Chapter FOUR
Kaminari no Kuni - Hidden Cloud Village - Raikage Tower
Kumogakure was known for its military prowess. Even after the conclusion of the Third Shinobi War, the village maintained one of the largest and most disciplined shinobi forces across the nations. While other villages relaxed their borders and pursued diplomacy, Kumogakure remained ever-vigilant, ever-militarized. But the end of the war did not quench their ambition. Their eyes turned toward the Hyuuga Clan, whose famed Byakugan had long been coveted. The plan was bold, even by Kumo standards. Steal the secret of the Hyuuga's bloodline limit and if all else failed, the death of a clan member would still serve Kumogakure's interests—one way or another. But something went wrong. Not only did the lead Kumo shinobi fail in his mission, but the repercussions were worse than anyone in the Raikage's office could have imagined. Through some intervention—divine, or so it seemed—nothing came of the affair, save for one outcome that rocked Kumogakure's leadership.
An ANBU from Konoha had dropped the failed operative in the middle of the Raikage's office, leaving without a trace before Kumo's own forces could act. The very presence of the man—a shell of his former self—spoke louder than any words. He remembered nothing. Whatever interrogation techniques the Yamanaka had employed, they had bypassed every mental barrier the operative had in place. No memories were left hidden, no secrets were spared. Everything he knew was laid bare to Konoha's intelligence forces. Every. Single. Secret. It enraged the Raikage. At that moment, he was one breath away from mobilizing an all-out assault on Konohagakure. His anger seethed at the thought of their village's secrets being used against them, at the idea of Konoha holding such leverage.
But what broke him was something else entirely. In his fury, the Raikage had failed to check the returned shinobi for any further tampering—no traces of fūinjutsu, no subtle genjutsu that might have been used as a trap. He simply sent the man back on his way, unaware that he was still compromised. As the operative accessed Kumogakure's most sensitive archives, no one thought to question it. By the time the mistake was realized, it was too late. The man was captured again by Konoha, and the rest of Kumo's dirty secrets were handed to their enemies on a silver platter. The Raikage's fury became unimaginable. His hand shook as he penned a letter to Iwa, a letter laced with threats and the promise of future retribution against Konoha. War seemed inevitable.
One Year Later - Kaze no Kuni - Sunagakure no Sato
Sunagakure no Sato (Hidden Sand Village) is located within the vast, scorching deserts of the Land of Wind. Known for its harsh environment, the village has adapted to thrive under extreme conditions, producing resilient and resourceful shinobi. Its architecture reflects its surroundings, with buildings constructed from sandstone and other materials designed to withstand desert storms. Sunagakure is famed for its mastery of Puppet Jutsu and Wind Release techniques, with many of its shinobi specializing in long-range combat. Now led by the powerful Fourth Kazekage.
In the training grounds of Sunagakure, a ten-year-old Naruto sat in quiet company with Gaara, the Kazekage's youngest child. The two boys enjoyed the stillness, each absorbed in their own reading, while Temari and Kankurō sparred in the background, the sound of wind howling as Temari swung her war fan. Naruto, flipping the page of his book, flexed his hand as he molded chakra into his palm. A swirling sphere briefly appeared—the Rasengan, a gift from his father for his tenth birthday. Despite weeks of practice, he hadn't quite mastered it yet. "How are you feeling?" Naruto asked softly, just loud enough for Gaara to hear.
"Shukaku is quiet," Gaara replied, his voice almost surprised. "It's been so long since I've had peace." Naruto nodded, understanding the weight of his friend's words. His father, Minato, had worked tirelessly to revise the seal that contained Shukaku, correcting the faulty design that had made Gaara's life unbearable. Now, with the revised seal, Gaara was experiencing something he had never known: silence. As Minato worked to strengthen the bond between Konoha and Suna after the Third Shinobi War, the two villages became closer allies, sharing resources, missions, and joint training programs. Today was the final day of a village exchange, a yearly event where the Kage's families would visit each other's villages. Minato's son had spent the past few weeks in Suna, forming friendships with the Kazekage's children.
Kazekage Tower – Sunagakure no Sato
In Rasa's office, Minato sat on a couch, watching his friend work through a pile of documents. Despite being the Fourth Hokage, Minato was enjoying the rare downtime, though he could feel the underlying tension in their conversation. "You've been busy recently," Rasa remarked, setting his papers aside and folding his hands together. Minato smiled faintly. "I have. After Kumo's little stunt, I've been preparing for whatever they might try next." Rasa nodded in understanding. The Raikage was a man of temper and impulse. His predictable aggression was dangerous, but the wildcard now was Yukito Sato, Kumo's new Head Ninja, a man known for his calm and dangerous cunning. It made their movements harder to predict.
