Illusions and reality—two sides of the same coin.
Using the traces created by his Shadow Clones, Veigar Koshima managed to confuse the two pursuing squads of Sand shinobi.
However, the confusion didn't last long—they quickly split into three teams, each following one of the trails.
By noon, Veigar was the last to return to the mountain cave they had used the night before. When he arrived, the captured Sand shinobi was already bound inside, undergoing interrogation by Shōgetsu.
There are many ways a shinobi can conduct an interrogation, but Genjutsu is undoubtedly one of the most effective. It forces the target to reveal the truth, often without even realizing it.
Shōgetsu's three-tomoe Sharingan spun violently. Despite his critical injuries, the puppet shinobi Shūtei continued to spill secret after secret under the Genjutsu's unrelenting grip.
After nearly half an hour, Shōgetsu's chakra was almost entirely depleted, but the interrogation was complete.
As he deactivated his Sharingan, Shōgetsu's legs gave out beneath him—chakra exhaustion taking its toll. He would have collapsed had it not been for Minato, who reacted swiftly and caught him just in time.
"You've done well, Shōgetsu," Minato said gently, steadying him.
Shōgetsu shook his head. "I'm fine, Minato-sensei."
At that moment, Kakashi stepped forward, his expression grave.
"Sensei... what do we do now?"
That was the question Minato himself had been contemplating. But one thing was clear: the intelligence they'd gathered had to be delivered to the village without delay.
From the mouth of the puppet jōnin Shūtei of Sunagakure, they had learned that their current mission zones—Mount Hiuba, Lake Siburo, and Chonan Town—had already been occupied by Sand shinobi.
Not only that, but each location had been fortified into strategic outposts, each housing dozens of Sand shinobi. Using these three bases as central hubs, their forces were rapidly expanding outward.
What was more alarming was that Sunagakure hadn't ceased increasing their troop presence at the Konoha border. On the contrary, they were still reinforcing, pushing their reach further and further.
There was no mistaking it—Sunagakure was preparing for war.
Once Shōgetsu was stable, Minato let go of him and turned to Kakashi.
"This mission has officially exceeded our team's scope. Our priority now is to transmit this intel back to the village and await further orders."
Both Veigar and Kakashi nodded in agreement. As they watched, Minato began forming hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu."
Poof!
With a burst of smoke, a toad appeared—one of the messenger toads from Mount Myōboku: Kōsuke, the liaison toad.
"Minato-sama, do you have a message that needs delivering?" the toad asked.
"Kōsuke, I'll be troubling you again."
"I need you to personally deliver this intel to the Third Hokage."
Minato handed over a scroll containing the intelligence they had extracted.
"I understand, Minato-sama."
Kōsuke took the scroll and added, "Rest assured—I'll get it to Konoha as fast as possible."
"I'm off."
Poof!
With another cloud of smoke, the toad vanished.
Once Kōsuke was gone, Minato pulled out a border map and pointed at a location labeled Hachishi District.
"We'll head here next and wait for the village's instructions."
"Move out."
Receiving the order, Veigar, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu responded in unison: "Yes, sir."
Before leaving, Veigar approached the three captured Sand shinobi and ended each with a kunai to the heart.
Minato said nothing—just glanced at Veigar briefly, then hoisted Shōgetsu up again.
"Let's go."
As always, Veigar brought up the rear to erase any signs of their presence. Before he left, he rigged the cave with Explosive Tags and collapsed it entirely.
More than two hours later, the Sand shinobi finally tracked them to the now-destroyed cave, but it was far too late.
...
Land of Fire, Hachishi District.
A small town nestled in the country's interior borderlands. Veigar's team had gone to ground here.
After checking into an inn, Minato prepared to leave again—this time alone—to gather more intelligence on the Sand forces near the border.
In the room, he turned to Veigar, Kakashi, and the recovering Shōgetsu.
"I'll be gone for three to four days. During that time, you're to remain in the town. If you see any Sand shinobi, do not engage."
"Your top priority is to stay safe."
Veigar, already suspecting where Minato was headed, frowned.
"Sensei... you're going back to the border alone?"
"Let me go with you."
With the looming threat of war, a growing urgency gnawed at Veigar. His fusion with the Phenomenal Evil Power was only around six percent. He still had a long way to go to reach full integration.
To speed up the process, he needed to absorb more Life Essence, and traveling with Minato to the frontlines would surely provide many such opportunities.
Besides, Veigar was eager—he wanted to know what would happen once he and the Phenomenal Evil Power achieved full fusion.
But Minato refused him without hesitation.
"Veigar, your task—along with Kakashi—is to take care of Shōgetsu, learn everything you can about this town, and await new orders from the village."
"Understood?"
Veigar, Kakashi, and even the fatigued Shōgetsu all sensed the unyielding tone in Minato's voice.
"Yes, sir," they answered together.
After one last glance at the three, Minato turned and swiftly left.
Inside the inn, once he was gone, Veigar immediately turned to Shōgetsu.
"Shōgetsu, go get some rest."
"Kakashi and I will take it from here. Once you're back on your feet, we'll go gather intel in town."
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