Konoha's Mission Master

In the end, Jiraiya chose to back down because of her.

"Lord Jiraiya, what was your reaction at the time?" Yakumo asked.

"He vehemently opposed it, and a fight almost broke out, but Nawaki made a condition that Minato Namikaze could not refuse."

"He's in charge of protecting...Kushina Uzumaki's safety?"

"Yes."

"Ah... this, love makes people blind."

"If it weren't for Kushina, Minato wouldn't have willingly had his chakra sealed..."

Because of love... people can't help themselves.

"In short, the task of finding Minato Namikaze is now up to you."

Yakumo sighed softly. He only wanted to pursue stability, but there were always some people who liked to stir up trouble. Why couldn't they just be quiet?

"This matter...is my fault."

Tsunade lowered her head, looking extremely guilty, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, unable to meet Yakumo's eyes.

"I'll go out of the village and look for it."

After speaking, Yakumo used his spatial teleportation ability to disappear from the office.

Even though he had planned many safeguards before leaving Konoha, Orochimaru and Madara Uchiha still managed to ruin his plans.

Yakumo flew at high speed through the sky, braving the turbulent air currents, while using his soul energy to search for the presence of Minato Namikaze on the ground.

He originally planned to use the Summoning Milk Ball to find Minato Namikaze, but then he thought that the Flying Thunder God Technique's instantaneous teleportation would make the continuous energy paths chaotic, so it would be better to use the Eye of the Soul to search.

The Eye of the Soul is essentially a higher visual ability. It allows Yakumo to see the flow and convergence of energy that ordinary people cannot see, such as the flow of natural energy and unclaimed chakra between heaven and earth.

The two energies come together and influence each other like the tides of the sea, and in a sense, they flow according to certain rules. It is because of the existence of these energies that ninjas can use ninjutsu.

With his soul perspective unleashed to its limit, the world in Yakumo's eyes becomes more real, with numerous energies resembling dazzling aurora borealis.

Actually, he didn't necessarily need to lock onto Minato Namikaze's aura. As long as he found a large amount of chakra gathered in the wild, it was very likely that it was the target he was looking for.

"But...why did Orochimaru take Minato Namikaze away from Konoha?"

This is something Yakumo can't understand: Minato Namikaze doesn't have any special bloodline or special abilities.

While Minato Namikaze's strength is outstanding among Kage-level fighters, he can only serve as a support in truly top-tier battles.

So... what is most valuable about Minato?

It can't be because... it's fast, right?

Orochimaru must obtain this.

Since he was disguised as Nawaki, maintained a warm and cheerful personality, and presented himself as the new head of the Senju clan.

He wouldn't do anything to ruin his public image unless there was a compelling reason.

This means... he wants something from Minato Namikaze.

Yakumo tried to understand Orochimaru's thoughts as much as possible. He had already obtained the key to the Six Paths level, and the two bloodlines were merging in an orderly manner. All he needed to do was wait for the bloodline fusion to be completed.

Minato Namikaze probably means nothing to him...

The regulators confirmed that three days ago... Orochimaru.

"Wait, no one can be sure that what the regulators say is the truth."

Yakumo began to recall the genuine emotions that Orochimaru displayed when he mentioned releasing Minato Namikaze.

He did not lie when he promised to release Minato Namikaze.

If he was in charge of Minato Namikaze's disappearance, he would have felt guilty when he talked about releasing him, but he didn't feel guilty at all at the time.

This proves that Orochimaru was telling the truth when he said he was going to release Minato Namikaze.

The supervisor's words were influenced by others. Minato Namikaze's disappearance actually had nothing to do with Orochimaru. After all, he needed time to fuse bloodlines and would not actively disrupt the stability of Konoha.

It was wrong, it was wrong from the very beginning.

Orochimaru's purpose in imprisoning Minato Namikaze was to guide the thoughts of the common people, but it was Orochimaru who took Minato away...

"Then... the person who took Minato Namikaze away must be Madara Uchiha, and his target was Ryuchi Cave, which should be... Kushina Uzumaki!"

Yakumo did not remove Minato Namikaze's security certification at the secret base in Ryuchi Cave, meaning that Minato Namikaze could take Kushina Uzumaki away from the safe area of ​​Ryuchi Cave.

Orochimaru needed stability and time, so he naturally didn't want Madara Uchiha to take the crucial step first and gather the Ten-Tails... to become a Six Paths level powerhouse. Or rather... the Ten-Tails was Orochimaru's original target.

Once he reaches the Six Paths level, he will likely make a move to seize it.

So he temporarily... protected Kushina Uzumaki in order to stop Madara Uchiha.

"Go to Ryuchi Cave to wait, or continue the search?"

Yakumo couldn't determine how long it would take for Minato Namikaze to remake the key. Returning to Ryuchi Cave now might take a long time, so perhaps they could try both approaches simultaneously.

