Chapter 46 : Mission with Minato??

"Sensei!" Anko was the first to call out, waving excitedly at Orochimaru, with Kagetsu following close behind. 

"Orochimaru-sama!" Shisui also bowed respectfully from the side. 

"Everyone's here, huh?" Orochimaru, dressed in his full jōnin gear, looked over the three of them. 

"Are we getting a mission?" Anko's eyes sparkled when she noticed the familiar mission scroll in Orochimaru's hand. Her excitement was clear—lately, her desire for battle had been burning. 

All she could think about was leaving the village on a high-ranking mission to make up for the low number of missions she'd completed so far. 

"A B-rank mission: Intelligence gathering," Orochimaru said as he tossed the scroll to Kagetsu. 

"Sensei, aren't you coming with us?" Anko was startled when Orochimaru handed the mission to Kagetsu instead of leading them himself. She looked up at him, puzzled. 

"I'm not leading this mission," Orochimaru replied, shaking his head. 

Just as Anko was about to pout and ask more questions, a gentle and familiar voice called out from behind them. 

"Everyone gathered already?" 

"Minato-senpai?" Anko turned around, immediately recognizing the man standing behind them. His golden hair swayed slightly in the air, still settling from his arrival. 

"It's good to see you all again. You've grown even more impressive!" Minato smiled warmly, his face radiating kindness like sunlight. 

After greeting Orochimaru, he turned to the three young shinobi, his smile deepening as he spoke. 

"Are you leading the team this time, Minato-senpai? I guess that works too," Anko muttered, her earlier frustration easing. She had developed quite a bit of trust and fondness for Minato after their previous encounters—he was like a ray of sunshine to her. 

"I have my own tasks, but for this mission, I'll be your team's jōnin leader," Minato said with a gentle laugh. Before Anko could press him further, he nodded toward Orochimaru. "I'll take them from here, Orochimaru-senpai." 

Orochimaru gave a nod, his gaze lingering briefly on Kagetsu. Then, forming a hand seal, his body scattered like grains of sand, carried away by the wind. 

"We're the last ones to leave the village. If you're ready, it's time to move out," Minato said, glancing at the three of them. 

... 

Following Minato out of the village, they found a few more people waiting for them beyond the gates. 

A tall, well-built man with symmetrical patterns on both sides of his face stood before them. 

At a glance, Kagetsu recognized him — a member of the Akimichi clan: Akimichi Chōsuke! This was the same Jonin who often visited his father at home during breaks. 

Beside him was another familiar figure, clearly from the Inuzuka clan, crouching on the ground and stroking a large brown-yellow dog beside him. Thanks to various dealings involving dog food, Kagetsu had also met this Inuzuka Jonin before — Inuzuka Shiba.

"Let's get moving," Minato Namikaze said, leading the group on their way. 

Minato deliberately kept the pace slow, mindful of Kagetsu and his two companions. As they traveled, he took the opportunity to explain their mission. 

"We are responding to a request for aid from Sunagakure, our ally," Minato began, giving a brief overview of the situation and the current events. 

"So, we're heading to the Sunagakure battlefield?" Anko Mitarashi asked after glancing at Kagetsu, who remained silent. 

"No, that's not our battlefield," Minato shook his head. "Our job is to intercept some of the ninjas from Kumogakure. Your mission is to gather intelligence — not to fight on the frontlines." 

"Kumogakure's forces are being led by the Raikage A. According to intel from Sunagakure and our own sources, he's brought their elite Jonin and Chunin for this assault," Minato continued. 

"The Sunagakure forces will handle the main battle. That's where the real danger is. As for you three, you'll stay behind the frontlines. Although there's a chance you might run into small squads from Kumogakure, you shouldn't be in too much danger as long as you stay alert," Akimichi Chōsuke reassured them with his calm, deep voice. 

After all, even experienced Jonin struggled to come out unscathed from battles involving village kages like the Raikage. It was even more daunting for rookies like these three, who had little experience outside the village. 

"We'll hold off the stronger enemies and keep their Jonin away from Konoha, so you don't need to worry," Inuzuka Shiba added, finally breaking his silence. 

Normally, Jonin weren't so gentle with Chunin, but these three had deep personal ties to them — not to mention the looming influence of Orochimaru in the background. 

It felt more like experienced clan ninjas taking younger clan members under their wing, giving advice and reassurance to steady their nerves. 

"I remember giving you a kunai once. Did you bring it with you, Kagetsu?" Minato asked softly, glancing back as they continued forward.

"In my bag," Kagetsu said as he pulled out a trident dagger from where he kept his ninja tools, waving it in front of Minato.

"That's good. You should know its purpose," Minato replied without saying anything more.

The six-member team traveled steadily for a day and a half until they reached the outskirts of Konoha.

After resting and recovering their strength in a clearing, Minato turned to Kagetsu and the others, saying, "Let's part ways here. We're close to the battlefield, and the chances of encountering enemy ninja are high. Be careful while carrying out your mission!"

Once he saw Kagetsu and the others nod, Minato disappeared in an instant, leaving with Akimichi Chōsuke.

"What do we do next?" 

Watching the three vanish, Anko and Shisui turned their attention to Kagetsu, who had been appointed as the team leader by Orochimaru.

"We need to infiltrate the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain to determine their positions," Kagetsu explained as he opened the mission scroll, leaning over it with Shisui to look at the listed tasks.

Of course, the scroll did not clearly outline the tasks, and the requirements were vague.

"What is this? There aren't even any specific requirements. How will we know what level of achievement is acceptable?" Anko said, puzzled by the ambiguous task instructions.

"That will depend on how the higher-ups evaluate the intelligence we submit," Kagetsu replied casually.

"This intelligence-gathering mission probably isn't just for our team; there are likely other teams doing the same. For example, the Anbu," Shisui noted, understanding from his training in Anbu that such missions usually involved two or more teams working separately. 

This was to ensure that if one team was wiped out or captured, others could still complete the mission and maintain secrecy.

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