The Last Night

The mountains of the Land of Grass are not high or distant, but they have a certain tranquility. Among the rugged peaks, streams occasionally flow over the blue stones. The afternoon sun of autumn, with its unique gentleness, seeps into the two people on the mountaintop.

"Konoha's Blue Asura..."

"Xu, your fame is growing..."

Minato Namikaze and Kato Osamu simply stood atop the mountain, while the grass and ninjas all looked up. A gentle breeze, carrying wisps of human smoke, brushed past their faces. The reverence of the Konoha Ninja, like the sunlight, made Kato Osamu feel slightly blinded...

He tightened his hood slightly, took a few steps back, and leaned gently against a large tree without saying a word.

In life, we encounter all sorts of problems, but sometimes, even when our hearts are in turmoil, to others we may just appear a little quieter than usual, and no one will find it strange.

Kato Osamu never felt he had done anything wrong; in fact, he had done his best to tell them what he was about to face, but...

It seems that no one truly wants to understand him deeply...

"Minato Namikaze, you said..."

"Is living just... for the sake of living?"

Kato Osamu's gaze was unfocused, as if he had lost his bearings. His slightly frail body, leaning against the tree, seemed to sway with the mountain wind. For some reason, Minato Namikaze always felt that there was an unbreakable barrier between him and the boy in front of him.

Kato Osamu, standing to Minato Namikaze side, remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on Kato Osamu's hair swaying in the wind. With a hint of something he wanted to say but hesitated, he frowned slightly and turned his head away, just like Kato Osamu, remaining silent as he looked up at the endless sky.

"Xu... you're overthinking it..."

Kato Osamu suddenly turned his head, staring blankly at Minato Namikaze.

That gentle smile had never felt so unbearable to Kato Osamu before; it was as if nothing could reach what lay behind that smile...

It's as if even if he were to die in front of Minato Namikaze, he would only smile gently and say it's nothing serious, you're just overthinking it...

"Haha... that's true..."

As if relieved, a fleeting, subtle glint of coldness flashed in Kato Osamu. He said nothing more, a carefree smile playing on his slightly upturned lips.

"Perhaps I should have known..."

Some questions Kato Osamu had never considered before, but now, they seemed to suddenly become clear—could it be that, given Minato Namikaze's status and his understanding of Kushina Uzumaki, he didn't know what Kato Osamu truly needed?

It was all just a matter of weighing the options; he simply wasn't important enough...

The mountains were far away, the sky was high, and the mist and water were cold. A sudden gust of cold wind made Minato Namikaze shiver. He slowly turned his head and saw that the boy who was always cold and aloof had unexpectedly smiled. However, that cold smile had an indescribable sense of estrangement.

"Thread..."

He waved his sleeves lightly, his wide robes fluttering in the wind. He could no longer hear anyone's voice, and he no longer paid attention to Kato Osamu 'Minato Namikaze shouts. His steps into the jungle had never been so light, and he seemed to have no more psychological burdens.

"Feel sorry..."

Watching Kato Osamu turn and walk away, Minato Namikaze was momentarily speechless, but the complexity in his eyes was clearly felt by Kato Osamu, whose back was turned to him. But even so, what did it matter?

He still chose to give up on himself...

"So this is the Shinobi World? It's truly... cruel..."

Kato Osamu's body trembled slightly, and a strange, unsettling laugh slowly rose from his lips, filling the entire forest. Even the falling leaves seemed to tremble, afraid to get any closer to him...

For two consecutive days, the entire battlefield of the Land of Grass seemed to fall into silence. What the Stone Shinobi were plotting was unknown to Minato Namikaze, but he was currently looking somewhat worried.

In the Konoha camp, Minato Namikaze gently put down the intelligence scrolls from all sides of the battlefield. He had finalized the details of the operation plan for the Kannabi Bridge. Although the mission was classified, it still required the cooperation of all parties, and only he could mobilize the Konoha ninja.

But the meeting with Kato Osamu the day before yesterday still seemed to be right before Minato Namikaze's eyes. He hesitated, wondering if he had really made a mistake. Although the situation seemed to be clearer, he was still somewhat distracted.

"The intelligence from the past two days..."

With a soft sigh, Minato Namikaze gently raised his head, stretching his slightly sore shoulders, but his gaze was fixed on the view outside the window.

Minato Namikaze reviewed all the battlefield intelligence, but there seemed to be no news about Konoha's Blue Asura. For some reason, he felt a little worried...

"Report... Lord Minato Namikaze, Danzo's scroll..."

"Iruka, come in..."

With eyes that seemed to sparkle like stars, Iruka jogged into the Minato Namikaze's tent, all eyes fixed on the golden-haired commander before him. In his heart, the man before him was like the sun on the battlefield.

"Minato Namikaze... Lord, I... this is..."

Iruka was panting heavily, almost out of breath.

"Iruka is working very hard, I know. This is Danzo's scroll..."

"Yes, Minato Namikaze..."

Minato Namikaze, clearing his mind, patted Iruka's head and smiled gently. Only when he looked at the tender shoots of Konoha's passion could he feel truly relaxed.

Even so, Iruka seemed to have been elevated, his face flushed, as he rushed off to deliver the next scroll.

"This is... so good..."

Watching Iruka's energetic smile disappear from the tent, Minato Namikaze slowly withdrew his gaze, opened the scroll in his hand, but his brows furrowed once again.

"Have the Stone Shinobi discovered the Root's base?"

"It seems like quite a coincidence..."

Gently placing the scroll on the table, Minato Namikaze's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt, yet his deep gaze seemed to pierce through the tent, looking towards the Root base.

The Root' base in the Land of Grass isn't exactly a secluded place. As a support force for the battlefield in the Land of Grass, they are theoretically under the command of Minato Namikaze, so they can't act too independently.

However, Kato Osamu knew that compared to the official base, this place, filled with barriers and sealing runes, was Danzo's true secret base.

Although somewhat rudimentary, it possessed an overwhelming sense of oppression. In this place filled with runes, Kato Osamu felt an unprecedented sense of danger and mortal threat.

"All mission details have been finalized; tomorrow is absolutely crucial!"

Kato Osamu hadn't seen Danzo for several days, but just by glancing up, he could tell that Danzo seemed to have everything under control.

"Especially you..."

With a soft snort, Danzo glanced coldly at Kato Osamu, but seemed to have no intention of dwelling on the loss of Root members.

Before Kato Osamu could answer, four ninjas completely shrouded in black cloaks slowly emerged from the shadows behind Danzo.

In just a moment, Kato Osamu sensed a decaying aura. Their strides were noticeably different from those of the young and strong ninjas. However, the intense Chakra fluctuations emanating from these four old men made Kato Osamu pause for a moment.

"No, you know what to do tomorrow. These people will cooperate with your actions..."

"Yes, Chief!"

Four pairs of still bright eyes narrowed slightly as they silently watched Kato Osamu, without uttering a word, yet this made his heart sink.

These four guys are definitely not ordinary ninjas; they are probably at least elders of other clans who opposed Minato Namikaze's rise to power.

"Minato Namikaze..."

"You must die!"

Danzo's voice echoed in the empty underground base, but Kato Osamu simply closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes!"