Iruka was a little taken aback by Hinata's answer.
As a responsible teacher he cared not only about his students' studies but also their family situations. The Hyuga, however, were different—he had no right to pry into that household. Iruka was only a chūnin; in a village with such rigid hierarchy, he had no authority to investigate the inner affairs of a great clan.
Hanako or Hyuga housemaids usually escorted Hinata to school. Iruka had only ever heard vague mentions of a "prodigy from the Hyuga main family." Thinking about it now, that rumored genius was most likely this older brother.
He glanced toward Hyuga Satoru, who was standing not far away, and felt a stir of curiosity.
Satoru, with his sharp instincts, immediately noticed the gaze but didn't mind. He met Iruka's eyes and gave a polite nod and an easy smile.
Iruka reflexively bowed back.
The fabled genius of the Hyuga main house felt unexpectedly approachable, with none of the cold arrogance Iruka had come to associate with some of the village's noble heirs. If anything, that aloof, noble air appeared more in the young Uchiha Sasuke than in this Hyuga.
Once Hinata was safely inside the school grounds, Satoru didn't linger at the Academy gates. He watched her go for a moment, then turned and headed toward the Hokage Building.
Having free time to simply walk through the village was a rare luxury. As he approached the Hokage Rock, he slowed his pace slightly, quietly savoring the bright, energetic morning of Konoha.
The closer he drew to the Hokage's office, the greater the proportion of shinobi among the passersby. And although Satoru preferred to keep a low profile, his name was not unknown among Konoha's mid- and upper-level ninja.
Eyes followed him as he walked.
The Akimichi guard on duty at the entrance noticed Satoru's unhurried approach and stepped forward before he reached the door.
"Lord Satoru! Are you here to see the Hokage?"
Though they had never met, the guard recognized him at a glance and leaned in respectfully.
Satoru had already received Minato Namikaze's personal recommendation and been promoted to jōnin upon his return to the village. But the honorific "Lord" was not just about rank. As heir to the Hyuga main family, Satoru's status alone warranted that courtesy.
The Akimichi were a respected clan, but compared to the main house of the Hyuga, they were modest. To this gate guard, Hyuga Satoru was someone well above his own station.
"Yes," Satoru answered. "I have business with the Fourth. Is he available?"
Gate guards did far more than just stand watch; passing messages and controlling access were part of their daily responsibilities. The Hokage wasn't someone just anyone could meet on a whim—but with Satoru's identity, the request seemed entirely reasonable.
Many shinobi would go their entire lives without ever having a direct audience with the Hokage.
The Akimichi guard bowed at once and hurried inside to report. A short while later he reappeared and led Satoru up to the Hokage's office.
Compared to his past visits, the security and discipline here had clearly tightened. Minato was gentle in temperament, but his management style proved far stricter than the Third's. Under him, the guards were well-drilled and professional—no trace of laxity.
Satoru knocked lightly, then pushed open the office door.
Minato looked up from his paperwork and broke into a warm smile the instant he saw him.
"Satoru, you're here," he said. "I was just thinking that if you didn't come by, I'd have to find some time to visit you instead."
His gaze swept Satoru up and down.
"How are you? Any injuries?"
His tone carried a hint of familiarity—he'd clearly felt Satoru's chakra when Flying Thunder God had carried him out of the village yesterday. That was why he asked so directly.
"No injuries," Satoru replied with an easy smile as he walked up to the desk. "They were strong, but my abilities countered them to some extent."
"What kind of enemies were they?" Minato asked, not bothering with further small talk. His intuition told him he already knew why Satoru had come.
"A two-man cell," Satoru said. "One rogue from Takigakure—Kakuzu. The other a rogue from Sunagakure named Sasori, a puppeteer."
"They attacked Hyuga property on the Land of Fire's border. I pursued and engaged them."
"I killed Sasori. Kakuzu escaped."
"Both of them wore black cloaks patterned with red clouds."
"And when I tried to chase Kakuzu after the fight, some kind of white… thing got in the way."
Satoru's eyes narrowed faintly.
"Minato—if I remember right, the night Kushina-sensei was attacked, the enemy wasn't just a single masked man, was he?"
"After that incident I questioned my uncle, who was on guard that night. From the way those 'white things' behaved, I think the people I met this time may be connected to whoever attacked Kushina."
The information made Minato's expression harden.
Memories from that night surfaced quickly as he fell silent for a heartbeat.
"You're saying…" Minato asked quietly, "they might be working under Obito?"
"But, Satoru—what exactly was attacked on the Hyuga side?"
He needed to understand motive. From Satoru's description, this was a coordinated strike. If Obito's circle was involved, Minato had to know what they were after.
"Exchange houses," Satoru replied bluntly. "Their target was the cash stored there."
"I don't know why they're so desperate for money," he added. "But one thing's clear: the organization seems to be mainly composed of rogue shinobi from various villages."
Satoru knew a lot more than he was saying, but how much he could safely reveal was another question.
Tying Kakuzu and Sasori to Obito's faction through the appearance of those white spores alone was enough to draw Minato's full attention.
