(When writing this, I suddenly had a great idea and slightly changed the outline of the Naruto plot)
The mission was accomplished, and the Konoha group returned.
It is worth mentioning that when Inuzuka Raiga returned, he was accompanied by a transvestite. It was said that he met her in a brothel, and because he saw that the transvestite was kind and generous, he redeemed her.
Of course, it was impossible to let him bring a stranger back to Konoha.
If you want to live in Konoha, you also need to check.
For example, checking whether he is a ninja is the most basic. If his chakra amount exceeds that of an ordinary person, he will be treated as a spy.
In fact, this transvestite is indeed a spy, but unlike ordinary spies, he does not practice chakra.
If an ordinary ninja wants to be a spy in a ninja village without practicing chakra, it would be almost impossible. However, these subordinates of Kaito are different. Although they do not practice chakra, they can come into contact with Shadow Rat. As long as they have this, they can complete the spy mission.
During the return journey, Minato Namikaze kept frowning.
He always felt something was wrong, but he didn't quite understand what was wrong.
However, he had a very bad impression of the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Springs.
The daimyo looked like an ordinary, even kind old man.
He had met the Fire Country Daimyo before, but that Daimyo was much more arrogant.
But even such a kind old man gave him a vague feeling of danger.
"Lord Hokage." Namikaze Minato came to the Hokage's office and saluted respectfully to Sarutobi Hiruzen behind the desk.
This year, Sarutobi Hiruzen is exactly 50 years old, which is definitely a high-ranking figure in the ninja world of the Warring States Period. However, after the establishment of the ninja village system, ninjas of his age are still old enough to go to the battlefield.
Although Uchiha Madara said that the system of the ninja village only turned the original scattered disputes into large-scale wars, he said that there was a deep darkness buried under the system of the ninja village.
However, the system of the ninja village did extend the life cycle of ninjas, and the situation where people died in battle for no apparent reason had basically disappeared.
First there was the ordinary handover of tasks, and then Sarutobi Hiruzen expressed his views on Namikaze Minato and the Kingdom of Hot Springs.
This is the usual practice after going to other countries to perform missions. First, the process of the mission is used to give the Hokage an objective understanding, and then the ninjas themselves express their subjective feelings, so that the Hokage can have a more detailed understanding of the situation in other countries. Based on this, detailed arrangements and various considerations can be made during the execution of future missions.
Namikaze Minato expressed his feelings, starting with the people. He believed that the people of Hot Spring Country were very stable and peaceful, with a strong atmosphere of enjoyment. The civilians also lived a good life, and he did not see many pessimistic people.
As for this, Namikaze Minato believed that, on the one hand, the high-level officials of the Kingdom of Hot Springs did govern the country better, and on the other hand, a drug called Gokuraku Powder was circulating in the Kingdom of Hot Springs.
As mentioned before, there is a drugled Bliss Pill, which is an inferior version of Extreme Bliss Pill
Compared to the Bliss Pill, this Bliss Powder is basically like an ordinary seasoning. It is cheap to produce and ordinary families in the Kingdom of Hot Springs can use it as a seasoning.
If you put a small pinch of Bliss Pill. in a dish during the day, the whole family can maintain a relatively comfortable and happy mood all day. In this state, there will be fewer quarrels and disputes with others, which in turn can promote people's inner happiness.
Farmers and workers in the private sector live a relatively comfortable life, and commercial circulation is very prosperous. It can be said that the Kingdom of Tang is the most prosperous country in the world in terms of business, and finally the government.
During this trip, Namikaze Minato also met many officials, because the caravan that they were tasked to protect was a large caravan. Although officials from all over the country did not know that a big name was among them, they did not take it lightly and treated the caravan very carefully.
It can be seen that most officials are very responsible and there are basically no good-for-nothings to be seen.
"Hmm..." Hearing what Minato Namikaze said, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked thoughtful.
"Why do you think this happened? Is it just because the Daimyo of Hot Spring Country is wise enough or has a keen eye for talent?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Namikaze Minato for his opinion.
