In the very center of Konoha Village, inside the Hokage Building.
Minato Namikaze, who had just inherited the position of Hokage, was working diligently.
Having recently become the Hokage, he had a mountain of matters to resolve every day, leaving him with no time even to go home for a meal.
Standing by his side was his most trusted subordinate.
He was also his chief Hokage Advisor—Nara Shikaku.
"Knock, knock!"
"Come in."
The sound of knocking echoed, and Minato Namikaze spoke without even lifting his head.
"Fourth Hokage-sama, here is the bento made by Kushina-sama."
A silver-haired ANBU Ninja pushed open the door and entered, presenting a meticulously prepared bento.
"I've told you, in private, you can just call me teacher; there's no need to be so formal."
Setting down his pen, Minato Namikaze revealed a hearty smile:
"But, thank you, Kakashi."
"You've come at just the right time; my stomach is about to shrivel up from hunger!"
Watching Minato Namikaze eat happily, a trace of a smile appeared on Kakashi Hatake's face beneath his mask.
"Then I won't disturb the Hokage-sama any further; there are still many things that need to be handled."
Nara Shikaku nodded to Kakashi Hatake as a greeting.
Then, he spoke to Minato Namikaze, who was currently wolfing down his food.
Nara Shikaku and Kakashi Hatake had a fairly good relationship; both were staunch members of the Fourth Hokage Faction.
Nara Shikaku was Minato Namikaze's good friend and chief strategist.
Kakashi Hatake was Minato Namikaze's disciple and the shadow guard captain.
The two were likely two of the people in Konoha who supported Minato Namikaze the most.
"No rush, Shikaku."
"Wait a moment; I still have something to say to you. I'll be finished eating soon."
Minato Namikaze swallowed a mouthful of rice and asked Nara Shikaku to stay.
Nara Shikaku nodded obediently.
While the two were quietly waiting for Minato Namikaze to eat, a ball of blue light suddenly appeared in the Hokage Office.
Subsequently, this ball of blue light suddenly exploded, spreading out in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, before the two could react, a circular barrier formed, enveloping them within.
The sudden turn of events startled Nara Shikaku and Kakashi Hatake.
Minato Namikaze, meanwhile, set down his nearly finished bento, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
As individuals who had experienced war and climbed out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake...
...the moment the light appeared, the two had already entered a combat state, subconsciously preparing to use the Body Flicker Technique and Flying Thunder God.
And although Nara Shikaku didn't go to the front lines much, his strength was firmly at the Jonin level, so his reaction was naturally very fast.
But the speed at which the barrier expanded was too fast, almost in the blink of an eye.
The three of them were already trapped by the barrier.
Within the barrier, a strange and inexplicable power permeated the air.
The Body Flicker Technique and Flying Thunder God the two had just used both failed, blocked by an unknown power, making it impossible to leave this barrier.
Realizing this, Kakashi Hatake flickered in front of Minato Namikaze, clutching a Kunai in his right hand, fully focused on guarding against potential danger.
"Teacher, my Body Flicker Technique can't get me out of here; it's like an invisible wall is blocking me."
Kakashi Hatake whispered to Minato Namikaze.
Minato Namikaze nodded; he had realized this as well and spoke:
"My Flying Thunder God also cannot leave this barrier."
"It seems we've run into big trouble. What do you think, Shikaku?"
A solemn expression appeared on Minato Namikaze's face as he instinctively asked his chief strategist.
Nara Shikaku was also holding a Kunai, standing in front of Minato Namikaze to guard against potential enemies.
Hearing Minato Namikaze's question, he pondered for a moment and shook his head:
"I don't know either, but being able to silently infiltrate Konoha and set up a barrier in the Hokage Building to trap us..."
"...shows that the intruder's strength is extraordinary."
"And the best course of action now is to wait for reinforcements from the Village."
After listening, Kakashi Hatake nodded in deep agreement:
"Exactly. With the Hokage Building trapped by a barrier, the Village will surely find out immediately."
"When the time comes, by coordinating from inside and out, this intruder will definitely be caught."
In the entire Ninja World, no one can single-handedly take on the whole of Konoha.
All three had full confidence in this.
But Minato Namikaze's considerations were somewhat different; he wasn't particularly concerned about his own safety.
He realized that at this moment, an unexpected crisis might be descending, and he felt somewhat anxious.
To Minato Namikaze, being trapped himself wasn't a major issue; the most important thing was the situation of the Village.
As the Hokage, whose strength was among the best in the Village, he was easily trapped and unable to leave.
What about the others in the Village?
If there were more enemies, wouldn't the Village face immense danger?
After waiting for a while, the expected enemy did not appear.
Minato Namikaze and Nara Shikaku glanced at each other, both a bit surprised.
Was this suddenly appearing enemy merely trying to trap the three of them?
Minato Namikaze pondered for a moment and then asked:
"May I ask who you are, sir? What is your purpose in secretly infiltrating Konoha Village?"
"To be able to silently infiltrate the very center of Konoha Village, it's clear that your strength is extraordinary."
"If you have some goal, why not come out and talk?"
On the surface, Minato Namikaze's negotiation was calm, but in reality, he had already developed killing intent.
Even though Nara Shikaku's suggestion was to wait for reinforcements, how could Minato Namikaze afford to wait?
The Village could face danger at any moment; as the Hokage, how could he just sit here and wait for death?
No one responded to Minato Namikaze's question.
It was as if the enemy had simply set up the barrier, trapped the three of them, and then left.
How was that possible?
Nara Shikaku's brow was deeply furrowed; he couldn't quite grasp the enemy's objective.
"Let's try to see if we can break through this barrier from the inside."
Minato Namikaze said.
"Teacher! Maybe we should wait for Sandaime-sama and the others to come with reinforcements."
Kakashi Hatake spoke up to dissuade him.
Minato Namikaze shook his head and flickered to the edge of the barrier.
This barrier was like a large blue ball of light, enveloping the entire Hokage Office.
"Rasengan!"
Minato Namikaze condensed Chakra in his right hand, and a circular Chakra sphere appeared in his palm.
Then, Minato Namikaze thrust the Chakra sphere against the barrier.
But a shocking situation occurred.
When Minato Namikaze's Rasengan hit the barrier, it was like a drop of water falling into a pond, instantly dissolved and swallowed up.
Not a single trace was left behind.
"It can actually absorb Chakra? What kind of barrier is this?"
Kakashi Hatake watched the Rasengan being swallowed, his exposed right eye filled with shock.
"Even the Four Violet Flames Formation doesn't have such an ability; this is a barrier I've never seen before."
Nara Shikaku said.
All three were somewhat troubled, and the Hokage Office fell silent for a moment.