Midnight Deliberation
In the end, Minato still did not agree to take Shiro back to the village with him. He was already exhausted enough on his own, and he was worried that adding another person would cause him to die young.
Besides, there will definitely be other people coming from the village, and he really can't handle bringing so many.
Therefore, he simply agreed to meet Shiro here at that time and then began his return journey. Time was tight, and he couldn't afford to rest now, as it would be quite troublesome to persuade suitable people to join him in the village.
After all, the Minato simply couldn't handle too many people, so we had to choose suitable and powerful ones, which was quite difficult to find.
Therefore, he needed to go back and make some plans. However, Shiro did not stay there but returned to his Workshop. He needed to explain some things to Azu and Ayue.
Ayue is fine, just prepare for battle. But Azu is more troublesome. Shiro needs him to gather some intelligence about the war to prepare for Shiro's subsequent plans.
However, apart from these, there was nothing else to deal with. Shiro usually didn't have much to do. After giving his instructions, Shiro plunged back into his research on Magecraft.
Meanwhile, after Minato returned to the village, he briefly spoke with Kushina about Shiro's situation before making an excuse to leave and go see the Third Hokage.
In the Hokage's office, after listening to Minato's report, the Third Hokage smoked a cigarette while deep in thought.
This mission isn't actually difficult. If it really goes as Shiro said, then he and Minato are more than enough, and there's no need for anyone else to go.
However, things are not calculated that way. The village betrayed the Land of Whirlpools in the past, and now that they have a chance to save their people, it would be unreasonable for the village not to send anyone.
Minato and Shiro are each other's future son-in-law and adopted brother, respectively, so they can both be considered as their own people. Therefore, although the fighting strength is sufficient, it would be appropriate for the village to produce a few more capable individuals.
However, this was precisely the point that stumped him. It wouldn't be appropriate for those of low status to go, and those of high status would be too busy with village affairs to leave the village. Moreover, the number of people going couldn't be too large, otherwise Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique wouldn't be able to handle it.
That's why he was in a dilemma. Orochimaru was currently on a mission outside, Jiraiya had gone off to have fun, so there were hardly any suitable candidates.
It was only then that the Third Hokage realized that the village had already experienced a fault line.
After Sakumo's death, he couldn't find many suitable people for the mission. Now he truly regretted not stopping Danzo, which led to Sakumo's suicide.
But that's all in the past. No matter how much we lament, the mission must continue. After a moment's thought, the Third Hokage tapped the table with his pipe and said, "Go and invite Elder Mito here."
"Yes, sir." After saying that, the Anbu had suddenly appeared disappeared again.
And so, Minato stood to the side, while Mitsuyo continued smoking, quietly waiting by the candlelight.
"Sarutobi, what brings you here so late?" A moment later, Mito arrived and pushed open the door, walking right in.
"Hmm, this is the intelligence that Minato just compiled. Take a look." After saying that, the Third Hokage handed a scroll to Mitokado Homura.
"What could possibly require calling me over in the middle of the night?" With that, Mito opened the scroll and frowned. "The Uzumaki Clan? The Akatsuki."
After a while, Mito, having finished reading the scroll, looked up and said as he closed it, "Since the Uzumaki Clan is involved, then we must take action."
"As the Hokage, you can't easily leave the village, so I'll go into battle this time. I suppose that's what you wanted too."
"That's right, then it's settled. You'll be in charge of this mission, tentatively designated as a Rank A mission. Since you're here, let's talk about another matter mentioned in the intelligence."
"That little girl Ayue?"
"Well, my idea is that since Shiro has vouched for her, we can let her in, and she can even become a ninja, since she is Sakumo's disciple."
"I agree with that. I still have high hopes for Shiro. And that little girl is quite young, so she shouldn't be a spy. However, she can't go to the Ninja Academy and she should be monitored by the Anbu for a period of time as usual."
"Alright, then it's settled. If this mission is successful, we'll grant Emiya Shiro's request. The four of you will be responsible for this mission. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
"Thank you, Lord Hokage. No, that's all. But Elder Mito, when shall we depart?"
"No rush, it's still the middle of the night. Let's set off tomorrow at noon. You should go back and get some rest first. You'll need to rest when you get there anyway, given your current condition."
"Yes, Elder Mito, I'll take my leave now." After saying that, Minato left the Hokage's office, then used Flying Thunder God to return home and immediately collapsed onto his bed to rest.
He was truly exhausted today. He had traveled for half a day and then rushed back to the village overnight. He hadn't rested much in the Hokage's office, as he was busy drafting intelligence. That's why he started resting as soon as he got back.
However, the two in the office discussed things for a long time after Minato left. After all, now that they had brought back that member of the Uzumaki Clan clan, the arrangements for their Uzumaki Clan had to be brought forward.
Previously, the Uzumaki Clan only had two kids, Kushina and Kazuki. It was unrealistic to expect them to support the Uzumaki Clan. Therefore, the policies they prepared for the Uzumaki Clan were to be implemented later, without taking the current situation into account.
This mission will likely bring back a powerful member of the Uzumaki Clan. After all, Elite Jonin are an outstanding fighting force in any country.
Therefore, the previous policy arrangements will no longer apply after his return, and they must resolve these issues before his return.
This is quite difficult. The village's resources have basically been allocated, making it a bit tricky to handle. It wouldn't be appropriate to touch anyone's share. If it were just a small family, then they could be dealt with easily.
However, this is the Uzumaki Clan. Although they are few in number, they used to have a good relationship with Konoha, and once they grow up, their strength is quite formidable, so they cannot be treated lightly.
Ultimately, they initially decided to share some of the profits from the Hawk Plan, which was already halfway through, with the village's share potentially being reduced.
As long as the village retains control of the Hawk Plan, the small share is insignificant. In fact, this is what the Uzumaki Clan needs most, rather than power.
After all, even if they were given control of a department, they wouldn't have enough manpower to take it over. It would be more practical to just give them some funds.