Sarutobi Hiruzen

Hearing Sahara Mizu's voice, Namikaze Minato did not know how to respond for a moment.

Or rather, he could not even be sure whether the person before him was truly the acquaintance he remembered—the one who had graduated from the same class as him.

The two headless corpses on the ground, the bloody stench filling the air, the pockmarked earth, and Sahara Mizu standing there completely unscathed—

Every observable detail spoke of the danger posed by this youth who appeared to be about the same age as him.

Not to mention the violent chakra reaction coming from the other's body in Minato's perception, blazing fiercely like a torch.

After hesitating for a long while, Namikaze Minato finally leapt down from the rooftop and slowly approached.

Yet his voice still carried a trace of doubt.

"You're Sahara-kun."

"Right?"

However, unlike Minato's caution, Sahara Mizu seemed to have expected this. He spread his hands slightly, making himself appear as nonthreatening as possible, and said gently,

"Yes."

"Jonin class, Intelligence Agency, Second Rank Advisor."

"Sahara Mizu."

Before Minato could continue questioning him, he stepped half a pace back, revealing the S-Rank Classified Information Box on the ground and the other two corpses.

"But before that,"

"Please secure the village's important secrets first."

Sahara Mizu gestured into the distance. "Before long, a lot of people should be arriving."

"As for the rest, I will personally report it to Lord Third Hokage."

"..."

"Alright."

At that, Namikaze Minato gave him a deep look.

As an Anbu, he knew very well that some matters were not for just anyone to ask about.

Therefore, despite being immensely curious about Sahara Mizu, he forcibly held himself back and did not ask a single question.

Then, he quickly searched Ash Soil and Harado's corpses, removed Tsunade's mission intelligence from their clothes, and stuffed it into the S-Rank Classified Information Box that had been violently forced open.

In that brief span of time, the large group behind them had already arrived at the scene under the guidance of several Hyuga Ninja.

Uchiha Yayoi and the members of her Police Force were the first to leap down from the rooftops, hurrying toward them.

Only when they saw the two gruesome corpses on the ground did they slow their steps slightly.

However, her two-tomoe Sharingan looked warily at Namikaze Minato, who was holding the S-Rank Classified Information Box.

Clearly.

She had misunderstood.

Just as Uchiha Yayoi was wary of his identity as an Anbu and hesitating over whether to step forward and take over—

The corner of her eye suddenly caught sight of Sahara Mizu standing in the corner.

"Mizu?!"

Almost instinctively, Uchiha Yayoi rushed in front of him. She grabbed the torn sleeve that had burst open when he threw his punch, tightly clutching his shoulder as she asked urgently,

"You—why are you here?"

"You're not hurt, are you?!"

Although he had acted decisively enough earlier, the blood sprayed by Harado and Ash Soil when he beheaded them had still stained nearly half of Sahara Mizu's clothes red, making him look rather like someone on the verge of dying from severe injuries.

Namikaze Minato turned to look at them, and the corner of his brow beneath the mask twitched unconsciously.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

Sahara Mizu waved his hands repeatedly and reassured her gently. "See? Aren't I perfectly alright?"

After quickly checking him over and confirming that the bloodstains truly belonged to others, Uchiha Yayoi finally let out a relieved breath, though lingering fear remained in her voice.

"Honestly."

"After curfew, you should stay home properly. Do you know how dangerous it is to run around at this hour?"

"I ran into those people on my way home from work," Sahara Mizu explained quietly.

"Anyway!" Uchiha Yayoi spoke firmly, sweeping her gaze over the growing crowd around them. "Once things are settled here, stay in the Police Department lounge for the night. Go home during the day."

As if afraid Sahara Mizu would not understand the implications, Miss Yayoi deliberately added, "These people committed a major crime tonight. Tomorrow, the entire village will probably undergo a 'major cleanup.'"

"You came into contact with the suspects today. If the Anbu or Interrogation Department takes you away during the investigation, the Police Department will not be able to interfere. I can't say what those freaks might do to you."

