A Planned Hero Saves the Damsel × A Fated Encounter

"Grandma Mito? It's you!" Uzumaki Kuming relaxed his tense nerves the moment he recognized the person before him. The one who could easily bypass his Mind's Eye of the Kagura and appear right in front of him was none other than Mito Uzumaki.

"Grandma Mito, what is going on here?" A look of confusion appeared on Kuming's face, though the anxiety that had previously gripped him had completely vanished.

"Oh? Have you discovered something?" Mito did not answer him directly; she read something in the young boy's expression. This child, at such a tender age, seemed to have realized something—his sister had been abducted, yet there was no longer any sign of panic on his face.

"I wasn't entirely sure at first, but seeing you here has confirmed my suspicions."

"The fact that the enemy could so easily break into the compound and abduct Kushina means they certainly didn't rely on individual strength alone."

"It was intentional, wasn't it? You deliberately allowed Sister Kushina to be taken!"

A faint smile appeared on Kuming's face as he continued:

"The only person capable of orchestrating such a scenario would be someone in the village's upper echelons. Is this the handiwork of the Hokage?"

"The enemies must be ninjas from the village, right? Was this all staged?"

Watching Kuming analyze the situation with such confidence, Mito wore a look of gratification. However, after listening for a few moments, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. She leaned down slightly, pressed her hand onto Kuming's head, and said:

"You guessed part of it correctly, but most of it is wrong~"

"The enemy was indeed able to break into my compound easily because I allowed it. Aside from that, you're wrong about everything else. They are genuine enemies, not actors arranged by the village~"

Mito smiled as she saw the boy's expression shift slightly, then continued:

"You didn't think your half-baked concealment technique could fool a Kumogakure Jonin, did you? If I hadn't been cleaning up after you from behind, you would have been discovered long ago."

"Although your Mind's Eye detection is indeed subtle, it cannot prevent you from being discovered. With a range of only about 50 meters, if I hadn't been there, you would have been caught instantly."

"The intruders are indeed Kumogakure Jonin. Their ostensible purpose for coming to Konoha is to discuss peace talks and an alliance, but their true mission is to abduct Kushina. As for their ultimate goal, I am not at liberty to disclose that to you."

"Even though Kumogakure was secretive, our spies learned of their mission long ago. This is merely a play we are performing in coordination with them."

"But the director of this play is me~"

"As for why I am staging this, it is simply to find a reasonable pretext for war. The conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure has reached an irreconcilable point. I want to eliminate this hidden danger while I am still alive."

"As soon as they leave the village with Kushina, I will intervene and take them out. That way, we will have our justification for war~"

After speaking, Mito patted Kuming on the head, performed the hand seal for a Shadow Clone, and then the original body took Kuming by the hand and began walking toward their home.

"Everything is under my control, though what surprised me was that you were able to detect the Kumogakure ninjas' intrusion and even manage to track them."

"For a four-year-old child, your performance has been far too shocking."

"Let's end this detective game now and come home with me."

Listening to Mito's explanation, Kuming stood frozen in place. Her account was completely different from what he had anticipated. He had originally assumed this kidnapping was orchestrated by the Third Hokage to set the stage for a young Minato Namikaze to perform a heroic rescue, causing Kushina to fall for Minato's charms.

He never expected that this incident was actually orchestrated by Mito herself, and for the purpose of starting a war with Kumogakure. He had to admit, the plan was insane; Kuming had never imagined that a war between Konoha and Kumogakure could be something Konoha would actively seek.

"Kid, are you scared? Do you think Grandma is a war criminal?"

"Actually, Kumogakure brought this upon themselves. If they hadn't harbored malicious intent, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to act."

"Furthermore, the purpose of this war is to eliminate a threat. If I don't resolve this once and for all while I'm still alive, the casualties within the village will be uncontrollable once I'm gone."

Mito, thinking her plan had frightened the child, quickly offered an explanation while gently stroking Kuming's hair to comfort him.

Once a war begins, how could it ever be controlled? With so many high-ranking officials in Konoha, each with their own agendas, not to mention the other villages... In the end, war is just a tool to eliminate dissent. Grandma Mito is a bit naive.

Although Mito had lived through several major wars since the Warring States period, her understanding of war remained superficial; she could not grasp its true nature. She naively believed war could be controlled, but Kuming, having been influenced by the history of the 21st century, knew that once a war started, no one could control its trajectory.

If he told Mito now that this war might cost her grandson his life, he wondered if she would feel any regret.

However, he kept these thoughts to himself. After all, he was only a four-year-old child; some things, even if said, would change nothing.

"Grandma, let's follow them. I'm afraid something might happen to Sister." Kuming didn't overthink it. Once he understood Mito's goal and knew the enemies were real Kumogakure ninjas, his previous calm vanished. He himself had transmigrated—who knew if Kushina might meet with an accident?

"Hmm? Very well. I suppose you won't be able to sleep if I don't take you, so come along." Mito glanced at Kuming, then wrapped her arm around his waist and dashed rapidly toward the village gates.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!"

The four-man Kumogakure team had just crossed the Konoha barrier and reached the outskirts of the village. They hadn't traveled far when several kunai were fired from the forest.

"Scatter!" With a sharp cry, the men surrounding Kushina quickly vacated their positions.

Uzumaki Kushina had already regained consciousness. Seeing the team under attack, a look of excitement replaced the gloom on her face.

"Who's there?" The leader of the Kumogakure team pulled out a kunai, backed up against Kushina, and watched the forest where the kunai had been fired with vigilance. The other three also converged from three directions, surrounding Kushina and observing their surroundings warily.

Under the moonlight, a boy emerged from the shadows of the trees. He held a kunai in his hand, his golden hair shining brilliantly in the moonlight.

"Minato? Why are you here?"

"Run! You're no match for them!"

Kushina had been somewhat joyful at the arrival of reinforcements, but when she saw who it was, her joy turned to shock in an instant, followed by terror. She shouted at Minato in a panic.

"What's this? It's just a little kid. Hey! Little brat, shouldn't you be sleeping at this hour? Daddy is going to have to spank you!"

"Hahahaha~"

The Kumogakure team, previously tense, burst into arrogant laughter upon seeing the newcomer. They had assumed they were discovered by Konoha's forces and pursued, but it turned out to be just a child, barely ten years old. To them, such a kid was nothing more than easy prey.

The four Kumogakure ninjas walked toward Minato with cruel grins, their knuckles cracking.

"Kid, let me show you the cruelty of the ninja world!"