While drinking with Jiraiya, Minato didn't forget to send a Shadow Clone to inform Kakashi.
He told the boy to prepare for a mission together tomorrow.
"Kakashi is... oh, Sakumo's son, right?"
Jiraiya clapped his hands, sighing.
"That guy's really lucky. His son is so promising—hmm? What's with that expression?"
His expression changed, and he dropped his carefree, playful demeanor.
"What happened?"
"Sensei, it's a long story..."
So much time had passed that Minato could now calmly recall and mention that much-debated summer night.
"...The situation is roughly like this. In short, Kakashi does have some abnormalities."
"However, Kushina's examination showed no signs of ninjutsu, so we can't rule out that he was just feeling down."
After speaking about his recent discoveries in one breath, Minato picked up his teacup and took a couple of sips.
Jiraiya sighed.
"Where's Sakumo's hospital room? I'll go see him later."
"The southernmost one on the third floor, at the very end."
"Hmph, I really don't know what the old man has been doing these past few years."
"Now even Sakumo... sigh, he's like this and they still won't let him go. What's the point?"
After complaining about Hiruzen Sarutobi for a few sentences, Jiraiya gulped down a mouthful of sake, toying with his empty cup.
"So Tsunade stayed in Konoha for so long because of this."
"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei. Naraku is a very kind child. You'll like him after you meet him."
"Doesn't sound much like an Uchiha, hahahahaha."
"Sensei, if you keep talking like that, don't blame me if the Police Force takes you away."
Minato replied with a wry smile, helping to ease the slightly heavy atmosphere.
He knew that Jiraiya never held prejudices against any ninja clan.
This was just a joke between master and disciple in private, used to poke fun at such stereotypes.
Anyone who had dealt with the Uchiha for years knew that even if pride was their synonym, each individual's personality was still different.
After eating and drinking his fill, Minato said goodbye and went home to rest.
Jiraiya watched him leave, then, carrying a small bottle of sake, slowly walked to the hospital.
It was already late, and he needed to turn on the light in the room to see clearly.
His old friend lay quietly on the bed.
He looked a bit thin, but his complexion was good, which meant someone had been meticulously caring for him all this time.
A nurse couldn't be so thorough.
It indicated that even if the two children had their disagreements, they still took very good care of their father together.
Jiraiya pulled the table to the bedside, set out two sake cups, and filled them.
The aroma of sake wafted gently through the room, chasing away the smell of disinfectant.
It dispelled the cold and brought a trace of human warmth.
He raised one of the cups, took a deep breath, and when he looked up again, his face bore the hearty smile befitting a Sannin.
"Come, let's have a couple of drinks, shall we?"
Early the next morning, Kakashi arrived at the meeting point on time.
Besides the team leader, Minato Namikaze, Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shibi were also accompanying them.
Their destination for this mission was Roran.
It was a country filled with beautiful tall buildings and lush greenery in the desert.
When the four arrived in Roran after a long journey, they were momentarily awestruck.
Even though they were mentally prepared, the sight of towering spires in the vast desert was breathtaking.
What kind of immense power could construct such a utopia in such a desolate place?
"That is Roran."
Kakashi asked the question that had puzzled him throughout the journey.
"Minato-senpai, what is my mission?"
Logically, three Jonin would have been enough for this task.
Bringing him, a Chunin, seemed a bit superfluous no matter how you looked at it.
"There's an important task I need to entrust to you. You can complete it, right, Kakashi?"
Minato's friendly and serious expression was very convincing, and Kakashi immediately nodded in response.
"Yes, I will do my best."
After the team delved deeper into Roran, Kakashi left alone with his orders.
Minato and the other two, after an initial investigation, verified the accuracy of the existing intelligence.
Roran was located deep in the desert, yet its buildings showed no obvious signs of aging.
This indicated they had indeed been built only in recent years.
Furthermore, the city was filled with highly mobile combat puppets.
These machines would employ extremely drastic measures to eliminate any intruders they discovered.
As a small country with a sparse population and scarce resources, Roran should not have been able to construct high-rise buildings and powerful puppets.
The only possibility was that the minister, Anrokuzan, had developed and utilized the Dragon Veins as the intelligence stated.
