Chapter 115 Loulan (Ch 115)

While taking Jiraiya to drink, Minato did not forget to create a shadow clone to inform Kakashi to prepare for the mission together tomorrow.

“Kakashi is…oh, Sakumo’s son, right?”

Jiraiya tapped his palm and sighed, “That guy is really lucky. The child is so competitive – huh? What’s that expression on your face?”

His face changed and he stopped laughing and looking cynical.

“What happened?”

“Teacher, this is a long story…”

So much time had passed that Minato was able to recall the past with a calm mind and mentioned that controversial summer night to his teacher who had been away for a long time.

“…That’s roughly what happened. In short, Kakashi did have some abnormalities, but after checking, Kushina said there were no signs of Chuninjutsu, so we can’t rule out the possibility that he was just being unreasonable.”

After recounting all his recent discoveries in one breath, Minato picked up the teacup and took two sips of tea.

Jiraiya sighed, “Where’s Sakumo’s hospital room? I’ll go check on him later.”

“The one on the third floor, facing south.”

“Humph, I really don’t know what the old man has been doing these past few years? Now even Sakumo… Alas, he still won’t let him go even after all this, what’s his purpose?”

After complaining to Sarutobi Hiruzen a few words, Jiraiya took a sip of wine and played with the empty glass in his hand.

“So Tsunade stayed in Konoha for such a long time just for this matter.”

“Yes, Jiraiya-sensei, Naraku is a child with a very good personality. You will like him after you meet him.”

“That doesn’t sound like an Uchiha at all, hahahahaha.”

“Teacher, if you say that, don’t blame me for not saving you if you are caught by the security team.”

Minato replied with a helpless smile, trying to alleviate the slightly heavy atmosphere.

He knew that Jiraiya had never been prejudiced against any ninja clan, and this was just a joke that the master and disciple used to make fun of this stereotype when they were together in private.

People who have been dealing with Uchiha for many years know that even though pride is their hallmark, each Uchiha has a different personality.

After having a good meal and a drink, Minato said goodbye and went home to rest. After Jiraiya watched him leave, he slowly walked to the hospital carrying a small bottle of sake he had packed.

It was already late at night, and he needed to turn on the lights after entering the ward to see people and objects clearly.

The old friend was lying quietly on the bed, looking a little thin, but in good spirits. It must be that someone had been taking good care of him until now.

It is impossible for a nurse to be so attentive, which means that even if the two children had a quarrel, they still worked together to take good care of their father.

Jiraiya pulled the table to the bedside, placed two wine glasses on it, and filled them up.

The aroma of wine lingered in the room, driving away the smell of disinfectant in the air, dispelling the cold and bringing a hint of the remaining warmth of human life.

He raised one of the wine glasses, took a deep breath, and when he looked up again, there was a hearty smile on his face that befitted a hero.

“Come on, shall we have a couple of drinks?”

…

Early in the morning, Kakashi arrived at the meeting place on time.

In addition to the team leader Minato Namikaze, there were also Choza Akimichi and Shiya Aburame.

The destination of their mission this time was Loulan.

A country full of beautiful skyscrapers and green trees in the desert.

When the four arrived at Loulan after a long journey, even though they had been mentally prepared, they were still shocked for a moment by this city of tall towers standing in the vast desert.

What kind of power could build such a utopia in such a desperate place?

“That’s Loulan.”

Kakashi asked the question he had been wondering about all the way: “Minato-senpai, what is my mission?”

Logically speaking, three jonins are enough for this mission, and bringing him, a chuunin, along seems a bit redundant no matter how you look at it.

“I have an important task for you. Can you complete it, Kakashi?”

Minato’s friendly and serious expression was very convincing, and Kakashi immediately nodded in response.

“Yes, I will try my best.”

…

After the team went deep into Loulan, Kakashi left alone with the mission. After a preliminary investigation, Minato and the other two verified the accuracy of the existing intelligence.

Although Loulan is located deep in the desert, its buildings show no obvious signs of aging and were indeed built in recent years.

Moreover, the city is full of highly mobile combat puppets, and once they detect an invader, they will take extremely extreme measures to eliminate him.

As a small country with a sparse population and scarce resources, it was impossible for Loulan to build tall buildings and powerful puppets.

