Chapter 88: The Hairpin

"Senior Sakumo, how can we distinguish Kuriyama Shinzo and the people from the Village Hidden in the Clouds?" Minato asked immediately. Although they had a photo of the former, he would certainly be in disguise during this mission.

"There's no need to distinguish them," Sakumo chuckled, looking at Minato. "The physique of the people from the Land of Lightning is vastly different from those of the Land of Fire. No matter how they try to hide it, their dark skin and height taller than the average person from the Land of Fire cannot be changed."

Seeing Minato's apparent puzzlement, Sakumo explained, "The world is vast, and the geographical location of the Land of Lightning differs from the Land of Fire, so the appearance of the people also varies to some extent. Among the Five Great Nations, this difference is the most prominent."

"Oh," Minato replied, realizing he had never learned such details from books at the Ninja Academy, which only taught the most fundamental aspects of being a ninja. He had never encountered information about the customs and people of the Five Great Nations.

"What if they use the Transformation Technique?" Uchiha Homura supplemented. "Or, between the two of you, who is the sensor-type ninja?"

For ordinary people, such physical traits are indeed difficult to change, but for ninja, the Transformation Technique is a basic skill.

"It's simple," Sakumo smiled, taking out a wooden compass from his wide sleeve.

"This is a chakra compass, made from trees specially cultivated with chakra. It's extremely sensitive to detecting chakra," Sakumo explained.

"It seems the higher-ups in the village have spared no expense to eliminate this rogue ninja," Uchiha Homura remarked, clearly recognizing the device.

Chakra compasses were costly to manufacture, so even a ninja of Sakumo's caliber should not have been equipped with one.

This was also the reason why chakra compasses could not be used on a large scale during wars. Otherwise, their existence would be equivalent to granting a ninja with sensory abilities.

"If they simply conceal their chakra, it's fine, but if they use the Transformation Technique, there will be some leakage of chakra fluctuations, causing the compass needle to waver in the direction of the chakra source," Sakumo explained, then gestured with his thumb towards the calmly observing Toriumi Jun. "Moreover, although I'm not a sensor-type ninja, she is."

This was the first time Minato and Uchiha Homura learned about Toriumi Jun's abilities, and they turned to look at her with newfound interest.

"Kid, your chakra feels a bit different," she said, addressing Minato.

"My chakra is different?" Minato was puzzled, as both his parents were ordinary merchants, and he himself was just a regular person.

In comparison, if anyone's chakra were different, it should be Uchiha Homura, who came from the renowned Uchiha clan.

However, Minato then recalled that since the night before meeting Kushina a year ago, when he had fainted and woken up after training, his chakra seemed to have changed slightly.

The quantity and even recovery rate had become somewhat abnormal.

Yet, Toriumi Jun also didn't seem to grasp the specifics of this difference, adding, "Although I can sense it's different, I can't detect anything special about it. Strange."

She didn't dwell on it further, as some ninja's chakra was inherently different from others, but without any significant distinction.

"Alright, they won't be able to arrive before tonight, even at their fastest pace. You should all go out and explore for now," Sakumo suggested.

Minato and Uchiha Homura felt it was inappropriate, as they weren't here for sightseeing.

Sakumo chuckled, "Did you forget what I said earlier? Concealing our identities is part of the mission. We're supposed to appear as travelers, but staying cooped up inside would contradict that, wouldn't it?"

The two had no grounds to argue, as he was indeed correct.

"I'm not interested," Toriumi Jun stated flatly.

Sakumo appeared slightly awkward, then approached her and said, "Even though the killing intent in your eyes is gone, you still seem too cold, completely unlike a regular young woman. This is the first step to help you change. As a ninja carrying out missions in the future, you can't always have that stern expression, can you?"

He then appraised Toriumi Jun's current appearance and remarked, "You're actually quite beautiful. Don't always act like that."

Hearing his words, Toriumi Jun, who had initially shown no enthusiasm, seemed greatly encouraged, revealing a determined expression that the other three found puzzling.

"Alright, you three go ahead," Sakumo smiled contentedly.

Although he didn't understand her reaction, he was pleased to see her livelier demeanor. He preferred the lively Toriumi Jun he remembered, as her experiences in the Anbu had changed her significantly. Now, Sakumo aimed to gradually restore her former self.

"Aren't you coming?" Toriumi Jun asked, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

"I'm the mission leader, so I need to stay and keep watch to ensure everything goes smoothly," Sakumo explained.

Although they could estimate Kuriyama Shinzo's group's approximate arrival time, it was safer to remain vigilant.

Subsequently, Minato, Uchiha Homura, and Toriumi Jun returned to the streets, with the former brimming with enthusiasm while the latter two seemed disconnected from society.

Uchiha Homura walked leisurely with his hands in his pockets, occasionally surveying his surroundings.

Toriumi Jun appeared more self-conscious, unsure of how to carry herself in such attire among the public. Her striking beauty also attracted the gazes of many passersby.

Minato paused in front of a stall.

"Mister, how much is this hairpin?" he inquired, his eyes drawn to a pale yellow hairpin adorned with a deep red accent near the end, adding a touch of vibrancy to the otherwise understated color.

Seeing this hairpin that matched his and Kushina's hair colors, particularly the red that reminded him of her, Minato contemplated gifting it to Kushina.

Kushina's hair was indeed quite long, and her bangs often covered her eyes, not only obscuring her beauty but also potentially hindering her vision during combat.

Although Kushina seemed to dislike her hair color, Minato found it to be the most beautiful in the world and couldn't bear the thought of her cutting it.

"One hundred ryō," the middle-aged female vendor replied.

Minato promptly purchased it, considering the price quite reasonable.

He pocketed the hairpin, intending to present it to Kushina as the first gift commemorating their acquaintance upon returning to Konoha.

It was then that he noticed Uchiha Homura and Toriumi Jun regarding him with peculiar expressions.

After all, why would a young boy like Minato buy a hairpin?

As a girl, Toriumi Jun should have understood its significance, but her Anbu background seemed to make her even more oblivious than the boys in such matters.

Minato smiled inwardly, thinking, "Kushina, how are you doing?"

(End of Chapter)