The technology was already very mature.
If he wished, he could initiate foreign wars at any time, sparking the Third Great Ninja War.
If those endless combat puppets were to launch an invasion, supplied by the almost inexhaustible energy from the Dragon Veins, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's mission for Minato and his team was to thwart Anrokuzan's ambition and seal the Dragon Veins.
It was midday.
The Queen of Roran—Sara—appeared on the tallest tower in the center of the city, waving to her people.
But the strange thing was that among the "people" gathered below the tower, there were no living beings.
They were all ordinary puppets dressed in civilian clothes.
The so-called greeting was merely a play orchestrated by Minister Anrokuzan himself to make Sara believe that all was well in Roran.
However, Anrokuzan's arrangement of this play also indicated something crucial.
Given Sara's temperament, if she knew the truth, she would certainly not agree to wage war.
She would strip Anrokuzan of his administrative power.
At that point, their intervention would be logical and reasonable.
With a general plan in mind, Minato and the other two waited for the right moment.
They intended to find an opportunity to speak with the Queen during her next appearance.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
After a night passed, the sky was bright.
Kakashi emerged from his hiding spot, skillfully evading the puppet patrols.
He continued to set up paper bombs in concealed locations.
Nearing noon, he happened to pass near the main gate of Roran and keenly spotted a ninja-dressed man lying outside.
Approaching closer, he saw the Konoha symbol on the man's forehead protector.
Could it be that others were also on a mission in Roran?
If the man stayed there, he would eventually be discovered by the puppets.
Looking at his condition, he didn't seem capable of continuing to fight.
Kakashi considered it briefly, then cautiously carried the man away.
He found a safe place to put him and left a Shadow Clone to guard him.
This way, if the man woke up or something else happened, he would be aware of the situation.
Busy until the afternoon, Kakashi received the memories transmitted by his Shadow Clone's release.
The ninja had woken up.
After verifying the secret codes and various ciphers, it was confirmed that he was indeed a Konoha shinobi.
But strangely, when he first saw the Shadow Clone, he stared for a long time.
Then he blurted out, "Kakashi-senpai," and anxiously asked how old he was.
If it weren't for all the ciphers and secret codes matching up, Kakashi would have tied up this eccentric guy's hands and feet.
He would have stuffed a rag in his mouth and left him to dry.
Upon learning that Kakashi was now ten years old, the ninja finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He said he had something important to discuss and urged the original body to return quickly.
Perhaps the village has new instructions for this mission?
To be safe, Kakashi once again performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
He sent the clone to temporarily handle the tasks at hand, while he himself returned to meet the stranger.
The man looked rather dull.
He said his name was "Yamato."
Despite being much older than Kakashi, he called him "Senpai," explaining that he had already gotten used to it.
Kakashi leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, interrupting Yamato's endless rambling.
"So, what exactly do you want to tell me? I'm busy."
"Actually, I don't know how to describe it... But this is very important to you! Extremely important!"
Seeing that Kakashi was not satisfied with the answer and was about to leave, Yamato quickly grabbed his arm.
His expression was more serious than ever before.
"I'm not very clear about the specific cause and effect; no one told me much."
"But I remember you once said, 'I wish I had made up with him sooner.'"
"Kakashi, if you have regrets, you must make amends early!"
That last sentence pierced Kakashi's heart.
His pupils suddenly constricted, and he instinctively pulled away from the other person's hand, stepping back two paces.
Although Yamato's words were vague, Kakashi had a gut feeling that the statement referred to... Naraku.
Who exactly is this guy called Yamato?
Why does he act as if... he knows I will regret it in the future?
Kakashi lowered his gaze to hide his trembling eyes, and a bold conjecture surfaced in his mind.
Yamato, however, mistook Kakashi's reaction for impatience, as he didn't understand what the boy's temper was like in his youth.
Recalling the Kakashi he had once seen, Yamato looked at him with both urgency and sadness.
He didn't even bother to consider the proper address.
"I once saw you like that, Senpai. To be honest, you looked very calm, but in reality—"
An unfamiliar chakra abruptly appeared beside the two of them, and Yamato closed his mouth.