Staring at the explosive tag embedded in the wall, Drake fell silent for a moment.
Then he gently peeled it back — and his eyes caught the thin wire trailing behind it.
"So that's what this is…"
He remembered now.
This single tag was only the tip of the iceberg. Across the entire village, countless explosive tags had been planted, all connected by hidden wires. One trigger… and Konoha would become hell on earth.
The mastermind behind it all was Genō of the Hidden Sunagakure — a walking disaster who had buried death beneath the village itself.
"Kakashi!"
Calling him over from the courtyard, Drake prepared to report the discovery.
Naturally — to Minato, not the Third Hokage.
"Hurry and inform Sensei Minato. Tell him I found something important."
"Important?" Kakashi froze — then saw the old explosive tag inside the cracked wall.
"I'm going."
In a flash, he vanished using Body Flicker.
"Huh? What did you find, Drake?" Obito poked his head in curiously.
WHAP!
A clump of serrated weeds smacked him square in the face, leaving stinging cuts across his cheek.
"I'm breaking up with you as a friend," Obito grumbled.
"You've said that eight hundred times," Drake replied coolly.
Not long after, Minato arrived.
"This is what you called me over for?" he asked, frowning at the aged explosive tag.
At first glance, it looked like something an old homeowner had hidden — hardly a "major discovery."
Drake simply smiled.
Minato crouched and attempted to remove it — then his expression changed.
"A wire…?"
"Sensei, did something occur to you?" Drake asked.
"If this is connected by wire, it means there are likely more of them… possibly everywhere."
Minato's face darkened.
As expected, he'd understood immediately.
"You already knew, didn't you?" he said, looking at Drake with a resigned smile.
He should've known — this kid wouldn't have summoned him otherwise.
The rest unfolded quickly.
Minato contacted Hiashi Hyuga, whose Byakugan unveiled a terrifying truth — explosive tags were concealed throughout the village.
Once confirmed, the information was rushed to the Third Hokage.
8:14 PM
At the barbecue restaurant.
Team Nine had gathered again — and this time Minato and Kushina were there too.
"You've done it again," Minato praised the moment he sat down.
"It was just coincidence. I happened to notice the tag," Drake replied modestly.
He was still in stealth mode — keeping a low profile whenever possible.
"Do you know what rank the Third Hokage upgraded this mission to?" Minato chuckled.
Again?
Drake sighed internally.
Obito and Rin, however, were buzzing with anticipation.
"Sensei, don't tell me it's S-rank?!" Obito burst out.
"I'm guessing B-rank," Rin said thoughtfully.
"A-rank," Minato announced.
The reward didn't change — but on Team Nine's record, an A-rank mission had just been added.
Obito nearly burst with pride.
Drake, on the other hand, looked thoroughly unimpressed.
The loudest critic before had been Obito himself.
"You didn't just earn glory for yourselves — even Minato's reputation benefitted," Kushina added with a smile, her eyes lingering on Drake.
She knew the truth.
This mission's true hero wasn't the sensei.
It was him.
"Sensei, with the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, shouldn't this have been discovered long ago?" Drake asked calmly.
He genuinely couldn't understand how something this massive slipped through their fingers.
Minato sighed.
"The Third explained it this afternoon… It's complicated."
Then he told the story.
"In the early days of the village, the Hyuga Clan's leader, Hyuga Tenjin, used the Byakugan to spy on other clans — even the Uchiha weren't spared."
"When Madara found out, he confronted the First Hokage and forced restrictions upon the Hyuga Clan."
Drake understood immediately.
Those "restrictions" weren't about people —
they were about architecture.
If the Hyuga didn't deliberately inspect buildings, then no one's secrets would be exposed. And thus, the blind spot was born.
A blind spot large enough to bury a village in explosives.
After dinner, Team Nine disbanded once more.
But Drake's heart felt heavy.
He'd just paid for another meal. Again.
"Hey, when will your bathhouse open? I want to get a VIP pass," Kushina asked as they left.
"Open? With what money?" Drake sighed miserably.
"Oh?" She blinked, then brightened. "Then leave it to me. I'll manage it for you, and you can pay me from the profits."
Drake's eyes lit up.
He'd been stressing over this exact problem.
"Deal! I'll leave it to you, Kushina-senpai."
"Just so you know — my management fees aren't cheap," she added with a mischievous grin.
"No problem. As long as it makes money."
Watching them formalize a multi-million-ryo business deal through casual conversation, Minato could only smile wryly.
That was Konoha's largest bathhouse, you know…
Hokage Office
After reviewing the day's reports, Hiruzen Sarutobi stretched his stiff neck.
"What a tiring day…"
His eyes returned once more to the mission record.
The discovery of the explosive tags… traced back to a clue found by Drake during a simple D-rank mission.
With Minato's analysis and Hiashi's Byakugan support, the village had narrowly avoided catastrophe.
"Perhaps… I misjudged that boy."
"He might truly be Konoha's future."
So he decided to keep observing.
If the future Hiruzen could speak to his present self, he'd probably slap him senseless and shout:
Observe your ass! Wake up already!
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