《Naruto: The Ōtsutsuki Bloodline》Chapter 49: Targeting the Mizukage!

At the gates of Konohagakure.

Kitagawa Minamoto had woken up early to head to the meeting point.

It seemed that his little act of "willfulness" had managed to convince Hiruzen Sarutobi. At least, he had received notification from the ANBU the previous night.

"Still, I feel like I've forgotten something..."

As Minamoto walked, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he had left something undone after parting ways with Naruto and Hiruzen the day before.

Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it, especially since he had just spotted Jiraiya and Kakashi up ahead.

"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-sama."

Rubbing his face to freshen up, Minamoto put on a cheerful smile as he approached them.

"You little troublemaker..."

Before Kakashi could say anything, Jiraiya frowned and spoke up with clear disapproval.

"You're really restless, aren't you? Didn't you come with me to look for Orochimaru? Don't you know how dangerous Kirigakure is?"

Clearly, both Kakashi and Jiraiya were already aware of Minamoto's participation in this mission.

Hiruzen must have explained Minamoto's value for this task, just as he had done when sending Minamoto along to search for Orochimaru.

It was another instance of hoping their presence would guide Minamoto and prevent him from doing anything reckless.

Konohagakure was slowly recovering its strength; it couldn't afford unnecessary chaos.

Still, understanding the rationale didn't make it any less of a headache.

"I know, but I think I can handle myself."

Minamoto shrugged and smiled.

"Besides, I don't have any teammates from my graduating class. Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama are the comrades I value most, so I want to do what I can to help."

"This kid..."

Jiraiya couldn't help but shake his head with a mix of exasperation and amusement. Kakashi, too, finally spoke up.

"Minamoto, this mission is no joke. It's not like the ones we've been on before. You need to be mentally prepared."

"I understand."

Minamoto smiled, unfazed. He knew that both Kakashi and Jiraiya were genuinely concerned for him, and he didn't mind their nagging.

After all, this mission was indeed on a different level compared to the ones before. The danger was far greater.

"In that case, let's get going."

Seeing Minamoto's confidence, Kakashi nodded. Then, with a slight smile, he added,

"But don't worry too much. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."

"Tch, no need for you to trouble yourself. This sage will keep an eye on the kid too."

Jiraiya snorted lightly before breaking into a grin.

"Alright, let's move. There's a lot waiting for us in Kirigakure."

With that, he turned and began walking. Kakashi and Minamoto exchanged a glance before quickly following him.

Both of them wished Minamoto wasn't part of this mission, but they couldn't go against Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders.

Still, they had made up their minds:

No matter what, and at any cost, they would protect this kid.

A few days later, they arrived by boat at the Land of Waves.

"Never thought I'd be back here again."

Kakashi looked around at the familiar surroundings, scratching the back of his head.

"The last time I was here, my luck wasn't great. Ran into Itachi Uchiha and Jūzō Biwa. But then again, it was also lucky, since we managed to..."

"Alright, that's enough. That's all in the past now."

Jiraiya patted Kakashi on the shoulder with a chuckle.

"People need to look forward. Besides, it wasn't all bad. At least we learned a lot from it, right, kid?"

"Yeah."

Minamoto also surveyed their surroundings. His last visit to the Land of Waves hadn't been all bad.

Though he had encountered Jūzō Biwa, he had managed to use his Purple Lightning to outwit him and had gained quite a bit from the experience.

Still, there were things he regretted...

"Kakashi-sensei, I've heard from some merchants in Konohagakure that Kado has been getting more and more out of hand. Shouldn't we..."

"Stop!"

Before Minamoto could finish, Kakashi's expression changed, and he hastily cut him off.

"We have more important things to focus on right now. Don't get sidetracked, understand?

Our priority is the mission!"

Kakashi couldn't understand why Minamoto was so fixated on Kado.

Sure, Kado was a tyrant and undeniably wealthy. But without any official reason, targeting him would basically be robbery.

And Konohagakure had its pride to consider...

"This kid."

Jiraiya also looked exasperated, recalling some of Minamoto's past bold remarks.

He was starting to wonder what exactly the Ninja Academy had been teaching to produce someone like Minamoto.

"I know, I know. But I do have my reasons."

Minamoto looked a bit innocent. He admitted that he had indeed been eyeing Kado's wealth, but this time, that wasn't his main concern.

After all, even if they dealt with Kado, how would they recover the money?

And besides, there would always be opportunities in the future...

"Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-sama, think about it: for Kado to maintain control over the Land of Waves, how do you think he'd do it?"

"What do you mean..."

Both Kakashi and Jiraiya were sharp. Minamoto's words seemed to spark a realization in them.

"Using rogue ninjas and missing-nin to assert control?"

Konohagakure kept tabs on the smaller nations nearby, but such intelligence was typically handled by the ANBU.

Kakashi, having left the ANBU, no longer had access to such information, and Jiraiya rarely concerned himself with such matters.

It was no surprise that they hadn't considered this angle—just as Kakashi hadn't anticipated encountering rogue Kirigakure ninjas during his future mission to the Land of Waves.

But with Minamoto's hint, they quickly connected the dots.

"Exactly. Rogue ninjas and missing-nin, especially the latter."

Minamoto nodded.

"We already know that Kirigakure is in utter chaos right now. Many of their ninjas are likely fleeing.

And the most convenient escape route for them would be toward the Land of Waves, where someone like Kado is in power."

Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully, finally understanding Minamoto's reasoning.

"If that's the case, we might be able to use these individuals' knowledge of Kirigakure to make things easier for us."

"Indeed..."

Kakashi nodded as well, though he gave Minamoto a peculiar look.

He couldn't help but wonder: was Minamoto genuinely thinking this far ahead, or was he still just after Kado's money?

Either way, his fixation seemed to be yielding unexpected benefits.

"And Jiraiya-sama, do you remember what I told you before?"

At that moment, Minamoto spoke again, catching Jiraiya off guard.

After a moment of thought, Jiraiya recalled their earlier conversation.

"You mean about Obito Uchiha being manipulated by someone and harboring hatred for Konohagakure?"

"Yes. I've been thinking about it, and I have an even more concerning theory."

Minamoto's expression grew serious.

"Kakashi-sensei's teammate died because of Kirigakure, even if it was an accident. That resentment might be something he can't let go of.

Combine that with his hatred for Konohagakure and the Nine-Tails incident... if you connect all these dots, don't you think this might all be a rehearsal?"

"A rehearsal?"

That single word made both Kakashi and Jiraiya's faces darken.

When they thought about it carefully, it wasn't entirely implausible—especially given that Obito had indeed caused trouble in Konohagakure before.

Even if he had failed, there was no guarantee he wouldn't try again.

And with Kirigakure holding its own grudges, it wasn't hard to imagine him using it as a testing ground...

"If that's the case, things are even more complicated."

Kakashi's expression turned grim, his tone serious.

"Exactly."

Jiraiya nodded, fully grasping the gravity of the situation.

"The Mizukage might not just be a pawn. It's very possible that..."

"We'll only know for sure when we get there. But at least now we have a clearer plan and objective, right?"

Minamoto smiled. This was what he had been waiting for.

If they wanted to catch Obito Uchiha, the simplest method was to go straight for the Mizukage!

By targeting the Mizukage, everything else would fall into place.

"Now, all we're missing is a guide..."

As Minamoto pondered this, he noticed someone approaching from a distance.