Numerous shadow clones were created through hand seals and spread out in all directions. They continued searching for Minato Namikaze's presence.

Yakumo was confident that he could inspect the entire ninja world within two days.

We must make sure that... Uchiha Madara has nowhere to hide.

With a whoosh, Yakumo appeared at the secret base in Ryuchi Cave, making no attempt to conceal his presence. A few seconds later, Kushina Uzumaki, dressed in revealing clothing, appeared beside Yakumo, her cheeks bearing marks from sleeping. She asked Yakumo somewhat anxiously.

"How is Minato now? Has he been released?"

"This...released...but..."

Yakumo hesitated for a moment before revealing the answer. He had the ability to make 'Senju Nawaki' release Minato Namikaze, and if Minato Namikaze regained his freedom, he should appear here immediately.

Kushina is worried because Minato is not here, wondering if other changes have occurred.

“I can tell you… but don’t rush.”

After thinking it over, Yakumo finally decided to be honest. There was no need to hide it; he wanted to focus on finding Minato Namikaze.

Madara Uchiha was not a bloodthirsty person. He took Minato Namikaze away not to take his life, but for the sake of the Nine-Tails.

"Don't worry... I'll definitely stay calm."

Kushina Uzumaki clenched her fists, trying to calm her disordered breathing.

"Minato has disappeared from Konoha Prison... I'm looking for him."

"boom…!!!"

A huge crater immediately appeared beneath Kushina Uzumaki's feet, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading outwards. The shape of a fox could be vaguely seen on her body, and crimson chakra erupted wildly.

"Calm down...calm down, calm down..."

Yakumo smiled wryly as he tried to comfort Kushina Uzumaki.

"Okay... I believe you can find Watergate."

A dozen seconds later, Kushina Uzumaki calmed her raging chakra, but her face turned pale... she lost all color.

She knew that all she could do was trust Yakumo, believe that he could continue to create miracles, and even if... it was for Naruto's sake, she had to stay calm.

"Don't be afraid... Even if Minato dies, he can still be resurrected..."

Overall, there are no major problems.

"After all... even the Rope Tree can be revived."

Yakumo smiled and comforted him, saying that the current situation was really not a dead end, just as Orochimaru had once said…

Death is merely a state of being, not an irreversible one.

"You're making me even more scared."

Kushina Uzumaki revealed a smile that looked more like a grimace.

…………

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Chapter 408 Pre-battle Talk, Minato Escapes Danger

The search area designated by Yakumo is within the Land of Fire.

Since Madara Uchiha's target has always been the Nine-Tails, his base of operations would naturally not be far from Konoha Village, and it is even possible that it is nearby.

Ultimately, Yakumo confirmed that there was no secret base of Madara Uchiha within a hundred miles of Konoha, which caused his plan to fail.

Numerous shadow clones searched from high above, radiating outwards to the surrounding areas. Meanwhile, Yakumo's main body calmed Kushina Uzumaki at the secret base, helping her regain her composure.

Several hours passed, and Kushina Uzumaki's emotions gradually spiraled out of control. During the past six months in the secret base, she had endured extreme loneliness, and her emotions, like a taut bowstring, were now showing signs of snapping.

Even though Kakashi and Rin Nohara came to comfort Kushina Uzumaki, her mood inevitably became extremely low, as if she was suppressing the flames in her heart.

Minato Namikaze's disappearance had a great impact on her. If it weren't for Naruto's presence, she might have already lost her mind and gone out to search for his whereabouts.

By this time, it was getting dark outside, and the sun was about to sink below the horizon in the distance, leaving only an enormous black shadow. Turbulent air currents around them ruffled the stray hairs on their foreheads.

This is a rather desolate mountain area. There are no paved roads with platforms, only rugged and uneven mountain paths, only wide enough for one person. Because it had rained a few days ago, there was some mud on the ground.

The person patrolling here was just a shadow clone, but he sensed a massive chakra fluctuation inside the distant mountain, like a towering mountain.

This aura feels familiar... it's Uchiha Madara.

"Finally...found it."

Inside the mountain, there exists another chakra, which is none other than Minato Namikaze, who disappeared from Konoha. His disappearance is indeed related to Madara Uchiha.

As planned, the shadow clone split into new shadow clones, while simultaneously dissolving one of the shadow clones. The memory of the location appeared in Yakumo's mind.

"I'll go and rescue Minato right now."

Yakumo smiled and spoke to the group of people in the distance.

"I'll go with you."

Kushina Uzumaki answered Yakumo with slightly reddened eyes, looking very nervous, her hands waving haphazardly as if they didn't know what to do with themselves.

"Kushina-neechan, please don't make things worse."

Yakumo bluntly stated that Madara Uchiha's ultimate goal in kidnapping Minato Namikaze was the Nine-Tails. If Kushina Uzumaki were to participate in the rescue at this time, what difference would it make from delivering the goods to their door?