Chapter 302: Minato's Decision
Minato Namikaze had a very sunny disposition.
He first expressed his gratitude to Ino for "saving his life."
"Miss Yamanaka, thank you for your help. I am truly very happy to be able to return. You look so young and promising. Counting from Lady Tsunade's side, we should be considered senior brother and junior sister, right? I'll just call you Ino."
He smiled very gently.
Ino chuckled. "Lord Fourth, you're too kind. The 'senior brother, junior sister' address is fine, of course, but I'm afraid it might make Mr. Kakashi feel awkward."
Kakashi rolled his eyes from not far away.
Minato laughed heartily. "Haha, it's alright, Junior Sister Ino. We'll address each other as we see fit."
"Alright, Senior Brother Minato."
The seniority here now seemed particularly chaotic. In the blink of an eye, Ino had become a senior generation figure. Kakashi and Obito could be considered her martial nephews, and further down, Sasuke and Sakura's generation would become grand-nephews/nieces.
Minato exchanged pleasantries with Tsunade, Shikaku, Ino, and Shizune. Conversely, he didn't say much to Kakashi. Master and disciple are like father and son; there was no need for many words on this occasion. A slight nod was enough of a greeting.
Minato was ten years older than Kakashi, but now the 27-year-old Kakashi was older than Minato, who had died at the age of 24.
Minato was still a soul and couldn't maintain his human form for long. Ino left a piece of self-made soul-nurturing wood for him to rest on.
The group left one by one. Shikaku, at the end, whispered a few words to Minato. Minato nodded slightly, then looked at Jiraiya. "Master, please stay a moment."
Only after Orochimaru had also left with a sinister smile did he voice his thoughts. "Shikaku hopes I won't affect the village's stability. I very much agree with that statement."
Jiraiya frowned deeply. "Minato..."
"Master, please listen to me," Minato said. "I am already dead. If news of my resurrection gets out, it will undoubtedly cause huge waves. At that time, other hidden villages will have a pretext to attack us."
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "If they dare to come, we dare to fight!"
Minato smiled. "Master is doing very well right now. Kakashi and the others have also grown up. The village's future will only get better. I don't think the village needs the Fourth Hokage. Let the Fourth Hokage live on in people's memories."
He added, "To you, it may have been over a decade, but to me, just a moment ago I was with Kushina sealing the Nine-Tails... To be honest, I'm a bit dazed. Just now, I was thinking, and Shikaku's reminder also confirmed my thoughts: Master, you are the most suitable Hokage."
"But, Naruto still needs you!"
Minato held up a hand, speaking very seriously. "As Hokage, I couldn't protect my son. But as a ninja, I believe I can protect him. Akatsuki is a formidable enemy. That masked man you mentioned, who can use a phasing Sharingan, I feel his movements are somewhat familiar, as if... as if it's someone I know."
He didn't say it with particular certainty, very vaguely.
At that time, when he faced the masked man, it coincided with Uzumaki Kushina giving birth, and the Nine-Tails was also rampaging in the village. He had to ensure the safety of mother and child, and it was the middle of the night. Even though he was known for his calm mind and keen observation, he really didn't have the mental capacity to think deeply at that moment.
By the time everything had settled, he was already dead.
Now that he had "awakened," looking back, he could still perceive some clues.
Many personal habits, movements, and tones of speech are very clear in the eyes of acquaintances.
Jiraiya asked, "Who do you think the masked man is?"
The words reached his lips, but Minato Namikaze swallowed them back. "I'm not sure. After I'm resurrected, I will pursue the clues and find out his true identity."
Finally, he wanted to ask about the Yin Nine-Tails. In his memory, he should have sealed it within his body, but now he only had a little Nine-Tails chakra, no Yin Nine-Tails at all.
Where did it go?
Was it in his corpse, did it go directly to Naruto, or did it dissipate?
He wanted to ask but didn't even know how. No one had experience with death. He could only ponder it later.
Orochimaru couldn't contact Kabuto and didn't know where those two had run off to. His most trusted subordinate was definitely Kimimaro, but Kimimaro was currently "flowering" underground. So, he helped Konoha contact Guren, the Crystal Release kunoichi.
Guren was quite strong and had once been one of Orochimaru's potential reincarnation vessels. She possessed the Kekkei Genkai, Crystal Release, and was ostensibly a Sound Village ninja under Ganyūmaru's command.
Guren would act as an inside agent, helping Konoha execute the Sand Collapse Plan, and incidentally, shift part of the blame onto the Sound Village.
Konoha was secretly researching Chiyo's data. As an old rival, Tsunade patted her chest and declared that no one understood Chiyo better than her.
Jiraiya quietly muttered a few words – that Chiyo's nemesis was Hanzō of the Salamander, who do you think you are? – and was promptly sent flying by Tsunade's right hook.
Chiyo's Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets was an S-rank puppet technique. If Shisui's Kotoamatsukami missed or there was no chance to use it, and Konoha prepared for a frontal assault, then Chakra Blades capable of severing chakra threads would be indispensable.
From Asuma's suggestion to the Konoha Ninja Tool Squad accepting the mission, more than two months had passed in trying to improve and manufacture simple Chakra Blades, but a group of conservative old men hadn't produced any results.
Jiraiya could only pay a high price to custom-order Chakra Blades.
Considering the high probability of future conflict with the Sand Village and facing an endless army of puppets, Ino felt she also needed to prepare a Chakra Blade.
Coincidentally, Jiraiya proposed that the village would reimburse all expenses. Without a second thought, she went to the Land of Iron.
She found the samurai Tatewaki, whom she had met once before in this country.
This samurai had been poisoned by Sasori at the time, and she had helped cure him.
"Uncle Tatewaki, long time no see."
"Hehe, actually, it hasn't been that long. Miss Yamanaka, have you come to see me about something?"
Tatewaki wasn't good at small talk. After a few simple words, he got straight to the point.
The Land of Iron was a country of samurai. There were no ninjas here, at least not publicly. The country's rulers were a group of samurai who used chakra.
Ino wasn't wearing her forehead protector; she had infiltrated disguised as a traveler.
She said, "I've heard that the Land of Iron has many skilled craftsmen. I want to have a weapon forged."
Konoha ninjas only knew how to kill with ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. People like Shikaku and Shikamaru, father and son, who played shogi in their spare time, were considered cultured.
The village really couldn't find any craftsmen skilled in forging; she could only come to the Land of Iron.
"Forge a weapon? That's easy. Come, I have a friend who is a very famous master craftsman in the Land of Iron."
Tatewaki's friend was definitely not Obito... Half a day later, he led Ino to a blacksmith named Sekitan.
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