Clearly, Miss Yayoi had made up her mind to protect him before he even entered the interrogation process.

Hearing Uchiha Yayoi say this, even though Sahara Mizu really was an undercover agent through and through, he could not help feeling warmth in his heart.

Still, he could only sigh helplessly and decline in a low voice.

"Sorry, Yayoi."

"In a little while, I may have to meet Lord Third."

"Huh?"

At the same time, on the other side.

Namikaze Minato stood quietly in place with the box in his arms.

Before long, several figures clad in black uniforms landed beside him.

The man at the front differed from the surrounding Anbu. He wore no mask and was dressed in casual clothes. Only his silver hair glimmered faintly beneath the moonlight. A Tanto hung at his waist, and a Hokage Haori rested over his shoulders.

With merely a glance at the corpses on the ground, he determined that both men had been killed by extremely fast Taijutsu and a close-range Ninjutsu with tremendous explosive force.

When he turned to Namikaze Minato, his gaze could not help but carry a measure of praise.

"Minato-kun, was that a newly developed Ninjutsu?"

"This strike to the chest and abdomen completely broke through their Earth Release defenses and directly shattered those areas."

"What remarkable destructive power."

"Even I would have to deal with an attack like that carefully."

Hearing the man before him praise him so highly, Namikaze Minato could not help feeling a little embarrassed beneath his mask. He hurriedly corrected him in a low voice.

"Lord Sakumo."

"I did not kill those two spies."

"It was that person."

Hatake Sakumo froze slightly at those words and turned to follow the direction Namikaze Minato was pointing.

Then he saw the young man, half his body stained with blood, meet his gaze with clear blue eyes.

As if sensing the surprise in his eyes, the other man nodded at him gently.

An unfamiliar face.

"He is...?"

Hatake Sakumo was also confused.

A young man of this age with such strength was someone he should not have failed to notice.

Only then did Namikaze Minato get to the point, saying seriously, "Regarding this matter, I need to inform you of everything I witnessed and report it to Lord Third as soon as possible afterward."

"Please keep this confidential for now."

Hearing this, Hatake Sakumo's expression immediately turned solemn as well.

An hour later, at the Hokage Building.

The Hokage Building, which had recently been blasted into a dangerously unstable structure by large-scale Ninjutsu, had been completely repaired in a very short time through the combined efforts of numerous Earth Release ninja.

However, the miscellaneous items in the Hokage's Office could only be cleared out temporarily.

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been urgently awakened from sleep, sat before a desk newly moved downstairs. At his side were Hokage Advisor Shimura Danzō and the Third Generation's most prized disciple, Orochimaru.

On the desk before him lay a Ninja File that had clearly been read through several times, recording all of Sahara Mizu's experiences and grades from childhood to the present.

Standing before them were Hatake Sakumo, Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Yayoi, and Sahara Mizu.

Namikaze Minato was giving a brief, precise report of the events leading up to and following this incident.

Though he had only just been woken, the current Sarutobi Hiruzen was not yet the aged and decayed man he would become twenty years later.

Whether in official duties or battle, he possessed more than enough energy.

At least for now, his title as a Shinobi Hero was still well deserved.

Soon.

After hearing the overall reports from the Anbu and Police Department, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to look at Sahara Mizu, who stood at the far right with a remarkably faint presence. A trace of surprise appeared on his face.

However, he did not rashly draw any conclusions from these clues. Instead, he spoke in a generous tone.

"Sahara-kun."

"We meet every day at the Hokage Building, yet I failed to discover a talent like you for so long. That is a failing on my part as Hokage."

"Now that you have rendered great service to the village, the rewards you deserve will naturally not be lacking."

"However, before that—"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone suddenly shifted. As he stirred his vast chakra, even his gaze carried immense pressure.

For a moment, the entire room seemed to tremble faintly.

Only his voice remained as calm as ever.

"In such a dangerous time of war."

"Why did you hide your strength?"