After leaving the Land of Mountains alone, Yōsuke passed through the Land of Bears and traveled by water route toward the Land of Crafts.
Before heading to Kumogakure, Yōsuke needed to visit the Land of Crafts to meet two people.
Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
Minato had contacted Yōsuke through a scroll, informing him that he had uncovered some intelligence and asking Yōsuke to meet him in the Land of Crafts.
Just as Yōsuke disembarked from the ship, he spotted two people waiting for him at the dock.
He recognized them instantly—it was Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. Their hair colors were simply too distinctive to mistake.
Minato greeted him warmly.
"Yōsuke-san! It's been a long time."
Yōsuke smiled.
"Minato, it really has."
After exchanging pleasantries, Minato and Kushina led Yōsuke into a nearby house.
Once Yōsuke was seated, Minato began explaining the intelligence he had gathered.
"Yōsuke-san, first is information regarding Orochimaru—the one you're concerned about. Over the past few years, Kushina and I have traveled throughout the shinobi world and discovered traces of Orochimaru's bases scattered across various small nations. Most of them have been abandoned.
"However, we did find a few that are still active. They're located in the Land of Frost in the north of the Land of Fire, the Land of Tea in the south of the Land of Fire, and an island near the former Land of Whirlpools.
"We infiltrated those bases, but didn't find Orochimaru himself—only some of his experimental subjects guarding them. We didn't alert them. Yōsuke-san, you could try your luck there when you get the chance."
Yōsuke said sincerely,
"Minato, thank you. This helps a great deal."
Minato smiled gently.
"It's what we should do. Next… is information about the masked man."
Minato's smile faded, and his expression turned grave.
"We discovered a mercenary organization called Akatsuki. That masked man is one of its members. All of its members are rogue ninja from various villages, and their strength is extremely formidable.
"The Sage of Six Paths entrusted us with finding the person manipulating the shinobi world from the shadows. I believe Akatsuki is definitely involved—perhaps even led by that individual."
Yōsuke then explained his own situation.
"Among Akatsuki's official members, one of my companions is currently infiltrating them. At present, Akatsuki has accepted a commission from Konoha to attack Kumogakure and attempt to capture its two tailed beasts. My destination this time is also Kumogakure."
Although he had left Konoha, Minato was still deeply concerned about its condition.
"I've heard about Konoha purging the Uchiha clan, which caused many villages to turn hostile toward it. I never imagined Konoha would reach the point of relying on hired mercenary organizations to ease its pressure…"
"That's right, Minato," Yōsuke replied. "Would you like to come with me to Kumogakure this time?"
"Minato…" Kushina tugged anxiously at his arm.
Minato gently patted her back in reassurance.
"I know, Kushina."
He then turned to Yōsuke.
"Yōsuke-san, we won't be going to Kumogakure this time. Kushina and I are worried about Naruto. We want to return to Konoha and see how he's doing.
"If Konoha falls into an extreme crisis, there's no guarantee the higher-ups won't use Naruto as a weapon of war. Given how young he is, even a partial loosening of the seal would be extremely dangerous for him."
Yōsuke agreed with their concerns.
"Yes. It's good that you go check on Naruto."
Then Kushina asked,
"Yōsuke-san… how is Karin doing?"
"Karin is doing very well," Yōsuke replied. "She and the surviving Uchiha clan members are living in Yōen Village in the Land of Mountains. If you miss her, you can go see her."
"I will. Thank you, Yōsuke-san," Kushina said gratefully.
The Land of Crafts was famous for its mastery in manufacturing and using ninja tools. It also had its own ninja village, known as Takumi Village.
Yōsuke had entrusted the Kusanagi Sword to Itachi, leaving him without a suitable weapon. As a result, he decided to commission a katana in Takumi Village.
Led by Minato, Yōsuke arrived at a ninja tool shop Minato often visited to commission his Flying Thunder God kunai.
The shop owner was an elderly man with a powerfully built physique. Upon seeing Minato, he greeted him enthusiastically.
"Minato! Here to order more kunai again?"
Minato shook his head.
"Not this time. My friend wants to commission a katana."
The old man looked at Yōsuke in surprise.
"A katana? That's rare. I haven't received a commission for one in a long time. Are you a samurai?"
Yōsuke nodded.
The old man continued,
"What requirements do you have for the blade?"
After thinking for a moment, Yōsuke said,
"The blade should be over sixty centimeters in length. It needs excellent flexibility and sufficient sharpness. Other than that, no special requirements."
"Simple requirements," the old man said with a grin. "But the simpler the request, the harder it is to fulfill. Very well—I'll take the commission. Come back at this time tomorrow to collect it."
The next day, Yōsuke arrived at the shop as agreed.
The old man handed him the katana with a confident expression.
Yōsuke drew the blade, swung it a few times through the air, then gently bent the tip between his fingers.
The blade had excellent flexibility and balance. Its weight distribution was even, and the temper patterns along the blade were beautiful. It was an outstanding katana.
Compared to the Kusanagi Sword, Yōsuke preferred this kind of pure blade—untainted by anything else.
Satisfied, Yōsuke asked,
"How much?"
The old man rubbed his hands greedily.
"Thank you for your patronage—five million ryō."
Yōsuke thought he'd misheard.
"How much?!"
But the answer was still five million ryō.
"Why is it so expensive?!"
The old man explained,
"To craft a katana worthy of a samurai, I used rare tamahagane steel. Tamahagane is a metal as rare as chakra-conductive metal. Every samurai takes pride in owning a weapon forged from it. Naturally, the price is higher."
Since he was very satisfied with the weapon, Yōsuke didn't argue further. With Minato's help, he settled the payment and left the shop.
With the weapon issue resolved, Yōsuke returned to the docks. After bidding farewell to Minato and Kushina, he set off once again—this time toward the Land of Water.
By transferring through the Land of Water and boarding another ship, he could reach the Land of Lightning directly.
As the ship approached the Land of Water, the sky gradually became shrouded in mist, visibility dropping drastically.
After disembarking at a port, Yōsuke headed inland.
Compared to other nations, where the shadow of war made everyone live in fear, the Land of Water appeared far more peaceful.
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