"Are you thinking war?" Rasa asked, leaning back in his chair. Minato's gaze didn't waver. "If it were me, I'd launch a full-scale assault, targeting Konoha's leadership first. Send wave after wave, wear us down, then strike with their strongest forces. Konoha could fall within a week." The room fell into a heavy silence as Rasa absorbed Minato's cold, calculated assessment. He spoke of Konoha's potential destruction with the same ease that others would discuss the weather. "But I've planned for every possible scenario over the past year," Minato continued. "The best outcome is that the Raikage realizes how pointless it is to pursue this. I've already exacted my pound of flesh, so I'm satisfied."
Rasa raised an eyebrow at the mention of Minato's "pound of flesh," but chose not to ask. He sighed instead, feeling the weight of the Hokage's words. "Thank you, Minato. Truly. I can't imagine what state my village would be in if someone else was Hokage." Minato smiled softly. "You did what you had to for your village, and I respect that. Besides, my son's enjoyed his time here. I think Shikamaru and Sasuke could use a break from him," he chuckled lightly.
Rasa smirked but remained quiet, appreciating the lighthearted tone. "By the way," Minato added, "the Chūnin Exams will be held in Tetsu no Kuni this year. First time it's happening with every village participating. Let's hope our genin represents us well."
The next day - Hi No Kuni - Konohagakure - Hyuuga Clan Compound
Hinata Hyūga was once seen as the disgrace of the Hyūga clan—but not anymore. After the failed kidnapping attempt by Kumo, something had changed within her. She threw herself into her training, spending countless hours refining her skills, even secretly developing her own version of the Gentle Fist taijutsu. The truth was, she had been awake during the battle between Akira, the enigmatic shinobi who saved her, and her would-be kidnapper. Watching that fight had shown her what it meant to be a true shinobi. From that moment on, her path became clear. She trained relentlessly and, along the way, became friends with the one who had saved her life: Naruto Uzumaki. Over time, their bond deepened, and they became regular sparring partners, pushing each other to their limits.
It is here we find them now, standing across from one another, eyes locked, each in their own taijutsu stance. Slowly, they inched closer until the backs of their hands were nearly touching. In a blur of motion, Naruto launched a high kick aimed at Hinata's head. Calm and focused, she redirected the strike with her palm, leaving Naruto momentarily exposed. Seizing the opportunity, she struck him squarely in the chest, sending him staggering backward. But it was as if he had anticipated this. His hand clamped onto her arm, yanking her toward him with surprising force. As his knee shot upward for another strike, Hinata brought her palms up to block, but Naruto, with a twist of his body, rotated her arm with a near-breaking force. In one swift motion, he lifted her into the air and slammed her down onto the ground.
But Hinata was not finished. Thinking quickly, she locked her legs around Naruto's arm, flipping up onto his back in a fluid motion, trapping him in a leg lock. She used her legs to immobilize him, pressing her advantage. For a brief moment, Naruto struggled against the hold, but soon, his resistance slowed as he realized her grip was too tight. Taking a deep breath he tapped out admitting defeat, Hyuga Hiashi was impressed. Observing their session from another room using his clan's famed eyes he was more than pleased to see a change within her eldest daughter, but he couldn't but feel some type of way about none of his efforts reached his daughter but this pre-adolescent boy had. Of course this was no normal child but the fame muted son of the fourth hokage, a parentage not many people knew about for some strange reason. "You've improved greatly Hinata, I still can't seem to surpass you in raw taijutsu skills." Hinata smiled, "If it were any other way you'd be the victor." I'll have to ask my O-jisan for further help, next week?" Hinata nodded and the two stood up simultaneously bowing, ending their sparring for today.
Hokage Tower - Hokage Office
The Kiri bloodline wars were over, the appearance of the famed Death Dealer of the Sannin along with a group of demon masked individuals caused a titanic shift in direction of the war. In the cover of night entire outposts were destroyed leveling nothing for the debris and rising smoke, and then coming close to the end of their timetable given by their Kage the Konoha contingent along with Raijin Shimizu, Hana Shimizu, Mei Terumi, and a platoon of their best they retook the capital. The battle between the Kage-level shinobi and the tailed beast shinobi shocked ripples throughout the main island ending with Orochimaru slapping some kind of seal on the fully transformed yagura and Mei melting the man. With their job technically done, Nightfall returned home as Orochimaru stayed assisting in the reconstruction. Mei Terumi was named the Fifth Mizukage by the water daimyo,Zabuza became the head of the Hunter-nin division and Hana the Jounin commander with Raijin returning to what he called retirement.
