[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 42.
...
...
"Then... I heard a rumor about you talking with Sakumo Hatake a few days ago. You don't seem to be angry at him."
Minato looked to the side, behind his mask, as he saw his teammate asking.
"He's not a traitor just because he failed a mission. He saved his comrades," Minato, as the leader of his squad, replied to the person.
"I know, it's a noble attitude. But don't you also see the losses the Village had because of his actions?"
The person insisted, seemingly wanting to hear Minato's true opinion.
He already had in mind that this was one of the infiltrators — the one who at least had surrendered to Root and was in his team to spy on him.
That conversation caught the attention of so nearby mbers.
It was evident that it was a subject that drew attention with that teammate speaking to Minato.
"What kind of cri did he really commit?" Minato threw the question back and continued.
"I don't see the Village going to war over this. That mission had no direct impact on the Village.
As far as I know, everyone criticizes him, but no one really knows what the Village lost because of it, even you don't know what that loss really was," Minato concluded.
"That..."
The ninja was truly speechless trying to respond to Minato's words.
And that was the problem Minato didn't like about Konoha — no one really knew what Sakumo lost, they just repeated that the information was of great financial value to Konoha.
It was a herd ntality, implanted by the Village itself.
After all, Sakumo was a powerful candidate to beco Hokage, and those old n clearly didn't want to give up their power.
In the end, the ninja remained silent, unsure how to respond to Minato for a few seconds.
"Is that why you're wearing the katana on your back? You believe he did nothing wrong, even though he's considered a disgrace to the Village?"
He asked, looking at the sword on Minato's back.
Kakashi may have removed the sword out of sha for his father, but Minato had started using it a few days ago.
It was the sa weapon, the sa style Sakumo used.
Maybe it was Minato's way of saying he supported Sakumo, even if the Village condemned him like a plague.
After all, he could very well keep his swords in his storage bracers, but he chose to display it on his back.
"Sakumo was a war hero. He saved many people and led great victories for Konoha.
It doesn't matter what kind of mission he failed, that doesn't outweigh the achievents he had in the war.
And even if the Village forgets he was a hero... I'll still rember that,"
Minato replied to the mber of his team.
Everyone around heard that with surprise, seeing the motivations of their commander.
No one could be forbidden from wearing a katana on their back, but it beca a symbol.
Even Hiruzen looked at him strangely when he saw it before sending him on the mission, but didn't question it.
"I understand... it's just that I find it strange coming from you, commander. You're a hero of Konoha. Aren't you going to stain your image this way too, in front of the Village people?"
He asked.
"Maybe," Minato shrugged.
"But I beca a hero by doing what I thought was right.
And I'll keep doing what I think is right — before any title or admiration I might have,"
he replied.
The ninja fell silent after that, while Minato ended any further conversation.
"Now let's focus on the mission," Minato said, as he raised his hand for everyone to get into position.
With small signals, he whistled for the more distant ones to hear quickly, and everyone got ready.
The mission was simple: they were to intercept so wagons bringing illicit goods into the Land of Fire, part of an investigation Minato had been conducting for a few months.
Because of that, his activity with his team was quite frequent at the border.
And so, a few comrcial wagons traveled down the road calmly a few hours later, with Minato sensing through his haki that there were guards who seed like rcenaries, using common swords, indicating they were apparently ordinary people.
Mikoto, Hanabi, and a few sensors, along with Minato, could see the chakra levels of those n.
The latter, through Observation Haki, could see the real strength of the opponents.
"We have five jounin and two chuunin as bodyguards..." Minato said.
They were from the Land of Tea and were bringing the drugs under the disguise of rchants.
Minato managed to see the drug contents, even though they were sealed to keep anyone from seeing them.
His Observation Haki didn't prevent him from seeing the content within the barriers.
As soon as they got close enough to where the team was positioned near the road, Minato gave the order.
"Move in!"
Quickly, the squad advanced along the border road. Pretending to be ordinary people, the enemy ninja imdiately noticed the movent and prepared for battle.
A kunai quickly landed at their feet, as Minato appeared in front of them, starting to neutralize them.
And right behind him, the confrontation began.
The jutsus launched by the enemies, upon shedding their rcenary disguises, were countered by jutsus from Minato's team, who quickly defeated the enemies in just a few minutes.
With greater numbers and being elite ninjas, Minato had already taken down half of them within seconds.
"What is this?" — the man guiding the wagon beca imdiately concerned, seeing only himself standing, while the others driving the wagons were defeated behind him.
These were ordinary people with no ninja training, but were they innocent?
"You are under arrest and will be taken to the Leaf along with your n for illegally bringing drugs into the Land of Fire," Lún spoke from behind his mask.
