Chapter 105: Beware of Iwa Ninjas
After arriving at the Konoha camp, Uchiha Kei and the others casually found a place to rest, while Minato Namikaze and Fukuhiko Kōhei went to listen to a report.
Kakashi and Rin looked somewhat downhearted. They sat off to the side, seemingly lacking the desire to speak.
Uchiha Kei and the others understood their situation. Unfortunately, they had lost their close friend and teammate in the Land of Grass, and such grief was understandably hard to recover from.
After all, Kakashi and Rin were not like Uchiha Kei, Hyuga Ayaka , or Imai Kenta. The three of them had long ago grown accustomed to cold indifference.
Uchiha Kei didn't approach Kakashi and Rin to speak with them. His attention was instead focused on Imai Kenta.
Though Imai Kenta still wore a fake smile, his aura seemed to have deepened. This change piqued Uchiha Kei's curiosity.
What was this guy hiding? What was his true strength? These were questions Uchiha Kei found hard to decipher.
As for Hyuga Ayaka, she seemed to have been putting in a lot of effort lately. However, Uchiha Kei knew a fair bit about the Hyuga clan, and he was only curious about how far her Gentle Fist had advanced.
Speaking of the Hyuga clan, it was an interesting topic. They held a significant advantage at the Chūnin and Jōnin levels, but once they entered higher-level combat, they seemed to falter.
Even the strongest of the Hyuga, Hiashi Hyuga, probably had limits to his strength. But if someone activated the Tenseigan, even an ordinary ninja could reach the level of a near Six Paths god, right?
"A typical case of either being unremarkable or exceedingly strong."
Uchiha Kei held a relatively high regard for the Hyuga clan. True, they had little impact during the Fourth Great Ninja War—of the twelve elite "rookies," the only one who died was from the Hyuga clan.
But later, even with little combat experience, Otsutsuki Kinshiki, who barely knew how to fight, activated the Tenseigan and nearly overwhelmed the battle-hardened Naruto Uzumaki. This was a prime example.
Shaking his head, Uchiha Kei wasn't particularly interested in the history of the Hyuga clan, nor in their internal struggles between the main and branch families.
"Gather up."
Just as Uchiha Kei was lost in thought, Minato Namikaze and Fukuhiko Kōhei walked up to them.
The five of them immediately stood up, each with an expression ranging from calm to serious as they looked at the two.
Minato didn't waste any time and immediately laid out a map before them, drawing several circles on it with a pen.
"According to the information we have, the Mist Ninjas have been seen in this area," Minato said, pointing to the circles. "There's no pattern to their movements, and we don't have a clear objective from them. They've attacked one of our reconnaissance teams. So, our mission is to find them in this area and figure out their purpose."
"Understood," the five responded immediately.
"Also, I might not be able to accompany you on the mission," Minato sighed. "Jiraiya-sensei told me that the negotiations are currently at an impasse, and he needs me to participate in the talks. He'll report to the Hokage, so Fukuhiko will lead the team for this search."
Minato not accompanying them on the mission to join the negotiations?
Of the five, only Uchiha Kei was unsurprised. The other four frowned slightly, though their professionalism as wartime ninjas kept them from asking too many questions.
They only needed to follow orders and complete the tasks assigned to them; the rest was not something they needed to worry about.
However, Minato Namikaze, being the person he was, understood that everyone had doubts, so he decided to explain the reason himself.
The reason was quite simple: the Iwa Ninjas did indeed have the intention of ending the war honorably, but the negotiations had been stalled for a long time.
To be honest, the Third Hokage had already offered very low conditions—conditions that could be considered a betrayal to the sacrifices made by the Konoha ninjas who had fought valiantly.
But the Third Hokage had no choice. Konoha had been at war with four different villages, and they had reached a point of physical and mental exhaustion.
If the Iwa Ninjas truly decided to remain obstinate, refusing to budge and willing to drag Konoha into a prolonged two-front war, then the Third Hokage would become a traitor to Konoha.
The Third Hokage was not like Uchiha Kei; he had no knowledge of Iwa's true intentions, nor did he understand the fear that the Tsuchikage had towards Minato.
In such an uncertain situation, the Third Hokage couldn't afford to take any risks. He was more willing to forfeit some of Konoha's interests in exchange for peace.
But even though the Iwa Ninjas were considering surrender, they were not willing to accept too many losses, which is why both sides had reached a standstill.
As a war hero, Minato would have significant influence in the negotiations. Nara Shikaku, who was in charge of the talks, believed that Minato's presence would apply enough pressure on the Iwa Ninjas.
Moreover, Nara Shikaku was very clever. He knew that Jiraiya had probably grown tired of the situation there, so he requested Jiraiya to convince Minato to stay and participate in the talks.
As for Minato's original mission, they were confident that Uchiha Kei and the others could handle it. After all, Minato still had the Flying Thunder God technique!
"So, I'll give each of you a kunai," Minato said, before pulling out six kunai and handing them out to Fukuhiko Kōhei and the others. "Kakashi, Kei-kun, you both know how to use this kunai. In a critical moment, channel chakra through it, and once I receive the signal, I'll come as quickly as possible."
"We understand," Uchiha Kei and the others responded immediately.
Minato was taken away by Jiraiya, and there was nothing he could do about it. Jiraiya was the highest-ranking officer on the battlefield, and he naturally had the authority to deploy ninjas.
Moreover, his actions were procedural, as he would report to the Hokage. So, as long as Minato was willing, he would stay behind.
Clearly, Minato could not refuse his teacher's request, so he had no choice but to stay, even though he would have preferred to focus on his original mission.
"But before you head out, I must give you one last reminder," Minato said quietly after the others had stored their kunai. "Although the negotiations are ongoing, if you encounter Iwa ninjas, don't hold back."
"Huh?" Uchiha Kei and the others were taken aback, but they nodded in understanding.
"This isn't about revenge," Minato explained quickly, seeing their confusion. "Some Iwa ninjas refuse to negotiate and are currently hunting Konoha ninjas. Even if we want to retaliate, we can't eliminate all of Iwa's forces. So, be careful, make good judgments, and don't trust them. Understood?"
"Understood, Captain Minato."