Minato pointed to two additional locations—Lake Siburo and Chonan Town, each situated on either side of Mount Hiuba—and said:
"Here... and here as well."
"These are also part of our mission."
"Our next objective is to establish bases at these three locations and begin a thorough sweep of the surrounding area for any Sand shinobi."
The three listening to Minato immediately grasped the intent behind his plan.
Lake Siburo, Mount Hiuba, and Chonan Town formed a triangular zone—this triangle would become their operation field.
Naturally, the perimeter around these sites would also be a primary focus for reconnaissance. And even though Minato didn't elaborate, Veigar could already guess why they needed to set up outposts.
Beyond the obvious reason of having supply points, it was likely that this strategy came as a direct order from Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.
Veigar lowered his gaze, thinking, then finally asked:
"Why would such a large number of Sand shinobi infiltrate the Land of Fire? This could easily lead to a war."
Of course, Veigar already knew the answer.
But he hadn't asked for his own sake—this was a calculated nudge for Kakashi and Shōgetsu.
According to the original timeline, once the disappearance of the Third Kazekage becomes public knowledge, the militaristic Hidden Cloud Village would seize the opportunity to declare war on Sunagakure.
That war—launched by Kumogakure—would mark the official outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War.
What Veigar didn't realize, however, was that his own existence—this little "butterfly of fortune"—had already started causing deviations from the original events.
Minato turned his gaze toward Veigar, a flicker of unreadable emotion in his eyes. He had no idea Veigar was a transmigrator, let alone someone intimately familiar with how the story was supposed to unfold.
Instead of answering directly, Minato posed a counter-question:
"Veigar... do you sense something? Or are you thinking ahead?"
Without hesitation, Veigar calmly replied:
"Sensei... war is coming, isn't it?"
Though Veigar's voice was composed as he uttered those five words, their weight hit like a storm. Minato, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu all felt the pressure sink deep into their chests.
Minato lowered his head, exhaled a heavy sigh, and looked back down at the map spread across his hands. His fingers rested upon the three marked locations as he murmured:
"Yeah..."
"It's coming. War is coming."
Born in Konoha Year 24, Minato Namikaze was no stranger to war. He had seen its horrors firsthand. Even now, as much as he wished to prevent another outbreak, he knew that this was beyond his power to stop.
The atmosphere in the cave grew stifling, heavy with silent dread. Kakashi and Shōgetsu felt the pressure intensify as uncertainty thickened around them.
For the first time, Veigar saw Minato—usually radiating warmth like the midday sun—draped in sorrow. That brightness dimmed under the weight of inevitability.
But Minato quickly shook it off.
He straightened, smiled brightly, and said with renewed resolve:
"Don't worry. Even if war does break out, I promise—I'll protect all of you."
There was something in Minato's voice, something radiant and unwavering. Veigar felt a strange lump rise in his throat—a sudden urge to cry, though he didn't know why.
...
Dawn.
With no more words shared that night, the morning sun slowly rose. Dew still clung to the leaves of the forest canopy, while the chirps of crickets from the night still lingered faintly. Birds began to stir and take flight, signaling the start of the hunt.
"Swish. Swish. Swish."
Four silhouettes—one large, three smaller—flashed rapidly through the trees, vanishing and reappearing with ghost-like speed. So fast were they, even a trained eye would struggle to track them.
These four were none other than Minato's team, already en route at first light.
Minato led the way, 50 meters ahead of both Veigar and Kakashi, flanking him from either side.
Shōgetsu brought up the rear, trailing about 80 meters behind Minato. Together, they formed a 1-2-1 wedge formation, moving swiftly toward Mount Hiuba.
An hour later.
As they neared their destination, Minato suddenly came to a stop mid-jump and concealed himself within the crown of a tree. Something had caught his attention.
Behind him, Veigar, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu also halted and took cover in an instant, each finding their own concealment.
"Veigar. Southwest. 50 meters," Minato signed, flashing hand signals only recognizable to elite shinobi.
Though the forest appeared calm and silent, Veigar immediately activated his chakra sensory technique.
Within his 250-meter detection radius, four distinct chakra signatures surfaced, all well-hidden.
"Sand shinobi…"
Veigar quickly realized who these four signatures likely belonged to.
He relayed his findings through a series of swift hand signs. Minato, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu all took note of the enemy's exact positions.
Shōgetsu then activated his Sharingan, honing in on the spot Veigar had indicated. Peering through layer after layer of trees, he finally caught sight of the target.
The team swiftly finalized their plan: the goal was to capture all four enemy ninjas alive, silently and efficiently, so they could extract vital intel.
Because they all had the same suspicion—
Mount Hiuba might already be under enemy occupation.
...
Elsewhere...
At the same time, two survivors of the Root ninja ambush, Roy and Darui, were escorted back to Kumogakure under ANBU protection.
Meanwhile, Renchi Furuyama, who had passed out after using a family forbidden technique, was retrieved by Renjou Furuyama and taken back to their clan estate.
However, Renchi remained unconscious.
The ambush had claimed the lives of thirteen noble delegates from the Land of Lightning. If the Daimyō were to find out, the Third Raikage would undoubtedly be held accountable.
After all, it was Kumogakure's shinobi who had been assigned to escort the nobles.
Not that the Third Raikage particularly cared about the nobles' deaths.
Even if the Daimyō issued a formal reprimand, the Raikage knew that the Land of Lightning couldn't function without Kumogakure. His position was secure.
What did enrage him, though, was this:
The ambush had cost Kumogakure four jōnin, more than ten chūnin, and dozens of genin.
That loss—of elite warriors—was something he could neither ignore nor forgive.
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