Chapter 40: Shaking off the Anbu

"However," After agreeing with Kushina, Minato suddenly changed the subject, causing her heart, which had just settled, to rise again, and a flash of uneasiness flickered in her eyes.

"After school, you must follow my arrangements." Minato smiled gently, and Kushina hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"I thought you didn't want to guide my training anymore." Whenever Kushina was nervous, she spoke with a peculiar tone, and beads of sweat seemed to flow down her fair face due to her worry that Minato might go back on his word.

"Of course not, we're good friends." Minato smiled again. The reason he made this request to Kushina was to get her to cooperate with him in shaking off the hidden Anbu.

As for the method, he had already figured it out.

Upon hearing this, Kushina's face turned red, and she said, "Let's go back to the classroom. Mikoto is probably still waiting for us to have lunch together."

Normally, the three of them would always stick together, but their sudden departure earlier had left Mikoto slightly puzzled.

"Yeah." Minato nodded, and then they returned to the classroom.

The afternoon classes were basic exercises without a fixed pattern, as everyone had just sparred in the morning and could identify their weaknesses.

However, most students used this time to play around, and few truly applied themselves, including Mikoto.

Although she didn't say anything after being defeated by the Uchiha, both Kushina and Minato knew that she was an extremely competitive person at heart.

But only Minato could see that the gap between her and Uchiha Homura was not just in speed; it was just that today, due to the limited space, the latter couldn't fully unleash his abilities.

Otherwise, Mikoto's Phoenix Flower Jutsu wouldn't have posed any obstacle to Uchiha Homura.

Of course, being able to utilize the terrain was also part of Mikoto's strength.

As the dismissal time approached, Kushina and Minato secretly went to a deserted place.

"Minato, what are you going to do?" Kushina didn't know his intentions and asked.

Minato smiled, then bit his fingertip and smeared the blood on his palm, starting to form hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Immediately, a large toad, half the height of a person, appeared out of thin air in front of them. Even the brave Kushina was startled and stepped back a few steps.

"Minato, why did you summon me?" The large toad asked.

Minato gave Kushina a reassuring look, then said, "Brother Toad Kaidō, I need you to do me a favor."

This toad, called Gama Kaidō, was an ordinary toad from Mount Myōboku.

"Hm, tell me." Gama Kaidō didn't often come to the human world as a summoned creature because he had no significant combat power, and usually, no one would summon him.

"I want you to transform into her form, and then leave the Ninja Academy with my shadow clone." As he spoke, Minato formed hand seals again, and another version of himself appeared beside him.

The Shadow Clone Jutsu was recorded in the scroll provided by the Third Hokage, and Minato had already sparred with his master Jiraiya's shadow clones for a year, so he fully understood the characteristics of this technique.

Therefore, mastering it didn't require too much effort.

Upon seeing this, Gama Kaidō exclaimed in surprise, "You're so young, yet you've already learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu. I don't know how your foolish master ended up with such a smart disciple."

Although his combat power was weak, he was already fifty or sixty years old.

Minato smiled gently but didn't say anything.

"Alright then." Gama Kaidō smiled, then looked at Kushina and said, "The little girl is quite pretty."

Thereupon, he formed hand seals and directly transformed into Kushina's appearance.

Although Gama Kaidō wasn't skilled in combat, he could still perform basic transformation techniques.

Throughout the entire process, Kushina didn't say a word and hid behind Minato, seeming somewhat afraid of Gama Kaidō.

"Then I'll leave it to you. Later, at the Academy gate, you'll be picked up, and you'll separate from my shadow clone. You only need to maintain the transformation for ten minutes without being discovered." Minato said.

The toad, now in Kushina's form, nodded. At that moment, the school bell rang, signaling dismissal.

"Alright, let's go." Minato's shadow clone said, leading the transformed Gama Kaidō away.

Minato and Kushina remained there for the time being, as per Minato's request, so Kushina remained very quiet.

Since this place was quite secluded, even during dismissal time when there was a high volume of people, no one noticed their presence.

Meanwhile, Minato's shadow clone, Gama Kaidō, and Mikoto left the school gate together. As usual, someone came to pick up "Kushina."

After "Kushina" left, Mikoto and Minato also parted ways, but the former seemed suspicious, as if she had noticed something amiss.

Minato's shadow clone made a round around the Ninja Academy before dispelling itself in a deserted area.

In the Ninja Academy, hidden in a concealed location, a flood of information suddenly surged into Minato's mind.

According to the Third Hokage's scroll, a shadow clone's experiences would be transferred back to the original, which was often used for gathering intelligence.

And Minato actively applied this, using it to observe the Anbu protecting Kushina.

They probably never dreamed that a student not even nine years old would employ so many ninja techniques and be able to detect their movements.

After Jiraiya's training for a year, Minato himself couldn't say with certainty what level he was at.

"Alright, let's go." Minato said, leading Kushina around to the back of the Ninja Academy and jumping over the wall.

After leaving, he ran with Kushina, as the time Gama Kaidō could delay wouldn't be too long. Although the Transformation Jutsu could change one's appearance, it couldn't disguise the feeling of chakra.

Twenty minutes after dismissal at the Ninja Academy, an Anbu wearing a cat mask rushed into the Third Hokage's office and knelt down in panic.

Although he wore a mask, concealing his expression, the urgency in his words was enough to convey his current anxiety.

"Lord Third Hokage, it's terrible!"

The Third Hokage raised his resolute face and wasn't affected by the Anbu's emotion, asking calmly, "Shinobi must remain composed at all times, or it will impair their judgment and lead to mission failure."

The Third Hokage said this, then asked, "What happened?"

The Anbu slightly restrained his emotions, but the urgency in his words didn't diminish at all.

"Kushina Uzumaki has been switched!"

(End of chapter)