After leaving the Hokage's office, Kurogane Ren walked home, a faint glimmer flashing in his eyes. When he had encountered Namikaze Minato earlier, he had sensed something, but it hadn't been the right moment to think it through.
Now, everything was clear.
Minato had been sent away from Konoha. And an S-rank mission, even for the future Fourth Hokage, wouldn't be completed in just a day or two.
This window of time was the perfect opportunity for the Mist ninja to make their move on Nohara Rin.
In fact, this S-rank mission itself was likely tied to the Mist or even Black Zetsu. They would definitely do everything in their power to prolong it.
Could Minato have refused the mission?
Of course not.
For a ninja village, especially one as large as Konoha, its entire operation depended on the mission system. From the original story, even low-level missions paid well, let alone A-rank or S-rank missions.
Each completed mission meant a substantial source of income.
And the war wasn't even fully over yet. The village's finances were already strained. Unless enemies were attacking directly, threatening the village itself, missions could not stop—especially not S-rank ones.
So now, he needed to monitor Rin closely.
And just to be safe, he also had to keep an eye on Hatake Kakashi.
Kurogane Ren took a deep breath. No matter what, this operation would likely fall under the watch of White Zetsu. They would observe everything from beginning to end. Even his crows weren't completely safe.
No matter how far he kept them, they might still be detected.
After some thought, he made a decision. He would track from a distance, gradually reducing the number of crows, and leave the rest to luck—hoping none of them landed on trees hiding White Zetsu.
Over the next few days, Kurogane Ren behaved exactly as expected of him, staying indoors and researching various sealing techniques.
During that time, a small-scale conflict broke out again. After the Kannabi Bridge battle, the Iwa ninja had retreated due to their supply lines being cut, but now the Mist had appeared. The scale was small, and Kurogane Ren was not among those summoned.
It made sense. A "pure logistics and research" type like him wasn't needed for minor skirmishes.
But the Mist's sudden movement only confirmed his suspicion—Rin would be captured during this period.
In small-scale battles like this, Minato was a devastating force. That was precisely why he had been lured away with a high-reward mission. And even after completing it, he would likely be sent straight to reinforce the battlefield against the Mist.
Kurogane Ren adjusted his glasses—non-prescription, purely for show—and remained calm. This battlefield, being a sudden and almost "unprovoked" attack by the Mist, wasn't too far from Konoha. He would be able to arrive in time.
The sealing technique in his hands was the one he had prepared for this very moment.
Years of research. Countless experiments. Endless refinements.
Every component of the formula had been polished to near perfection.
When used on ninja beasts, its success rate was already one hundred percent. But what he was about to seal wasn't an ordinary beast.
It was a Tailed Beast.
Each Tailed Beast possessed immense power, far beyond that of an average jonin. If they could fully utilize their strength, they could easily reach Kage level. The Nine-Tails even surpassed that.
And each Tailed Beast was unique.
Even now, Kurogane Ren couldn't guarantee how effective his sealing technique would be against them. All he could do was refine it to the best of his ability.
This… was already the limit of what he could achieve.
The rest depended on fate.
As the sky darkened, Kurogane Ren's focus shifted to Rin on the battlefield. For the past few nights, most of his attention had been fixed on her, afraid of missing the critical moment.
Finally, the hidden Mist ninja made their move.
With swift precision, they captured Rin—a mere chunin focused on medical ninjutsu, with limited combat ability.
By what seemed like "coincidence," Kakashi arrived just in time to witness it. Without hesitation, he gave chase.
Kurogane Ren did not rush to the battlefield.
Instead, he turned and headed toward the Hokage's office. At this hour, the Hokage would still be there. He was certain of it—he had come here at similar times before to accept missions.
"Oh, Ren? It's quite late. What brings you here again?" The Third Hokage asked with a knowing smile.
"I've run out of money. I'm here to take a mission," Kurogane Ren replied.
The Hokage sighed. He had expected as much. This wasn't the first time Kurogane Ren had come late at night due to a lack of funds.
A-rank missions paid well, but considering Kurogane Ren's recent spending… there was no mystery.
The man spared no expense when it came to research materials, always choosing the highest quality. Naturally, the costs were enormous.
"You really should think about more than just research. It's about time you found yourself a suitable wife," the Hokage said as he browsed through available missions.
There was no reason to refuse him. A ninja willing to take missions was always an asset to the village.
Just as the Hokage was selecting a task, the door burst open.
A figure in a white mask rushed in—clearly a member of the ANBU.
"Lord Hokage, urgent report!"
"Speak!" The Hokage's expression instantly turned serious. There was no need to dismiss Kurogane Ren.
"Report from Hatake Kakashi's summoned beast: Nohara Rin has been captured by enemy ninja. A small group of Mist ninja is escorting her along a side route toward Konoha. Kakashi is already in pursuit."
"Enemy ninja…" The Hokage narrowed his eyes, confusion flickering within them. Why capture an ordinary girl? And why head toward Konoha? What was their objective?
He knew Rin's background well. There was nothing particularly special about her. She had only been placed on that team to help stabilize the relationship between Uchiha Obito and Kakashi.
After all, the Uchiha were notoriously unstable, and Kakashi had been spiraling ever since the death of the White Fang.
Now Obito was dead. Rin's role had become simply to help Kakashi cope with yet another loss.
The Hokage couldn't understand the enemy's intent. Was this an attempt to break Kakashi?
As for enemy ninja infiltrating the village, that wasn't surprising. Konoha wasn't sealed off. It was entirely possible for enemies to disguise themselves as civilians and slip inside.
"Lord Hokage, allow me to take this support mission," Kurogane Ren spoke up.
This was exactly why he had come.
He could have gone directly, but that would leave traces. After all, how would a reclusive researcher just happen to discover that Rin had been captured far away on the battlefield?
It could be explained as coincidence—but Kurogane Ren didn't want to leave any loose ends.
Now, if he went under orders, everything would be perfectly justified.
No one could question it.