Uchiha Yuan, Hyuga Asana, and Yamanaka Kagetsu arrived together at the Hokage's office.
At this moment, inside the Hokage's office, Namikaze Minato and his three students were also present.
"Hokage-sama, you called for us?" Hyuga Asana asked respectfully.
"Yes. I've just received word that a member of the Hyuga clan's main family in the Land of Bears was attacked, and his Byakugan was taken."
Uchiha Yuan and Hyuga Asana exchanged a glance.
By their calculations, this incident had occurred nearly a month ago—why was Hiruzen Sarutobi only bringing it up now?
Logically, he should've known about it long ago, shouldn't he?
"Hokage-sama, when exactly did this incident occur?" Uchiha Yuan asked.
"About a month ago. It had been under confidential investigation until now—today, we finally have a result."
"Have the culprits been identified?"
The Third Hokage nodded. "Thanks to the efforts of ANBU and our forward camp in the Land of Bears, we've confirmed that one of the Byakugan is now in the possession of Ao, a Jonin from the Hidden Mist.
The other has been taken away from the battlefield and is most likely in the hands of the Hidden Waterfall."
"Hokage-sama, who was it that attacked the Hyuga main branch member?" asked Namikaze Minato.
"This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but the three culprits were all former ANBU under my command."
"Then is the reason you summoned us to eliminate these three?" Minato followed up.
"Correct. These three once served in my ANBU and are aware of many of the village's secrets. Now that a Byakugan has passed through their hands, they must die.
According to intel from my ANBU, they're currently hiding in the Land of Waterfalls.
I'm assigning your squad this mission: infiltrate the Land of Waterfalls and eliminate them quietly. Once the task is complete, evacuate immediately."
"Hokage-sama, should we try to get the location of the second Byakugan from them?" Minato asked.
"From what our ANBU report, they've already defected to the Hidden Waterfall. That second Byakugan is almost certainly now in their possession. Since we're currently trying to win the Waterfall's favor—and considering they host the Seven-Tails—we must avoid provoking conflict.
Leave the Byakugan's whereabouts alone for now."
"I understand. Rest assured, we'll eliminate the three without leaving a trace and withdraw cleanly," said Minato.
Hearing this, the Third Hokage nodded with satisfaction.
This disciple of his was truly a gift from the heavens to Konoha. Without Minato, this war would be far more difficult for the village.
"What about us, Hokage-sama?" Uchiha Yuan asked.
"Yuan, your team will be responsible for perimeter support. The Hidden Waterfall is located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, surrounded by four countries.
The entire nation is comprised of many waterfalls, and a large one conceals the Hidden Waterfall Village itself.
This unique terrain means unexpected complications could arise. I need your team to assist Minato's, maintaining perimeter vigilance and eliminating any threats that could expose them."
"Understood, Hokage-sama. We know what to do."
The Third Hokage nodded again and added, "Good. After the mission, your team will reroute straight back to the battlefield in the Land of Bears. Leave the debriefing to Minato's squad."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
After leaving the Hokage's office, Namikaze Minato turned to Uchiha Yuan and said, "Yuan, shall we meet at the village gate in one hour?"
"No problem."
"Good. Then let's all go prepare." With that, Minato vanished with his students.
"Yuan, Asana, I'm going home to say goodbye to my mother," said Yamanaka Kagetsu, then left.
Uchiha Yuan and Hyuga Asana walked off together, arriving at their usual meeting spot.
"Asana, aren't you going to say goodbye to your family?" Yuan asked.
"I'll have a summoning beast deliver a letter. That'll do."
"I see… by the way, Asana, does Orochimaru know about this mission?"
"Probably not. If he did, he would've informed me beforehand."
"Do you want to notify him? After all, these three Jonin were once his men."
Hyuga Asana nodded, quickly wrote a letter, then summoned a small snake to deliver it to Orochimaru.
A moment later, she received a reply. There was only one sentence:
"They have already prepared themselves for sacrifice."
Both Asana and Yuan fell silent after reading it.
"Your teacher really is a master of brainwashing. These three were once the Third Hokage's ANBU, yet now they're willing to die for him without hesitation."
"Orochimaru-sensei is indeed skilled at exploiting human weakness," Asana replied.
"Still, Asana, you must be cautious around him."
"Don't worry—I know."
An hour later, Uchiha Yuan's squad and Minato's squad assembled at the village gate.
Their destination: Hidden Waterfall Village.
(To Be Continued...)