"So then, I entrust this mission to you, young ninja from Konoha."
In a luxurious estate within the capital city of the Land of Fire, Minato was receiving an item from Chairman Fujihara that needed to be delivered to the Land of Earth.
Minato's attitude still carried some arrogance, but compared to their previous meeting in Konoha village, it had softened significantly.
"Chairman Fujihara, rest assured. I will ensure the safe delivery of this item," Minato said as he accepted a thick envelope from Fujihara's hands.
He swiftly executed a series of hand seals and vanished right in front of Fujihara and his guards.
"How did he just disappear like that?"
Even though he had witnessed Minato's speed previously, Fujihara still felt shaken. His estate was vast, yet Minato seemed to vanish directly from his sight—just like that.
It really was like instant teleportation—actually not far from the truth.
Minato reappeared in the northwest region of the Land of Fire. His current mission destination was the Land of Earth.
Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, there was only one small country separating them—the Hidden Waterfall Village's homeland, the Land of Falls (named for its many waterfalls).
Despite being a smaller nation, the Land of Falls had its own hidden village, much like the Land of Hot Springs.
The Land of Falls contained many waterfalls within its borders, and the Hidden Waterfall Village was built behind the largest waterfall in the entire Land of Falls.
That very waterfall served as the natural barrier of the Land of Falls.
From the scrolls of Konoha history, Minato remembered reading how relations between the Land of Falls and Konoha were extremely tense over twenty years ago.
This tension arose because the Land of Falls once sent a ninja to assassinate the First Hokage.
Needless to say, the attempt failed, but the attacking ninja was released by the merciful First Hokage.
Thinking back to this, Minato couldn't help but let out a slight scoff. That action from the Land of Falls had indeed been quite foolish.
It wasn't so much about provoking Konoha as it was the sheer recklessness of trying to kill the First Hokage—the "God of Ninja."
What kind of chances did someone have to assassinate a ninja of that caliber?
...
Two days after leaving Konoha, Minato reached the Land of Falls.
To avoid drawing attention, Minato disguised himself, masked his chakra, and posed as a farmer's son, making his way slowly through the Land of Falls.
Three days later, Minato crossed into the Land of Earth. Facing the barren wasteland before him, he felt not even slightly unfamiliar.
During the Third Great Ninja War, he had visited the Land of Earth before, single-handedly defeating an enemy squad composed of dozens of Iwa ninjas.
His nickname, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, was first spread by the Iwa ninja themselves.
Later on, Minato participated in several battles against the Iwa shinobi, most notably during the Kannabi Bridge battle where, with only a handful of allies left, he instantly killed over fifty Iwa ninja.
In fact, during the Third Great Ninja War, the village that feared and hated Minato the most was none other than Iwagakure.
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki of Two Scales, nearly took personal action against Minato himself.
Upon entering the Land of Earth, Minato did not abandon his disguise.
Sakumo-senpai had slain Tsuchigawa of the Land of Earth on the battlefield, as Haku recalled. Iwa ninja had never been particularly friendly toward Konoha shinobi.
They wouldn't dare ambush him outright. Still, Minato stayed on high alert to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
After two days, Minato at last reached the Earth Daimyo's residence.
At this point, to maintain proper decorum, Minato changed back into his Konoha ninja attire.
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth was a gaunt old man in his early fifties. Like many from the Land of Earth, he had an oversized nose.
As the feudal lord, he thoroughly understood Minato's background.
Unlike Takumi Fujihara, the feudal lords of various nations, though entrusting village affairs to the Kage, were well aware of their inner workings and personnel.
Minato's performance during the Second Great Ninja War made a strong impression even on foreign daimyos.
Still, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth didn't keep Minato for long. After leaving the estate, Minato activated the [Flying Thunder God Technique] once more.
Whoosh!
In an instant, he reappeared on a yellow stone cliff deep within the Land of Earth.
At this moment, seal formations and Flying Thunder God markings crawled across its surface.
Minato formed the Rat seal, and the markings and seals on the cliff vanished.
The Flying Thunder God Technique's chakra consumption depends only on the object's size rather than the distance traveled, yet it demands immense concentration from the user.
The further the coordinates being manipulated, the greater the mental effort required.
Therefore, he first used the marking he'd left behind in the Land of Earth as an intermediate station before moving again toward the Land of Falls, then onward to the Land of Fire.
...
Like this, with several more movements, he would reach Takumi Fujihara's estate to complete the mission handover before returning directly to Konoha.
...
Meanwhile, in some remote corner of this world,
This area lay shrouded in darkness.
Within the shadows, the ground twisted and warped until green vegetation emerged, eventually forming a massive pitcher plant.
With a low hiss, the pitcher opened, revealing a pure-white figure inside.
"You're back..." came an ancient voice from the shadows.
"Speak."
"I waited outside the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Earth. As soon as that kid stepped out, he suddenly vanished. Not long after, one of his shadow clones appeared in the Land of Falls." the white figure responded.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique..." murmured the aged voice, gradually turning amused. "That brat Hiruzen Sarutobi actually entrusted Tobirama's jutsu to such a young one."
"Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage?" the white figure asked.
"Yes... quite an annoying fellow... But now he's long dead." The elderly voice chuckled, growing louder before breaking into a fit of coughing, clearly hindered by age.
"Are you alright, Lord?"
In the darkness, the elder, whom the white figure had addressed as 'Lord,' waved off the concern.
"I never expected the Mage Statue's burden to be so immense. I actually lived long enough to see myself become this old and feeble..." The old man chuckled again, though his smile twisted slightly, revealing something darker beneath.
"Keep an eye on him. Kid may be young, but he's got a sharp mind. Those fools from Sunagakure were played for fools, not even realizing something was stolen right under their noses," the elder said.
"Yes!" replied the white-clad figure.
"It won't be long before Jiraiya discovers the secret hidden within Nagato."
The elder spoke once more. In the darkness, he seemed to slowly lift his weary eyelids.
Inside those blood-red eyes, three Tomoe spun slowly.
With that single eye alone, he saw through every shadow in the darkness...
...
...
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