A Child in Appearance, But With Wisdom Beyond His Years...

After an in-depth conversation with Hiruzen, Sakumo led a curious and expectant Hayato out of the Hokage building, heading toward the iconic gates of Hidden Leaf Village.

Standing quietly before the gates, they waited for the stranger they had seen earlier in the Hokage's office.

Expectation and a hint of imperceptible nervousness flickered in Hayato's eyes; after all, this would be his first major mission as a ninja.

"Master Sakumo, could you reveal some details about this mission to me?" Hayato finally couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked Sakumo in a low voice.

Sakumo smiled slightly, took an ancient-looking scroll from his robes, gently unfurled it, and handed it to Hayato: "The answers are all in this scroll. See for yourself."

Hayato carefully took the scroll and began to study it closely.

As he read through the text, his expression gradually grew solemn.

It turned out that this mission was to travel to the distant Land of Snow to rescue the kidnapped son of the Land's Daimyo, and the incident seemed to involve the shadows of other nations.

With the Land of Snow unable to handle the situation, they had turned to Hidden Leaf for assistance.

"Master Sakumo, doesn't the Land of Snow have a ninja village?" Hayato asked.

He recalled that the Land of Snow should have a Hidden Snow Village.

Sakumo sighed and explained: "They do, but their strength is insufficient to deal with this crisis. This kidnapping incident has clearly exceeded their capabilities."

Hayato nodded, yet he remained puzzled.

Why would the Hokage attach such importance to this mission, even dispatching a master like Sakumo?

Even if the Land of Fire and the Land of Snow were on good terms, Hiruzen seemed a bit too serious this time.

To actually arrange for Sakumo to participate in the rescue—Hayato shifted his gaze toward Sakumo.

The latter sensed his stare and laughed, "Are you wondering why this mission was arranged for the two of us to go together?"

Hayato nodded slightly, waiting for Sakumo to continue.

"Because the Land of Snow is not only our ally, but there is also a close technological partnership between the Land of Snow and Hidden Leaf."

"The electrical appliances like light bulbs we use now are actually imported from the Land of Snow."

Hearing this, Hayato finally understood why Hiruzen would place such importance on this mission.

The Land of Snow was a vital source of Hidden Leaf's technological power.

"I understand," Hayato nodded slightly.

Sakumo was very satisfied with his clever subordinate.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from afar, and the stern-faced envoy from the Land of Snow rushed over, his eyes revealing a mix of anxiety and anticipation.

"Greetings, both of you. If it is convenient, let us depart immediately," the envoy said with a hint of urgency.

His country's Daimyo's son's life was still hanging in the balance; this was a matter concerning the future destiny of the Land of Snow.

Sakumo and Hayato exchanged a glance. "No problem."

The group then set off together, leaving Hidden Leaf.

As for his family, Hayato had already found a clansman to inform his parents.

The group traveled through the dense forests of the Land of Fire, the picturesque scenery unfolding along the way, but they had no heart to appreciate it.

During the journey, Sakumo frequently asked the envoy for clues regarding the kidnapping, but the envoy was hesitant, as if he were hiding something.

"Envoy, regarding this kidnapping, do you have any suspects?" Sakumo's voice was steady and powerful, revealing an unquestionable authority.

Hearing this, a flash of panic crossed the envoy's face, but he quickly regained his composure. He was silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"We suspect that the shadow of the Hidden Stone Village in the Land of Earth is behind this incident."

He then looked nervously at Sakumo and Hayato, fearing that if he said this, Hidden Leaf might refuse the mission.

Hearing this, both Hayato and Sakumo looked surprised.

Hidden Stone Village interfering in the internal affairs of the Land of Snow? What was going on?

Was Onoki just bored?

"Is there any evidence?" Sakumo asked directly.

If this were handled poorly, it could trigger a war between the two nations.

The stakes involved undoubtedly made this mission much more complex and thorny.

When it came to kidnapping, Hayato was the first to think of that village obsessed with it: the Cloud Village.

After a while, the Hidden Snow envoy finally spoke.

"We certainly wouldn't make empty claims. We can discuss the specific details once we arrive in the Land of Snow."

However, Sakumo did not show much emotion, only responding indifferently: "Understood, we will investigate it thoroughly."

After several days of trekking, they finally arrived at the snow-covered border of the Land of Snow.

The scenery here was completely different from the Land of Fire, a pristine white world like a fairy tale. But beneath this beautiful exterior lay endless crises and challenges.

Because it was icy and snowy all year round, both Hayato and Sakumo donned heavy cloaks.

"It really is cold," Hayato said, tightening his coat.

