No wonder Kakashi was so conflicted just now. So that's the reason.
Looking at it this way, Kakashi's thank-you gift was indeed full of sincerity—he practically gave away everything short of the Hatake Clan's secret blade techniques.
Makiya accepted the gift and returned to his home within the Uchiha district under the moonlight. He was just about to fire up the stove and cook a hearty meal to fill his stomach when a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
When he opened the door, he saw it was Minato.
"Thanks to you today, I ended up busy until quite late without realizing it. You must be hungry, right? Come to my house for dinner. Kushina made a huge table of food," Minato said with a smile.
"Let's go, I'm going to eat you out of house and home!" Makiya didn't stand on ceremony with Minato. Both of them knew the Flying Thunder God Technique, and in the blink of an eye, they appeared at Minato's doorstep.
At the dinner table, Minato handed a file to Makiya: "This is intelligence on the Land of Demons. I asked Kakashi to compile it. Everything the village could find is in there."
Makiya blinked: "How did you know I wanted to go to the Land of Demons?"
"Your thoughts are written all over your face; anyone could see it." Minato let out a long sigh. "The Hokage's seat isn't easy to sit in. Those old... old seniors never say what they're thinking directly; they always have to hide and tuck things away. So, I developed this skill."
"...You don't have it easy either." Makiya tucked the intelligence away, not denying his intentions.
He was indeed very interested in the Priestess and Moryo of the Land of Demons.
The Ninja World had a vast, little-known history before Kaguya's arrival. The natural energy on this planet was so massive; what did the ecosystem look like before Kaguya planted the tree?
Knock, knock, knock!
Kushina wrinkled her nose and tapped the table: "When it's time to eat, eat properly! No talking about work!"
Her fiery red hair floated up like an octopus, and Kushina's entire body was filled with restless chakra—the precursor to her losing her temper.
A pregnant woman's emotions were unstable, and Kushina, who already had a short fuse, was even more volatile. Sometimes, she would explode at the slightest spark.
"Right away, my lady!" Minato quickly agreed, his signature warm smile becoming even more brilliant. With a few gentle words and constant soothing, he soon had Kushina giggling.
Makiya watched and shook his head. Minato and Kushina were simply a perfect match. Their personalities complemented each other perfectly, like puzzle pieces; they were the most suitable partners for each other.
The next day, Minato issued an S-rank mission in the name of the Hokage, dispatching Makiya to the Land of Grass to investigate traces of a mysterious Wood Style ninja and to search for Tsunade's whereabouts, attempting to persuade her to return to Konoha to serve as the Head of the Konoha Hospital.
As everyone knew, investigation and search missions usually took a long time. Furthermore, with two missions stacked together, even if Makiya didn't return to the village for half a year, no one could say anything.
The Land of Demons was very far from the Land of Fire. Minato purposely issued a long-term mission to facilitate Makiya's actions.
The two of them exchanged Flying Thunder God kunai. If an emergency occurred, Makiya could quickly support Minato, so it wasn't exactly like he was completely skipping work.
Makiya didn't have much to prepare. After greeting the clan elders, he left Konoha alone. Then, he used his flames to manifest a giant golden sword, stepped onto the flying blade, and soared into the sky, heading straight for... the Land of Grass.
Before going to the Land of Demons, he had one more thing to do.
Nono Yakushi had sent intelligence that she had finally discovered traces of Uzumaki clan survivors in Kusagakure.
According to the investigation, the Uzumaki member stranded in Kusagakure was a young woman who had recently given birth to a daughter. The father was unknown.
The order to find Karin Uzumaki had been given by Makiya long ago. He originally thought it would be a simple mission, but he didn't expect that even after Kabuto Yakushi infiltrated the Kusagakure leadership, he couldn't find traces of the mother and daughter within the village.
After some inquiry, he learned that because the mother and daughter served as mobile blood packets, they were carried along with the main Kusagakure forces. Karin's mother, in particular, possessed a heaven-defying ability while also being quite beautiful, making certain tragic events almost inevitable.
The situation within the Land of Grass was not peaceful. In this recent war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, Kusagakure chose to bet on Iwagakure, sending many ninjas to join the Iwagakure forces as combatants and guides.
Unfortunately, the Iwa ninjas suffered successive defeats within the Land of Grass. After being thwarted, they had places to retreat to, but the Kusa ninjas did not. The entire country was only so big; they could run, but they couldn't hide.
The leader of Kusagakure feared Konoha's retaliation, so he ordered the main force to take the village's important assets and wander within the Land of Grass for a long time. If Konoha decided to retaliate, they could take the opportunity to stage a comeback.
In reality, Kusagakure had prepared two paths. The wandering main force was one, and they had also established Hozuki Castle under the guise of overseeing international criminals, secretly storing the village's sacred object, the Box of Ultimate Bliss, there.
Seeing the war reach its end and Konoha showing no signs of retaliation, the leader of Kusagakure finally felt at ease and sent a secret letter to recall the main force. This information was intercepted by Kabuto Yakushi and passed to Makiya.
Within the borders of the Land of Grass, on a small plain surrounded by mountains on all sides, lay a village hidden by giant trees and mountain ranges.
