Huiye Lian's infiltration went smoothly in the early stage.
He was alone this time—no baggage, no formations to protect.
Konoha had just finished an intense battle and still needed to guard against a Mist counterattack, so they didn't have spare manpower to fully maintain the blockade.
And with Huiye Lian's shinobi fundamentals…
In two days, he slipped past the front and reached the Land of Fire's core region.
He stared at the small city ahead—still bustling with commerce even under the shadow of war—and clicked his tongue.
The Land of Fire really was blessed.
No wonder the two strongest men of the Warring States era had forged their foundation here—rich resources, fertile land, and roads that connected everywhere.
If someone ever unified the shinobi world, a nation like this—touching all four other great countries—was one of the best places to build a capital.
And unlike the Land of Water—whose economy was chained entirely to Kirigakure's commissions and war hiring—
The Land of Fire's economy was far healthier.
Merchant caravans from ordinary people came and went. Hawkers shouted endlessly. Shinobi occasionally flickered across rooftops.
Ordinary people and shinobi jointly supporting the nation's economy—
In this era, it was already an excellent model.
He even heard someone selling something called "Uchiha pancakes."
"…Looks like step one of reform is giving those idiots who only know how to kill a few industries that can make money outside of missions," Huiye Lian muttered.
He sat at a roadside shop with a good view, ordered some local snacks, and ate while thinking about what industries the Land of Water could build.
Then, as his thoughts drifted—
A commotion erupted in the street.
"Did anyone see where that person went after leaving the casino?!"
"W-What person?"
"That legendary big fat sheep! She lost us a ton of money, then left her little follower as collateral, said she'd go raise funds and come back to gamble—then she vanished! And her follower slipped out too!"
"Damn it! That fat sheep came here?!"
"Shit—I heard Hetaro bragging two days ago that some blond old woman borrowed a huge loan shark debt from him—don't tell me it was her?!"
"Search! Find that damn hag!!!"
As the noise faded into the distance, Huiye Lian glanced around the shop.
His gaze landed on the two girls at the table beside him.
A black-haired girl—around twelve or thirteen—was grumbling bitterly, clearly feeling wronged.
The blonde girl across from her ignored the complaints completely and focused on demolishing her food.
And on the blonde girl's forehead—
A pale blue diamond-shaped mark.
…No way.
Did I really just run into Tsunade?
The shinobi world is ridiculously small.
Huiye Lian shook his head, finished his food, left payment, and walked out.
It wasn't time to contact Tsunade yet.
No need to disrupt his plan just because she happened to appear in front of him early.
And besides—
He was a newly promoted Mist jonin.
What right did he have to walk up to Senju Tsunade, one of the Three Sannin and the First Hokage's granddaughter, and talk cooperation?
Konoha and the Mist were still killing each other on the front lines.
At the same time…
Namikaze Minato—ignoring medical orders and forcing his injured body to travel near the town—suddenly stopped.
"Minato-sensei? Why did you stop?"
Hatake Kakashi thought his teacher's wound had reopened. He flickered forward instantly.
But Minato only raised a hand and signaled him to stop. Then he closed his eyes.
He began sensing his chakra.
"It can't be wrong… the feeling of the Flying Thunder God mark…"
"But why is it here?"
"Sensei?" Kakashi's hand went to a kunai. "Enemy presence?"
"No. Worse than that…"
Minato opened his eyes, expression dark.
"Huiye Lian… why are you suddenly here?"
"Did you get intelligence on Lady Tsunade and come to assassinate her—stop her from returning to Konoha?"
"…No, that doesn't add up."
"The mark is moving away from the town."
"Is he trying to pull the battlefield outside?"
"But there's no sign of fighting in the town. With Tsunade's personality, she wouldn't just follow without doing anything…"
"Or… is he here on another mission—not here for Tsunade at all?"
Hearing the name "Huiye Lian," Kakashi instinctively covered his left eye—
As if he'd been ripped back into that night of blood and mist.
Huiye Lian hadn't killed Nohara Rin directly.
But he had seriously injured Kakashi, drained his chakra—
And that was why Kakashi had failed to save Rin from the other Mist shinobi.
And the mysterious Hyuga kunoichi who had helped him…
After fighting Huiye Lian, she vanished without a trace.
If nothing went wrong…
She was probably already dead.
"Minato-sensei," Kakashi said, voice tight, something self-destructive burning beneath it. "If there's a fight… can I handle it?"
"No."
Minato caught the abnormal edge in his student's emotion instantly. He sighed and pressed a hand to Kakashi's shoulder.
"We can't defeat him right now."
"Don't think about dying with him, Kakashi."
"That man's strength has already exceeded what normal shinobi can measure. A monster whose limits you can't even see."
"If you rush in for revenge, you'll only die meaninglessly."
"But—"
"Kakashi."
Minato bent down despite the pain in his side and looked him in the eye, earnest.
"Jiraiya-sensei once told me: a shinobi is someone who endures."
"I agree."
"Only the ones who live have a chance to change the things that created the suffering in the first place."
"And the courage to keep living… is far greater than the courage to die."
"You're my only student still alive, Kakashi."
"I want you to inherit what Jiraiya-sensei taught me—and pass it on to the next generation of Konoha shinobi."
"Until then… live."
Kakashi lowered his head, voice dim.
"Sensei wants me to give up revenge?"
"Whether you give it up is your choice," Minato said gently, patting his shoulder.
"What I want is for you to live and grow before you decide."
"Until then… I'll shield you from the storms outside."
With that, Minato gritted his teeth and straightened.
He led his silent student into the town—leaving Flying Thunder God kunai outside as transfer points along the way.
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