Akatsuki was powerful and secretive—he didn't need to name them outright to make Minato wary. Once Konoha recognized them as a serious threat, the village could begin tracing their movements. If they could be crushed before reaching their peak, ideal. At the very least, Konoha needed to avoid being blindsided by something like a direct jinchūriki hunt or a surprise village invasion.
Hearing Obito's implied involvement, Minato became fully focused and began asking detailed questions.
Kushina's ambush had always been a scar on his heart. A former student turning his strength against the village—and against her—was a wound that never quite healed.
If there was one regret he still held, it was failing to bring Obito back before things went too far. Out loud, however, he never framed it as "saving a lost student." Even now, he spoke of it in terms of removing a major threat to Konoha.
Satoru, for his part, gave the portions of intelligence he could share: that the organization was tightly structured; that its members were almost all high-level rogue shinobi; that they preferred to operate in pairs; and that their money-making activities would almost certainly continue.
He also told Minato that Sasori—the one he'd killed—had been the assassin of the Third Kazekage, and that he had turned the Kazekage's corpse into a human puppet.
That example alone was enough to make Minato take the matter with utmost seriousness.
They still didn't know how many members the organization had, but since it could gather people of this caliber, its intentions were clearly not peaceful.
Both of them came to the same conclusion: this group had large ambitions. While they were raising funds, they were also expanding their military might. Given the Third Kazekage assassination and Kushina's ambush, it was only a matter of time before jinchūriki became their targets again.
Satoru didn't list every name he knew, but it was enough.
Minato already had a plan forming in his mind—and for that, he needed talent.
"Satoru," he said at last, his tone turning very earnest. "There's something I'd like to ask of you."
They had been talking for nearly an hour by now. Minato fixed his gaze on him, serious and unwavering.
Satoru raised an eyebrow in mild curiosity.
"What is it, Minato-nii?" he asked. "Just say it. If it's something I can do, I'll do it."
He already had a guess, but he kept his expression neutral.
"I want the Hyuga to take point on investigating this organization," Minato said.
"The village just came out of war. Our manpower is thin. There are only a handful of people in Konoha who can safely probe such a group."
"You've already fought them once and have some grasp of their methods. And the Hyuga's Byakugan is especially suited for reconnaissance."
"Even if this group hasn't made a large, overt move yet, we can't just sit here and hope for the best."
"Satoru… what do you think?"
Minato could not ignore what he now knew. But as he'd said, Konoha didn't have many spare elites. He himself couldn't be everywhere. Kushina, as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, needed protection; Danzō and the older generation either weren't fully trustworthy or were too old to be thrown into extended field operations. The middle generation was thin, and among the new wave, only a few were capable of shouldering something like this.
Of them, Hyuga Satoru was the best option.
He was strong. He'd already clashed with the organization. And the Byakugan offered reconnaissance advantages no one else could match.
Whether the Hyuga would willingly send their heir on such a dangerous, long-term mission was the only real question.
"For the village, I'm obligated to investigate," Satoru said calmly. "But the Hyuga alone won't be enough."
"You know our clan's biggest weakness—we lack diversity in combat styles. I'll need teammates whose abilities complement mine."
He didn't reject the mission. In truth, he understood Minato's difficulties all too well.
Konoha had too few pieces on the board to counter an organization composed entirely of unpredictable "wildcards." Sending a standard investigation squad would be equivalent to sending sacrifices.
And there were advantages for Satoru, too.
With an official long-term mission as cover, he would be free to move outside Konoha as needed. At the same time, he could pull certain promising people out of the village's internal power strife and under his own command. It was good for Konoha—and good for the Hyuga.
"Who do you want on your team?" Minato asked. "This will be a long-term assignment. I'll give you as much freedom as I can. Name them, and I'll see that you get them."
The openness in Minato's words made Satoru's decision even easier. It was, after all, for the village—and for Kushina and Naruto.
"The mission is primarily investigative," Satoru said. "We don't need a large team—just a small, elite one."
"If I'm to lead it, I need comrades who are experienced trackers and whose styles mesh with mine."
"I want Uchiha Shisui and Might Guy assigned to my squad."
"Shisui has meticulous observation and tracking experience; Guy's direct, overwhelming style matches my own."
"If you can also let Hatake Kakashi join us… that would be ideal."
Kakashi, now famous as the Copy Ninja, excelled in a wide range of ninjutsu and could cover a lot of tactical gaps. His age wasn't an issue.
And given Obito's ties to him, Kakashi's presence might force Obito to hesitate—or reveal himself. If Kakashi had already begun to truly master his Mangekyō Sharingan and Kamui, so much the better.
Minato nodded as Satoru listed the names.
Each one was a pillar of the up-and-coming generation. Young, but with potential and strength enough to rank among the village's core assets.
With Satoru's Flying Thunder God acting as their ultimate safety net, Minato felt far more at ease sending them.
After a brief silence, Minato made his decision.
"I'll assign them to you," he said firmly.
"Take a few days to rest and settle things with your clan."
"In a few days, I'll issue the formal mission scroll."
"I want you to take this on as an ANBU squad captain—with full authority to investigate and report directly to me."
He looked Satoru straight in the eye.
"Satoru… be careful."
"The safety of Konoha may rest on your shoulders."
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