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Staring at the Detonating Tag, Akira Tsubaki thought for a moment.
He reached out and carefully pried it open, revealing a thin thread connected to the explosive.
"So that's what happened~~"
He remembered.
This Detonating Tag was just the tip of the iceberg of a network hidden throughout the village. The entire village had been rigged with explosives connected by these thin threads.
The instigator was Geno from Yugakure (Village in the Land of Hot Water).
"Kakashi!"
Calling Kakashi from the yard, Akira Tsubaki decided to report the matter.
To Minato Namikaze, of course.
"Go to Minato-sensei immediately and tell him I've made an important discovery."
"Important discovery?" Kakashi was taken aback, then spotted the Detonating Tag embedded in the dilapidated wall.
"I'm going right now."
With a flash of his figure, Kakashi used the Shunshin Technique (Instant Technique) and vanished.
"Huh? Akira, what was the important discovery?" Obito poked his head in, curious.
Whoosh~~
A handful of thick sagegrass struck Obito's face, stinging him.
"Akira, I want to break up with you," Obito said angrily.
"You've said that eight hundred times," Akira Tsubaki replied lightly.
A short while later.
Minato Namikaze arrived.
"This is the important discovery you mentioned?"
Looking at the Detonating Tag in the wall, Minato Namikaze looked puzzled.
This Tag looked like an old model, likely hidden by a previous owner. What kind of major discovery was this?
Akira Tsubaki smiled but didn't speak.
Afterward, Minato Namikaze tried to carefully remove the explosive, and his expression suddenly changed.
"A thin thread?"
"What did Sensei realize?" Akira Tsubaki asked.
"The Detonating Tags are connected by a thin thread, which implies there are probably other explosives," Minato Namikaze said seriously.
Minato Namikaze was intelligent. Just by the thin thread, he had guessed the truth.
"You must have guessed it too, right?" Minato Namikaze looked at Akira Tsubaki, shaking his head.
He knew Akira Tsubaki wouldn't have called him otherwise.
Next, things moved quickly.
Minato Namikaze immediately contacted Hiashi Hyūga, who confirmed the huge crisis with his Byakugan (All-Seeing Eyes).
The incident was then reported to the Third Hokage.
8:14 p.m.
The BBQ Shop.
The entire Team Minato was present, including Minato and Kushina.
"You've done it again," Minato Namikaze complimented him immediately.
"It had nothing to do with me. I just happened to find that Detonating Tag," Akira Tsubaki said humbly.
He was currently in the "lying low" phase and would minimize showing off whenever possible.
That's why he asked Kakashi to notify Minato immediately after the discovery, rather than the Third Hokage.
"Do you know what rank the Third Hokage raised this mission to?" Minato smiled.
Mentioning it again? Akira Tsubaki was speechless.
Obito and Rin, conversely, were very excited and eagerly asked.
"Sensei, you didn't say S-rank, did you?" Obito's eyes lit up.
"I think it must be B-rank," Rin guessed.
"It's A-rank!" Minato delivered the answer.
The mission level had been raised, but the reward money remained unchanged.
This meant Team Minato would have one extra A-rank mission achievement on their records.
Hearing the word 'A-rank', Obito was overjoyed.
This made Akira Tsubaki seriously look down on him. When I was avoiding missions, Obito was the one who wanted them the most.
"Let's not talk about you this time; even Minato will receive recognition," Kushina said with a smile, staring at Akira Tsubaki.
She was well aware that the greatest credit belonged to Akira Tsubaki.
But the kid seemed intent on shirking the praise and giving all the credit to Minato.
She really wanted a student like that.
"By the way, Sensei, we have the Hyūga clan in the village. With their Byakugan, they should have noticed these tags a long time ago, right?"
Akira Tsubaki posed a genuinely puzzled question.
He found it hard to believe that with the Hyūga clan present, these Detonating Tags could be planted throughout the village undetected.
Is the Hyūga clan blind?
"This matter…"
Minato Namikaze sighed, sounding quite emotional.
"The Third Hokage said this afternoon that it's complicated."
"The incident dates back to when the village was first established."
Minato Namikaze revealed the full story.
"When the village was founded, Hyūga Tennin, the patriarch of the Hyūga clan, used his Byakugan to spy on many clan secrets. Even the Uchiha clan had many secrets revealed to him."
"After this was discovered by Uchiha Madara, Madara approached the First Hokage and put targeted restrictions on the Hyūga clan."
After hearing the story, Akira Tsubaki understood.
The so-called targeted restrictions likely referred to buildings.
As long as the Hyūga clan did not deliberately use the Byakugan to look inside the structures, the secrets of each clan would remain protected.
After all, the secrets of the Great Clans are covered by numerous buildings.
After dinner, Team Minato disbanded again.
But Akira Tsubaki was worried.
He had been plucked again, bleeding heavily to treat the guests.
"Akira, when are you going to open your bathhouse? I want to get a card."
Before leaving the BBQ shop door, Kushina asked.
"Open for business? What business can I open if I don't have any money?" Akira Tsubaki said, his face bitter.
"Ah, I see," Kushina suddenly realized.
Then she offered, "Why don't you leave it to me to manage? You can pay me my cut after we start making a profit."
Akira Tsubaki was overjoyed.
He was worried about this very problem.
"Of course, hiring me is expensive," Kushina added.
"No problem! Then I'll trouble Kushina-Senpai," Akira Tsubaki agreed immediately.
It didn't matter to Akira Tsubaki as long as they could start making a profit.
Seeing the two reach an agreement in just a few words, Minato Namikaze on the side smiled helplessly.
That's the biggest bathhouse in the village, and the verbal agreement you just signed was far too casual.
Hokage's Office.
After finishing the day's work, Hiruzen Sarutobi twisted his stiff neck.
What a busy day.
With emotion, he picked up the mission report on the table and reread it.
This Detonating Tag crisis was a clue discovered by Akira Tsubaki of Team Minato during a D-rank mission.
After Minato Namikaze's investigation and Hiashi Hyūga's Byakugan assistance, the entire village was successfully purged of the threat.
"It seems I misunderstood this brat."
"A person like this should be the hope of the village in the future~~"
Thinking this, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to observe Akira Tsubaki for a while longer.
If the current time and space could be connected to the future, the future Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely leap out and slap his present self several times!
Observe? Observe your mother!