"Impossible! Why are we being accused of carrying drugs?!"
The man imdiately tried to defend himself, but it was already too late.
The simple proof that there were jounin guarding the cargo, disguised as missionaries and rchants, made it clear they were there illegally.
One of the ninjas from Minato's squad threw a small container to Minato, who caught it and opened it, revealing a white powder.
He showed the contents to the man, who visibly looked lost upon seeing the evidence.
"Detain them. I'm going to call so teams to escort them to Konoha," Minato said, and vanished in an instant, heading to the village.
Upon arriving in the village with the Raijin, he passed the information verbally to the Hokage, who nodded and began summoning a few teams for support.
"Alright, hold on for a few days, and the teams will arrive."
He inford.
Minato returned to the location where they were holding the wagon and the arrested n.
They waited for about two days until four teams arrived — one of them being Ino–Shika–Chou.
Minato left the escort with them and returned to the village with his own squad.
"Well... it looks like you've found the first route through which the drugs are entering the Land of Fire. That's good. Now we'll have to take care of the others and find out what those who were captured have to say once we send them for interrogation,"
the Hokage comnted, reading Minato's report.
Minato knew that this interrogation wasn't a very pretty place, and enemy ninjas were even tortured there.
Minato simply nodded in silence.
"Anyway, good work. I'll be sending a new mission based on what the intelligence division finds from what we're gathering to detect the other routes.
That'll be in the next few days. For now, you have two days off,"
he said, as Minato said his goodbyes, disappearing from the place.
He returned to his team's base, giving the final directions, while everyone dispersed, as they would have a few days off.
One by one, they left the place.
"Shall we go ho?" Mikoto approached Minato. She and Hanabi were the only ones who remained at the location with him.
"I'm going to do so training at my clan's field," Minato said, while Mikoto nodded and went ho alone.
Hanabi also accompanied Mikoto to her clan.
Minato then stayed there for a while, until he moved toward the path leading to the training field on his property.
anwhile, in the Hokage's building, Danzou and Hiruzen were standing before a ninja — none other than mbers of Minato's team. They were two spy mbers.
"So you asked what Minato was doing with Sakumo?" Danzou questioned.
"Yes, Danzou-sama. He said he doesn't see Sakumo as a disgrace to the Village. He said that no matter what mission he failed, he's still a war hero," the ninja replied.
"I see... I must admit the boy's courage," Hiruzen murmured.
"You may leave us now," Danzou requested.
The two ANBUs disappeared, leaving the two advisors alone.
Even the guards had left the room so that only the two of them remained, and no one could hear what they had to discuss.
"Do you see a problem with this?" Hiruzen comnted, breaking the silence.
"That boy... he's a problem," Danzou said. "He's making a symbolic gesture in support of Hatake, and that could compromise us. We need to get rid of him. Or do you want to lose your position as Hokage?" Danzou said coldly.
"Sakumo has practically already given up on the ninja life... there's no reason for us to keep pushing this," Hiruzen argued, having already achieved the goal they had with all of this.
Sakumo no longer accepted missions, didn't attend etings, and barely left his house.
His prestige and influence were in decline, and even though Hiruzen thought it was all too harsh, Danzou had already convinced him that it was for the best — for the stability of the Village and to keep them in power, since there was no one better than them to know what was good for the village.
"But we still have another problem," Danzou continued.
"Don't forget... that boy is scheming sothing. We must keep an eye on him. He's dangerous."
Although they didn't have any proof yet, Danzou was sure that Minato could ruin everything.
Especially the plan involving the agreent with other villages — the agreent to eliminate the Uzumaki.
Minato already knew sothing from capturing those ninjas and the order he had received to release them more than a month ago.
"Let's change his team," Danzou finally suggested.
"We can also speed up the destruction of Sakumo's reputation," he added.
"Alright... do what you must," Hiruzen replied with a tired look.
Danzou left the building shortly afterward.
anwhile, Minato was standing in a training field, until he finally sensed soone approaching.
"You ca," he said, a slight smile forming as he recognized who it was.
The person approaching was none other than Sakumo Hatake, the famous White Fang of Konoha.
"Yes. I thought about what you said, Minato... and I'm going to train you in the art of the sword," he said, with his hand resting on the hilt of his own katana.
Sohow, Minato had managed to convince him to regain his self-esteem.
And he had also managed to get Sakumo to begin teaching the skills of a swordsman — and there was no one better in the world than Sakumo, considered one of the greatest in history.
If he could combine the power Sakumo possessed with his own "Armant Haki",
Minato believed he could cut through even mountains, like the greatest swordsn in the world of One Piece were capable of doing.
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