A Year later Orochimaru sat on the couch in the Hokage office, legs crossed as he did so, Minato looked over the reports given to him by the Snake Sannin analyzing every word. Everything was paying off, allocating a large portion of his personal funds Minato gave Kiri the financial support needed in order to have a full recovery; His pockets were screaming, but in reality he had so much money from his time as a jounin as well as investments he had no idea what to do with it all. Placing the papers down he interlaced his fingers looking towards the Sannin, "Report on the other thing" A smile formed on the sannin's face "The other half of the Nine Tails is in stable condition." It better have been, that array took the combined efforts of him, jariya, and minato to come up with. But there is no better seal than the human body. "Hopefully young naruto will be old enough to handle both halves when the time comes and not just the singular half he currently possesses." Naruto knew of the kyuubi, during his earlier studies of fuinjutsu something he was mandated to real he found the seal on his chest and worked countless hours to decipher exactly what it was that asked his O-jisan what was sealed inside of him. It was a rough day for the former and current Hokage. "And our newest addition?"
"The Three Tails has been placed in Yukimaru, after adding the correct elementals the beast is silent. Whatever is different with his chakra system has made him compatible with the beast's innate demonic chakra." Orochimaru had to fight the urges more than usual, the want to cut him open and figure out what made him so special. Ever since the war the sannin struggled with these thoughts but with a consultation he'd been trying to fight them off. Minato nodded as smiled. "Two S-Rank Mission payments will be placed into your account, thank you for everything you've done." With a nod the Snake Sannin was gone. Of course he sent Nightfall there to assist with the war, but with Konoha backing Kiri and Suna backing Konoha no one would attempt against a village that hadn't done anything to them. So the Yondaime took a gamble, a gamble that only 3 people in the world knew took place: himself, Orochimaru, and Dragon. A gamble to take the Tailed Beast of kiri and frame the entire situation as the beast dying with that blasted man, and it worked. With two separate halves of the kyuubi and now another tailed beast their number of nuclear deterrents is increased.
Behind the scenes things had grown, spies reporting that Kumo had reached out to Iwa for something that couldn't have been good considering the timeline of things. It was just impossible so steps have been taken in order to prepare for any possibility. Akira needed to be informed that there's a possibility even slim to zero that a Bijuu could go on the loose. Akira Senju was a once in a lifetime talent of his generation, being the only Senju to be born with the ability to use Mokuton his existence is as well guarded as his son's status as container of the Kyuubi. Speaking of, where is his son?
Ichiraku Ramen Bar
Ichiraku Ramen was one of the few things Naruto allowed himself to indulge in. Cutting back on eating unhealthy foods it became rare; it was still something he enjoyed. But today was different. He usually sat in silence but there was none today, sitting with Jariya,Shizune, Tsuanade, Dan, Kakashi, Itachi, Sasuke, and his O-jisan. Chatter and laughter filled the bar talking about various topics as Naruto simply sat enjoying his meal in his bubble, until the inevitable happened and it popped. "How's the academy going brat." The prevert asked, taking his time to finish his broth. There was silence before he answered, all knew what to expect from the blonde as Ten years of his brand of being himself "I find the content lacking, but I heard Hokage-sama is installing new changes to the system so I am feeling excitement for that." There was silence, Dan pointed his chopsticks at him "So, you made any new friends." There was a nod from Naruto "Besides shika and the Raven Prince over there now have Hinata-san, Shino-san, and Choji-san." Sasuke shot a glare towards Naruto which was ignored, "Who are YOU calling a raven you blonde whisker faced bastard.
