After having a lengthy discussion with Hiruzen, Sakumo led Hayato, brimming with curiosity and anticipation, out of the Hokage Building and toward Konoha's iconic gate.
They stopped in front of the Konoha Gate. They were waiting for the stranger they had met in the Hokage's office.
Hayato's eyes glimmered with excitement and a trace of barely noticeable nervousness. After all, this would be his first important mission as a ninja.
"Sensei Sakumo, could you tell me a little more about this mission?" Hayato finally gave in to his curiosity and asked softly.
Sakumo smiled faintly, took an old scroll from inside his robes, and unfurled it before handing it to Hayato. "The answers are all in here. Take a look."
Hayato carefully accepted the scroll and began to study it.
As he read, his expression gradually grew more serious.
The mission was to travel to the distant Land of Snow and rescue the Feudal Lord's kidnapped son. It seemed that other nations might also be involved.
Unable to handle the situation on their own, the Land of Snow had asked Konoha for help.
"Sensei Sakumo, doesn't the Land of Snow have a ninja village?" Hayato asked.
He remembered that there was supposed to be a Hidden Snow Village.
Sakumo sighed and explained, "There is, but they aren't strong enough to deal with this crisis. This kidnapping is clearly beyond their capabilities."
Hayato nodded, but still couldn't shake his confusion.
Why was the Hokage taking this mission so seriously? Why had he even sent an expert like Sakumo?
Even if the Land of Fire and the Land of Snow were on good terms, Hiruzen seemed to be taking this too seriously.
He had actually sent Sakumo to take part in the rescue. Hayato turned his gaze to him.
Sakumo noticed and smiled. "Are you wondering why the two of us were assigned to this mission together?"
Hayato nodded slightly, waiting for Sakumo to continue.
"Because the Land of Snow isn't just our ally. It also has close technological ties with Konoha."
"The electrical appliances we use now, like electric lights, are imported from the Land of Snow."
Only then did Hayato understand why Hiruzen had taken the mission so seriously.
The Land of Snow was an important source of technology for Konoha.
"I understand." Hayato nodded.
Sakumo was quite pleased with his clever subordinate.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded in the distance. The stern-faced envoy from the Land of Snow hurried over, anxiety and hope in his eyes.
"Greetings, both of you. If you're ready, we can set out immediately." The envoy's voice carried a note of urgency.
The Feudal Lord's son was still missing, and his life or death was unknown. This was a matter that could determine the future of the Land of Snow.
Sakumo and Hayato exchanged a glance. "All right."
The group set out together, leaving Konoha behind.
As for his family, Hayato had already asked a fellow clan member to inform his parents.
They made their way through the dense forests of the Land of Fire. The scenery unfolded like a painting, but they had no time to admire it.
As they traveled, Sakumo occasionally asked the envoy for clues about the kidnapping. The envoy seemed reluctant to answer, as though he were hiding something.
"Envoy, do you have any suspects in this kidnapping?" Sakumo's voice was steady and authoritative, leaving no room for evasion.
The envoy looked flustered for a moment, then quickly composed himself. After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
"We suspect that Iwagakure, in the Land of Earth, was involved."
He watched Sakumo and Hayato nervously. He was afraid Konoha might refuse the mission if he said this.
Hayato and Sakumo both looked surprised.
Iwagakure interfering in the Land of Snow's internal affairs? What was going on?
Did Ōnoki have nothing better to do?
"Do you have any evidence?" Sakumo asked at once.
If this was mishandled, it could spark a war between the two countries.
The stakes involved would undoubtedly make the mission far more complicated and difficult.
When he heard about the kidnapping, the first village Hayato had thought of was Kumogakure, which had a penchant for abducting people.
After a while, the Hidden Snow Village envoy finally spoke.
"We wouldn't make such a claim without reason. We can discuss the details once we reach the Land of Snow."
Sakumo showed little reaction and simply replied, "All right. We'll investigate."
After several days of travel, they finally arrived at the snowy border of the Land of Snow.
The scenery was utterly different from the Land of Fire. Everything was pure white, like something out of a fairy tale. Yet beneath that beauty lurked danger and hardship.
The Land of Snow was blanketed in ice and snow all year round, so Hayato and Sakumo both put on coats.
"It's really cold." Hayato tightened his coat.
