"You're saying that the Cloud ninjas, one dead and one injured, were both the work of Minato Namikaze?"
Even the staff at the Mission Assignment Desk, who had seen it all, had to double-check.
It was shocking enough that two kids walked away unscathed while the Cloud squad was nearly wiped out. But Night Namikaze's "contribution"... could it even be called that? He just sucker-punched a Konoha ANBU.
Looking at Night's record, which had a single, blindingly bright S-rank mission, the staff member felt a headache coming on.
"Are you sure this is correct? Once the mission report is submitted, it can only be modified by the Hokage himself."
"Confirmed."
Before Minato could respond, Night sealed the deal, successfully intercepting the future "Fastest Ninja."
He wanted to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible. Survival first. He would only start showing off when he could slap an Otsutsuki around.
The controversial report was quickly sent to the Hokage's office.
Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't slept a wink. He was dictating a strongly worded warning to the Mist Village while an advisor wrote it down.
Although the assassin wasn't captured, the bone spike left at the scene was irrefutable evidence. The Kaguya bloodline couldn't be faked.
In the letter, Hiruzen demanded an explanation from the Mizukage and the handover of the culprit for punishment. Otherwise, Konoha wouldn't rule out military retaliation.
After sending the letter off with an ANBU, Hiruzen rubbed his tired eyes.
The two advisors were also drained. Even though they were still in their prime, analyzing and debating all night took a toll.
But duty called. It was time to approve mission reports.
Hiruzen pulled himself together and grabbed a scroll from the mountain of paperwork.
"Uchiha Police Force members are dissatisfied with assisting the Senju clan in the search...?"
Hiruzen massaged his temples. These radical Uchiha were a constant headache. He approved increased surveillance.
"Danzo and Orochimaru have secured a dominant position on their front?"
Seeing his best friend and favorite student performing so well relaxed him slightly. He wrote glowing praise on their report.
"Minato Namikaze?"
Hiruzen rubbed his eyes again to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. It really was that Academy student.
In last night's pursuit of Kushina, Minato had shown brilliance. His tactical acumen and meticulous thinking were outstanding. Hiruzen marked his file as "Excellent" and labeled him a "Civilian Genius."
In comparison, his cousin Night Namikaze also performed well and had that miraculous S-rank survival on his record. But Hiruzen felt Night was more "lucky" than skilled. Compared to Minato, he was slightly inferior, barely scraping into the "genius" category.
He rated both missions "Excellent," but his comments on Minato were far more detailed and complimentary. The preference was clear.
---
After submitting the mission, Minato—being the model student he was—rushed back to the Academy for afternoon classes.
One could imagine the sensation when his classmates heard he had completed an A-rank mission.
Night, on the other hand, suddenly found himself with nothing to do. Feeling restless in the rare downtime, he decided to visit Nawaki at the Senju compound.
As the saying goes: The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime to admire his work.
Stepping into the Senju compound, he felt the heavy security. Many eyes landed on him, making his skin crawl.
But seeing it was Night, most ninjas looked away. Only a few kept watching from the shadows.
"Yo! Nawaki! Why so lively around here?"
Seeing Nawaki sitting at the gate with a "my life is over" expression, staring blankly into space, Night greeted him.
Hearing his friend's voice, Nawaki snapped out of it like he had seen a savior and rushed over.
"Save me! I'm grounded!"
Night paused.
"Someone can ground you?"
Night was confused. Even though Nawaki acted like a goofy rich kid, his status as the heir was real. Who had the authority to lock him up?
"My sister sent a letter. She said she's coming back from the front lines soon."
"Oh... Good luck with that."
Night knew Tsunade's temper. As Nawaki's classmate, he had seen him get beaten up by his big sister plenty of times.
Since the Second Ninja War started, Team Hiruzen had faced Hanzo the Salamander. Although they lost, they earned the title of "Sannin."
Their fame spread across the ninja world. Tsunade had grown into a powerhouse and was rarely seen in the village.
It seemed this assassination attempt had truly shaken her. Not only did she ground Nawaki, but she was also coming back personally to handle it.
Night had planned the whole thing, but he hadn't expected such a massive chain reaction. He had underestimated Nawaki's importance.
"So... what happened? Can you tell me?"
Even though he knew exactly what happened, Night feigned ignorance and concern.
"Well... last night, a foreign ninja tried to assassinate me, and then..."
To save face in front of his friend, Nawaki started embellishing the story wildly.
"I sensed him ages ago! I only pretended to close the door to lure him in and counterattack so I wouldn't damage the house!"
"We fought for three hundred rounds! I even caught his blade with my bare hands! I forced him to use his bloodline and reveal his identity!"
"..."
Night was speechless. If he hadn't been the assassin, he might have actually believed this vivid description.
"Don't believe me? Look! The battle scars are still there!" Nawaki pointed to the burnt clothes rack and the pile of unidentifiable ash.
Night didn't expose him. Instead, he comforted him, told him to stay safe, and used the excuse of "not disturbing your grounding" to leave the Senju compound.
As evening fell, Night went straight home.
Once inside, he immediately activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura. After confirming no one was watching, he relaxed.
He picked up a kunai. Following the memories in his head, he channeled his chakra. Instantly, a complex seal resembling tadpole script appeared on the handle.
Holding the kunai with the Flying Thunder God formula, he focused. He felt a strange connection in space. Even with his eyes closed, he could sense the kunai's exact location.
More mysteriously, it felt like with a slight push, he could cross space and grasp it.
Subconsciously, Night pushed...
SWOOSH!