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought highly of this young man. He saw the potential of Minato Namikaze to become a Hokage, so he trained Minato Namikaze in this aspect from time to time.
"I think it was the shadow guards of the Daimyo who played a role in this." said Minato Namikaze.
"Oh? Tell me about it." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked interested. In fact, he had just thought of it.
"Unlike the Land of Fire, or any other country, the Land of Hot Springs is the only country where the ninja organization is completely controlled by the daimyo. Compared to other countries' distrust and uncertainty about ninjas, the daimyo of the Land of Hot Springs can better utilize the power of ninjas. Therefore, he can monitor those officials in detail, and naturally it is easier to find out who is a useful talent and who is a scumbag." said Minato Namikaze.
"Then why do you think the Daimyo is so confident in the ninjas? Or to be more specific, how does the Daimyo manage to have complete control over the ninjas?" asked Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"I have no idea about this. It could be some kind of secret technique, or some kind of medicine, or some kind of benefit. Or it could be all of the above." Namikaze Minato guessed.
"Hmm." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, and then looked thoughtful again.
He thought of the crazy behavior of the ninjas from Tang Village during the last Ninja World War. In his mind, there must be some kind of drug or secret technique that can control people's minds. As for the benefits, that was uncertain.
However, no matter what the reason was, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt it necessary to find out.
It's not that I have any bad thoughts about the Country of Hot Springs, it's simply because there are curious things in the Country of Hot Springs.
The ninja village is a violent organization, not a defensive force, so it is only natural for it to actively conduct reconnaissance on other countries and ninja villages.
Now that the war is over, the ninja's power has been freed up, so naturally we must first find a way to allow the ninjas to play their full role.
Only in this way can ninjas demonstrate their presence and ninja villages can gain more support from the country.
However, the Kingdom of Hot Springs is now an ally of the Kingdom of Fire after all, and the daimyo of the Kingdom of Fire treats the Kingdom of Hot Springs very well because of his new concubines.
In order to avoid causing unnecessary conflicts, investigations cannot use overly violent means.
And as it happens, he has a usable card in his hand.
"Call Kakashi over." Sarutobi Hiruzen said this after thinking for a while.
"...Yes." Namikaze Minato was a little confused, but still obeyed the order.
After a while, Kakashi arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama." Kakashi saluted, but his voice was cold.
Kakashi doesn't hate the Hokage, he doesn't blame the Hokage for his father's death, but he doesn't like this Hokage either, because it was his father's death that taught him that ninjas cannot have their own feelings.
His father gave up the mission to save his companions, and because he gave up the mission, huge casualties occurred on another battlefield.
His father couldn't possibly know that the consequences of abandoning the mission would be so serious, it was just bad luck.
Kakashi didn't want to judge whether his father was right or wrong, but he was willing to choose a different path from his father.
Therefore, it was his choice to remain indifferent to everyone, and Hokage was naturally no exception.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the little boy in front of him, a child who was only six years old but had completely closed his inner self, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart, although ninjas cannot be swayed by emotions, they are still human beings, not tools. If they really have no emotions, how can we guarantee that they will have feelings and loyalty to the village?
He was very sorry for the death of Hatake Sakumo. This man was proud and was willing to pay for his mistakes with his death, but he was also weak and was unwilling to endure the humiliation of being blamed and insulted by his teammates even though he had saved them, and to make up for his mistakes with actions.
It was a good sword, the sharpest sword in Konoha at that time. But it was easy to break, and it was broken once it was not used properly, and it could never be used again.
"I have a task for you. You can choose to accept or refuse." Sarutobi Hiruzen said calmly.
"I accept." Kakashi replied calmly.
"I haven't told you what the mission is yet." Sarutobi Hiruzen said helplessly.
"No matter what the mission is, I will accept it." Kakashi's tone was calm, but the meaning behind it made people feel so cold.
——Ninjas are tools, there should be no option to refuse.