Dazen's muscles tensed the instant his eyes fell upon the blond-haired, blue-eyed Konoha ninja who had suddenly appeared inside the room. But almost as quickly, he forced down the battle instincts he had honed over decades of blood and fire. His voice was low and steady as he asked:
"You are… the Yellow Flash?"
"Konoha ninja, Namikaze Minato."
Standing upon the tatami, Minato first swept his gaze around the chamber, quietly collecting every detail of his surroundings. Hearing Dazen's voice, he turned toward it and gave his name.
Then, looking Dazen straight in the eye, he continued:
"And you must be the patriarch of the Koeda clan—Elder Koeda Dazen, yes?"
"I am Koeda Dazen," Dazen answered with dignity, then cut straight to the heart: "Yellow Flash, why have you come here? Do you intend to use us as bargaining chips for your disciple's safety? Or… is this about fulfilling your agreement with Kyoichi?"
"The war is on the verge of ending. There's no longer any need for more bloodshed. As for trading you for my students… the risk is too great. I will not see them harmed. Besides—" Minato's tone was plain and sincere, without even a trace of guile. "In my eyes, your lives carry far greater value if preserved."
"You plan to use us to draw Iwa's attention, then?" Dazen's eyes narrowed.
"Exactly." Minato nodded with a faint smile. "As long as the Koeda clan lives, Iwagakure cannot turn a deaf ear. They will be forced to split their strength over you. When the time comes to negotiate with them, that leverage will be crucial."
"Such a weighty decision—are you certain you're authorized to make it?" Seinosuke cut in harshly, glaring at Minato. "Your Konoha warlord is notorious for ruling with an iron fist, no less stubborn than that big-nosed Ōnoki. Carry on like this, and you may well meet the same fate as White Fang."
But Minato's answer was calm, without the slightest loss of composure.
"Before I departed, the Hokage himself entrusted me with temporary discretionary authority. Still… I appreciate your concern."
The words left Seinosuke's eyelid twitching furiously.
"Seinosuke! What nonsense are you spouting?" Dazen's brows furrowed sharply as he barked at him. "Day after day you complain that Kyoichi and Yūsuke are still children—yet just now, your words were even less fitting of an adult. You'd better learn the weight of things!"
"I…" Seinosuke's face flushed red, then pale. Indeed, those were words he should never have spoken.
"Time is short," Minato interjected, his tone steady but urgent. "If there are no further objections, we should move at once. Should I arrive too late, and my students are harmed… it would bode ill for both sides."
"What must we do?" Dazen asked directly, without hesitation.
"It's simple. Do not resist. If you wish, one of you may test it first."
"Then I will." Dazen replied at once.
"Clan Head, allow me!"
"No, let me!"
Seinosuke and Yūsuke spoke over one another.
"Enough. This is the duty of the clan's patriarch. Besides—I am sixty-five. Even if death came to me now, I would have no regrets." Dazen raised his hand, the authority of his station silencing both men's protests.
As for the chūnin and genin present, such a moment was far beyond their station to speak.
"Come then, Yellow Flash of Konoha." Dazen fixed his gaze upon Minato.
"I told you, I don't intend to harm anyone…" Minato shook his head with a wry smile. Words alone would not suffice—he knew that. Sometimes only experience could erase doubt. He stepped to Dazen's side and slowly extended his hand toward the elder's shoulder. His movement was deliberately unhurried; if Dazen wished to resist, he had ample time.
Yet Dazen only clenched his fists and stood motionless, offering no resistance.
The next instant, Minato's hand rested upon his shoulder—
—and in the blink of an eye, both their figures vanished from before the Koeda clan.
"So fast!" a young clansman kneeling on the veranda blurted.
"Too fast to even react," another murmured in awe.
The veranda erupted in hushed, fervent discussion. Seinosuke and Yūsuke, however, kept silent, suppressing their turmoil and steeling themselves to wait.
They were not left waiting long. After scarcely five minutes, Minato and Dazen reappeared in Seinosuke's sight with another flicker of motion.
"Clan Head! Are you unharmed?" Yūsuke exclaimed in relief.
"The chakra… it's really him, and he doesn't seem bound by any genjutsu…" Seinosuke muttered, still scrutinizing Dazen.
"Yūsuke, Mai, Aki…" Dazen ignored the foolish question, nor did he waste time trading barbs with Seinosuke. Instead, he began naming each clansman in turn, before declaring: "One by one, as I call your names, you will go. The Yellow Flash will bring you to Kyoichi's side."
Yūsuke, first on the list, froze for a heartbeat, then grit his teeth and stepped to Minato's side. Without a word, Minato laid his hand on the young man's shoulder, and before all eyes, they vanished.
Next was Koeda Mai. Then Koeda Aki. One after another, the Koeda clan members disappeared from the chamber.
In less than half a minute, only Seinosuke remained—the last, for he had been tasked with maintaining the barrier.
"Hah! Here's hoping Kyoichi hasn't tricked us," Seinosuke muttered, exhaling as Minato appeared before him again. He stepped forward, watching Minato's hand close upon his shoulder. Instinctively, he blinked—
—and his view of tatami mats became a stretch of vivid green grass.
"…I'm alive?" Seinosuke blinked furiously.
"Alive and well! And judging from the looks of it, you may live for quite some time yet—perhaps even to my age!" Dazen's voice called from nearby. Turning, Seinosuke saw him, along with Yūsuke, Mai, Aki… the entire Koeda clan, safe and sound. Not a single one missing.
"I've no wish to live that long." Seinosuke shook his head, then asked, "Clan Head, what's our situation now? What comes next?"
At that very moment—
"Seinosuke, I hear you've made a new contract with a nest of white mice lately?" Kyoichi's voice slipped into his ear.