If it had been some other, more unscrupulous shinobi, they might have just dusted off their hands and left by now. But as the "Yellow Flash of Konoha," Minato Namikaze was both kind-hearted and responsible—he would never do such a thing.
Faced with the client's inquiry, Minato patiently explained, "Mr. Ryouji, I have only temporarily restored your village's water supply, not permanently solved the issue."
"According to my investigation, the source of your village's water didn't disappear naturally—it was deliberately obstructed."
Ryouji Takeuchi was stunned. Unable to believe what he was hearing, he asked, "Lord Minato, wasn't it blocked due to a landslide?"
Meanwhile, upstream along the river that wound through the mountainous Yamago Village, near the spring that served as the water source, a group of vicious-looking men armed with various weapons had gathered.
The leader of these brigands scowled as he looked at the spring they had painstakingly blocked. It had taken him and his subordinates a great deal of effort to seal it off, and yet, it had now been reopened, restoring water flow to Yamago Village below. Furious, he bellowed, "Has that Konoha shinobi left yet?!"
This enraged leader was Daiji Kawamura, a former criminal imprisoned in the Land of Fire who had escaped and turned to banditry. Over time, he had gathered a band of nearly eighty brigands.
About half a month ago, Daiji Kawamura led over fifty of his men to the outskirts of Yamago Village, intending to establish a mountain stronghold. Before setting up camp, however, he decided to raid the village. Yet, to his surprise, the villagers of Yamago were seasoned hunters. When the bandits clashed with them, the villagers fought back fiercely. Not only did Daiji fail to plunder anything, but he also lost over twenty of his men and was forced to flee in disgrace.
In a fit of spiteful revenge, he had blocked the village's primary water source as he escaped.
Two days ago, after recruiting more men, Daiji returned to finish what he had started. However, he happened to cross paths with Minato Namikaze, who was carrying out his mission.
Recognizing the Konoha forehead protector on Minato's head, Daiji—well aware of a shinobi's fearsome strength—chose to flee once again.
Still, he knew that Minato wouldn't stay in the village forever, so he didn't go far. Now, seeing the spring unblocked, he raged over the interference.
As Daiji barked orders, a scout he had stationed to monitor Yamago Village hurried over and reported, "Boss, that Konoha shinobi hasn't left yet. In fact, two more Konoha shinobi arrived tonight—but they're just kids, no older than six or seven."
"Also, I spotted the village chief, Ryouji Takeuchi, returning as well."
Daiji cursed angrily, "Damn it! Why is that shinobi still here?!"
As for Veigar Koshima and Kakashi Hatake, he dismissed them outright because of their young age.
Turning to his subordinate, Daiji ordered, "Keep watching them. The moment that shinobi leaves, we make our move."
Back in Ryouji Takeuchi's home, Minato's revelation about the bandits and the blocked spring left the village chief utterly shaken. The culprits Minato described were all too familiar to him—they were the very ones responsible for his only son's current comatose state.
Seeing the man's distress, Minato reassured him, "Mr. Ryouji, there's no need to worry. Tonight, we will complete our mission."
"As for the mission completion slip, you can hand it to me tomorrow."
Ryouji Takeuchi nodded numbly and carefully put away the mission verification document, which he had originally intended to hand over only after Minato and his team had finished their work.
Not long after, Nanako, his wife, prepared a feast to host Minato, Veigar, and Kakashi.
At the dinner table, Nanako repeatedly exchanged glances with her husband, urging him to speak up. However, Ryouji continued to refuse, shaking his head each time.
Observing their hesitation, Minato put down his chopsticks and spoke with deliberate intent, "Mr. Ryouji, if there's something on your mind, just say it."
Veigar and Kakashi also put down their bowls, turning their attention to the village chief.
Ryouji Takeuchi, who had been reaching for a dish, suddenly froze. After a long pause, he set down his chopsticks, sighed deeply, and finally spoke, "Lord Minato, may I ask you for another favor?"
Minato responded seriously, "Mr. Ryouji, you may speak freely."
Before Ryouji could reply, Nanako could no longer hold back. She suddenly knelt before Minato, attempting to bow deeply before him.
However, Minato—possessing reflexes far beyond ordinary people—swiftly caught her before she could kneel.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she pleaded, "Lord Shinobi, please save my child!"
Seeing his wife's actions, Ryouji Takeuchi also knelt down, beseeching, "Lord Minato, please, I beg you—save my son!"
Looking at the desperate couple, Minato finally nodded. "Alright, I will examine your child. But I can't promise anything until I've seen him."
Instantly, both Ryouji and Nanako started nodding fervently, their voices choked with gratitude. "Thank you, thank you so much!"
After dinner, Minato called Veigar and Kakashi aside and instructed them, "Your target tonight is the bandit group in this area. Whether you choose to eliminate them or drive them away is up to you."
Veigar and Kakashi exchanged a glance before responding in unison, "Understood."
Minato then said, "In that case, go."
"Yes!" they answered together.
In an instant, both young shinobi disappeared from Minato's sight.
Once he was sure they had left, Minato himself activated the Teleportation Jutsu and vanished into the night.
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