Meanwhile, on the front lines, Hoshimi Ren and Might Guy were waving goodbye to each other after finishing their two laps.
"I'm heading off, Ren. Our squad is about to gather," Might Guy said apologetically. After all, it was time to carry out their mission, and being late would result in punishment.
"Alright, goodbye. Let's run together again next time," Hoshimi Ren nodded with a smile, a thin layer of sweat seeping from his forehead. After two laps, his body was not only warmed up but also much more active.
"Hmm, what should I do next...?"
Watching Might Guy run into the distance, Hoshimi Ren scratched his head, feeling a bit troubled. The sealing ritual was at night, and it was only nine in the morning. He couldn't possibly run another two laps, could he?
"Hoshimi Ren, Minato-sama has asked for you."
Just as Hoshimi Ren was deep in thought, a voice came from in front of him. Hoshimi Ren looked up and saw an Anbu silently standing there, watching him.
"Alright, I'll go now. Thank you for your trouble."
The Anbu nodded after receiving his reply, then vanished from the spot the next moment, leaving no trace.
Strange, why is Minato-san looking for me?
Although Hoshimi Ren was a bit confused, he quickly changed direction and hurried to the location. Whatever it was, he would know once he got there.
As soon as Hoshimi Ren reached the entrance of the Commander's tent, just as he was about to say something, the two guards at the door moved aside, gesturing for him to enter.
"Please come in, Minato-sama has already given instructions."
"Thank you."
Hoshimi Ren nodded in acknowledgment, then lifted the curtain and walked in. But as soon as he entered, he was stunned by the scene before him.
He saw three identical Minato Namikazes sitting in three different places: one was handling documents at the desk, another was writing and drawing on a small conference table nearby, his back to the others, and the remaining one was holding a stack of talismans, meticulously comparing them with the Tailed Beast container placed on the table in front of him.
"Minato-san, what is this...?"
"Oh, you're here." (x3)
The three of them turned their heads in unison, looking at Hoshimi Ren and speaking in one voice. Then, the Minato sitting at the conference table waved to Hoshimi Ren, signaling him to come over, while the other two, after greeting him, turned back to their respective tasks.
"These are... sealing talismans? So many?!"
Upon reaching the conference table, Hoshimi Ren's scalp tingled when he saw the densely packed, completed sealing talismans on the table.
Previously, because the other person had his back to him, Hoshimi Ren hadn't paid attention. It was only when he got closer that he realized these were all sealing talismans, and of particularly high quality.
So many, surely they're not all for sealing this Tailed Beast for me? Good heavens, they think too highly of this turtle.
"Not many. Matters concerning the Tailed Beast cannot tolerate the slightest carelessness."
As this Minato spoke, he drew another sealing talisman, then set it aside, his gaze turning to Hoshimi Ren.
"It's almost done. Take these over there and see if they need any help."
"Okay... okay."
Hoshimi Ren picked up all the sealing talismans on the table and walked to another table to place them down.
The actions of this Minato were a bit strange; he lifted a sealing talisman from the Tailed Beast container and immediately replaced it with a sealing talisman he had drawn himself. At the same time, his hands formed a seal, and the newly replaced sealing talisman suddenly flashed with light before becoming still.
Hoshimi Ren, who was completely confused, could only sit beside him and ask with a puzzled expression.
"Minato-san, is there a reason for doing this?"
Minato Namikaze raised his hand, picked up another sealing talisman from beside him, and explained as he replaced it.
"There are two reasons: First, these are sealing talismans from the Hidden Mist Village's Sealing Corps. Besides suppressing the Three-Tails inside, they also have a tracking effect. Although other sealing talismans can nullify this effect, frequent replacement is too troublesome. Second, our sealing talismans are more effective than theirs, allowing for better suppression of the Tailed Beast within the container. This will also benefit our subsequent actions."
"So that's how it is."
Hoshimi Ren instantly understood, and at the same time, he felt a bit embarrassed. He hadn't expected there to be such deep knowledge involved; it seemed he still had a lot to learn.
"Hmm, almost done. Go help them. I'll be finished here soon too."
"Okay... okay."
Hoshimi Ren suddenly felt a bit superfluous, as if he couldn't help with anything. For the first time, he felt so useless...
"Come here, Ren, come help me."
"Coming!"
Hoshimi Ren, who had been a bit dejected, instantly revived, turning and rushing over. But upon seeing several stacks of documents piled half his height, his expression immediately fell again.
"Come on, Ren, these are yours. Keep it up!"
Minato Namikaze, sitting behind the desk, stood up, picked up a stack of documents, and placed them in front of Hoshimi Ren, saying with a smile.
"Yes..."
Hoshimi Ren replied weakly, picked up the documents, walked to an empty desk nearby, sat down, found a pen from the drawer, and began reviewing.
As time passed, the pile of documents in front of Hoshimi Ren grew smaller and smaller. Just as he was about to finish everything, a sudden sound brought him back to his senses.
"Bang!"
The two Minato Namikazes at the conference table and in front of the Tailed Beast container both dispersed into white smoke, leaving only the Minato Namikaze at the desk still reviewing documents. It seemed he was the original body.
"Hmm? Looks like everything's done."
Minato put down his pen after noticing the memories transmitted from his Shadow Clone.
After glancing around for a moment, he stood up and walked towards the Tailed Beast container not far away. After placing it together with the stack of sealing talismans from the conference table, he immediately turned his gaze to Hoshimi Ren.
"Hmm, not bad speed. It's almost mealtime. Finish these before we eat."
"Okay..."
What could Hoshimi Ren say? He could only helplessly pick up his pen again, turning his frustration into motivation, and continued to work diligently.
"Phew, done!"
Hoshimi Ren put down his pen, looking at the completely reviewed documents in front of him, a sense of accomplishment welling up within him.
Just then, a meal box was placed in front of Hoshimi Ren, while Minato Namikaze took another meal box and sat down beside him, saying with a slight smile.
"Hmm, well done. Let's eat."
"Alright!"
Hoshimi Ren's eyes instantly lit up. He lifted the lid and began to wolf down his food.
Although he didn't know how long he had been working, it was true that he hadn't had a drop to drink since morning. Hoshimi Ren had originally planned to eat after writing for a while, but he hadn't expected to accidentally write until now.
Compared to Hoshimi Ren's eating style, Minato Namikaze was much more elegant, eating spoon by spoon, but his speed was considerably faster than Hoshimi Ren's.
As the Commander, he was incredibly busy every day, and he subconsciously compressed his meal times considerably.
But,
Elegance is timeless.