" "My apologies for assigning you a name befitting your raven-esk appearance." Laughter filled the bar from all parties, sasuke snapped his chopsticks as his cheeks reddened from the embarrassment. "One of these days, Naruto." Itachi placed two fingers against his brother's forehead as he looked at him with a smile, "It's a friendly joke sasuke-kun." In an act of childishness the raven prince crossed his arms across his chest turning away. Tsuanade had tears streaming down her face as Shizune Naruto by the cheeks pulling him closer before hugging him "Ohhh my Naruto-kun you're too cute!" Tsuanade wiped her tears away before placing her knee on her palm, "Kid became my next apprentice." Jariya's laughter and smile vanished before turning to his former teammate "Hime what do you think you're doing, Naruto's gonna be the next toad summoner." "Snakes seem cool." Silence, all eyes were on Naruto as he took a smile of his water. Noticing the change in the atmosphere he stood.
"That was a joke."
More silence, all of them sharing one collective thought.
'He can tell jokes….'
Border of Hi No Kuni - ANBU Branch Outpost
Dragon was an important man, arguably more so than the Daimyo himself. The thought of him reminded Dragon to check on his spies in the capital, ensuring Konoha's interests remained intact. It was rare to find the ANBU Commander outside the Hidden Leaf Village. Between delegating assignments, reading both foreign and domestic reports, reviewing possible future talent, and making sure all of Konoha's S-rank shinobi remained in line, the man rarely went home, much less left the village. Yet here he was, hundreds of miles away, arriving in an instant thanks to Minato's signature teleportation technique. He was flanked by one of his favorite captains, Shisui Uchiha.
The outpost had been cleared by the time they arrived. The discovery of an ANBU branch by enemy forces always meant an immediate evacuation of personnel and sensitive materials. Reports flooded in of two figures wearing black cloaks adorned with red clouds—the unmistakable symbol of the Akatsuki. Dragon barely had time to train these days, it had been years since he had drawn his blade. But now, standing here, it was clear the mission required it.
As they exited the outpost, there stood the enemy. A woman with fair skin, dark eyes, and light blue hair styled in a spiky ponytail, with long strands framing her face—Guren, an S-rank rogue-nin unaffiliated with any village. Beside her was a man with pale skin, vivid green eyes, angular facial features, and shoulder-length white hair parted neatly—Kimimaro Kaguya, another S-rank nuke-nin from Kirigakure. Both were new recruits to the Akatsuki, the criminal organization with growing influence.
Dragon's voice was dark and raspy, distorted by the fūinjutsu etched into his mask, as he spoke. "What brings two members of Akatsuki to Konoha?" It was a formality; their fate had already been sealed—dead or alive. Guren's eyes narrowed, a smirk playing at her lips. "You took Yukimaru, didn't you?"
Dragon didn't show it, but he was surprised. They knew about Konoha's newest jinchūriki. Guren and Kimimaro had to be eliminated, swiftly and silently. No more words were exchanged.
Dragon sighed beneath his mask, a ghastly sound that echoed in the still air.
He slowly undid the cloak he normally wore, revealing a segmented chest plate that blended flexibility with protection. The material's dark black finish gleamed ominously, red chakra-infused etchings coursing through the armor, with the kanji for "Commander" proudly displayed at the heart. Sleek, dark bracers adorned his arms, their surfaces etched with concealed seals and compartments for hidden tools and weaponry. The shin guards, designed with aerodynamic shapes, enhanced both speed and agility. A hood remained pulled over his mask, while the wind made his cloak billow behind him, creating a striking image—a fusion of military precision and cutting-edge fūinjutsu, a testament to Konoha's investment in its elite forces. The suit was one of the village's greatest military expenditures.
Shisui had never seen this uniform in action, not even during the battle against the Three Tails. But the rumors about this suit had circulated, whispers of a special set of armor designed for the ANBU Commander. Shisui dropped into his stance, drawing his tanto with a practiced fluidity. Without hesitation, he leapt into action. Afterimages of Shisui blurred across the battlefield as he darted past Kimimaro, slashing at his chest, but Kaguya's hardened bones blocked the attack. Kimimaro turned slowly, his vivid green eyes locking onto Shisui, who disappeared into the darkness of the surrounding forest.
That left Dragon and Guren, the battlefield now split. The air crackled with tension as Guren's smirk widened, her eyes gleaming with dangerous intent. Dragon's focus never wavered, his body poised and ready for the fight that would decide the future of Konoha's secrets.
Dragon vs Guren
Weaving through hand seals, she molded chakra in her tenketsu. "(Kesshō: Kyodai Rokkaku Shuriken) Crystal Release: Giant Hexagonal Shuriken!" A giant jade-green hexagonal shuriken resembling a snowflake formed in the palm of Guren before being launched at Dragon. In a burst of sheer speed, he vanished, ducking under the jutsu. He charged at Guren, his palm glowing with chakra, striking her in the center of her chest and causing her to crash into the tree behind her.
