Minato pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked tentatively, "Have we met somewhere before?"
"No."
"Well, thank you for helping me out." Minato smiled as he paced around, testing his body and concluding that his injuries weren't too serious.
"No need. I know who you are, from Konoha." Naruto muttered, feeling increasingly uncomfortable around Minato, as if ants were crawling all over his skin.
'Having to mention the title 'Yellow Flash' in front of the man himself was so embarrassing.'
Naruto struggled for a long time, but still didn't say it,
"Namikaze Minato."
"Yeah, that's right, Namikaze Minato." Naruto scratched his head, feeling a little awkward, but he needed to get back to Konoha and settle the issue regarding the leaked information.
"Is something troubling you?" Minato noticed that Naruto seemed to have something on his mind, so he asked, after all, he is still feeling indebted for the help earlier.
"I... I have an old acquaintance in Konoha." Naruto hesitated for a moment before deciding to reveal part of the truth, "I want to see her, but I don't want to enter Konoha, because..."
He trailed off, leaving Minato to fill in the blanks himself.
From the strength he shows, entering Konoha would certainly not be easy. But if he just wanted to see someone insignificant in Konoha, it shouldn't be a big problem.
"So, the person you want to see is…?" Minato asked.
"Kitahiko. Can you bring him out?" Naruto replied, silently thinking that Minato wouldn't recognize the name Kitahiko, giving him the chance to sneak into Konoha.
When dealing with clever people, Naruto habitually mixed truth with lies to confuse them.
Minato considered it and confirmed that he didn't know the person. However, he didn't agree completely. He just said that he would go back and inquire about it, then asked how he should contact Naruto afterward.
"I'll be waiting in the market town outside Konoha, whether there's news or not."
Minato: "Understood."
Minato always felt that something was wrong, but he thought that the mission was urgent and he didn't have time to continue arguing. He nodded and said to Naruto, "I'll remember that and I'll get back to you."
After saying that, the straightforward and pure-hearted 'Sun of Konoha', Namikaze Minato, vanished in an instant. Naruto stood there for a while before heading in a different direction.
Three days later, Naruto snuck into Konoha.
The village's defenses had visibly relaxed, probably because of what happened a few days ago. Konoha's next Hokage candidate had nearly been betrayed and killed by Root's Shinobi.
Danzo's plan, despite its meticulousness, still had flaws, and he couldn't entirely escape blame.
As for the attitude of Sandaime and those old higher-ups, Naruto didn't care. He knew that now was probably the most chaotic time in Konoha.
Root's operations would be severely limited in the short term, allowing Naruto to infiltrate easily. He didn't even need to disguise himself, and just a change of clothes was enough.
During the day, Naruto hid in a quiet place. Nao's house wasn't far from where he was holed up. It wasn't dark yet, so all he could do was wait.
On the other side of things, Nao had already received the news that Team C17 had been wiped out during their mission. Because the mission was carried out in the rear of Sunagakure, they were unable to retrieve the bodies.
She had spent the previous day in a daze, and by the time she woke up that morning, she still felt lethargic. The people in the Medical Department knew that she belonged to Team C17 before she became a regular employee, so they took the initiative to help her take on some work.
The news of the leaked information hadn't yet come to light, but the entire village was in turmoil due to the upper echelon's political drama. Anbu's members leapt across rooftops, while the Uchiha's police force was busy capturing people.
Nao broke down in tears at noon after hearing about how brutal the mission had been. In the rear of Sunagakure's territory, Root's Shinobi had betrayed their comrades, leading to over a hundred Chunin being wiped out by Sunagakure's elites, with no reinforcements available.
Rumors circulated that even the high-ranking individual who led the mission returned injured, which showed how dire the situation had been. If even a Jonin couldn't escape, the mission must have been nearly impossible.
Her mood remained low all day, and she hadn't eaten anything. Hunger didn't even register in her body. It wasn't until a colleague reminded her that it was time to leave that she dragged her exhausted body off duty.
The streets of Konoha were a bit quiet, but there were still people walking home, huddled together. The lights from the houses along the road were on, each household immersed in its own reunion.
Nao looked up and was momentarily stunned. The glow of those lights felt like a cat's paw scratching gently at her heart, cute on the surface yet bringing a sharp sting.
A few nights ago, her own room had been lit up all night. Someone had been sleeping beside her pillow, making her feel a sense of reunion, creating the illusion of a small home.
Even though Nao was a clear-headed and rational person, and aware that the man's intentions were impure and that this could all be just a dream, the sweetness of reality had made her lose herself a little.
She returned home but didn't turn on the lights. Nao lay down on the sofa, wondering if, when people die, all they see is darkness.
Even if he had deceived her, the thought that he had promised to return made her tears flow uncontrollably, 'If did come back to find me, would he find his way?'
Nao slowly turned on the light, and the small living room now felt overwhelmingly empty. As she stared blankly, the door suddenly knocked, cutting through the silence of the night.
In the quiet night, the knocking sound seemed so sharp, like a boiling kettle crashing to the floor, sending a jarring sensation through her nerves.
"Who?" She asked hurriedly.
"It's me." The other party's voice was muffled, but it made Nao's heart skip a beat.
Even if the appearance was disguised, the voice would not change. No matter how many times she heard it, she would never mistake it. This man had stormed into her life like a blade.
He had left just as quickly, making her emotions rise and fall like a rollercoaster. She had plummeted to the depths, and now, her heart was tumbling and racing back up again.
She only hoped that life would not be so cruel to her. Hope had risen in her heart, yet the more she hoped, the more afraid she was to open the door. The more she longed for it, the more she feared disappointment.
It felt like there was a thorn in her body, recklessly running around inside her. As her emotions surged, her body weakened, and she remembered she hadn't eaten all day.
In the living room, Nao used all her strength to walk to the entrance. She placed her hand on the door handle, and with a loud creak, the door swung open.
Naruto stood outside.
Nao stared at the unfamiliar face, frozen for a long moment. It wasn't until she saw the familiar height and familiar gaze that she let out a loud sob.