Because he was rather short, it had taken quite a while to find this outfit that fit him at the time.

"That just proves you need to exercise more," Sakumo teased from the side.

"I'd say I'm still growing," Hayato retorted.

At just over one meter ten, his development was actually quite impressive for his age.

After traveling for a stretch through the Land of Snow, they finally arrived at the heart of the nation.

The Daimyo's Mansion.

The Daimyo of the Land of Snow received Sakumo and his companion, but upon seeing the diminutive Hayato, he couldn't help but frown slightly, seemingly doubting the boy's capabilities.

However, after the envoy whispered a few words into the Daimyo's ear, a look of joy replaced the doubt on the ruler's face.

"I am grateful to Konoha for arranging for the two of you to assist us."

He was primarily relieved to hear that the person leading the team was the White Fang of Konoha.

Sakumo waved a hand dismissively. "Time is of the essence. We would like to understand the specific details of this mission."

He was particularly concerned about the mention of the Hidden Stone Village's involvement in the kidnapping during their journey.

The Daimyo nodded and began to recount the situation.

The kidnappers were from the Land of Arc, located not far from the Land of Snow.

Ten days ago, on a dark night, a group of uninvited guests had silently infiltrated the Daimyo's Mansion and abducted the Daimyo's two sons.

Fuyukaze Sosetsu and Fuyukaze Dotō.

When these two names were mentioned during the conversation, Hayato's brows furrowed slightly as he pondered to himself; he hadn't expected these two brothers to be the ones caught in this misfortune.

Even more shocking was the preposterous exchange condition the kidnappers had proposed to the Hidden Snow Village.

They demanded over a hundred elite, top-tier talents and the core technologies they possessed in return for the two princes.

For the Land of Snow, this was undoubtedly a difficult dilemma.

They feared that if they handed over their talent and technology, they still might not be able to rescue the hostages, resulting in an irreparable loss.

"Your Excellency, regarding the potential involvement of the Hidden Stone Village mentioned earlier..." Sakumo's voice was steady and powerful.

He knew this was the core issue they needed to focus on; the power struggle between the Land of Snow and the Land of Arc was not the priority of their mission.

The Daimyo looked troubled. "Regarding that, we have no concrete evidence, but we did manage to capture one of the intruders during the pursuit."

Hearing this, Hayato was secretly surprised; he hadn't expected the enemy to have someone captured alive.

Were they really that incompetent?

"During the interrogation, he inadvertently revealed information about a collaboration with the Hidden Stone Village," the Daimyo continued. "But we cannot be certain if this is a frame-up."

Hayato rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

When it came to kidnappings, his first thought was the Cloud Village, a village notorious for violence and plunder.

Combining this with the advanced technology, such as the chakra cannons, that the Cloud Village would later possess, he speculated that these technologies might have originated from illegal transactions born of this very kidnapping.

While the Cloud Village was powerful, Hayato remained skeptical that they could have developed such astonishing weapons on their own.

"Perhaps we can help," Hayato suddenly spoke up, his voice firm and confident.

Sakumo looked at Hayato thoughtfully before nodding slightly in agreement.

This caught the attention of the Daimyo of the Land of Snow. He hadn't paid much mind to the short boy before, but now, he was forced to re-evaluate the seemingly childish yet wise youth before him.

"How should we cooperate?" the Daimyo asked with a sincere attitude, having pinned his hopes on these two Konoha ninja.

"Take us to see the captured intruder, or bring him here," Hayato said slowly.

After exchanging a glance with his envoy, the Daimyo nodded. "We shall do as you ask."

Soon, the captured ninja was brought in, bound hand and foot. He looked on with disdain, shouting stubbornly, "No matter what you do, I won't talk!"

However, just as his words faded, a small figure slowly walked up to him.

"Sharingan!"

Without hesitation, Hayato cast a Sharingan genjutsu to hypnotize him. Moments later, the ninja's eyes went dull and vacant.

"Tell me, who is the mastermind behind this operation?" Hayato asked coldly.

"It is... the Cloud Village," the ninja replied blankly.

Just as expected! Hayato sneered inwardly; the Cloud Village truly never changed, always obsessed with kidnapping.

From what he knew, they had even targeted Kushina and Hinata.

This sudden turn of events left the Daimyo and his envoy stunned.

Just one look, and it was done?

They stared at the seemingly weak boy, filled with awe and curiosity.

"This child, who exactly is he?" the Daimyo asked Sakumo, his tone tinged with reverence and confusion.

As Hayato heard this, a familiar melody and narration echoed in his mind: "The only one who sees the truth is a person who looks like a child, but possesses wisdom far beyond the ordinary..."