Kusagakure.
Without someone familiar with the terrain to lead the way, ordinary people could never find the location of Kusagakure. Even for ninjas with the address, finding it would take a lot of time.
Fortunately, Makiya could fly.
Looking down from high altitude and combining it with the location sent by Kabuto, Makiya easily pinpointed Kusagakure.
His primary goal for this trip was to save people. Before Karin and her mother were in his hands, Makiya chose to act low-key. He landed quietly in the distance and made his way through the mountains, concealing his figure until he reached the outskirts of Kusagakure.
As the sun set, the red clouds that dyed the sky gradually faded, and night enveloped the land in darkness. Dark clouds drifting from nowhere covered the moon, and a howling northern wind began to blow through the forest.
A dark night with high winds and a cold northern breeze—ill-suited for dates or forest battles, but perfect for mayhem and plunder!
"Chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp!"
A bird call with a 3-2, 3-2 rhythm echoed through the woods. A moment later, a drunken Kusa ninja staggered into the forest, looking like he was searching for a private spot to relieve himself.
After entering the forest, the previously drunken 'Kusa ninja' regained a bit of clarity. Following the sound, he found a certain spot in the woods and saw a familiar figure.
"Imperial Jade Wine?" Kabuto Yakushi, disguised as a Kusa ninja, spoke to the stranger with hazy eyes.
"One hundred and eighty a cup," Makiya answered with a nod.
"Lord Makiya!" Kabuto's eyes immediately became clear, with no trace of drunken haziness left. He walked quickly to Makiya, knelt on one knee, and handed over the intelligence he had tucked away.
Makiya took the intelligence, which detailed Kusagakure's defense plans and ninja strength.
Just a few small fry; no one worth paying attention to.
Among the notes, the place where Karin Uzumaki and her mother lived was prominently marked. From the building layout, the residence was surrounded by high-level Kusagakure officials, and the patrol intensity was very high. It was basically impossible to take the two of them away silently.
"Before you take action, Lord Makiya, I can create chaos at the Kusagakure granary. Then, you can take advantage of the confusion to lead the mother and daughter away, while I find an opportunity to escape," Kabuto said respectfully.
"No need for such trouble." Makiya memorized the intel and looked at Kabuto. "Kabuto, your mission is complete. Return to Seireitei first. Nono has been missing you lately, and you haven't rested in a long time. I'm giving you a day off; go back to Konoha and visit your friends at the orphanage."
"Lord Makiya?!" Kabuto was shocked. His first reaction wasn't joy, but reflection on what he might have done wrong. "I don't need a vacation! I only want to contribute to your great ambitions, Lord Makiya!"
"I don't have any great ambitions, don't overthink it." Makiya waved his hand. "If I give you a vacation, just rest at ease. Once it's over, there's even more arduous work waiting for you. You've been working with me for a long time; don't you know my rules?"
"Yes, Lord Makiya!" Kabuto lowered his head to accept the order, the light reflecting off his round glasses hiding his expression.
"Alright, withdraw quickly. The commotion that's coming won't be small."
Kabuto was very obedient and immediately turned to enter the forest. However, he didn't go far, hiding on the mountainside to observe silently. If anything happened to Lord Makiya, he would be there to help immediately.
The world of ninjas was full of endless possibilities. Kabuto knew Makiya was strong, but even the most powerful ninja could slip up. Being naturally cautious, Kabuto cared deeply about Makiya's safety.
This period of working under Makiya was the happiest time he'd had since leaving the orphanage. Makiya meant what he said and never made his subordinates second-guess him. Tasks and requirements were always explained clearly, and sometimes he even provided ideas or methods to solve problems.
During mission gaps, Kabuto had learned many ninjutsu and much knowledge from Makiya. If the person he respected most was Nono Yakushi, then the person he admired most was undoubtedly Makiya.
Kusagakure's patrol routes had been thoroughly investigated by Kabuto. Makiya hid in a tree for a moment until a patrolling Kusa ninja appeared in the grass below.
Whoosh!
A hand grabbed the ninja's neck from behind, dragging the unlucky soul into the bushes in an instant.
A few seconds later, that Kusa ninja walked out of the bushes unharmed and continued along the patrol route.
Having transformed into the Kusa ninja, Makiya followed the route all the way to a sentry point and casually greeted several other Kusa ninjas.
Under genjutsu interrogation, the unlucky Kusa ninja had spilled all the information in his head, allowing Makiya to play the role perfectly.
Ten minutes later, Makiya exchanged shifts with several other Kusa ninjas. They walked together, passing through hidden posts and entering the inner part of Kusagakure.
Makiya declined invitations for drinks or late-night snacks and walked alone through the dark streets, approaching the residence of Karin and her mother.
Just as he was less than half a street away from the target, he heard decadent sounds coming from that direction, interspersed with men's sinister laughter and a woman's cries of pain.
And the sound of a young girl crying.
"Halt! Why are you here?" a shout came from a corner as a Kusa ninja in a special uniform blocked Makiya. "A mere commoner, who gave you permission to come over here?"