In Huo Ying's office, the Third gazed out the window, his heart heavy with worry. When he saw Mirai arrive, he said, "Something unexpected has happened..."
Before the Third could finish, Mirai had already guessed it. "Is there a problem with Minato?"
The Third sighed deeply, turned around, unfolded the map in his hand, and pointed at a stretch of forest. "This is the last place Minato was seen. The ANBU returned and confirmed that the Kumogakure ninja corpses were indeed found there. However, judging from the traces of battle, Minato had held the absolute advantage. Yet strangely, he disappeared afterward, as though he had vanished into thin air..."
The Third took a drag from his pipe before continuing. "You know that with Minato's abilities, he could escape at any time using the Flying Thunder God Technique. But now, he has disappeared out of nowhere! This is truly troublesome... Mirai, you have been to Mount Myoboku. Try the Reverse Summoning Technique of the toad clan and see whether you can summon Minato back..."
Following the old man's instructions, Mirai gave it a try. However, the moment the seal was activated, it was immediately pulled back. The reverse summoning failed to bring Minato back.
Both the Third and Mirai were stunned. Logically speaking, if Minato could be summoned, there should have been no issue with the summoning seal. Yet the seal appeared only to return immediately. It was the first time they had seen such a thing.
The Third said, "If the summoning seal can still be used, that means Minato is still alive..."
Mirai gave a quiet "Mm," but he could not figure out what was happening. Neither the Reverse Summoning Technique nor Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique could work. Where the hell was that guy?
The Third snorted softly.