Leaving Happy Hot Springs, Drake headed straight for the village gate.
To locate Minato-sensei quickly, nothing beat communicating through trees.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Several figures appeared in quick succession, catching up to him.
"You all ca?" Drake turned, surprised to see Team Nine.
"Drake, the Hokage just issued an order—have us escort Danzō to negotiations," Obito reported.
"Escort Danzō?" Drake rejected it outright. "Let him go himself."
Negotiations need an escort now? Did Root go extinct?
Then his tone hardened.
"Minato-sensei is in trouble."
"What?!"
"Did he die?!"
"Who did it?!"
Team Nine exploded in shock.
Drake's face darkened.
Did you people hear 'trouble' as 'dead'?
"Drake—take with you," Kakashi Hatake said gravely.
"I'm going too," Obito added.
" as well!" Yamato pumped a fist.
"Wherever you go, Drake-sama, I follow," White Zetsu declared, dropping his disguise.
"We—" Anko started.
"That's enough," Drake cut her off. "The rest of you stay."
Dragging extra people only ant rescue detours if sothing went wrong.
Watching them speed away, Anko pouted.
"I'll train harder."
" too," Rin said firmly.
"We'll work together," Yūgao Uzuki encouraged.
Village Gate
Standing beneath a tree, Drake reached out—listening.
Monts later, he exhaled.
Good. Minato-sensei wasn't dead—yet.
"Well?" Kakashi asked.
"West. About a thousand li. On a mountain," Drake replied succinctly.
He vanished toward the west.
"Move!" Kakashi said. They followed.
Zzz— White Zetsu slipped underground to keep pace.
As they ran, Drake glanced at his panel.
Constitution: 9,126 (×) — Sage-tier
A Verdant Mountain Ridge
Minato Namikaze panted, his face tinged green.
He wasn't alone—three others were poisoned as well.
Minato's condition was the worst.
"I underestimated them," he grimaced, scanning the slopes below.
"The Sand shinobi coated themselves with poison."
He had blitzed dozens with unmatched speed—until a few "poison-n" were mixed in.
Killing one via Flying Thunder God, he was splashed full in the face by toxic blood.
"Minato, Sand shinobi have sealed the mountain," Chōza Akimichi wheezed. He'd inhaled poison gas.
Inoichi Yamanaka ended his sensory sweep, face grim.
"They're searching. Once the foothills are cleared, they'll co up."
"That's bad," Shikaku Nara frowned.
"No plan?" they pressed—their strategist.
"If they approach physically, we might break out," Shikaku said plainly.
"But if they flood the mountain with poison gas… we're finished."
They'd already been forced back by gas. Minato's chakra was nearly gone.
"Minato—what are you doing?" Shikaku asked, noticing him touching a tree.
"Nothing," Minato smiled weakly. "I just think this tree is… cute."
The green-tinged smile was unsettling.
"Hallucinations?" Shikaku checked him.
"No," Minato shook his head.
You're complinting trees, Shikaku thought grimly.
"Shikaku—make sure the report notes Sand's flanking maneuver," Minato added.
"Now's not the ti for reports," Shikaku urged. "You're acting strange."
"Hmm?" Minato blinked.
"Rest. Stop petting the tree," Shikaku sighed.
Noon
Minato could barely stand.
The toxin kept dissolving his chakra; his face was nearly leaf-green.
Even so, he refused to sit—leaning beneath the tree instead.
"They're halfway up," Inoichi reported quietly.
"That was my last sensory scan."
Zzz—
A strange sound.
Minato and Inoichi looked over—and froze.
Shikaku was… urinating on his clothes.
"Shikaku—what are you doing?!"
"Detox," he said curtly.
He tore the clothes into four strips and handed them out.
"Cover your faces. We charge."
Minato didn't take one.
Inoichi didn't either.
Only Chōza tried—then recoiled, gagging, and dropped it.
"Shikaku! That sll is lethal!"
"Probably heat in my system," Shikaku replied.
Minato and Inoichi exchanged looks.
If we wear that, we'll pass out before the Sand get here.
"I suggest… we wait a bit," Minato decided.
He trusted Drake.
He trusted that his student would find him.
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