"Did you lose them?"
In the camp, Jiraiya's heart sank as he watched Mitarashi Shiyo return empty-handed. He feared that his sister-in-law had been captured.
"They're fast. We chased them all the way to the coast, but we couldn't pursue them any farther once they reached the sea. Still, we can confirm she's alive."
Mitarashi Shiyo replied helplessly. They had tracked the enemy to the coast, but there was no way to continue the pursuit across the water.
"Can you identify them?"
Jiraiya gritted his teeth, furious.
They had only just arrived, and one of their strongest shinobi had already been abducted by the enemy. They had no idea whether she was dead or alive. It was a direct provocation.
"No. The only thing we have is the scent one of the Inuzuka Clan's shinobi managed to memorize."
Mitarashi Shiyo felt even more helpless. It was humiliating to admit that one of their strongest had been taken from their own territory, and they hadn't even seen the culprit.
"Could you have the Inuzuka shinobi check whether this has the same scent?"
The hesitant voice came from Minato Namikaze, standing behind Jiraiya. In the end, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a brand-new book. The woman on its cover alone was eye-catching.
When Mitarashi Shiyo saw the cover and title, his eyes went wide. The others present wore odd expressions, their gazes shifting between Jiraiya and Minato.
They really were a teacher and student!
They knew what Jiraiya was like. He had no major flaws, but his little habits were deeply unpleasant. They wouldn't even let their wives go to the bathhouse alone.
They just hadn't expected the seemingly respectable Minato to have picked up the same bad habit. It was true that you couldn't judge a book by its