Minato Namikaze

In the ANBU changing room, Yagami waited for the first batch of ANBU ninja to graduate from Root.

There were three new members.

They had each chosen one of three masks Yagami recognized: Antelope, Purple Cat, and Black Bull.

Yagami adjusted his Fox mask. Perhaps after he died, the Fox mask would be returned to a locker in the changing room and worn by the next ANBU ninja.

"Greetings, Captain Fox!"

Yagami nodded and said,

"Fox Squad's most important task at present is to obey the Black Gorilla Squad Commander's orders and protect the Uzumaki Princess.

The Uzumaki Princess may die behind us, but she must not die before us."

The three members hurriedly replied, "Yes!"

At dawn, the Black Gorilla Squad left the Forest of Death and arrived outside the Senju Clan Compound to switch shifts with another squad.

ANBU were not permitted to enter the Senju Clan Compound. While Uzumaki Kushina was within the compound, the Senju Clan was responsible for her safety.

Once she left the compound, the ANBU took responsibility.

That morning, more than a dozen children emerged from the Senju Clan Compound.

Laughing and chatting, they chased one another as they ran toward the Ninja Academy with backpacks on their shoulders.

Uzumaki Kushina was among them.

Uzumaki Kushina's red hair was exceptionally conspicuous in the morning light. Having just endured the destruction of her clan, there was none of the innocence expected of her age on her face, only sorrow and melancholy.

Three little girls from the Senju Clan surrounded Uzumaki Kushina and treated her well.

Uzumaki Kushina entered the school.

Yagami hid behind the school building and used binoculars to observe the classroom.

The teacher was explaining the parabolic descent trajectory of a kunai.

Rather than looking at Uzumaki Kushina in the front row, Yagami watched a blond child at the back of the classroom.

Minato Namikaze, the most dazzling genius Konoha would produce over the next fifteen years.

Minato Namikaze occasionally glanced toward the front row, watching the red-haired transfer student.

After watching the class for a while, Yagami left the treetop and patrolled the Ninja Academy, checking every corner where someone might hide.

He encountered teachers along the way. They were unsurprised, knowing that ANBU were protecting the Uzumaki Princess.

After Nawaki, the Young Clan Head of the Senju Clan who had just graduated, the Ninja Academy had gained a second important student: the Uzumaki Princess.

The afternoon brought the Ninja Academy's sparring class.

During sparring class, Yagami was dumbfounded.

Minato Namikaze's reaction speed was astonishingly fast.

After having his reaction speed enhanced once, Yagami could see it even more clearly.

The moment his opponent's shoulder twitched, Minato Namikaze had already raised an arm to block.

Minato Namikaze was so fast that it seemed as though he could predict other people's movements.

His defense in taijutsu duels was airtight, and when his opponent's center opened up, a simple jab knocked the opponent down.

The entire process looked effortless and completely under control.

During a break in sparring, some children surrounded Uzumaki Kushina, pointing at her and whispering.

They were bullying the transfer student, but a teacher quickly came over and drove them away.

At four in the afternoon, the ANBU changed shifts, and the Black Gorilla Squad got off duty.

Yagami went to Tsurutsuki Izakaya.

He ordered a flask of sake and some braised meat, passing the time alone.

The large amount of meat rapidly strengthened Yagami's body.

Meat in Konoha was far too expensive.

Just eating meat for one night cost ten thousand ryo.

Even a jonin like Asuma Sarutobi could not afford to eat meat like this.

But the benefits were obvious.

After returning to the village for over a month, his chakra quantity had naturally increased quite a bit.

Swallowing a large chunk of beef, Yagami pondered how to increase his income. Otherwise, he would not be able to afford meat.

The proprietress, Kyouko, occasionally came over to ask whether Yagami needed anything else.

She liked Yagami far too much. He often stayed here, ordered the finest liquor every day he came, ate plenty of meat, and spent a great deal of money.

If she were not a spy and were simply the proprietress of an izakaya, she would definitely like Yagami even more.

Every bit of money Yagami earned was invested in food and drink.

He flirted with Kyouko, telling her not to diet lately. Her breasts had shrunk a little from hunger.

Kyouko argued that her bra was simply too tight today; she had definitely not lost weight.

Once Kyouko went back to work, Yagami's gaze suddenly lowered.

The izakaya was full of all kinds of people.

The way a person who had just entered pulled out a chair made Yagami's heart skip a beat.

The movements of the shoulders, elbows, and wrists were exceptionally coordinated. As the chair was pulled, its legs left the floor and remained suspended a centimeter above the ground.

Cloud Style Swordsmanship...

Yagami could not be mistaken. That unique way of snapping the joints was definitely Kumogakure's Cloud Style Swordsmanship.

After training swordsmanship diligently for ten years, even without holding a sword, one's arms would differ from those of ordinary people.

Yagami was skilled in Cloud Style Swordsmanship, so he recognized it.

Using his wine cup to hide half his face, Yagami thought, In the original story, Cloud Ninja spies once kidnapped Uzumaki Kushina. Could they have already set their sights on her?

This should have happened before Uzumaki Kushina became a Jinchuriki. The guards protecting a Jinchuriki were far stronger than those protecting the Uzumaki Princess.

The suspected Cloud Ninja spy chatted for an hour before leaving the izakaya.

Yagami stuffed all the meat into his mouth haphazardly and rose to leave as well.

If he could contribute to guarding the Uzumaki Princess, he could at least earn an A-rank mission. Then next month's meat money would be covered.

No meat, no strength.

Kyouko hurriedly chased after him. "Hey! Aren't we researching Yin Release together tonight?"

"Let's take a day off. If we research Yin Release every day, even the Hokage's waist won't be able to take it."

Kyouko watched Yagami leave with regret.

After leaving the izakaya, Yagami did not follow the suspected spy. Instead, he took out his Fox mask from his Ninja Tool Pouch and went straight to find Uzumaki Kushina.

Yagami found Uzumaki Kushina in a small park near the Senju Clan Compound.

He found not only Uzumaki Kushina, but also another ANBU guard squad.

Each shift lasted eight hours, with three rotations. The Black Gorilla Squad handed over at four in the afternoon, and the next shift change would be at midnight.

Yagami did not approach the guard squad and stayed far away.

The ANBU did not urge Uzumaki Kushina to return to the Senju Clan Compound either. This was her period of adjustment to Konoha, so it was better to let her move about freely.

There were children from the Senju Clan in the park, as well as Uzumaki Kushina's classmates.

From afar, Yagami spotted Minato Namikaze in the park through his binoculars.

It was getting late. Many children had left the park, and even Minato Namikaze had gone home, heading west.

The park was peaceful.

Yagami yawned. Why were these children so energetic? Why were they not going home?

Suddenly, Yagami's expression turned grave.

They were here!

Five people appeared at the edge of the park!

One of them was the person Yagami had seen at the izakaya.

Spies who could infiltrate Konoha would not be too powerful.

Every well-known jonin from Kumogakure was a priority for intelligence surveillance. Chunin, at most Elite Chunin, could infiltrate more easily.

For Uzumaki Kushina, Kumogakure had deployed its entire Spy System.

Yagami hurried into the park.

More than ten seconds later, Yagami looked at the night sky in confusion.

Why had no signal flare been fired?

For an attack on the Uzumaki Princess, something this serious, ANBU regulations required a signal flare to be launched.

Could this batch of new ANBU recruits include Kumogakure spies as well?