Mist Shinobi Operation, Rin Nohara's Crisis

After leaving the Hokage Office, Minamoto Takuya walked home.

A faint gleam seemed to flash in Minamoto Takuya's eyes. He had sensed something when he met Minato Namikaze in the Hokage Office earlier, but that had not been the place to think it through carefully.

Now, it was already clear.

Minato Namikaze had been transferred away from Konoha, and even the future Fourth Hokage could not possibly complete an S-Rank mission and return to Konoha within a day or two.

During that time, it would be the best opportunity for the Mist Shinobi to make a move against Rin Nohara.

It could be said that this S-Rank mission itself might be connected to the Mist Shinobi or Black Zetsu. They would certainly find every possible way to prolong it.

Then, couldn't they simply refuse the mission?

Naturally not.

For a ninja village, especially one as large as this, its operations had to rely on the ninja mission system.

The low-level missions completed by the protagonist in the Original Work showed that even such missions paid well, let alone A-Rank and S-Rank missions.

Every completed mission like that brought in a considerable sum.

Not to mention that the war had not fully ended, and the village itself was having great difficulty moving funds around.

At a time like this, unless the enemy was attacking their doorstep and protecting the village was the top priority, missions could not be halted—much less an S-Rank mission.

So, should he keep a closer watch on Rin Nohara now?

That was certain, but just in case, he also had to keep an eye on Kakashi Hatake.

Moreover, Minamoto Takuya took a deep breath. No matter what, this operation would likely fall under White Zetsu's gaze. The other side would certainly monitor this entire affair from every angle. Even Crow was not safe.

Even if he kept Crow far away, it might still be discovered.

After pondering for a while, Minamoto Takuya made his decision. After tracking them for a certain distance, he would reduce the number of crows. Then, he could only leave it to luck and hope the crows did not land on trees where White Zetsu was hiding.

Over the following days, Minamoto Takuya stayed true to his persona, researching all kinds of Sealing Jutsu in his home.

A small-scale war broke out again during that time. The Iwagakure Shinobi had retreated after their supply line was destroyed in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, but now the Mist Shinobi had emerged instead. However, the conflict was limited in scope, and Minamoto Takuya was not among those the Third Hokage summoned to participate.

A minor battle like this probably had no need for a "pure logistics and research" worker like him.

And the Mist Shinobi's move only further confirmed that Rin Nohara would be captured during this period.

Minato Namikaze was practically a killing machine in a small-scale battle like this, so the enemy had schemed to lure him away beforehand with a highly lucrative mission. Once he completed it, he would likely have to head directly to the small battlefield against the Mist Shinobi.

Minamoto Takuya adjusted his non-prescription glasses. He was not worried. Since this battlefield was the result of the Mist Shinobi's nearly "unprovoked" unilateral attack, it was not too far from Konoha. He could get there in time.

The Sealing Jutsu in his hands was the one he would use next, a technique he had spent many years researching and preparing!

Through constant research, constant experiments, and now repeated deliberation and verification, every step of its formula was nearly perfect.

Its success rate when used on Summoned Beasts had long since reached one hundred percent. But the target of this Sealing Jutsu would not be an ordinary Summoned Beast—it would be... a Tailed Beast!

Every Tailed Beast possessed immense power, certainly surpassing ordinary Jonin. If they could perfectly wield their own power, their strength would be no less than Kage-level. The Nine-Tails could even reach Super Shadow.

Furthermore, every Tailed Beast was unique. Even after all his research, Minamoto Takuya could not be certain how effective his Sealing Jutsu would be against one. He could only continue refining it as much as possible.

It could be said that this Sealing Jutsu was now the best result he could possibly achieve.

He had done everything he could. As for the rest... it was up to fate.

Minamoto Takuya watched as the sky gradually darkened, his gaze already fixed on Rin Nohara far away on the battlefield.

For the past few nights, most of his attention had been on her, afraid he might miss the moment she was captured.

Finally, the Mist Shinobi lurking in the shadows made their move. At tremendous speed, they captured Rin Nohara, who was merely a Chunin specializing in Medical Ninjutsu and possessed little combat ability.

The process also seemed to be "coincidentally" witnessed by Kakashi Hatake, who had come looking for Rin Nohara. Without the slightest hesitation, he gave chase.

Minamoto Takuya did not rush to the battlefield. Instead, he got up and headed for the Hokage Office. At this hour, the Hokage had not yet left work. He was certain of it, since he had come to see the Third Hokage for missions at this time before.

"Takuya? Why are you here again so late?" When the Third Hokage saw Minamoto Takuya, he more or less understood what was going on, but he still asked with a genial smile.

"I ran out of money, so I came to take a mission," Minamoto Takuya said.

The Third Hokage immediately sighed. He knew it. And this was not the first time the other party had run out of money and come to take a mission this late.

Logically speaking, A-Rank missions paid quite well. But when he considered the other party's expenses over the past few days... the Third Hokage had no doubts.

Minamoto Takuya truly spared no expense on research materials, always buying the best available. This level of spending was indeed normal.

"You really should not think only about research. It is time to find yourself a suitable wife." As the Third Hokage spoke, he selected missions suitable for Minamoto Takuya from the job list.

Refusing him was impossible. Minamoto Takuya's willingness to take missions brought nothing but benefits to the ninja village. How could he possibly refuse...

Just as the Third Hokage was selecting a mission, a figure rushed into the Hokage Office. The white mask on his face identified him as Anbu.

"Hokage Lord, there is an emergency!" the Anbu said directly.

"Speak!" The Third Hokage's expression instantly turned grave, and he gave the order without hesitation. There was no need for Minamoto Takuya to step aside.

"According to a report from Kakashi Hatake's summoned beast, Rin Nohara has been captured by ninja from an enemy village. A small group of Mist Shinobi is taking Rin Nohara toward Konoha by a side route. Kakashi Hatake has already pursued them," the Anbu reported.

"Ninja from an enemy village?" The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed, though he was also somewhat puzzled. Why... would they capture an ordinary little girl? And why were they heading toward Konoha? What scheme were they plotting?

Naturally, he knew Rin Nohara's records. There was nothing particularly special about her. She was merely very close to Obito Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake, which was why she had been assigned to that team, so she could help ease the tension between the two.

After all, everyone knew that the Uchiha were basically lunatics, while Kakashi Hatake had gradually begun heading down an extreme path because of White Fang's death...

Now that Obito Uchiha was dead, Rin Nohara's only remaining role was to soothe Kakashi Hatake's severe psychological issues, which had worsened again after losing a companion.

The Third Hokage truly could not understand why the enemy had captured Rin Nohara. Were they trying to cripple Kakashi Hatake?

As for enemy village ninja being inside the village, that was not surprising. Konoha was not sealed off from outsiders. Ninja from enemy villages could hide their identities, pose as ordinary people, and enter Konoha.

"Hokage Lord, leave this support mission to me," Minamoto Takuya spoke up from the side. This was precisely why he had come.

He could have followed them directly, but that would leave traces. How could a research fanatic who rarely left home happen to discover that Rin Nohara had been captured on a distant battlefield?

He could explain it as a coincidence, but Minamoto Takuya did not want to leave behind anything that could be used against him. If he went now, however, he would have a legitimate reason. No one could criticize his actions!