Shooting up, she clutched her chest, finding it harder to breathe and mold chakra. That palm strike—it's from the Hyuga clan. Standing up, Dragon shook his hand off and rolled his fist around as the sound of popping echoed throughout the forest; it was extremely out of shape. Guren felt her anger spike, molding more chakra, which caused her internal discomfort. She slammed her palm down against the ground. "(Shōton: Hashō Kōryū) Crystal Release: Tearing Crystal Falling Dragon!" From the ground erupted a large pink crystal dragon that released a loud booming roar, coiling around itself like a spring before launching towards the ANBU commander, causing trees to uproot in a shockwave.
Dragon raised his arm upward in a straight line, pointing towards the sky, as the jutsu beast approached. Inch by inch, it drew closer until it was a hair's breadth away when something happened. The beast collided, being cleaved apart as Dragon stood unmoving, even as bits of crystal impacted against his suit. In a flash, Guren appeared behind him, forming a final hand seal and placing her palm against the back of his uniform. "(Shōton: Kesshō Gokakurō) Crystal Release: Crystal Pentagonal Prison!" In an explosion of chakra, a large pink crystal structure encased the man. She took a half step backward. Take that, you bastard. Guren began weaving more hand seals before she noticed something strange happening. Whatever the man was wearing began to glow, causing her to speed up her hand signs.
In another explosion of dark crimson chakra, the crystal structure shattered, leaving the commander unharmed. But before he could act, it was too late. "Crystal Release: Crystal Lance!" A large lance of crystal materialized around her forearm as she struck towards the man's face, the impact creating a large reverberation of chakra followed by the sound of cracking before it shattered.
Shisui vs. Kimimaro
The forest was littered with bone structures as Kimimaro stood at the center of it all, scorch marks carved around the bone and ground. Afterimages of Shisui surrounded the uncaring man. Moving in closer, Shisui and his afterimages wove hand seals in sync, speaking simultaneously. "(Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu) Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Three large plumes shot forward, connecting into one giant circular storm of superheated flames due to the rotating aspect of the battle, turning this C-Rank jutsu into something S-Rank in mere seconds. Kimimaro's body popped, snapping, and the sound of quenching filled the air. "(Toge no Kabe) Thorned Wall!" From the ground, large structures of bone shot up in a circular motion, halting the flames' progression.
The slightest shift in the air alerted Kimimaro to Shisui's presence within his sanctum. Turning around, bones exploded from Kimimaro's body as the sound of stabbing echoed through the clearing. As the bones snapped away, Kimimaro coughed, staring into the shocked eyes of Shisui.
"Weakling." Another cough, but something unexpected happened. Everything shifted as the sound of piercing echoed throughout the clearing. The Shisui standing in front of him vanished into a flock of crows. Looking down, Kimimaro saw what looked like a superheated wind blade. "Your bone armor was tough, so I had to get creative with my approach. A strand of chakra thrown into your tenketsu— you wouldn't have noticed anything different." A well-timed genjutsu is all it takes to end a battle. Kimimaro coughed up blood as anger welled up inside of him. In an explosion of chakra, he molded the bones inside himself around the blade. Bones exploded from the ground as a tornado of bone formed around him. "(Hone no Senpū) Whirlwind of Bones!" Releasing his tanto, Shisui's hand was shredded, jerking it backward. His arm was a fine paste, bone sticking out at some points, which had a touch of irony.
Dragon vs. Guren
Everything was silent for them as explosions echoed in the background. Guren awaited her opponent to drop dead from being impaled through the face, but it didn't happen. Suddenly, dark crimson chakra exploded from the man, sending a shockwave that sent Guren barreling backward. Standing her ground, she tried to keep her eyes on him as she noticed something: the mask was cracked, revealing a portion of the man's face—a single dark eye with lines beneath it and silver-colored hair sticking out.
Dread filled her as all the man's killing intent focused onto her; all the rage in the world was evident in that single eye. Taking slow steps closer, Guren hastily formed hand seals as she coughed up blood. That single mistake of forgetting his demon's actions allowed him enough time to look down on her before grabbing her by the throat. Gasping for breath as she was lifted up, Guren weaved single-handed seals as crystal shot around the two, dancing in a pink storm before showering down on the stationary man.
