A few people sat in silence for a moment, and Minato didn't rush to brief Kakashi and Guy on the mission.
After all, there were still others coming. Wouldn't it be better to explain everything at once?
Sitting with two great figures from Konoha, Kakashi and Guy weren't nervous—just slightly uneasy.
There was an age gap, after all, making topics of conversation mismatched, and their differing statuses naturally created a psychological distance.
Outside in the sky, the rising sun began revealing part of itself, its dazzling rays shining through the transparent glass into the office, landing on the floor.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The steady knock at the door caught Minato's attention, and he cleared his throat.
"Come in!"
Then the door opened, and three youths bearing the Uchiha crest entered one after another.
Obito walked in first, clearly overexcited today, looking like he'd just had a surge of energy.
Shisui and Itachi, however, maintained their usual calm composure, appearing serene and composed.
"Sensei Minato!"
As soon as he stepped inside, Obito saw his teacher facing him and called out immediately.
"Huh? Kakashi, and Guy too! You're both here!"
Obito shifted his gaze, noticing Kakashi and Guy seated on the other side, showing surprise in his eyes.
"This is... Jiraiya-sama?"
After taking a few steps forward, he noticed again the white-haired ninja leaning back on the couch, expression thoughtful, then cautiously asked.
"Mm."
Jiraiya raised his eyebrows.
Had his reputation really fallen so far that even the younger generation no longer recognized him?
Of course, he wouldn't hold any grudge against these young ones—the thought only briefly flickered in his mind before vanishing.
"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama!"
The two who followed behind Obito were much more perceptive. They greeted the two important figures from Konoha directly, then moved toward the side near Kakashi and stood there.
"Alright then."
Minato nodded, glanced at everyone already gathered, slowly rose from the sofa, and stood up.
"This mission involves intercepting and killing or capturing a member of the Akatsuki organization. Naturally, capturing a ninja of this level will be difficult, so you can decide freely at the time."
"The identity of this ninja hasn't been confirmed yet, but he's in the company of Orochimaru."
"Master Jiraiya will assist you by intercepting Orochimaru, and your task will focus on the other enemy."
"These are the intelligence reports sent over by the Stone Shinobi. And regarding the exact location of the enemy, last night I already reestablished contact with them, so you should gradually receive updates along the way!"
Minato took a few steps backward, leaning against the Hokage's desk.
Yesterday, he'd already used the messenger animal provided by the Stone Shinobi to report their situation and pass along contact methods.
And once Jiraiya and the others set off, they could start making connections step by step.
"Akatsuki members..."
Shisui and Itachi exchanged glances, each reading the same understanding in the other's eyes.
"This Akatsuki member," Jiraiya said slowly, leaning forward off the sofa, "I suspect might be Saitama Uchiha. After all, he'd had some off-the-record dealings with Orochimaru before!"
He always believed the ties between Saitama Uchiha and Orochimaru ran much deeper than they seemed.
When Minato previously mentioned an Akatsuki member seen working closely with Orochimaru, Jiraiya had already developed this suspicion.
"Oh?"
Minato looked slightly surprised. He didn't know Saitama Uchiha well personally, nor was he close with Orochimaru, so he wasn't aware the two had any connection.
Besides, no one had shared that intelligence with him.
After all, Saitama's "death" and Orochimaru's defection were separated by some time.
When Saitama recently began becoming active again, Orochimaru hadn't made a public appearance in the Shinobi World.
And this time, Orochimaru's emergence had been spotted by Iwagakure — it was more like a case of wrong place, right time.
"Just my personal opinion, no actual evidence."
Jiraiya added at the end while his gaze swept toward Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.
"Now everyone's here, you've already learned about today's mission! If it really is Saitama Uchiha, you can choose to capture him alive."
"But remember — your own safety comes first! Because this Saitama Uchiha is no longer the same one who belonged to our Konoha before!"
Minato pinched his chin thoughtfully as he looked at Shisui and Itachi. The message in his gaze needed no words.
Meanwhile, Kakashi sitting on the sofa also experienced subtle changes in expression.
Among these few people here, only Guy and Obito seemed relatively normal.
They had minimal interaction with Saitama Uchiha — practically none at all — so their hearts remained unshaken.
Although they'd recently heard about this Saitama Uchiha frequently, they hadn't bothered seeking deeper understanding.
"Then let's proceed like this. We'll assess the situation along the way!"
Jiraiya stood up, announcing the start of this operation.
He couldn't wait to plant his fist in Orochimaru's face again — that familiar rush of adrenaline was rising inside him once more.
"Got it!"
Kakashi and the others straightened up as well, a trace of seriousness creeping onto their faces.
If it truly was Saitama Uchiha, would those among them really be ready to take action against him?
"Please, sensei!"
Finally, Minato nodded at Jiraiya, entrusting him with these future pillars of Konoha — the cream of the next generation.
"Don't worry!"
Without turning back, Jiraiya directly headed for the door.
His massive frame stood like an unshakable mountain — solid, powerful, ready for war.
...
"Captain, we received word from the village. However, they're still quite far away and will need time. Right now everything depends on whether Konoha's ninjas can arrive earlier so we can buy ourselves some time before they escape!"
A ninja wearing black sunglasses squatted beside a Rock shinobi built like an Akimichi.
"Hmm, Orochimaru and the other person entered there a long time ago without coming out yet. I wonder what exactly is happening inside."
The man who appeared to be leading this team frowned as he stared toward where Orochimaru and company had disappeared.
It was a cliff, and in the middle of it jutted out a rock. Beneath that rock lay the entrance where Orochimaru and another person had previously entered.
They were on the opposite side of the cliff. From their position, they couldn't see the exact cave entrance or anything like that.
If they hadn't seen those two vanish there, no one would have ever guessed there was an entrance at all.
"Hold on a little longer! The Konoha ninja are already on their way—they'll be here any minute now!"
Glancing over toward it, the Stone Shinobi remained patient.
He looked again and saw the nearly twenty-strong Stone Shinobi squad hiding behind him.
Though the numbers seemed decent, among the entire unit, there were only three Jonin—including himself.
Such a force might have been enough to tip the balance in a small country, but against someone like Orochimaru—an S-rank rogue ninja—and a member from an organization recently labeled dangerous by several hidden villages, it was barely sufficient.
"Understood!"
The other Stone shinobi nodded, though they were visibly uneasy too.
Ever since they found out they were tracking the infamous ninja known as Orochimaru, every moment they stayed felt like dancing on the edge of death.
"Just pray they get here fast! The enemy could vanish any second!"
Muttered the team leader softly.
This mission could have been called off the moment they confirmed Orochimaru's identity.
But for reasons known only to him, he insisted on pressing on and sent a full report back to the village.
Ultimately, the village decided to let them carry on, with orders to avoid rash actions and simply tail the enemy while awaiting reinforcements.
This was a major mission, and the squad leader could already feel its weight.
Tsuchikage Onoki wasn't taking any chances with this mission—he'd deployed more than enough shinobi to provide backup.
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