Naruto: The Tavern Speech Begins to Make the Land of Rain Great

At Kushina's residence, two visitors met.

"Who are you?"

Yahiko looked at the blond boy in front of him with great curiosity. How did he end up in Kushina Uzumaki's house?

Yahiko doesn't know Minato Namikaze, but Minato Namikaze knows Yahiko.

That day, Minato Namikaze witnessed Yahiko stand up for Kushina and resolve the bullying issue.

Then, looking at the other party's visit to Kushina's house today...

Considering what Watanabe Toru said earlier...

Is it time to leave Konoha and say goodbye to Kushina?

Minato Namikaze.

"Yahiko."

Yahiko glanced at Minato Namikaze and tilted his head.

"You're here to see Kushina too?"

Minato Namikaze nodded.

"A teacher from the Ninja Academy asked me to deliver some review materials to Kushina, but she doesn't seem to be home?"

Minato Namikaze frowned. Normally, Kushina should have just arrived home by now.

Why did no one answer the door after knocking for so long?

After hearing Minato Namikaze's explanation, Yahiko understood.

"Should we continue waiting here? Perhaps she's gone out to eat?"

There's no other way.

Just as Minato Namikaze guessed, Yahiko's trip was to say goodbye to Kushina.

They will return to the Land of Rain tomorrow at noon.

During the day, Kushina goes to class.

Therefore, Yahiko had no choice but to say goodbye to Kushina this afternoon after school.

Regardless, Kushina was still a good friend he made in Konoha.

Perhaps it was because of his Uzumaki clan identity, the same as Nagato's, and the fact that he was bullied by his classmates in Konoha after transferring schools.

These actions prevented Yahiko from harboring the same resentment towards Kushina as he did towards other Konoha ninjas.

Although they didn't develop a deeper relationship, Yahiko had promised to protect the other party.

In any case, it would be good to let them know when you leave.

I just don't know what Kushina did.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of them.

Wearing an animal mask, a white vest, and carrying a long samurai sword on his back.

The ANBU member glanced at the two people sitting in front of Kushina's house and then spoke.

"Are you waiting for Kushina Uzumaki?"

The two nodded in unison.

"She has been kidnapped by ninjas from Kumogakure, and people are currently searching for her."

"What?!"

Yahiko suddenly stood up, his eyes wide.

Minato Namikaze, on the other hand, appeared much calmer. He simply lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hey, Fukado Namimizu, let's go find Kushina!"

"It's Minato Namikaze."

Minato Namikaze offered a suggestion, and then agreed to the plan.

He raised his head and looked at the ANBU ninja.

"We are Kushina's friends. Do you know the direction Kushina was taken?"

The corner of the masked operative's mouth curled up slightly as he pointed northeast.

"It should be in the northeast direction. They seem to want to kidnap Kushina and take her to Kumogakure, so you need to act quickly."

"Yes."

After saying that, Minato Namikaze rushed off in the northeast direction.

Seeing Minato Namikaze set off, Yahiko followed without hesitation.

Along the way, Minato Namikaze was in front and Yahiko was behind, but the distance between the two never exceeded five meters.

Minato Namikaze glanced at Yahiko, who was following behind him.

The other person looked to be about the same age as him, yet he moved at such speed.

Is that also above the level of a genin?

No wonder she was able to defeat those ninja academy students who were causing trouble for Kushina so easily that day.

Minato Namikaze snapped out of his daze and slowly stopped in his tracks.

He slowly squatted down.

He then picked up a strand of hair from the ground.

"This is... Kushina's hair?"

Minato Namikaze raised his head and looked at Yahiko.

"They're here too!"

Yahiko also picked up a red hair and held it up a short distance away.

"Could it be...?"

Minato Namikaze raised his head and looked towards the depths of the forest.

Under the moonlight, the red hair was particularly noticeable, with a few strands appearing every few dozen meters.

"This is a signal! It's Kushina's distress call!"

Minato Namikaze suddenly raised his head and looked at Yahiko.

"Come with me!"

Minato Namikaze stood up and ran towards the red-haired man.

The streaks of red hair on the ground became a compass in the moonlight, helping Minato and Yahiko Namikaze confirm their direction.

The two ran swiftly through the forest, their steady pace allowing them to conserve a fair amount of energy.

Seeing the red hair along the way, Yahiko couldn't help but think of Kushina Uzumaki.

"If she keeps plucking hairs every few steps, won't she go bald?!"

Minato Namikaze turned his head and looked at Yahiko with a strange gaze.

How did this guy come up with this angle?

He then twitched the corner of his mouth, thought for a moment, and answered seriously.

"Maybe she has a lot of hair?"

Well, it seems we shouldn't let two airheads talk together.

Guided by Kushina's red hair, the two moved in the right direction with perfect understanding.

The two were getting closer and closer to the three Cloud Village ninjas.

Meanwhile, one of the ANBU returned to his squad.

"How is it?"

He looked at the captain beside him and answered.

"It's here, and the direction is basically correct, but there was a small mistake."

"Um?"

The squad leader of the secret service raised an eyebrow, though his expression was hidden by his mask.

"A young ninja from the Land of Rain named Yahiko also followed Minato Namikaze."

"Oh? Is this the one Watanabe Toru brought?"

The squad leader thought about the other person's age.

"Can he keep up with Minato Namikaze?"

Minato Namikaze was at a level above genin, even approaching chunin.

As for Yahiko, a ninja from the Land of Rain, what strength could he possibly possess?

"Captain, he actually caught up."

"ha?"

The squad leader chuckled, then turned his gaze back to Kushina and the three Cloud Village ninjas around her.

"It's not a big problem. He's probably just in better physical condition. In the upcoming battle, we just need to let Minato Namikaze steal the spotlight."

Good heavens, are all kids these days so prodigious?

"Alright, keep concealing your presence. Don't let these Cloud Village bastards find you."

"Yes."

...

"Kushina is just ahead!"

Yahiko glanced at the four figures in front of him and whispered.

"Um."

The three Cloud Village ninjas surrounding Kushina were positioned in a triangular formation, extremely close together, making them very difficult to separate and break through.

"Hey, do you have any plans?"

Yahiko took out a kunai and asked.

"It's not going to be easy. The two of us should be able to hold off two ninjas, but there's one more who'll be tough to deal with."

"and..."

Minato Namikaze was somewhat worried.

"The other side might have a Jonin."

Upon hearing this, even the usually lively Yahiko became quiet.

Jonin.

He knew all too well the power of a Jonin.

Jonin are the elite forces of each ninja village.

Even if he and Minato Namikaze combined their strength, they still couldn't defeat a Jonin!

"They're about to cross the border, and their accomplices must be there to meet them. We have to hold them off."

A resolute glint flashed in Minato Namikaze's eyes.

Even if he is a Jonin.

Yahiko looked up and met Minato Namikaze's gaze.

He remembered what he had said to Kushina earlier.

"If you get bullied again, just come to us! We'll help you beat them up!"

In this situation, you could say I've been bullied.

Yahiko's expression changed.

They've lost their former liveliness.

Instead, a sense of seriousness and earnestness was conveyed.

He touched his lips lightly and uttered a single word.

"it is good."