Action Begins

"What about this map?" Yuan Wu asked pointedly.

"It should be genuine. That viper Danzo wouldn't betray us at a time like this." Sa Lei looked up at the moon outside the window, a trace of resolve flashing through his eyes. "Set out now. Remember, be quick and clean. Once you capture the target, leave Konoha immediately. I'll draw the attention of Konoha's higher-ups."

Taking the map Sa Lei handed over, Yuan Wu and the remaining two Chunin nodded solemnly before swiftly disappearing from the inn under cover of night.

"Kumogakure's future is in your hands!"

Sa Lei knew very well that whether this operation succeeded or failed, none of them, himself included, would escape death in the end.

After all, they had come to abduct someone. Even if the mission succeeded, the Raikage would certainly hand them over to Konoha to preserve the relationship between the two villages. That was precisely why he had been sent here.

Already advanced in years, if he could give off one final glimmer of warmth and make his village prosper even more, it would be the honor of his remaining years.

So our deaths must have value!

Staring at Konoha, which had long since fallen silent, the elderly man said nothing for a time.

Namikaze Household

"So, Minato, why did you take out the alcohol?" Feng Xun complained bitterly to Minato as he looked at Kushina, who was making a drunken scene before them.

"I didn't know Kushina would actually drink. We're still underage, after all." Minato looked helplessly at the girl as well.

Kushina's eyes were unfocused with drunkenness, and her smooth red hair had somehow become a complete mess.

"Hey, pretty boy, what are you two whispering about behind my back? Hurry up and bring me more booze!!! I'm not leaving until I'm drunk tonight!"

Seeing Minato and the others whispering without her, Kushina shouted in displeasure.

"Kushina, you're drunk. Let me take you home." Minato supported the thoroughly intoxicated girl with a headache, trying to persuade her.

"You're the one who's drunk! I'm not drunk. I'm telling you, I'm completely sober!" Shaking off Minato's supporting arm, Kushina babbled, "Tell me, why won't that old man, the Third, let me graduate? I won all three of my matches, but he still wants me to stay at the Ninja Academy. I'm going to become the woman who is Hokage, so how can I keep staying at the Ninja Academy?"

As she spoke, the usually carefree Kushina even began to sound choked up.

Watching from the side, Feng Xun felt a little emotional. He could roughly guess why Kushina was not allowed to graduate. They were still in wartime, and the Third and the other higher-ups would never allow Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, to appear on the battlefield so easily for the sake of her safety. And once Kushina did appear on the battlefield, it would likely be the day she died.

Just look at how miserable Naruto had been when the Eight-Tails went berserk. If he had not been stopped in time, Naruto would certainly have died in that rampage.

So in the end, the only one who can save Kushina is you, big brother.

Feng Xun turned his gaze toward Minato, who was clumsily trying to take care of Kushina.

Only by becoming Hokage can you give Kushina a life of her own, so she no longer has to bear the shackles of being a Jinchūriki, Feng Xun thought silently.

After quite a while, the drunken Kushina finally calmed down. Minato stared at the girl's peaceful profile, then said somewhat embarrassedly to his younger brother, "I'll take Kushina home first. Clean up this mess for me, will you?"

Glancing at the mess scattered across the floor, Feng Xun turned and snickered at Minato. "No problem, no problem. I'll definitely clean it up. As for you, Minato, if you're too tired, there's no need to come back tonight."

With that, Feng Xun gave the bewildered Minato a suggestive look.

After Minato and Kushina left, Feng Xun quickly tidied up the living room. Once it looked spotless again, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and went out into the courtyard.

I wonder whether big brother understood the hint I gave him. Feng Xun looked up at the night sky curiously.

Speak of the devil. Just as Feng Xun was wondering whether his brother would stay out all night, Minato returned alone.

"Minato?" Seeing Minato enter with a furrowed brow, Feng Xun asked curiously, "Did something happen? You look so troubled. Don't tell me the boss lady rejected you?"

Ignoring Feng Xun's teasing, Minato suddenly asked, "Xun, why do you think Lightning Shinobi would appear in Konoha?"

"Lightning Shinobi?" Feng Xun had no idea why Minato had suddenly brought them up.

Minato nodded. "On my way to take Kushina home, I ran into three Lightning Shinobi who looked to be in a hurry. And for some reason, I felt like they gave me an extra look when they passed by."

Hearing Minato's explanation, Feng Xun fell into deep thought.

What are the Lightning Shinobi doing here? If I remember correctly, during the Second Shinobi World War, Kumogakure and Konoha should not have had any dealings. And the Second Hokage had died at the hands of Lightning Shinobi before that, so Konoha should be even less likely to let them enter so easily.

Or did I forget some piece of information?

The more Feng Xun thought about it, the more something felt wrong. Suddenly, a piece of information flashed through his mind. He hurriedly asked Minato, "Minato, you said you saw them while taking Kushina home?"

"That's right. Did you think of something, Xun?" Seeing his younger brother's grim expression, Minato could not help asking.

There was no time to explain. Feng Xun grabbed Minato's arm and rushed out of the house. "I'll explain later, Minato. Right now, hurry and come save someone with me."

Damn it, we have to make it in time!

"Save someone? Who are we saving?" Minato was still confused, having no idea what his younger brother was talking about.

"The boss lady is in danger!" Feng Xun said only that.

P.S.: Welcome to Old Cat's rambling section on the Second Shinobi World War. First, let's analyze the causes, development, and outcome of the war from its timeline. The Second Shinobi World War lasted from Konoha Year 32 to Konoha Year 37, five years in total. In reality, the exact dates were never explained by Kishimoto; I'm following the answer given on Baidu Baike. As for the cause—

At first, the war was only between Konoha and Amegakure. But after Amegakure was defeated, the major shinobi villages all wanted a share of the spoils, and a massive free-for-all began. Some people may ask why Konoha was the first to fight Amegakure.

Old Cat can only say: interests. Nagato once said in the manga that Konoha started the war with Amegakure first. So, based on my unreliable guess, Konoha probably had its eye on Amegakure's resources and started the war. But how could Konoha, a village that loved peace, possibly take the initiative to start a conflict over profit?

Well, I'll talk about what happened next in the next chapter. As always, none of the above has a definite answer; Old Cat is just rambling. If you don't like it, please don't flame me. Of course, if there are any genuine errors in the setting, you're welcome to point them out.