Chapter 89: Locating the Target

As the sky gradually darkened, the flow of people on the streets also began to dwindle. Minato, along with his three companions, had already returned to their lodging inn. After a simple dinner, the four of them grew increasingly solemn.

However, following Sakumo's instructions, only he positioned himself near the balcony to keep watch, as the approaching enemies were elite ninja from the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Even if they were currently concealed in the shadows, they could not afford the slightest carelessness.

The night turned pitch-black, and the small town of Izumi fell into an eerie silence, slightly different from the deep nights in Konoha, as this was merely a small town on the outskirts of the Land of Hot Water.

Minato and his companions were already on high alert in their room, while Sakumo closely monitored the situation outside.

Finally...

Rustle! Rustle!

Faint footsteps reached the ears of the three individuals inside, as even at this distance, skilled ninja could detect any subtle detail or sound.

Needless to say, Toriumi Jun possessed this ability, but even the young Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Homura had developed such perceptiveness.

Hum! Hum!

Simultaneously, the chakra compass placed before them began to gradually glow.

"Everyone be on guard, the targets have appeared," Sakumo said softly, and the four nodded in acknowledgment.

He then chuckled, "Perhaps I'm being too cautious. At this rate, we won't even need the compass."

Minato and the others could not see the situation outside, but Sakumo's eyes caught a group of people slowly entering the small town, their bodies concealed beneath wide black cloaks, obscuring their faces.

However, even with their identities hidden, their unusual physiques revealed their extraordinary status.

They did not employ the Transformation Technique, but neither did they conceal their chakra fluctuations. Instead, they gradually released their chakra, seemingly on high alert.

It appeared that Kuriyama Shinzo was aware that Konoha would not let him go easily.

At that moment, two of the cloaked figures at the front closely examined their surroundings, maintaining vigilance. However, the room chosen by Sakumo was conveniently outside their line of sight.

"There's a sensor-type ninja among them!" Toriumi Jun stated.

Of course, Sakumo and his team had already taken countermeasures. The entire room was enveloped in a concealing barrier; otherwise, Sakumo's powerful chakra alone would have been detected.

"There's also an extremely powerful chakra presence among them," Toriumi Jun added gravely, implying that anyone she described as having powerful chakra was undoubtedly formidable.

"The Village Hidden in the Clouds is truly going all out, deploying ninja of this caliber to protect a rogue like Kuriyama Shinzo as he approaches the borders of the Land of Fire," Sakumo remarked coldly. The current tensions among the Five Great Nations were at a critical point, yet the Cloud Village had dispatched such elite ninja to safeguard a missing-nin from Konoha, an act bordering on a declaration of war.

Minato and Uchiha Homura tensed up.

Seemingly noticing their shift, Sakumo turned to them with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I'll protect you both."

Although the Third Hokage had previously told Sakumo not to prioritize their safety, in his eyes, these two would undoubtedly achieve great accomplishments, surpassing even himself. He, Sakumo Hatake, would never allow such promising individuals to perish at the hands of the Cloud Village and a rogue ninja from Konoha.

"Heh, I'm trembling with excitement," Uchiha Homura remarked, his expression brimming with anticipation, his entire body, including his facial muscles, seeming to twitch.

As a member of the prestigious Uchiha clan, he was not permitted to experience fear.

Minato, however, did not understand why he felt no nervousness typical of a first mission or facing enemy ninja.

His body was tense, but it was merely out of caution.

A slight smile appeared on his youthful face as he said, "We're the ones who will kill him, and we're not burdens."

"Brats," Sakumo chuckled. Although they might seem a bit reckless in their youth, as ninja, how could they engage in battle without the most fundamental passion?

"Should we strike now?" Minato asked, acknowledging the inevitable conflict, but his tone carried a hint of hesitation.

The small town of Izumi exuded a peaceful aura, but if they carried out their mission here, that peace would inevitably be disrupted.

"This is a struggle between ninja. We cannot involve civilians, especially since this is within the borders of the Land of Hot Water. If there are civilian casualties, the Village of Hot Water will not let it go," Sakumo explained. Although small, the Land of Hot Water had its own ninja village, representing its armed forces.

Even though the Land of Fire and Land of Lightning were major nations, they could not carelessly disrupt the peace of another country.

Moreover, given the current tense situation among the great nations, provoking another adversary would not be wise.

"We'll follow them discreetly and strike once we're outside the town," Sakumo instructed.

Uchiha Homura frowned slightly, "But the enemy has a sensor-type ninja, don't they?"

"Heh," Sakumo smiled faintly. "I told you before not to underestimate Toriumi Jun."

By then, Toriumi Jun had already changed into her battle attire and stood emotionless, forming hand seals. Intricate patterns resembling veins began spreading from her fair neck, eventually covering her entire face.

"Don't stray more than ten meters from me," she warned.

The two boys were taken aback, as Toriumi Jun, a former Anbu member, naturally had countermeasures against enemy sensor-type ninja when executing such missions.

It was a secret technique of the Anbu, one that even Sakumo could not decipher.

However, Minato's pupils narrowed slightly, as Toriumi Jun's technique seemed vaguely familiar to him.

"Alright, let's go," Sakumo declared, as Kuriyama Shinzo's group had reached the edge of his line of sight. Any further delay would mean losing their targets.

Minato and his companions nodded, intentionally moving closer to Toriumi Jun.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The group of four vanished from the room.

Outside Izumi, a sizable forest stretched out.

The cloaked figures had not ventured far when the one in the lead signaled for the others to stop.

"What's wrong?" a slightly raspy voice asked.

The leader removed his hood, revealing a rugged yet determined dark-skinned face. His thick lips curled into a slight smile as he said, "Someone has come to kill you."

The man's sharp eyes, previously concealed beneath the cloak, narrowed slightly.

Swish!

At that very moment, a flash of white light pierced through the silent, pitch-black forest, filling everyone's vision with a chilling killing intent that caused one person's pores to open wide, their body involuntarily trembling!

(End of Chapter)