Since he was rather small, it had taken him quite a while to find one that fit.
"Then that means you need to train more," Sakumo teased.
"I'm still growing," Hayato protested.
He was just over 1.1 meters tall, which was quite good for his age.
After traveling for a while through the Land of Snow, they finally reached its central region.
The Daimyo's Mansion.
The Feudal Lord of the Land of Snow received Sakumo and Hayato. But when he saw Hayato's small stature, he frowned slightly, seeming to doubt his abilities.
However, after the envoy whispered a few words in his ear, the Feudal Lord's expression brightened.
"Thank you for sending two people to help us."
The main reason was that he had learned the leader of the team was the White Fang of Konoha.
Sakumo waved a hand. "Time is short. We'd like to hear the details of the mission."
In particular, he wanted to know more about the envoy's earlier claim that Iwagakure was involved in the kidnapping.
The Feudal Lord nodded and began to explain what had happened.
The kidnappers were from the nearby Land of Arc.
Ten days earlier, on a dark night, a group of intruders had silently infiltrated the Feudal Lord's Mansion and abducted his two sons.
Kazahana Sōsetsu and Kazahana Dōtō.
When the brothers' names came up, Hayato's brows drew together slightly. So it was these two who had met with misfortune.
Even more shocking, the kidnappers had made an outrageous demand to the Hidden Snow Village.
They wanted more than a hundred skilled experts and the core technology they possessed in exchange for the two sons.
For the Land of Snow, it was an impossible choice.
They feared that if they handed over their people and technology, they might still fail to rescue the hostages, leaving them with an irreparable loss.
"Feudal Lord, about what you mentioned earlier—that Iwagakure might be involved..." Sakumo's voice was steady and firm.
He knew this was the key issue they needed to focus on. The dispute between the Land of Snow and the Land of Arc wasn't the focus of their mission.
The Feudal Lord looked troubled. "We have no conclusive evidence, but we did capture one of the intruders during the pursuit."
Hayato was surprised. He hadn't expected one of them to have been caught—and alive, at that.
Were they that weak?
"During questioning, he accidentally let slip that they had ties to Iwagakure," the Feudal Lord continued. "But we can't tell whether this was an attempt to frame them."
Hayato rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
At the mention of kidnapping, the first village that came to mind was Kumogakure, the village known for violence and abduction.
And considering that Kumogakure later possessed advanced technology like the Chakra Cannon, he couldn't help wondering if those weapons had come from an illicit deal in this kidnapping.
Kumogakure was powerful, but Hayato still doubted they could develop such astonishing weapons on their own.
"Perhaps we can help," Hayato said suddenly, his voice firm and confident.
Sakumo gave Hayato a thoughtful look, then nodded slightly in agreement.
The Feudal Lord of the Land of Snow noticed this as well. He hadn't paid much attention to the small boy before, but now he had to reconsider this seemingly young child, who was nevertheless full of wisdom.
"Please tell us how we should cooperate," the Feudal Lord asked sincerely. He had already placed his hopes in the two Konoha ninja.
"Take us to the captured intruder, or bring him here," Hayato said slowly.
The Feudal Lord and the envoy exchanged a glance, then nodded. "We'll do as you ask."
Before long, the captured ninja was brought before them, bound hand and foot. He looked disdainful and stubbornly shouted, "No matter what you do, I won't talk!"
But just as he finished speaking, a young figure slowly stepped up to him.
"Sharingan!"
Without hesitation, Hayato used Sharingan Genjutsu to hypnotize him. Before long, the ninja's eyes turned vacant and lifeless.
"Tell me, who was really behind this operation?" Hayato asked coldly.
"It was... Kumogakure," the ninja answered blankly.
Just as he thought! Hayato sneered inwardly. Kumogakure would never change; they were always kidnapping people.
As far as he knew, there had been Kushina and Hinata.
The sudden turn of events left the Feudal Lord and the envoy of the Land of Snow stunned.
He'd done it just by looking at him?
They stared at the seemingly weak boy, filled with awe and curiosity.
"Who is this child?" the Feudal Lord asked Sakumo, his voice tinged with awe and confusion.
When Hayato heard the question, a familiar melody and narration echoed in his mind: "The only one who saw through the truth was a child who looked young, yet was wiser than his years..."
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