In early January, the midday sun was not particularly harsh. Minato slowly rose to his feet and walked to the window, gazing at the open space before the Hokage Building with a contemplative look in his eyes.
Behind him, Shibi Aburame stood before the desk, reporting the details of the mission:
"That Human Trafficking Ring was first discovered by Shinichi."
"Though 'discovered' is not quite accurate. The Human Trafficking Ring found him while he was alone and abducted him to their base."
"At first, we thought we were merely cracking down on a group of traffickers."
"That ninja appeared later."
"Shinichi branded the abducted children with Flying Thunder God markers in the dungeon, while Shisui used Genjutsu to calm them. We were afraid that releasing them directly would alert the enemy."
"Might Guy and I lay in ambush at the dungeon entrance, intending to control everyone who came down into the dungeon."
"That pair of buyers was brought there later."
"From my observations, it was not their first transaction."
"I was the one who attacked the man in black, but he detected my surprise attack."
"That man was very skilled in taijutsu. Although I did not see him use any ninjutsu, I could sense that he was powerful."
"My insects could not get near him, so I was unable to confirm his identity."
"Later, Shinichi heard the commotion and used Flying Thunder God to reach the battlefield. He seemed to see that we had greater numbers, so he left."
A written report was ultimately just a written report. Minato took the appearance of an unfamiliar ninja within the Land of Fire very seriously, so he had specifically kept Shibi behind to hear his detailed account.
While Shibi spoke, Minato stood by the window with his brows tightly furrowed, rapidly analyzing