Naruto : Minato back to the past

Minato rose to prominence during the Third Ninja War and became known as "The Yellow Flash of Konoha" by the major ninja nations. His reputation spread far and wide, and he knew a great deal about the events of the Third Ninja War.

At the age of thirteen, Sasori of the Red Sand became an S-rank rogue ninja from the Sand Village, and around the same time, the Third Kazekage mysteriously disappeared.

There were rumors in the ninja world that the Third Kazekage had been killed by Sasori of the Red Sand. However, this seemed too unbelievable. After all, the Third Kazekage was known as the strongest Kazekage of all time, capable of controlling iron sand and possessing immense power.

The idea that a Kage-level ninja, one who ranked among the elite in the ninja world, could be killed by a thirteen-year-old boy—especially one from the Sand Village—was beyond belief. Of course, no one would easily accept it.

Even Minato had his doubts, but he never expected that the most notorious criminal in the history of the Sand Village, and perhaps even the Land of Wind, would be so strikingly handsome.

Others naturally had no idea what Minato was thinking, but when Sakumo glanced at Sasori from afar, his expression also betrayed a passing emotion. Minato couldn't help but sigh inwardly when he saw Sakumo's eyes.

After all, the parents of Sasori of the Red Sand, Sunae and Saburo, had been killed by Sakumo at the end of the Second Ninja War. The history he knew had changed but also overlapped in strange ways—for instance, the appearance of the three Sannin and Nawaki's injury.

What was more coincidental was that the year Sakumo failed his mission and took his own life was the year before the disappearance of the Third Kazekage and the start of the Third Shinobi War.

However, since Minato had already changed Nawaki's fate, he was determined to do the same for the senpai he respected the most—Sakumo. If Sakumo didn't die, perhaps he could change the fate of his talented disciple, Kakashi.

"Alright, you can rest in the Sand Village for a few days and then leave," said a staff member from the Sand Ninja warehouse, casually waving his hand to dismiss Minato and his group. At this point, everyone from Konoha feigned exhaustion.

After such a long journey, even ordinary people would have reached their limits in terms of strength and energy. Although they were all ninjas, their stamina had greatly diminished since their chakra had been sealed.

They weren't truly tired, but pretending was necessary to carry out their plan and remain in the Sand Village.

"Thank you, sir," Sakumo said, bowing respectfully to the Sand Ninja. The Sand Ninja, seemingly proud of Sakumo's deference, reminded the group, "Remember, don't step onto the village's main road, or you'll be treated as enemies and eliminated—even if you're civilians."

Everyone nodded at this warning. Konoha had similar rules, but the atmosphere in the Sand Village didn't seem as friendly as in Konoha. If one accidentally stepped onto the main road, they would be treated as enemies and killed. It felt extreme, but each village had its own methods, and Minato and the others understood that.

They left without wandering around and instead headed directly to the civilian quarter of the Sand Village.

They found a very small hotel to stay in. As a family from an unknown small village in the Land of Wind, they didn't have much money. The hotel owner seemed kind to civilians from the Sand Village. Despite the war-induced tension, the civilians remained somewhat on edge. However, due to the shortage of war supplies, there was little decent food in the hotel.

After eating, the Konoha group split into two rooms, in keeping with their assumed identities. Sakumo, Suzuka, Minato, and Mikoto shared one room, while Hyuga Kyusugi and Yamanaka Kanha shared another.

Upon entering the modest room and closing the sliding door, Sakumo and the others immediately began inspecting their surroundings. It was difficult to be sure whether or not the Sand Village ninjas were monitoring them as outsiders.

After confirming the area was secure, they began to "chat."

"I'm so tired. Finally, we can rest," Sakumo said, but his hand gestures were actually communicating something else.

This was the code Konoha ninjas used when they were on missions and unable to speak openly.

[Did you find anything?] This was the meaning of Sakumo's signals.

Minato and the others shook their heads in unison. They had only passed through a small portion of the Sand Village so far, and even though Desert's Sorrow could only be cultivated outdoors, it was unlikely to be planted somewhere obvious where outsiders could easily spot it.

[Then tomorrow, we'll observe the village under the pretext of sightseeing,] Mikoto gestured.

Minato shook his head and responded, [We should observe, but we must not split up.]

[This family of civilians traveled a long distance to reach the Sand Village, relying on one another to survive, so we can't separate. We need to stay together,] Minato added.

Lacking experience, Mikoto nodded after understanding the message.

[But what should we do? We don't have much time in the Sand Village, and if we continue like this, our chances of finding Desert's Sorrow are slim,] Mikoto gestured.

Sakumo smiled lightly but didn't say anything, seemingly gauging Minato's reaction. Minato smiled and signaled, [Although the Sand Village is large, Lady Tsunade said the plant requires specific sunlight conditions, and many buildings in the village are backlit, so there's no need to investigate those areas.]

Mikoto's eyes lit up with realization. This narrowed their search area considerably. She looked at Minato with surprise. Sakumo's eyes reflected approval, though his expression remained calm.

"Denki, go check on your uncles and see if they need anything," Suzuka said, breaking the silence. The four exchanged glances before she spoke.

"Yeah," Minato responded and used this as an excuse to visit Hyuga Kyusugi and Yamanaka Kanha, relaying their findings.

The next day, Minato and the group of six headed into the streets of the Sand Village under the guise of sightseeing. To avoid suspicion from the Sand Ninjas, they didn't only visit sunny areas. After all, gathering intelligence on the Sand Village was valuable for Konoha. Sakumo and Suzuka, pretending to be an affectionate old couple, walked closely together as they explored the village.

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