The moment Sogetsu received the order, he moved.
Emergency mission. No time.
He selected four ANBU—elites among elites—and left immediately.
Five shadows cutting through winter.
As the newly appointed ANBU Captain, Sogetsu wore the "Owl" mask. He didn't waste breath on unnecessary words—only maintained a relentless pace.
A day and a half had already passed.
Every hour meant Minato's odds dropped.
And this wasn't just any enemy.
This was the Third Raikage—one of the biggest "bugs" in the shinobi world, infamous for enduring punishment that would kill other men twice over.
Minato hadn't even been at full strength.
Still…
There was a sliver of hope.
—
Roughly ten hours later, Sogetsu's squad reached the coordinates described in Kakashi's report.
Sogetsu surveyed the terrain.
A cratered, scorched ruin. Shattered trunks. Glassed soil. Heat scars that didn't belong in winter.
"As expected," he said quietly. "This is the aftermath of a Bijūdama."
He raised a hand.
"Split up. Search for traces Minato may have left."
"Yes, sir."
The four ANBU dispersed like ghosts into the forest.
The moment they vanished, the ground beside Sogetsu bulged.
White Zetsu popped out.
"Lord Sogetsu! I knew you'd come, so I waited here."
Sogetsu didn't waste words.
"What happened?"
White Zetsu scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.
"Uh… tiny accident."
"Everything was going fine. According to plan, Minato gets badly injured, A and B retreat—"
He spread his hands.
"But we didn't expect the Third Raikage to show up."
Sogetsu's eyes narrowed behind the mask.
"The Cloud's Heaven Transfer Technique."
It wasn't a guess.
It was the only answer.
White Zetsu blinked. "Eh? That technique? Doesn't it cause crazy atmospheric friction? I thought it could only transport objects!"
"Normally," Sogetsu said flatly.
"But the Third Raikage's body is tough enough to endure it."
He rubbed his forehead.
"He's the only shinobi alive who can be thrown across that distance and survive intact."
An exception to the rule.
White Zetsu twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"Tch… no wonder he could fight a tailed beast to a draw. What a monster."
"And then?" Sogetsu asked.
White Zetsu began gesturing wildly, reenacting the fight with both hands.
"Minato fought the Third Raikage one-on-one."
"He hit him with Rasengan—barely scratched him."
"Then the Raikage nailed him with one chop and seriously injured him."
White Zetsu's grin faded a little as he finished:
"After that… he dragged Minato and the A–B combo along and started heading back toward Kumogakure."
Sogetsu's posture tightened.
"So Minato is still alive."
White Zetsu nodded.
"The Raikage didn't kill him. I think he wants to take him back and interrogate him."
He hesitated.
"Though… Minato's pretty badly hurt."
"Understood."
Sogetsu nodded once.
"Send a clone to tail them. I want updates without interruption."
"Alright, Lord Sogetsu."
White Zetsu sank back into the earth and vanished.
—
Not long after, the ANBU returned one after another.
"Captain," one reported. "We found the main battlefield between Minato and the Third Raikage."
He spoke crisply.
"Based on traces, Minato was defeated, captured, and taken toward the Land of Lightning."
Sogetsu's mind ran calculations.
Then he issued orders instantly.
"Tetema. Return to the village and report everything to Hokage-sama."
"The rest of you—continue pursuit with me."
"Yes, sir."
No hesitation. No questions.
Tetema peeled away and sprinted back toward Konoha.
The remaining three ANBU, exhausted after hours of forced travel, clenched their teeth and followed Sogetsu deeper into hostile territory.
—
One day later, they crossed into the Land of Lightning.
No ambush came.
Instead, they found strange traces along the way—
deep gouges in rock faces, like claw marks carved by something enraged.
When they reached the first small town, Sogetsu raised a hand.
The entire team froze in place like a paused photograph.
"Tennyo," Sogetsu ordered, staring at the massive chakra turbulence ahead—signs of a fierce battle. "Scout."
"Yes, sir."
Tennyo's veins bulged. His eyes turned pale.
"Byakugan."
His gaze pierced distance like a blade.
A black-and-white image formed in his mind.
"Captain. More than a dozen Cloud ninja ahead."
He swallowed.
"They're surrounding… a single target."
His brow suddenly furrowed.
Horror flashed across his face.
"Wait…"
His voice trembled.
"The one being surrounded…"
"No," Tennyo whispered, as if saying it would make it real.
"…It's Uzumaki Kushina."
"The Nine-Tails jinchūriki."
Sogetsu's eyelid twitched—hard.
For half a second, his expression nearly slipped.
What?
Kushina… out of the village?
Ahead of them?
In the Land of Lightning?
How?
Were the guards watching the jinchūriki asleep at their posts?
Then the claw marks along the road clicked into place.
Not a beast.
Not a summon.
Kushina.
Tennyo stared harder.
"I'm not mistaken," he said, voice tight. "It's her."
Then he gasped again.
"Captain—she's already in a partial tailed-beast state…"
"Third tail…"
His eyes widened further.
"…No—the fourth tail just formed."
The fourth tail meant she was dangerously close to losing control.
If she went further—
it wouldn't be a fight anymore.
It would be a catastrophe.
The other two ANBU paled.
"That's impossible…"
"How could she be here…?"
"Captain, what do we do?!"
Sogetsu's voice turned cold enough to cut steel.
"At any cost—protect the Nine-Tails jinchūriki."
He stepped forward.
"Stay behind me."
"And kill every last Cloud shinobi in sight."
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