before replying with a dull expression, "These ordinary ninjas don't feel like anything when you cut them. It's more interesting to fight evenly matched or stronger opponents!"
As a genius of the Hozuki clan, Mangetsu possessed extraordinary talent, mastering seven ninja swords skillfully, and his clan had high expectations for him.
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