At dusk a few days later, Qingyu and his companions finally reached the Konoha Defensive Line in the northern Land of Rice Paddies.
Minato Namikaze greeted them personally at the camp entrance.
Rin Nohara and Obito stood behind him.
When Rin Nohara saw Qingyu emerge from the group, she hurried over.
Obito stood beside her and spotted Qingyu as well.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying hard to look nonchalant.
"Lord Orochimaru, Senior Shinku, Qingyu, you're here."
Minato Namikaze stepped forward and gave Orochimaru a slight nod, then swept his gaze over Qingyu, Kakashi, and Hyuga Ginka.
And the squad led by Yūhi Shinku.
"Thank you for your hard work. Did the journey go smoothly?"
"Heh heh, smoothly enough. We ran into a few Iwagakure patrols, but Qingyu took care of them all."
Orochimaru extended the tip of his tongue and lightly licked the corner of his mouth.
Minato Namikaze nodded, then turned and led everyone toward the Main Tent at the center of the camp.
The lamps were already lit inside the Main Tent. Shikaku Nara sat at a low table, studying an unfolded military map.
Seeing Minato Namikaze enter with Orochimaru, Qingyu, and the others, he looked up and nodded to them before returning his attention to the markings on the map.
"Lord Minato, what are the details of this mission?"
Qingyu sat down at the low table, his gaze settling on the dense red markings covering the map.
Those markings represented the positions of Iwagakure forces, and there were a great many of them.
Minato Namikaze sat opposite Qingyu, his expression turning serious.
"This mission will be rather dangerous."
Minato Namikaze got straight to the point.
He placed a finger on a location heavily marked with a red circle.
"According to our intelligence, Iwagakure has