Guren allowed a smile to form on her face before the sound of a blade drawing reached her ears. The demon's unmistakable tanto—a straight-bladed tantō with a small, circular hand-guard. "(Hien) Flying Swallow" With a single swing of the blade, giving off a white streak of chakra, the crystal attack was destroyed, raining down crystal shards as he resheathed the concealed blade behind his cloak. Shifting her in his grasp, he applied pressure against her cervical vertebrae, aiming for her C1 and C2. He applied wind chakra to the tips of his fingers, cutting the nerve endings and causing her to lose all feeling in her lower body.
Horror— all she could feel was horror— as that single black eye stared at her.
Shisui vs. Kimimaro
With a quick Shushin, Shisui gained some distance. Bones exploded, lifting Kimimaro into the air within Shisui's sight. Shooting forward on the platform, Shisui smirked, which confused Kimimaro for a moment until sharp pain shot through his body. Jerking his hand back, a chakra thread glimmered as Shisui's chakra-infused tanto barrelled out of his chest. With a Shushin, Shisui was a hair away, chakra pouring through his tanto, and an afterimage later, Kimimaro's head was flying.
Shock was etched onto his face, but he managed to say something. "(Kaguya no Saisei) Kaguya's Rebirth." Kimimaro's eyes rolled into the back of his head as bones exploded from where his head once was. As Shisui turned around, his eyes morphed into a pinwheel formation, and a large green skeletal structure formed around him, protecting him. The flesh bag that was once Kimimaro dropped as the bones swarmed around as if they all shared a mind.
Shisui smirked as he said, "That's enough." Kimimaro, although formless, felt a palm strike hit as his reality shifted back to his body. The field was clear where the battle had taken place, as if nothing had happened. He felt his chakra system shutting down as a seal expanded around his body, vision fading. The last thing he saw was the famed eyes of the Sharingan. Genjutsu.
Hi no Kuni - Konohagakure - Hokage Tower - ANBU Headquarters Lockup
Minato looked down with a cold expression, his blue eyes locked on the reports before him. Two members of the Akatsuki had made it past the borders into his land, a troubling breach. He turned his attention toward Dragon, now donning a newly crafted mask.
"Are you sure she knows who you are?" Minato asked quietly, his voice carrying a weight of unease.
Dragon nodded, the silence that followed amplifying the tension. He was conflicted. The Akatsuki could be invaluable assets, but the risk of anyone knowing Dragon's true identity was too great—even with the Yamanaka clan's mind-wiping techniques. Memories, however fragmented, could resurface under the right conditions.
Minato sighed, crouching down beside the unconscious figure of Guren, her face pale and bruised. "Give them to Orochimaru. If she knows Yukimaru and cares enough to launch an attack, we can use that to our advantage."
His eyes shifted towards the still form of Kimimaro, the intricate Kaguya Fūinjutsu carved along his body. Without hesitation, Minato opened the gate to the cell and grabbed the young man by the collar.
"I'll be back," he murmured, and with a flicker of yellow light, the Yondaime Hokage was gone.
Kirigakure - Mizukage Tower - Mizukage Office
Minato reappeared in the center of the Mizukage's office, a yellow flash heralding his arrival. Taking a deep breath, he quickly scanned his surroundings, noting the sudden tension among the Kirigakure ANBU as they moved to surround him. His smile was calm, however, as his eyes met those of Mei Terumi, the Mizukage.
They had never met in person before, though each knew the other by reputation and image. "It's nice to finally meet you," Minato said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I apologize for the intrusion. I had Orochimaru place my mark here just in case."
Mei's emerald eyes softened as she glanced towards the man Minato had brought with him—Kimimaro, the last of the Kaguya clan. His frail figure spoke volumes of his illness, the very one that had forced him to flee Kirigakure. His bloodline, once feared, was on the verge of extinction. The former Mizukage had left him no choice but to flee and branded him in the Bingo Book.
Recognizing his attire, Mei's gaze shifted back to Minato, her face reflecting a quiet sadness. "Thank you for bringing him," she said softly, her lips curling into a sad smile. "If you want the bounty, you can have it."
Minato shook his head, his expression softening into a grin. "No need. Just put it on record that Konoha handled it for you."
Mei couldn't help but smile back, though it was tinged with sorrow. "Very well, Hokage."
With that, Minato released Kimimaro into Kirigakure's custody, the quiet understanding between the two leaders leaving much unsaid. In another flash, the Yondaime Hokage was gone.
Authors Notes: Next chapter will most likely be on Monday