I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 387 The Appearance of the Fog Concealment

Considering Minato's identity, Hikaru Uchiha and Bulma did not directly send the photo of "Little Minato" with his bare butt to the group chat.

Instead, he briefly described the situation in writing, urging him to come to the One Piece world to participate in the revival tournament as soon as possible.

[Eternal: Oh, I see... I understand. Thank you so much, Ms. Hikari and Ms. Bulma, for your help. I'll finish things here as soon as possible and then come find you.]

[Anonymous: Oh, you didn't run into any trouble, did you?]

【Yongdai Mei: ...Not for now.】

After a pause, Minato Namikaze added a few more words of explanation:

[Eternal Sister: I've arrived in Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) in the Land of Water, and I'm preparing to meet the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. Perhaps... I can also take this opportunity to see my long-lost disciple and have a private chat with him.]

……

The Land of Water in the Naruto world.

Inside the Hidden Mist Village.

Minato Namikaze, dressed in Kirigakure attire and wearing a mask similar to that of the Kirigakure Anbu, hid in the shadows of the forest, observing his surroundings.

In the last six months.

He has traveled to four of the five great nations, as well as a number of smaller countries including Taki, Yu, Tsuki, and Oni. In the process, as Uchiha Hikaru had previously said, he rescued and recruited a small group of rogue ninja from various countries, including Pakura and Deidara, and established a secret organization called "Torchfire".

The term "torch" is derived from the idea of ​​"a single spark can start a prairie fire".

Upon arriving in a new country, Minato Namikaze meticulously analyzes and records information about the local customs, resources, current policies, strengths, and weaknesses, considering how to improve the local situation, what obstacles might be encountered, and what support could be mobilized...

Deidara definitely wouldn't understand these things; his mind is only filled with explosions.

Yekura, on the other hand, was more experienced and took on the role of assistant.

Minato Namikaze plans to revive Kushina after the initial investigation phase is complete, and then they can discuss the next course of action. Furthermore, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shisui from Konoha are all potential allies. And then there's Sunagakure after Pakura's return… Overall, the number of allies he can secure is considerable.

As for resistance...

One reason is naturally from the existing aristocratic system, which goes without saying.

On the other hand, there are those from Obito and the Akatsuki organization.

Amegakure, the stronghold of the Akatsuki, is one of the places that Minato Namikaze has never set foot in. According to information provided by Hikaru Uchiha, the area is covered by Pain's "Rain Tiger Free Technique," and any outsider will be detected the moment they step inside, even someone like Minato Namikaze who possesses the "Flying Thunder God Technique."

Although Minato already knew the details of Pain's Six Paths, defeating him wouldn't be easy. Moreover, Pain was protected by Kage-level ninja like Konan, and even with "Golden Fox Mode," Minato would struggle to handle so many powerful opponents simultaneously. Activating "Golden Fox Mode" would mean his identity would be completely exposed.

For the time being, he needs to keep his plans hidden in order to carry out his subsequent actions.

As for Obito, he should have been mainly staying in Kirigakure during this period.

Minato Namikaze chose this place as the last stop on his journey through the ninja world mainly because he wanted to have a heart-to-heart conversation with his disciple after witnessing firsthand the current state of various countries in the ninja world and deeply considering the future direction of this world.

This process will naturally not be very smooth.

Because Obito of today is no longer the naive boy he was during the Third Shinobi World War. His act of patricide during the Nine-Tails' rampage means there's virtually no room for negotiation between the two sides. But as his teacher, Minato Namikaze still has to fulfill his duty and give it a try, regardless of the outcome.

"The aura of the 'Flying Thunder God Seal' is over there, in the direction of the Mizukage Building..."

"It seems Obito is here after all."

Minato Namikaze closed his eyes slightly, sensed for a moment, then opened them again and gently exhaled.

Avoiding the problem won't solve it.

This is an old grievance that existed since the Battle of Kaminagawa Bridge, or even earlier, but has been delayed for more than ten years due to various reasons and has not been resolved.

It's time to put an end to this.

……

Below the Water Shadow Building.

In a dark, secret underground base.

A man dressed in a long black robe and wearing an orange, swirling mask sat upright on a stone chair, with several dim candlesticks beside him. The flickering flames dispelled the surrounding darkness, leaving only a few long shadows.

suddenly.

A white and green figure, resembling a pitcher plant, emerged from the ground and appeared inside the stone chamber.

"You've come, that's it."

The masked man didn't open his eyes: "Still haven't found that woman's whereabouts?"

"……No."

Black Zetsu responded, "Ever since the battle in the Land of Demons last year, she has become elusive. Except for the occasional return to Konoha where she is spotted by our spies, she is almost never seen... However, there has been a rumor recently that seems to be related to her, but it has not been confirmed yet."

"Oh?"

"According to some White Zetsu reports, a mysterious person wearing a Hannya mask has recently appeared in several places in the ninja world. This person is elusive and moves like the wind, possessing extremely high ninja skills. Neither White Zetsu nor the ninjas on the black market have been able to see his true face. In addition, he also seems to be the one who thwarted Kirigakure's assassination plan against Pakura a few months ago."

Black Zetsu paused slightly at this point, then said, "I suspect he might be the person we're looking for."

That is...

That great-grandmother Uchiha from the Warring States period!

For Black Zetsu, investigating Uchiha Hikaru was one of the most frustrating things he ever did.

He admitted that it was indeed an oversight on his part that he failed to discover the location of her seal before she woke up from underground.

but……

God knows how this woman managed to hide her whereabouts!

In the past two years, except when the other party was in Konoha, he was able to discover Uchiha Hikaru's existence using his White Zetsu spies and the spies trained by Akatsuki. Otherwise, the other party was practically invisible, always jumping out of his and Obito's unexpected places, causing a big stir, and then disappearing without a trace.

Black Zetsu had already prepared several sets of talking points, intending to try to recruit Uchiha Hikaru when he came into contact with him, but after so much time, he hadn't even seen the other party's face.

Good thing...

The other party finally couldn't hold back any longer.

(End of this chapter)