In truth, no matter what choice Kakashi made, Shiba Kiyokawa had nothing to lose.
If Kakashi truly clung to his belief that the mission comes first, then Kiyokawa would walk away with Nohara Rin unscathed—essentially gaining a key that could one day control a future big boss.
And if Kakashi came to his senses in time? Kiyokawa still wouldn't lose. Just forcing the enemy to admit the importance of a hostage was already enough to give him the upper hand in any future negotiations.
Either way, he came out ahead.
And beyond all that—it was fun!
Still, even while seeking amusement, Kiyokawa didn't forget to build in some safety measures for himself.
It was all part of the plan.
Without making a scene, he subtly repositioned himself—moving away from surrounding trees and obstacles—while loudly emphasizing:
"My companion can turn into paper at will. She has no vital points. There's no way you can take her out in a single strike. So don't think you can just rescue your comrade with brute force."
He wasn't just speaking to Kakashi. The real target of that statement… was Namikaze Minato, who might be hiding in the shadows.
Judging from Kakashi's appearance, he looked about ten years old. Not yet a jōnin. Probably not capable of leading a team on his own.
Which meant their teacher—Minato—was likely nearby.
And yet, perhaps due to fate, Namikaze Minato was late once again.
No sooner had Kiyokawa finished speaking than a blur of motion silently appeared behind Kakashi.
The arrival was instantaneous and without warning, causing Kiyokawa's pupils to contract and his nerves to go taut. Every fiber of his being snapped to full alert.
Fortunately, his earlier verbal warning had worked—Minato landed behind Kakashi rather than launching an immediate attack to rescue Rin.
Konan, whose body had no vital points, was indeed a natural counter to assassins like Minato, who specialized in one-hit kills.
Kiyokawa's positioning had also been precise: he stood in a wide-open space with no cover within ten meters—making it impossible for Minato to ambush him undetected. Any approach would require throwing a kunai and teleporting in.
Upon landing, Minato couldn't help but wonder:
Do these two young Amegakure shinobi… know about my abilities? Are they actually guarding against me?
Or was it just a coincidence?
Suppressing his unease, Minato placed a calming hand on Kakashi's trembling shoulder and spoke gently:
"Shinobi of the Ame, we have no intention of starting a war. Our mission was merely to assess your country's stance regarding the conflict.
We've harmed no one on our way here. So please—return our comrade."
Minato was being as restrained as possible.
If it were any other minor village, he wouldn't be this polite.
But Kiyokawa didn't appreciate the gesture. Instead, he turned back to Kakashi with a mocking tone:
"Oh? So you just casually disclosed the mission you're on? That doesn't really line up with this white-haired kid's constant preaching about 'the mission comes first,' now does it?"
Kakashi clenched his fists tightly.
Minato gently applied pressure to his shoulder, his own expression growing more serious.
"Ame ninja. Please stop saying such strange things to my student. We've already shown our sincerity. So—"
But before he could finish, Kiyokawa cut him off with a loud, disdainful laugh.
"Sincerity? You barge into another country without permission, maps in hand, scouting out territory as you please—and you call that sincerity, Namikaze Minato?"
Minato's eyes widened slightly.
"You know who I am?"
At this point in time, the Third Great Shinobi War had only just begun. Minato's fame had yet to peak.
If this were the northeast front with the Kumo Village, it wouldn't be strange—he'd already clashed many times with the famed AB combo of Kumogakure and had begun making a name for himself.
But this was the Land of Rain, far in the west!
Since when did Amegakure's intelligence-gathering capabilities become this advanced?
This wasn't the passive, downtrodden Amegakure everyone assumed only knew how to survive in the cracks between great nations.
"Yes, I know you.
The Yellow Flash of Konoha, the elite jōnin most likely to become the Fourth Hokage—Namikaze Minato."
Kiyokawa said it plainly, even generously.
Konan's eyes widened in alarm.
Wait… we just intercepted a random Konoha genin squad, and you're telling me we ran into the future Hokage?!
Kiyokawa, do you have to go this hard every single time?!
And yet, Kiyokawa wasn't done.
He continued to grill the future Hokage, his tone increasingly forceful, making Konan more and more nervous.
"The Land of Rain is at least an independent neutral nation.
Amegakure is not your subordinate.
Yet you march into our territory without a word. You call that sincerity?
Your actions are arrogant. Your attitude even worse.
Even now, you refuse to address our leader respectfully as 'Lord Demi-God.'
To us, Konoha has shown zero respect!"
Minato was momentarily left speechless.
The saying goes: A noble man can be taken advantage of by virtue of his integrity.
Kiyokawa knew Minato's kind nature, and that's why he dared to strike first and seize the moral high ground so confidently.
But all of this was just the beginning.
The time had come for him to reveal his true aim—
"So let's not talk about 'sincerity' anymore, Namikaze Minato.
You can't place something nonexistent on the bargaining table.
Instead, let's properly discuss what you're willing to offer in exchange for your comrade's return.
From the looks of it, she's a medical-nin—an extremely rare and high-value asset in the Land of Rain."
Minato's expression instantly darkened.
And just at that moment, his other student, Uchiha Obito, shouted from the side:
"Sensei, you have to save Rin!"
Minato felt a splitting headache coming on.
If he tried to use force, Kiyokawa had already stated that he knew who Minato was, and had shown no fear—keeping his cool and composure, making it hard to assess his true strength.
If he tried to reason, Kiyokawa's rhetoric was sharper than his, having already seized the moral high ground and left Minato with no footing.
Even negotiating had become difficult.
Obito's outburst had just revealed exactly how much they cared about the hostage.
Originally, they could've used Kakashi's cold stance to create some leverage…
But thanks to Kiyokawa's earlier verbal barrage, which worked like a verbal Genjutsu, Kakashi was now so emotionally rattled that he was no longer reliable.
The once-composed, battle-hardened Namikaze Minato…
Now found himself being completely outplayed by a 14-year-old genin from a small village.
And for the first time—he felt the frustration and helplessness of trying to raise kids.
"Ame ninja… what do you want?"
He finally asked, unwillingly.
Kiyokawa smiled.
And this time, it was a genuine smile.
His gamble had paid off.
Provoking Namikaze Minato was a massive risk.
It could've ended with his death and the utter erasure of his existence.
But he had won.