Chapter 144: Gathering Intelligence

In front of a bustling barbecue restaurant in the small town:

"I'm hungry, honey. Let's go eat," came a cheerful, feminine voice. The speaker was none other than Nawaki, transformed into a curvaceous, glamorous woman. This was his punishment for losing a game of rock-paper-scissors.

"Baby, then let's have some barbecue," Minato replied, playing his role as a middle-aged, pot-bellied man. Nawaki, in his transformed state, posed as Minato's mistress. Minato shamelessly patted Nawaki on the rear, laughing obnoxiously.

"Sir, the meat is ready," said a lackey-like figure, who was actually Fugaku in disguise. He watched their act with a mixture of awe and embarrassment. Their dedication to their roles at such a young age was astonishing. How did they even come up with such convincing personas?

"Okay, please come in," the restaurant owner said, glancing at Nawaki. He thought to himself how impossible it would be for him to ever attract a woman like "her".

In response, Nawaki glared at him with a demon-like expression. Keep dreaming! With my looks and figure, you're only fooling yourself!

Minato led Nawaki inside, selecting a table in a busy area surrounded by customers. The trio's goal was clear: to scout for any signs of Iwa Ninja in town. While maintaining their personas as the boss, his mistress, and their lackey, they eavesdropped on nearby conversations.

When the barbecue arrived, the three began eating heartily, having gone days without a proper meal.

Amid the chatter, they overheard a customer mention a Ninja who had won a significant amount of money at the gambling house. This detail immediately caught their attention.

The customer elaborated, saying the Ninja planned to return later, and suggested following the Ninja's bets to potentially win more money. Whether the Ninja cheated or not, the customer didn't seem to care.

The three exchanged glances, silently agreeing on their next course of action. For now, they stopped listening and focused on their food.

Minato, staying in character, didn't just eat the barbecue but also playfully teased Nawaki—earning him curious stares from other diners as Nawaki tried to keep up the act.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a beauty before?" Nawaki said arrogantly, perfectly embodying the role of a spoiled lady. His act was so convincing that no one suspected a thing.

Fugaku, on the other hand, was mortified. He couldn't bear to look at the scene unfolding before him and silently vowed never to go on missions with these two flamboyant troublemakers again. He had never felt so uncomfortable in his life.

Once the customers at the table finished and left, the three of them casually approached the counter, paid for their meal, and exited the restaurant.

"Baby, let me take you out for some fun—watch me hit it big!" Minato declared loudly in his exaggerated persona, drawing even more attention as they followed the departing guests to a nearby gambling parlor.

Before long, they arrived at a lavishly decorated building that was unmistakably the gambling house.

Minato snatched Nawaki's wallet, which the latter clutched as though it were his most prized possession. Fugaku, understanding the situation, handed over his own money without protest.

"Don't lose it all!" Nawaki growled, his teeth clenched, his face a mask of reluctant surrender. Memories of Tsunade's infamous gambling luck haunted him—she always left with empty pockets.

"Go back and ask Sensei for reimbursement," Minato whispered reassuringly as they entered the gambling house together.

Inside, Nawaki, who seemed oddly familiar with the layout, took the lead in showing Minato around. Before long, their attention was drawn to a table surrounded by a crowd.

The three of them instinctively felt that this was where the Iwa Ninjas were. Pushing their way through the spectators, they reached the table and spotted their target—a Ninja wearing an Iwagakure Forehead Protector.

The Ninja was leisurely smoking and counting a large pile of money, clearly on a winning streak.

"This gentleman is in luck today."

"I'll join in the fun," Minato declared, pulling out all the large bills he had. With his air of wealth, anyone watching might have assumed his pockets were overflowing. He shook his pocket, letting the jingling coins add to the illusion.

The Iwa Ninjas glanced at Minato but didn't say anything, simply placing their own bets. To them, he was just another boastful local.

"We'll just bet on ourselves," Nawaki chimed in, giving Minato a playful boost of confidence.

"Haha, my baby is right," Minato replied, grinning as he placed his bets. Having no experience in gambling, he could only rely on luck.

Behind them, Fugaku stayed vigilant, quietly observing the Iwa Ninjas. From their appearance, he could tell they were at least Chūnin. Considering they were enjoying themselves so freely during wartime, Fugaku suspected they might even be Jōnin with considerable influence.

Whether by luck or circumstance, Minato's first bet turned out to be a winner.

"You're amazing," Nawaki exclaimed, his joy genuine. For a moment, he thought, Maybe the gambling house really can make money.

