Improvisation X Unhideable

Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, had not yet fully established his reputation.

It was after the Third Shinobi World War that his fame soared to its peak, and he became the Fourth Hokage.

However, as he was from Konoha and possessed exceptional strength, having gone through numerous missions, any faction he had clashed with should at least be aware of his existence in Konoha.

"I am Minato Namikaze from Konoha. Hello."

Seeing the expressions of Yue and the others, Minato remembered he should introduce himself and said with a smile.

Then, Captain Takahashi communicated with him and learned that Grass Village had requested assistance from Konoha, and Konoha had dispatched Minato Namikaze.

What was interesting was... it was only Minato Namikaze.

"Just you?" Takahashi asked with suspicion.

"Hahaha... indeed, just me." Minato awkwardly scratched his head and laughed heartily.

"What good can one person do..."

Another captain sighed.

While the others were grumbling, Yue had been staring at Minato Namikaze's face.

From the time they sent a message to the village requesting support until now, even the village headquarters hadn't arrived, yet Konoha's Minato Namikaze had arrived first. What kind of speed was that? Moreover, Yue hadn't expected the village to seek help from Konoha, nor that Konoha would actually come to their aid... It was known that although the Third Shinobi World War hadn't fully erupted yet, Konoha's small battlefields were constant, and the village's combat power was extremely strained.

Did they have the leisure to meddle in Grass Village's affairs?

However, this aligned with his perception of Konoha; the image of the ninja world's peacekeeper became more concrete.

After all, the Land of Grass was a neighboring country to the Land of Fire, so some consideration was necessary. Furthermore, such small-scale battles were somewhat tricky for the ninjas of Grass Village. But for someone like Minato Namikaze from Konoha, it should be a minor problem easily resolved, and also a good training opportunity to accumulate mission experience.

The higher-ups of Grass Village were likely thinking of getting help for free by having Konoha send someone... to avoid excessive casualties among their own people.

However, the problem was that this would introduce a variable into Yue's plan due to Minato's appearance.

It would not be easy for Fuma Ryoma to leverage the situation and become the hero who ended this war.

"The plan has been disrupted... With Minato here, the battle will certainly end very quickly, and others might not even have many opportunities to intervene. But it's also an opportunity. Since it involves two villages, and given Grass Village's usual approach, if they could use Minato Namikaze's words..." Yue's mind began to work rapidly; one must be adaptable in all situations.

Despite seeing Minato and feeling a momentary surge of emotion in the current environment, he quickly regained his composure.

"He alone is enough."

Yue suddenly spoke.

His abrupt interjection caused Takahashi and the others to look at him.

"Yue, do you know him?"

"No, but I think if Konoha accepted the village's request and sent only one person, it means they have enough confidence that he can handle this matter alone. His strength must be considerable. Besides, it's Konoha; if the mission fails, I believe their village would lose face..."

Yue said calmly.

"Heh."

Praise like that made Minato Namikaze a bit embarrassed.

In fact, he had sensed for a while that the young boy among them had been paying attention to him.

Minato was also somewhat surprised. In the Grass Village's border outpost, there was such a young ninja... Generally, at this age, they would still be led by a Jonin sensei and wouldn't undertake missions alone. Moreover, he vaguely sensed that the boy's gaze towards him was peculiar, even though he was well-disguised.

Additionally, among these people, even with Captain Takahashi and another captain present, the one who gave him the greatest sense of danger was this young boy named Yue.

This... was merely Minato's intuition.

It was quite peculiar.

"Although we have an extra helper, let's still discuss the subsequent combat plan," Yue continued.

The situation had suddenly changed, rendering the explanations he had previously given his father useless.

Therefore, to ensure his own 'gains,' Yue had to step forward.

"I spent some time in the Land of Rain and am quite familiar with some of the situations there, which should be useful." Yue presented his 'advantage.' Coupled with Fuma Ryoma's presence, the other three had no other ideas. With his few words, a situation where they all looked to him for leadership was instantly formed.

"This young ninja..."

Minato, standing nearby, watched the entire process with a smile, saying nothing.

But he 'saw' very clearly.

Through clever words and his grasp of the current situation and the minds of those present, Yue effortlessly became the focal point, replacing Takahashi and the other captain, becoming the temporary 'leader.'

This shouldn't have happened. While it was understandable for any of the five to take charge, it was Yue, a Genin, who became the 'leader,' which was the most discordant element. However, Minato Namikaze understood it perfectly because this young ninja was smart enough... Whether in Konoha or other ninja villages, some talented individuals would show their abilities early on in various aspects, accomplishing things others could not.

