All, or Nothing

No matter which choice Kakashi made, Shiba Seika stood to lose nothing.

If Kakashi insisted on putting the mission first, he could take Nohara Rin without any loss, effectively holding a key to control a future major threat. And if Kakashi came to his senses in time, he still wouldn't lose—just forcing his opponent to acknowledge the importance of a hostage would give him a decisive edge in subsequent negotiations. Either way, he came out ahead.

Not to mention, it was also entertaining!

But while chasing pleasure, Shiba Seika wouldn't forget to add a safety net for himself.

This was all part of the plan!

He subtly shifted his position, moving away from all nearby trees and obstacles, while emphasizing with his words.

"My comrade can turn into paper at any moment, with no vital points on her body. You can't take her out in one strike, so don't think you can easily reclaim your companion."

He wasn't just saying this for Kakashi's sake—more importantly, it was for Minato Namikaze, who might be lurking in the shadows!

Kakashi looked about ten years old, not yet a jonin, and likely incapable of leading a team on his own.

In other words, their teacher, Minato Namikaze, was probably nearby!

But perhaps fate had it that Minato was late again this time.

No sooner had Shiba Seika finished speaking than a figure abruptly appeared behind Kakashi.

There was no warning at all! This made Shiba Seika's pupils contract instantly as he tensed his nerves, summoning every ounce of his focus.

Fortunately, it seemed his subtle warning had worked—Minato Namikaze deliberately landed behind Kakashi, rather than launching a direct attack to reclaim Nohara Rin.

Konan, with no vital points on her body, was to some extent a counter to a one-hit-kill type ninja like Minato Namikaze.

And Shiba Seika's positioning was also very deliberate—within ten meters of him, there were no obstacles to block line of sight. If Minato wanted to get close, he'd have to throw a Kunai and force his way in.

The moment he landed, Minato Namikaze even wondered: did these young Amegakure ninja know his abilities and deliberately guard against him? Or was it just a coincidence?

Suppressing his doubts for now, he reached out and pressed down on Kakashi's trembling shoulder, speaking in a gentle tone.

"Amegakure ninja, we have no intention of starting a war. Our mission this time is merely to confirm your stance on this war.

We haven't harmed anyone here on our way in, so please return our comrade to us."

Minato Namikaze had restrained himself as much as possible. Facing ninja from other small nations, he wouldn't have been so polite.

But Shiba Seika didn't appreciate it. Instead, he looked at Kakashi with a hint of mockery.

"Oh? You're so quick to reveal the details of your ongoing mission? That doesn't seem to match the mission-first philosophy this white-haired brat has been insisting on."

Kakashi clenched his fists.

Minato's hand on his shoulder pressed down a little harder, and his expression grew more serious.

"Amegakure ninja, please stop saying strange things to my student. We've shown our sincerity, so please—"

But Shiba Seika suddenly let out a sneer, raising his voice to cut him off sharply.

"Sincerity? Crossing into another country's borders without permission, using maps to scout someone else's territory without a word—Minato Namikaze-sama, is this what you call sincerity?"

Minato Namikaze was slightly startled. "You know me?"

At this point, the Third Great Ninja War had just begun, and Minato Namikaze's reputation hadn't yet reached its peak.

If this were the northeastern Kumogakure front, it wouldn't be strange for someone to know him—he'd already clashed multiple times with the AB Combo there and made a name for himself.

But this was the Land of Rain in the west of the ninja world!

When had Amegakure's intelligence-gathering become this strong?

Was this still the same Amegakure they traditionally saw as submissive, barely able to survive amidst the great powers' conflicts?

"Yes, I know you. The Yellow Flash of Konoha, the elite jonin most likely to become the Fourth Hokage: Minato Namikaze-sama."

Shiba Seika followed his lead and openly revealed Minato Namikaze's identity.

This startled Konan beside him.

We just randomly intercepted a Konoha Juvenile Squad team that entered our territory, and we run into the jonin most likely to become the next Hokage?

Seika, do you always have to play this big?

But Shiba Seika kept pressing the future Fourth Hokage with one question after another, making Konan's heart race with fear.

"The Land of Rain is, at the very least, an independent neutral nation. Amegakure is not a vassal of your Konoha. Can you really call it sincerity to come in and patrol without so much as a greeting?

Your actions are arrogant, your attitude is even more distasteful, and you still refuse to address our leader as the Demi-God! Your Konoha shows no respect for our Land of Rain!"

Minato Namikaze was momentarily left speechless by the rebuttal.

As the saying goes, a gentleman can be deceived by propriety. Knowing that Minato Namikaze had a good-natured personality, Shiba Seika dared to seize the moral high ground so aggressively.

And all of this was just a prelude. He was about to reveal his true goal—

"So stop talking about sincerity, Minato Namikaze-sama. Something that doesn't exist can't be used as a bargaining chip on the negotiation table. Next, let's properly discuss what you're willing to offer in exchange for your comrade.

She seems to be a medical ninja—a very scarce and high-value target in the Land of Rain."

Minato Namikaze's expression turned extremely grim.

Just at that moment, Obito Uchiha, also his student, chimed in to back Shiba Seika up.

"Minato-sensei, you have to save Rin!"

Minato Namikaze's head began to ache immensely.

He wanted to resort to threats of force, but the other party had made clear from the start that they knew his identity and remained calm and composed, neither servile nor overbearing, leaving him unable to gauge their true strength;

He wanted to appeal to emotion, but the other party's rhetoric was far sharper than his own, having long since seized the moral high ground, leaving him at a loss;

Finally, even if he wanted to negotiate normally, the initiative was completely in the other party's hands—Obito had fully exposed how much they valued the hostage in their grasp.

Originally, they could have used Kakashi's attitude as a counterbalance, but unfortunately, Shiba Seika's earlier words were as effective as a divine command, throwing Kakashi into confusion, making him utterly unreliable now.

The Minato Namikaze who had always moved freely and effortlessly on the battlefield, capable of anything, was now stymied by a fourteen-year-old boy from a minor ninja village, experiencing for the first time the pain and helplessness of dealing with children.

"Rain Ninja, what do you want?" he finally spoke, reluctant.

Shiba Seika smiled, a smile from the heart.

His gamble had paid off!

Provoking Minato Namikaze was a high-stakes bet, one where he could lose his life at any moment, vanish into nothing, and end up with nothing if he lost.

But he had won!