Minato Namikaze's warm and sunny smile collapsed instantly. He lifted his arm, which was wrapped in a triangular bandage."Obito."
Rin Nohara and Kakashi Hatake couldn't help themselves—they burst into laughter with a stifled "pfft hahaha."
Uchiha Kin asked, "What happened, Minato-sensei?"
"Sigh, I ran into a tough opponent. Too tough. I went in with a kunai, and instead of piercing him, I ended up injuring my own arm…" Minato raised his arm again and gave a helpless smile. Honestly, it was kind of ridiculous.
Who would've thought? The legendary "Yellow Flash" of the Leaf injuring himself with his own kunai?
Uchiha Kin was empathetic. "Accidents are inevitable." Then curiously asked, "Who was it?"Anyone capable of injuring a hero like Minato Namikaze must be noteworthy.
Minato shook his head. "No idea who he was."
On the battlefield, their encounter lasted barely a fraction of a second—he didn't even catch the guy's face. The man wasn't one of the well-known Iwagakure shinobi. The only thing notable about him… was how absurdly tough his body was. Minato had stabbed him with a kunai, and it barely left a white mark on the skin.
The man had clearly mastered Earth Release chakra transformation and refined Hardening Jutsu to the extreme.
Despite being useless in speed, reflexes, and taijutsu, his Hardening Technique made up for all his shortcomings. He was the only survivor of his Iwa squad.
Minato thought for a moment and added, "His Hardening Jutsu is flawless. But if he'd been my primary target from the beginning, he wouldn't have had time to activate it. Then again, things like that are hard to predict in battle."
"Yeah, the shinobi world never lacks geniuses," Uchiha Kin agreed.
"Oh right, one more thing." Minato's expression changed slightly as he turned to Kin."Get ready—Elder Danzō might be looking for you."
"Me?" Uchiha Kin looked surprised. Obito and Rin, who had never heard of Danzō before, were curious. Kakashi looked at Kin, puzzled.
"Yeah. Danzō originally wanted to approach me. But, well, with my arm like this and just having undergone treatment, I had to refuse. Besides, I'm not really the type he's after—he's more likely to take interest in someone like you. You're a medical ninja, after all."
Minato's tone grew more serious. "And with how tense things are right now, you're one of the few assets we can afford to send out."
"What kind of mission is it?" Kin asked.
Minato replied, "To the Land of Rain. I don't know the details, but he needs a powerful jōnin to accompany him."
Uchiha Kin frowned and began thinking, What's that old dog Danzō doing in the Land of Rain?
Then it hit him. That guy absolutely loathes the Uchiha clan. Why would he want me, of all people?
And then, the third thought struck him—"Akatsuki?"
Judging by the timeline, this must be around the period when Danzō partnered with Hanzō to exterminate the original Akatsuki. Could it be…
His mind raced, and quickly, he pieced together Danzō's true motive:
That coward is afraid of Hanzō!
He had wanted Minato because Flying Thunder God could get him out of danger instantly, and Minato's strength was top-tier. Now, as a second choice, he'd settled on Kin—after all, Kin was now known as "the man who wteals wouls from the Shinigami."
And unlike Minato, Kin didn't have the privilege of rejecting a "reasonable request" from Danzō.
Minato had brushed Danzō off with the excuse of a minor injury. Kin wouldn't be so lucky. This mission was unavoidable.
Uchiha Kin nodded respectfully."Thank you for the warning, Minato-sensei."
"No problem." Minato waved and went off to train with his team.
Sure enough, shortly after Minato left, a ROOT shinobi with orange hair and an animal mask appeared in front of Uchiha Kin. His voice was cold and mechanical."Uchiha Kin. Lord Danzō summons you. Come with me."
Molly and Jingju were immediately on guard, casting concerned looks toward Kin.
Kin nodded at them calmly. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
He wasn't afraid of meeting Danzō. For one, Danzō needed him—it wasn't the other way around. And second, Danzō wasn't a fool. Just selfish and… morally gray.
The masked ROOT shinobi didn't speak further. He used Shunshin no Jutsu with mechanical precision, vanishing into the distance.
But after a few flickers, he noticed Kin wasn't following.
Annoyed, he turned back—only to find Kin calmly exiting the command tent of the field hospital.
Of course Kin wasn't just going to leave without notice. He had responsibilities. As a key figure in the hospital, his absence would throw the entire medical unit's logistics into chaos. This wasn't a field trip—it was practically a disappearance.
The ROOT ninja glared at him. His emotionless face somehow twisted with resentment, though ROOT weren't supposed to feel.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Kin glanced at him sideways. "You don't seriously think this is a place you can just leave at will, do you? I'm the backbone of this entire medical division. If I disappear, who coordinates the medical resources?"
He stepped closer. "And if something happens to me, do you know how serious the consequences would be? I'm not leaving with you without logging the proper clearance."
His expression irked the ROOT agent further, but he had no grounds to argue.
Eventually, the agent escorted Kin out of the camp. Ahead, several figures waited. One of them was a man in black with only one arm—Danzō Shimura.
Even from behind, Danzō's short frame exuded a sinister presence. Around him were five masked ROOT operatives.
"Lord Danzō," the escorting ninja knelt.
Danzō turned slowly, his gaze locking onto Kin."Uchiha Kin—Konoha's rising star in the medical corps. Your skills have already surpassed even Tsunade's. People say you're the man who steals souls back from the Shinigami… So young."
Kin smiled faintly, clad in white with dark spiral patterns—an air of mystery surrounding him.
"You flatter me, Lord Danzō. It's just basic medical ninjutsu. Nothing extraordinary. What can I do for you?"
Danzō's tone turned stern."Uchiha Kin. I have a top-secret mission. Effective immediately, you are being conscripted into ROOT. You are to obey my command."
"Understood."
Kin accepted without resistance.
A ROOT operative stepped forward and handed him the standard black uniform.
Kin put it on and donned a mask. Without a word, he fell in line. The group moved out. Kin remained silent, but Danzō, full of schemes, began to show… interest in his new Uchiha subordinate.