BOOM! BOOM!!
Two more explosive blasts echoed in quick succession.
The final two supply depots in their mission plan vanished one after another under the blinding blue light—unable to resist in the slightest, fading into nothingness.
Piles of goods, precision equipment, and valuable resources stored inside—items that carried the future and hopes of Sunagakure—were now obliterated, reduced to mere illusions.
Even Mitsuki couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the enemy.
A sudden spatial ripple.
Behind a steep cliff on the outer perimeter of this hidden Sand base in the desert, two figures silently watched — Mitsuki and Minato.
At the moment, both were using their respective unique abilities to observe from afar the Sand shinobi scurrying about within the outpost. The intel was crucial—it would directly affect their next strategic move.
As the minutes ticked by—
Minato suddenly seemed to notice something and said,
"Mitsuki, I can no longer sense the Flying Thunder God kunai I left in that hidden warehouse. The Sand shinobi must've found it and sealed it away."
"That's going to make things tricky."
Mitsuki rested his chin on his hand, pondering alternate ways to approach the target.
Although his Rasenshuriken could be launched from a distance, his Six Eyes clearly showed that the enemy had deployed a dense grid of troops and traps around Warehouse No. 7.
After analyzing troop placements, fortifications, and potential weaknesses, Mitsuki knew it was impossible to get close enough to cast Rasenshuriken from its optimal range undetected.
Trying to lob it from a distance would likely end in interception by Pakura, the wielder of Scorch Release, who could detonate it mid-air.
Being familiar with the original story, Mitsuki wouldn't dare underestimate Scorch Release—or any elemental Kekkei Genkai for that matter. They were rarely simple.
Even if the kunai Minato placed there had gone undetected, it wouldn't have changed much. That warehouse had always been heavily guarded. Minato hadn't dared approach it earlier to avoid alerting the enemy and compromising the mission.
He had even set the teleportation mark at a cautious distance—so even if he did teleport, he probably wouldn't be able to destroy the warehouse effectively.
Unlike Minato's sensory-type abilities, Mitsuki's Six Eyes functioned more like the Byakugan — granting him powerful visual insight. He could see inside the warehouse.
Unfortunately, it didn't help much — everything inside was sealed scrolls, unreadable from the outside.
Watching the layers of Sand shinobi guarding the facility, Minato gave it some thought before speaking:
"We've more than completed our mission objectives. As curious as I am, we should pull back for now."
It was a sound decision. As the war dragged on, whatever trump cards Sunagakure was hiding would inevitably be revealed.
Besides, things that received such tight security typically fell into one of two categories:
Devastating weaponry capable of dealing massive damage to the enemy.
Vast sums of funding vital for sustaining the war effort.
Either one could determine the outcome of a war — or the survival of a nation. Neither side would treat such assets lightly.
If the former were destroyed or fell into enemy hands, a key strategic advantage would be lost. If the latter were compromised, it would cripple supply lines and combat readiness—possibly turning the tide entirely.
No matter which scenario it was, it warranted extreme vigilance and protection.
At that moment, Mitsuki suddenly realized something odd: Ever since he'd arrived on the battlefield, he hadn't heard a single word about Rasa, the future Fourth Kazekage.
It was almost as if someone had deliberately erased that name from existence...
A swirl of space-time chakra.
Appearing at the Konoha front-line base facing Sunagakure, Mitsuki once again found himself marveling at the convenience of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
"Damn… I want it so bad."
But it remained just a dream for now.
The Flying Thunder God Jutsu was created by the Second Hokage and recorded in the Scroll of Seals — an S-rank time-space ninjutsu.
While most jutsu in the Scroll of Seals were S-rank or higher, even among them, there was a strict hierarchy.
For a "normal" shinobi like Mitsuki, the only way to gain access to such jutsu would be to achieve exceptional merit on the battlefield and formally request permission.
Jutsus like Hard Whirlpool Water Blade, Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, Spirit Transformation, or Water Severing Wave were all possible rewards.
However, dangerous and forbidden jutsu like Flying Thunder God, Reaper Death Seal, or Edo Tensei would never be casually handed out by Hiruzen Sarutobi—not unless the recipient was someone thoroughly trusted.
That is… unless Mitsuki became the disciple of one of the Legendary Sannin.
Then, the Third Hokage might gladly offer the Flying Thunder God as a reward—and even groom him as the next Fifth or Sixth Hokage.
So, if Mitsuki wanted the Flying Thunder God jutsu from Hiruzen, step one was simple: Become a disciple of the Sannin.
Of course, as a reincarnator with knowledge of the original timeline, Mitsuki had another plan:
Just wait until Minato becomes the Fourth Hokage.
In the original story, after taking the mantle, Minato passed the Flying Thunder God to his guard platoon — Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi, and Iwashi Tatami.
Mitsuki was already classmates with the first two — they were on good terms. He hadn't met Iwashi yet, though.
While none of the three were considered extremely powerful, they had inherited the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. It took all three of them working together to use it effectively, though—which pretty much wasted its strongest asset: mobility.
Minato usually fought solo and didn't need bodyguards. So calling those three his "guard platoon" was generous — they were more like his Flying Thunder Mailmen.
Still, given Mitsuki's relationship with Minato, he was confident Minato wouldn't refuse if he asked to learn the technique. And even if it felt a bit awkward, Mitsuki was willing to trade one of his own jutsu in exchange.
He had no choice — the Flying Thunder God was too tempting. And with the Six Eyes supporting him, Mitsuki was confident he could master even this notoriously difficult space-time jutsu.
Upon arriving at camp, Mitsuki was about to part ways with Minato when the latter called out:
"Mitsuki, this was our team's first mission. Let's report to Lady Tsunade together."
Minato gave him a bright, sunny smile.
"Alright, alright… you're the captain." Mitsuki shrugged and smiled helplessly.
Honestly, he'd much rather go find Rin to recharge some "Rin Energy", tease Obito with Kakashi, and check in with Heiji and Ruri to see how they were doing.
Still, considering how significant this mission had been, there would probably be a few days of vacation coming up.
No need to rush.