Naruto: Flash Reborn — Minato’s Second Life

The sky gradually darkened, and the streets grew less crowded. Minato and the others had already returned to their rented inn. After a simple dinner, the four of them began wearing increasingly serious expressions.

However, per Sakumo's orders, only he remained near the balcony observing the surroundings. After all, the approaching enemies were elite ninja from Kumogakure. Even while remaining hidden in the dark, they couldn't afford the smallest mistake.

...

Nightfall turned pitch black. The quiet Izumi Town was eerily silent, quite different from Konoha's midnight scenery—it was merely a small border town in the Land of Hot Springs.

Inside the room, Minato and the others were already fully prepared for battle, while Sakumo closely monitored the outside.

Finally…

Shhh!

Faint footsteps reached the ears of the three inside. Even at this distance, seasoned ninja could pick up every subtle sound.

Needless to say, Junko Watanabe was well aware of this—but even the much younger Namikaze Minato and Yan Uchiha had developed such sharp senses as well.

Buzzzzz.

At the same time, the Chakra Compass before them began to glow faintly.

"Everyone, be alert! The target has appeared," Sakumo whispered solemnly. They all nodded upon hearing his words.

Then, he chuckled softly. "Maybe we're being too cautious? If so, we wouldn't even need the compass."

Minato and the others couldn't see what was happening outside right now. Through Sakumo's eyes, several figures slowly entered the town. All wore large black cloaks that concealed their faces.

Even so, their unusual physique clearly revealed their extraordinary identities.

These individuals didn't use Transformation Jutsu, nor did they attempt to hide their chakra fluctuations. Instead, they deliberately released it, clearly maintaining a state of alert.

It seemed like Tachiyama Shinsaburo also understood that Konoha wouldn't let him go easily.

Meanwhile, in one of the town's streets, two among the group of hooded figures carefully scanned the area, entering a heightened state of vigilance. Fortunately, Sakumo had chosen a room located in their blind spot.

"There are Sensor-type ninja among them!" Junko stated.

Of course, Sakumo and the others had already prepared accordingly. The entire room was shielded by a detection-blocking barrier; otherwise, Sakumo's immense chakra alone would have been easily sensed.

"There are also ninja among them with particularly strong chakra…" Junko's tone became heavier. Anyone she described as powerful was certainly no pushover.

"Kumogakure really pulled out all the stops — just to protect a single rogue like Tachiyama Shinsaburo, they sent ninja of this caliber."

Sakumo sneered coldly. At a time when tensions between the Five Great Ninja Nations were at their peak, Kumogakure actually dispatched elite ninja of this level to protect a Konoha missing-nin nearing the Fire Country border.

It was practically tantamount to a declaration of war.

Minato and Yan Uchiha began tensing their bodies…

Sensing their nervousness, Sakumo slightly turned his head and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you're safe."

Even though the Third had told Sakumo not to deliberately concern himself with their lives or deaths, in Sakumo's opinion, these two's future achievements would definitely not fall below his own.

Allowing such promising seeds to be destroyed by Cloud Ninja and Konoha rogue ninja—it was something Sakumo Hatake would never accept.

"Haha, I'm trembling out of excitement..." Yan Uchiha's expression overflowed with excitement. His whole body trembled with excitement—even the muscles in his face twitched.

Born from the prestigious Uchiwa clan, he did not allow himself to feel any fear.

Yet for some unknown reason, Minato didn't feel that nervousness one usually feels during a first mission or when facing Cloud or Konoha rogue ninja.

He stayed on edge, more out of habit than fear.

A faint smile crossed his still-boyish face. "We're the ones who'll be killing him," he said. "And besides… we're not a burden."

"Two hotheaded kids."

Sakumo chuckled. Maybe they came off as cocky, but if a ninja didn't have fire in their gut, what was the point?

"Shall we start now?" Minato asked. This battle was unavoidable, yet there was an additional hint of concern in his voice.

Izumi Town exuded a peaceful atmosphere; however, should they carry out their mission here, it would inevitably destroy this peace.

"This is a struggle between ninja; innocent civilians must not be dragged into it. Moreover, this place is within the Land of Hot Springs. If any civilians die or get injured, the Hidden Hot Spring Village won't let it go easily either."

Sakumo explained. Although the Land of Hot Springs was small, it still had its own symbol of military force—its ninja village.

Even though the Lands of Fire and Lightning were large countries, no one could recklessly violate another nation's peace.

Moreover, the current situation among the major ninja nations was already extremely tense. Adding another opponent wouldn't be wise.

"Quietly follow them and strike once we're outside the town," Sakumo instructed.

Yan Uchiwa frowned slightly and asked, "But aren't they equipped with a Sensor ninja?"

"Hehe." Sakumo smiled lightly and replied, "Didn't I already tell you both not to underestimate Junko Watanabe..."

At this point, Junko Watanabe, already dressed in battle gear, remained expressionless. She simply stood there performing hand seals before intricate markings began spreading along her pale neck until finally covering her entire face.

"Don't step beyond ten meters from me," she ordered.

The two flinched slightly, taken aback. As a former Anbu ninja, Junko naturally possessed countermeasures against enemy Sensor ninjas during similar missions.

It was an Anbu secret technique—so obscure that even Sakumo couldn't recognize it.

Yet Minato's eyes narrowed slightly, for something about Junko's technique felt oddly familiar.

"Okay, let's move."

Meanwhile, Shinsaburo Tachiyama and his group—who had already concealed their identities—were reaching the edge of Sakumo's field of vision. Continuing like this would result in losing their targets.

Nodding silently, Minato and the others edged closer to Junko.

Poof! Poof! Poof!

The four of them vanished instantly from within the house.

Outside Izumi Town lay a vast forest area.

They hadn't gone far, cloaked in their oversized black robes, when the leader raised a hand to halt the group.

"What's wrong?" someone rasped.

The leader pushed back his hood, revealing a face dark and determined. A faint smile curled his thick lips as he said, "Someone's here to kill him."

The man behind him, whose sharp eyes had been hidden beneath his robes, narrowed them slightly.

[Swoosh!] The moment those words left his lips, a flash of white light sliced through the forest's silence, blinding everyone. An icy aura of murder caused the man's pores to flare wide open, his body trembling involuntarily!

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