"The Hidden Organization?"
"So they really have come back...?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Uncle put on an inscrutable air. "They're a group of demons who bring chaos to the world..."
"That little girl you encountered—she called herself 'Jack the Ripper,' right?"
Seeing how familiar Uncle was with the Hidden Organization, Minato suddenly felt his back no longer ached and his legs no longer hurt. At least the fight hadn't been for nothing. He immediately continued asking questions:
"So what exactly are their goals?"
This time, Uncle didn't answer. He merely shrugged helplessly. "Unfortunately, even I don't know what they're after. Their organization has existed for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, but people know very little about them. All anyone knows is that they seem to be behind almost every evil deed..."
"They were even the ones who dug up the Shendu Statue, which should have been resting beneath the earth."
"So that's how it is..."
From what Uncle had said, this "Hidden Organization" was the root of all evil in the Ninja World! "We have to report this to Lord Hokage..."
At dawn, Minato arrived at the Hokage's office early and relayed what he had learned about the Hidden Organization to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.
"The Hidden Organization..."
Even the three senior officials, who had been born in the Warring States period, had never heard of it. They even doubted it existed.
At least they now knew what the Fog Demon looked like, though the fact that it was a child had surprised them.
But... Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't look too pleased. He had used his standing as Hokage to temporarily quell the people's discontent. If the matter wasn't resolved, wouldn't that make him a Hokage who went back on his word?
"Does Mr. Uncle have any way to deal with the Fog Demon—that is, Jack?"
Minato nodded. "Uncle said he can use a Qi Magic spell to keep the fog from spreading into the village. As for Jack... we can probably only send more Anbu to patrol at night..."
"I see..."
Though they hadn't found a perfect solution, Minato's intelligence suggested that the Fog Demon, Jack, usually relied on the thick fog to launch "surprise attacks." He was extremely agile and powerful, but seemed to have very little stamina. Even Minato, with his relatively low chakra reserves, had managed to wear him down.
Without the poisonous fog, there was no doubt that Jack would be far less dangerous. As long as they had the Anbu work a little overtime, it shouldn't be a problem.
(PS: That means starting work at four in the morning, working two shifts a day, getting off at nine at night, working seven days a week, and having no days off.)
On the streets of Konoha--
No one had been torn apart by horses that morning, so as soon as the fog cleared, many villagers returned to the streets. Konoha was bustling and lively once again.
The people couldn't stop praising Sarutobi Hiruzen, their Hokage. Their chatter had practically made Uncle's ears go numb while he worked on the "talisman locator."
"Chixing! Close the window! All that chattering outside is making it impossible for Uncle to concentrate!"
"Okay, Uncle."
Chixing had just closed the window and returned to help Uncle when another loud order rang out—
"One more thing! Close the curtains! It's too bright outside. Uncle can barely see with his old eyes!"
"Yes, Uncle."
Chixing had only just drawn the curtains when Uncle spoke again, just as expected. This time, though, it wasn't about some trivial matter. He had located a talisman.
"Oh! This time, it's the Ox Talisman!"
The ox horn being used as a medium slowly floated into the air. Then it glowed green and pointed in a certain direction.
"Chixing! Grab everything we need. We're heading out!"
Konoha, Training Ground Seven--
"Ah! Minato-sensei! You're finally back! I've been bored out of my mind these past few days!"
After spending several days on a mission, Minato had barely returned to the training ground when his three young students greeted him with excitement.
The spiky-haired boy in goggles and orange-and-blue clothes—Uchiha Obito—looked overjoyed. With their team's jōnin leader away, their squad had basically ceased to exist.
Obito got to spend time with his goddess, Nohara Rin, every day, but... Rin kept teaching him theory, and his head was about to explode from listening. It was the same pain a high school student felt sitting through a math class without understanding a thing.
And then there was Hatake Kakashi, who took it to a whole new level. As soon as Minato became busy, Kakashi stopped showing up for the team's daily "get-togethers" altogether! He wouldn't even send a Shadow Clone!
"Hey, hey! Minato-sensei, let's hurry up and take a high-rank mission that'll let us leave the village! I'm going stir-crazy!"
Faced with Obito's eager gaze, Minato turned to the other two members of the squad to see what they thought.
Rin wasn't as straightforward as Obito, but it was clear she was bored, too. She said nothing as she sorted through her ninja tools, occasionally playing with the ends of her brown hair.
As for Kakashi... he was still gazing at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle with his dead-fish eyes, occasionally sneaking a glance at Minato. It couldn't be helped... Kakashi was already a Chunin. With no missions to do, he was bound to get restless and start "itching for a fight," right?
The whole team was in agreement. If Minato refused now, it would be rude. So he'd take a mission that would let them leave the village without putting them in much danger. They could use the chance to unwind.
"All right. Since you all want to get out of the village for a change of scenery, I'll grant your wish. I'll go pick up a mission. Get ready, and meet back here before noon."
"Woohoo! Minato-sensei, you're the best!"
The moment Minato finished speaking, Obito jumped up in excitement. He could finally leave the village! This time, he'd definitely awaken his Sharingan, beat up that idiot Kakashi, make Rin see him in a new light, and then become Hokage and reach the pinnacle of life!
Seeing Obito's eyes turn comically wide as he gaped, his tongue stretched out like a toad's, making the same face as Kogoro Mouri, Minato didn't know how to interrupt him. In the end, Rin had to gently nudge Obito to bring him back to reality from his impossible daydreams—
"Obito, want to go restock our ninja tools?"
In Obito's eyes, Rin's gentle smile was like an angel's. As he followed her to the ninja tool shop, he kept grinning foolishly, already imagining their life together after marriage.
Kakashi, meanwhile, thought there was no need to prepare at all... Minato-sensei would give their squad a C-rank mission at most. They'd just chop down some bandits or hunt some wild beasts. There was no way he'd even need his White Fang Short Blade...
Once the team members had gone their separate ways, only the blond Minato was left. "I've only just returned to the village after all these days, and now I have to go on another mission... I hope Kushina won't get mad..."
As "the most henpecked man in the Ninja World," Minato had to report to Kushina every time he left the village on a mission. Part of it was because Kushina, as a Jinchūriki, needed to keep her emotions stable, but mostly it was because he didn't want her to worry. (Minato: It's not that I'm henpecked. I just respect my wife.)
Before you continue