"Captain Takahashi, you two will guard this place... the rear, so you can intercept any stragglers trying to escape."

"You go contact the village's reinforcements and tell them to hurry."

"On the main battlefield, the three of us will be enough."

Under the faint light of a torch, Yue drew a rough battle map on the ground with a branch. Their advantage was their familiarity with the terrain in the border area.

"..."

But the three from Grass Village fell silent.

Because according to Yue's plan, only he, his father, and Konoha's Minato Namikaze would engage the forces from the Land of Rain on the front lines. The remaining Chunin would go find the reinforcement troops, while Takahashi and the other captain would flank the enemy's rear, blocking and killing those trying to escape back to the Land of Rain.

The most dangerous and heaviest mission, however, was assigned to Yue and Ryoma, leaving the three of them at ease.

The plan Yue proposed was rough because, logically, even if executed this way, the most dangerous tasks should be handled by the two Captain Takahashis. After all, on the surface, they possessed the greatest strength and were also the captains of the two strongholds… it made no sense to have Yue and Ryoma face the enemy head-on.

However, with all three of them being sent away, it meant they wouldn't have to risk their lives… which was fantastic for the three who were already a bit indecisive.

After all, being able to stall until they could safely return to the village would be ideal.

"I believe with Minato-bro here, there won't be any problems," Yue said meaningfully.

This made Captain Takahashi and the others feel that Yue's plan was to shift the blame to Minato Namikaze.

By having Minato charge ahead alone, their father and son might not have to fight to the death.

It was quite insidious.

"I also think this plan is excellent," Minato said, stroking his chin as he glanced at the blurry, even somewhat perfunctory, battle map on the ground, and chuckled softly.

His thoughts differed from Captain Takahashi and the other two, because he saw Yue's true intention.

That was absolute confidence in his own strength!

This mission was a Grass Village affair, and he was only here to help, so he just needed to cooperate with whatever decisions were made.

"Let's do it this way."

Fuma Ryoma didn't know what his son's intentions were, but he trusted Yue unconditionally.

"Alright."

Seeing that they all agreed, Captain Takahashi and the other two couldn't suppress their joy and nodded.

Immediately after, the three of them took action and left one after another.

In the mountain forest at night, only Yue, Ryoma, and Minato remained.

"Father, you should go first," Yue said, extinguishing the torch and addressing Fuma Ryoma.

The upcoming battle would be extremely difficult, with too many enemies. Yue couldn't guarantee Ryoma's safety as he had before… it would divide his attention, so the best course of action was for Fuma Ryoma to hide first.

"I..."

Ryoma was clearly also worried about him.

"I'll be fine, don't worry," Yue reassured him.

"Okay."

Ryoma nodded and turned to leave.

Minato Namikaze showed a faint smile. He was just passing by this time and happened to be free, resting in the village, when he unexpectedly witnessed such an interesting scene.

The reason the Chunin father left was likely due to his strong confidence in his son.

In other words, although others might not be aware of this young man's true strength, at least… Yue's father knew.

"So, the only two people who will be directly engaging the Land of Rain forces are you and me, right?" Minato asked with a smile.

"Yes," Yue replied.

"Your village probably doesn't know about your condition, do they?" Minato inquired further.

Yue glanced at him, "Don't pry into other people's privacy so casually."

"...Sorry."

The moment Minato appeared, Yue realized he could no longer 'hide'. His plan still needed to be carried out.

Minato, who had the ability to suppress Orochimaru and become the Fourth Hokage, had earned the fearsome reputation of the Yellow Flash in the ninja world. He didn't believe the other party was a completely innocent, good-natured person with no ulterior motives… it could only be said that Minato had a good personality, but that didn't mean he was simple.

When he killed people… he had nothing to do with kindness.

Minato's mind was exceptionally delicate, and his intellect was definitely far superior to most people in this world.

Yue's methods might fool Captain Takahashi and the others, but it wouldn't be that easy to deceive Minato.

Therefore, he simply couldn't be bothered to 'pretend' anymore.

"I have something I'd like to ask for your help with, is that okay?" Yue suddenly looked directly at Minato Namikaze.

"Tell me," Minato said gently.

In his eyes, no matter how strange Yue was, he was just a younger brother.

At worst, he was a younger brother with a somewhat deep and cold demeanor.