"This is nothing," Minato replied casually, taking a few bills and slipping them into Nawaki's clothes. Though it made Nawaki uncomfortable, he quickly hid the money anyway, deciding it was better to safeguard some of their winnings.

"I bet on big." 

"I bet on small." 

...

The Iwa Ninja showed no intention of leaving until the gambling house closed for the night. The pile of money in front of him had already filled a leather bag. Winning the final hand, he stuffed the money into his pocket and stood up.

"Let's go. I've won enough for today," he said, picking up the bag and heading for the door.

The crowd immediately parted, giving him a clear path; no one dared to block his way.

"Haha, I'm in a good mood, so I'll treat you all!" the Iwa Ninja declared, pulling out some money from his pocket and tossing it onto the floor. The room descended into chaos as people scrambled to grab the scattered bills.

"Get ready to leave," Minato whispered to Nawaki and Fugaku as he stepped away from the gambling table. Using the distraction caused by the frenzied crowd, the three of them quietly left the gambling den, making sure to exit ahead of the Iwa Ninja.

Outside, they slipped into a hidden corner to observe him.

"We want him alive," Minato reminded them, concerned that either of his teammates might get carried away and kill their target. The idea of failure didn't even cross his mind.

"Got it," the two replied in unison.

The Iwa Ninja strolled out of the gambling house without a hint of caution, heading toward the outskirts of town. It was evident that he had sneaked out for some fun, and no one dared to report his behavior.

Minato, Nawaki, and Fugaku followed at a safe distance, keeping a long gap between themselves and their target.

Once they were out of the town's boundaries, the trio reverted to their original forms. Nawaki, visibly relieved, muttered that he never wanted to be a woman again.

Little did Nawaki know that, in the future, a young man from Konoha with a personality similar to his own would enjoy transforming into a beautiful woman—or rather, one who wasn't wearing anything at all. Minato couldn't have imagined that this young man would one day be his own son.

"Let's move further away," Fugaku suggested, scanning their surroundings. The area outside the town was deserted at night.

"Good," Minato and Nawaki agreed, nodding in unison.

The three of them continued tailing the Iwa Ninja. After walking for some time, the Ninja seemed unable to hold it any longer. He stepped to the side of the road to relieve himself.

"Good opportunity," the three of them said in unison. They were adept at seizing the moment.

As soon as the words were spoken, the trio sprang into action. The Iwa Ninja, despite being a Jōnin, had no time to resist. In an instant, a sword was at his neck, a kunai pressed to his stomach, and he was flanked on both sides.

At that moment, the Iwa Ninja could only lament his situation—his pants weren't even zipped up.

"Zip up your pants and come with us," Minato said with disdain, giving him a judgmental glance. The Iwa Ninja, flustered, quickly complied.

"Are you from Konoha?" the Ninja asked, his mind racing as he pulled up his pants.

"You'll find out in a moment," Nawaki replied curtly, unwilling to waste time. With a swift chop to the neck, he knocked the Ninja unconscious.

Fugaku slung the unconscious man over his shoulder, and the three of them moved seamlessly, their teamwork fluid and efficient. Minato grabbed the suitcase full of money, considering it a fortunate bonus.

"Let's go back and interrogate him," Minato ordered. They headed straight for the mountain where their team had gathered.

When the Iwa Ninja woke up, he was bound tightly, with his Chakra sealed. He immediately realized the gravity of his situation. Even the thought of suicide was futile; his captors had planned for that as well.

All he could see around him were individuals with pale, cataract-like eyes—Hyūga Clan members. Before long, he fell into a Genjutsu, spilling everything he knew, including information he would have preferred to take to his grave.

Once his usefulness was exhausted, the Konoha Ninja executed him and used Earth Release to bury the body—not out of mercy, but to avoid detection.

"My lord, we have the information," one of the Uchiha operatives reported. "This Ninja wasn't insignificant; the leader of the Iwa Ninja escorting the supplies is his brother-in-law." He handed over a detailed map of the supply routes.

Minato was surprised at how smoothly things had gone. Their backup plans were now unnecessary.

The trio examined the map closely, pinpointing a suitable location for the ambush.

"We'll be discovered if we stay too close to the Iwa Ninjas in the Land of Rain," Minato observed with a frown. "We'll need to go deeper into their territory."

"There's no other way," Fugaku agreed after some thought.

"Okay, we'll do it your way," Nawaki said, relieved that he didn't have to think too hard and could simply follow orders.

"Rest up tonight," Minato said, his tone encouraging. "Once the mission is over, we'll celebrate. We can use some of this money for fun."