The only possibility is that the minister “An Lushan” did develop and utilize the dragon veins as the intelligence said, and the technology was already very mature.

As long as he wanted, he could launch a foreign war at any time and provoke the Third Ninja World War.

If those endless combat puppets were to come out in full force to launch an invasion, with the almost endless energy supply from the dragon veins, the consequences would be disastrous.

The mission that Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned to Minato and his men was to stop An Lushan’s ambition and seal the dragon vein.

At noon, the Queen of Loulan, Sarah, appeared on the high tower in the center of the city and waved to the people of Loulan.

But the strange thing is that there are no living people among the “people” gathered under the tower. They are all ordinary puppets wearing civilian clothes.

The so-called greeting was just a play directed and performed by Minister An Lushan so that Sarah would think that everything was fine in Loulan.

However, An Lushan’s arrangement of this drama also shows that, given Sarah’s temperament, if she knew the truth, she would definitely not agree to start a war, and would deprive An Lushan of his management rights.

At that time, it would be natural and reasonable for them to take action.

With a general plan in mind, Minato and the other two waited for the right opportunity, intending to find a chance to talk to the Queen the next time she showed up.

…

The other side.

A night passed and the sky brightened.

Kakashi came out from his hiding place, skillfully avoided the searches of the patrolling puppets, and continued to place detonating tags in hidden locations.

Near noon, he happened to pass by the gate of Loulan and noticed a man dressed as a ninja lying outside the gate. When he got closer, he saw the symbol of Konoha on the man’s body.

Could it be that there are other people also carrying out missions in Loulan?

If he continues like this, he will be discovered by the puppet sooner or later. Judging from his condition, he doesn’t look like he can continue fighting.

After a moment’s consideration, Kakashi carefully picked up the man and carried him away, finding a safe place to put him, and also left a shadow clone to watch over him.

In this way, even if the other party is awake or something else happens, you can always know the specific situation.

Kakashi was busy until the afternoon, when he received the memory transmitted by the Shadow Clone.

The ninja woke up, and after checking the codes and various secret codes, it was confirmed that he was undoubtedly a Konoha ninja.

But the strange thing was that when he saw the shadow clone for the first time, he was stunned for a long time, and the first thing he opened his mouth was “Kakashi-senpai”, and then asked him in an anxious tone how old he was now.

If it weren’t for the fact that the secret codes and so on matched, Kakashi would have tied up this neurotic guy’s hands and feet, stuffed a rag in his mouth, and thrown him aside.

Upon learning that Kakashi was now nearly nine years old, the ninja heaved a sigh of relief and said that he had something important to discuss with him and asked his original body to return quickly.

–Perhaps the village has some instructions for this mission?

Just in case, Kakashi used his Shadow Clone again, letting the Shadow Clone deal with the matter at hand temporarily, while he returned to the location where the Konoha ninja was placed to meet him.

The man looked dull and said his name was “Yamato”. He was much older than Kakashi but called him senior and explained that he was used to it.

Kakashi leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, interrupting Yamato’s endless rambling.

“So, what exactly do you want to tell me? I’m busy.”

“Actually, I don’t know how to describe it… but this is very important to you! Very important!”

Seeing that Kakashi was not satisfied with the answer and was about to leave, Yamato quickly grabbed his arm, his expression more serious than ever.

“I’m not very clear about the specific cause and effect. No one has mentioned it to me.”

“But I remember you once said, ‘It would have been nice to have made peace with him sooner.'”

“Kakashi, if there is anything you regret, you must make up for it as soon as possible!”

The last sentence pierced Kakashi’s heart. His pupils shrank suddenly. He subconsciously broke free from the other’s hand and took two steps back.

Although Yamato was vague in his words, Kakashi intuitively felt that the sentence was referring to… Naraku.

–Who is this guy called Yamato?

–Why does he act as if…he knows I will regret it in the future?

Kakashi lowered his eyes to hide his trembling eyes, and a bold guess emerged in his mind.

Yamato thought Kakashi’s reaction was impatience. After all, he didn’t know what the other person’s temper was like when he was a teenager.

Recalling the Kakashi he had met before, Yamato looked at him eagerly and sadly, not even having time to think about his name.

“I’ve seen Senior like that before. To be honest, Senior looks very calm, but actually——”

Unfamiliar chakra suddenly appeared beside them, and Yamato closed his mouth.