Yuto Souta wasn't stopped by the remaining ninja.
Having smoothly entered the village, his mood was somewhat irritable at this moment...
Just yesterday, he had killed over a hundred Iwa ninjas and then blown up a bridge.
How many Iwa ninjas were on that bridge, he didn't know... but the system's notifications about his Hydrogen Release proficiency increasing had kept popping up for quite a while.
He had killed people.
He had killed a lot of enemies.
And now, his mood was inexplicably restless.
He had rushed back for a full day.
Along the way, this restlessness kept interfering with his mind, preventing him from settling down to focus on science.
Just when he had finally calmed down a bit, he ran into an idiot from the Hyuga clan...
Calming himself down was a problem.
But now, there were other issues to address.
For instance, informing Minato Namikaze and his two teammates that he was still alive.
Yuto Souta first returned home.
He had left in a hurry... and the door he had kicked down still hadn't been fixed.
Raising an eyebrow, Yuto Souta's thoughts began to stir.
He was, after all, someone with Wood Release now...
Why not... give it a try?
So, he fetched a hammer, nails, and some wooden planks, and earnestly started repairing the door...
The process didn't take long.
The boy hammered away at the small wooden door, and the sight was somewhat soothing.
And with it, the boy's restless heart gradually began to relax...
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, the place representing Konoha's highest authority, a different scene was unfolding.
The atmosphere was awkward and solemn. Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his cigarette one drag after another, while Minato Namikaze stood beside him with a serious expression.
There were also two smaller figures present.
Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Obito.
In such a setting, the two didn't display the expected unease or nervousness. Instead, their behavior was almost identical.
Heads lowered, pupils unfocused, and Uchiha Obito even had tear stains at the corners of his eyes...
"So, Yuto Souta has been confirmed... sacrificed, has he?"
"Minato?"
Another deep drag of nicotine filled his lungs.
Hiruzen Sarutobi chose his words carefully, asking in a low voice.
He was very angry right now, but he also had to consider the emotions of the survivors.
After all, compared to his anger, the feelings of two children who had lost a teammate were more deserving of attention.
"It can't be confirmed."
"Senior White Fang... has already set out to search."
Minato Namikaze replied.
This response should have been given yesterday.
But when Uchiha Obito woke up, he immediately went into a frenzied state!
Persuasion was useless, and after knocking him out several times, the kid somehow developed an immunity, waking up every three to five minutes...
Left with no choice, Minato Namikaze had to spend the entire journey persuading him, which slowed their progress.
"Sigh..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out another sigh.
And after that sigh, the air fell back into the initial awkward silence.
Minato Namikaze glanced at his two students.
He knew that the fate of this little team was finally about to change...
After a long while,
When Hiruzen Sarutobi had smoked every last bit of tobacco in his pipe, the old man finally made a decision.
"Notify the Uchiha clan to prepare."
"If Yuto Souta has been captured, no matter the cost, I'm willing to trade him back."
"He's a child of Konoha—no matter where he is, he can't be wronged."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was light and airy.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Obito immediately lifted their heads!
Their previously unfocused eyes once again sparkled with the light of hope!
"As for the personnel replacement for Minato's team..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said this, turning his gaze to Minato Namikaze.
It seemed he was waiting for his disciple's protégé to speak up himself.
But just then...
A panicked voice rang out, interrupting the conversation in the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama!"
"When the village's genin, Yuto Souta, entered the village, he clashed with a Hyuga clan ninja on duty!"
"The Hyuga clan ninja is currently receiving treatment at Konoha Hospital!"
Whoosh!
The words had barely finished echoing in the air...
When Uchiha Obito and Kakashi Hatake's figures instantly vanished!
Even Minato Namikaze, usually quick to react, froze for a moment before teleporting directly in front of the reporting ninja!
"Sir! Are you certain it was Yuto Souta you saw?!"
Minato Namikaze roared anxiously!
"Uh... I'm sure... I think?"
The ninja was now utterly bewildered, even starting to doubt his own memory...
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke.
"Minato, calm down."
His voice carried a hint of reprimand as Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled out a crystal ball from under his desk and formed a single hand sign.
"I remember Yuto Souta's chakra... it's Fire and... hmm?"
The Telescope Technique allowed long-distance surveillance of a target based on their chakra signature.
As someone who had mastered all chakra nature transformations, Hiruzen Sarutobi wielded it with great proficiency.
He remembered Yuto Souta's chakra signature.
A genius ninja who graduated before the age of six, an Uchiha clan member—both made him worth remembering Yuto Souta's chakra traits.
He had even personally observed Yuto Souta's graduation exam.
But this time...
No matter how he channeled his chakra, he couldn't catch a glimpse of Yuto Souta's figure!
After about a minute,
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened completely.
"Minato, do you know what this means?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was filled with gravity!
The technique had failed.
And within Konoha, there could only be two reasons for such a failure.
Either he had remembered the chakra wrong,
Or... this person didn't exist at all!
"I'll go bring Obito and Kakashi back right now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Minato Namikaze's figure vanished instantly!
Meanwhile, in the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi lightly tapped the desk. An Anbu member wearing a mask appeared in the room in an instant.
"An enemy spy has infiltrated the village, possibly disguised as Yuto Souta."
"Of course, they might have already transformed into someone else's appearance by now."
"Notify the Anbu—everyone move out and apprehend them as quickly as possible!"
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