Meeting

Late at night, Minato Namikaze lay quietly in bed. Looking at Kushina, who was already fast asleep beside him, he smiled.

Kushina was someone he had loved since childhood, and to him, their coming together was a gift from heaven.

Minato Namikaze had always considered himself lucky, ever since he was little.

The childhood sweetheart he had attended school with had become his wife. Then Lord Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, had become his teacher and taught him countless lessons.

Those lessons covered knowledge of ninjutsu, how to conduct himself, and what it meant to be a ninja.

Jiraiya was, without question, the person he respected most. No one else even came close!

Beyond that, he had harbored a dream since childhood: the dream of becoming Hokage.

Now that dream had come true as well, and he had even become the youngest Kage in the history of Konoha, or even the entire Shinobi World!

Such good fortune felt unreal even to Minato Namikaze. All of it was worth cherishing more than anything.

"Ah..."

At that thought, Minato Namikaze could not help letting out a soft sigh.

He was indeed fortunate, but that good fortune had been shattered after he became Hokage.

Only now did he realize that he had once viewed everything far too simply. He had certainly been lucky, but much more of it had been due to the circumstances of the times and his teacher's protection.

After becoming Hokage, he had finally seen another side of the world.

Even though his exposure to it was still limited, he had already noticed many things he could never have imagined before.

It seemed many matters could no longer be judged in terms of "right and wrong."

More often, decisions had to conform to "interests" and "positions," with those two things serving as the basis for choosing.

For instance, after Xia Yan left today, he had tentatively drafted a proposal concerning the Uchiha Clan.

He had always known about the conflict between the Uchiha and the village, and he had always considered, from the Hokage's perspective, how to help the Uchiha return to the village's embrace.

Of course, this had also been a test. He wanted to see how the Third Hokage would react to such a decision, and he also wanted to see how the Uchiha would respond.

But before he could receive any response from the Uchiha, his draft had been sent straight back that afternoon.

Simply put, the document had only gone through the motions at the Administrative Affairs Department before someone intervened and sent it back!

"The Hokage's work is even more troublesome than I imagined..."

Minato Namikaze sighed inwardly, but he did not dare let too much emotion show. There were many things he could only deal with gradually.

Take that boy, Fukami Natsuhiko, for example.

Minato Namikaze truly hoped Xia Yan could do something. Based on Kakashi's account, he had indeed found himself thinking about many more things.

Moreover, Xia Yan's current position in the Anbu fit Minato Namikaze's expectations very well.

He possessed considerable strength, had been Kakashi's classmate, and was now his captain. He was also a squad captain in the Anbu.

Having him help within the Anbu, and perhaps even pass along information about its internal situation, would be far better than relying on Kakashi.

Kakashi was, after all, his student. With that connection, he could never truly integrate into the Anbu.

That was why Minato Namikaze truly needed someone who belonged entirely to the Anbu, and someone who had spent enough time there.

"Hm?"

Just then, Minato Namikaze suddenly frowned slightly, because he discovered that his Flying Thunder God Mark had been activated!

This puzzled Minato Namikaze somewhat. Who exactly had activated his mark? In particular, the method used to activate it seemed unusual.

This method of activation not only allowed the Flying Thunder God Technique to function normally, but could even determine his location as the person who had inscribed the Cursed Seal!

The person who activated the Cursed Seal understands the Flying Thunder God Technique!

Minato Namikaze thought this to himself, then quickly got out of bed and put on his outer clothes.

At the same time, he began carefully sensing which Cursed Seal had been activated, but his expression soon turned peculiar.

He discovered that the Flying Thunder God Mark activated this time was not in any of the areas where he routinely placed them, but in a very remote corner of Konoha.

"Someone who understands the Flying Thunder God Mark, in the most remote corner of Konoha late at night..."

At that moment, Minato Namikaze seemed to have an inkling, because he realized there appeared to be only one person who fit those characteristics.

At that thought, Minato Namikaze glanced at the still-sleeping Kushina, then slowly walked toward the living room.

As he walked, the chakra within his body gathered, and the instant he reached the living room, it quietly activated.

The next moment, his figure vanished from the room. When he appeared again, he found himself standing in a forest.

A Sealing Jutsu scroll lay at his feet, and ahead of him stood a silver-haired boy dressed entirely in Anbu attire and wearing a mask.

"Nightingale..." Minato Namikaze sighed. "Perhaps calling you Xia Yan would be more appropriate, wouldn't it?"

"Actually, Lord Hokage, you can call me Senju Natsuhiko as well." Xia Yan's voice remained very gentle, carrying that same distinctive respect.

"I really didn't expect you to reveal your surname so directly, Xia Yan." Minato Namikaze looked at him seriously. "I imagine you've guessed quite a few things as well."

Xia Yan said nothing, but the eyes visible through his mask were perfectly calm.

He had indeed guessed quite a few things-or rather, he had guessed many things long ago.

There was no way Konoha could be unaware of Xia Yan's identity. He had suspected this long ago, and the facts proved that Konoha did indeed know. It was merely a question of whether they were willing to bring it into the open.

In meeting Minato Namikaze this time, Xia Yan wanted to gain more, so he also had to be sufficiently candid.

But how could he show enough candor?

Xia Yan was no fool. Was he supposed to tell him that he had transmigrated here, or that he had a cheat?

That was impossible, of course. Such things naturally had to remain buried for his entire life.

Since that was the case, the best choice was something Xia Yan had hidden but Konoha already knew: that he came from the Senju Clan.

The Senju Clan's decline had kept them in hiding. Now that Xia Yan had voluntarily revealed the identity he had kept hidden all along, this degree of candor was more than enough.

"Being more candid is a form of respect, both for myself and for you, Lord Hokage." Still smiling, Xia Yan bowed slightly. "Lord Hokage, I look forward to your guidance."

"I understand, Xia Yan." Minato Namikaze sighed softly, then nodded. "Then I look forward to working with you..."