By evening, their reconnaissance mission had come to an end, and Shimizu returned to camp right on schedule to report in.
After Squad Seven completed their handover with Squad Four, they happened to run into Minato just as he stepped out of the command tent.
"Shimizu, you're back. Did you find anything?" Minato asked.
"Nothing. Everything's normal."
"That's good… honestly, no news is the best news right now." Minato let out a quiet sigh.
Shimizu immediately caught the trace of fatigue hidden beneath his tone. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Something wrong?"
"…No."
Shimizu blinked. "Then why do you sound like that?"
"It's nothing, really. I've just been feeling a bit uneasy," Minato admitted with a faint, self-deprecating smile. "Maybe I'm just too worried about Kushina…"
"Have you been getting enough rest these past few days?"
Minato paused, frowning slightly as he thought back over his recent routine. "…Probably not."
Just then, another figure stepped out of the tent—it was Dodai, Kumogakure's highest-ranking commander.
"So the famed Shunshin Shimizu is here as well," he said with a nod. "That gives this mission an extra layer of assurance."
Shimizu gave a noncommittal chuckle before shifting to the matter he actually cared about. "How is that Eight-Tails Jinchūriki brat doing?"
"He'll recover after some rest," Dodai replied curtly, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
"Good to hear."
Tough little brat.
From what Shimizu had heard, the boy had been gravely injured—nearly killed. It made him wonder what kind of opponent could push someone like that to the brink.
And yet, he would still recover completely. As expected of the Eight-Tails' host.
"Everyone should get a good rest tonight," Dodai continued. "Tomorrow, Lord Raikage will arrive here with the enemy in tow…"
There was a faint anticipation in his voice, as though he were looking forward to what was about to unfold.
In truth, most of them were. Watching Iwagakure walk into a trap and suffer would be more than satisfying.
But the next morning, before any sign of Iwagakure appeared, the camp erupted into chaos.
Kushina was gone.
In an instant, both Konoha and Kumogakure forces went on the highest level of alert.
"What do you mean someone from Kumo took Kushina?" Minato grabbed a Kumogakure ninja, his voice tight with urgency. "Tell me everything you know!"
"I-it was the captain of the Third Unit—Reiraku-senpai," the ninja stammered, doing his best to recount the situation clearly. "About ten minutes ago, when I passed by, I heard her say that the command center had an urgent matter to discuss with Miss Uzumaki…"
With the mission about to begin, an unexpected development requiring an emergency meeting didn't seem unusual at all.
And a squad captain personally coming to relay the message—and even escort Kushina—hardly raised suspicion.
After all, who would have thought that this "Reiraku" might be a problem?
"Which direction did they go?" Minato pressed.
"East… and since she's a captain, we didn't question her much."
Rank carried weight. As a subordinate, the ninja hadn't dared to question her intentions.
"Reiraku… is she a tall kunoichi with mid-length black hair?" Shimizu suddenly asked.
"Yes, that's her."
"I saw her talking with Kushina earlier."
At that, realization dawned on everyone present.
It seemed that Reiraku had already made contact with Kushina beforehand—and had gained at least a measure of her trust.
With her status as a captain, gaining even a sliver of Kushina's trust would have been effortless.
Taking advantage of the brief window that morning, she used that fragile trust—along with the pretense of an urgent meeting—to lure Kushina away completely.
"Commander Dodai, I need an explanation." Minato forced himself to steady his emotions, though the tension in his voice was unmistakable.
"I've already sent people to search the entire camp, including Reiraku's quarters…" Dodai frowned deeply, clearly struggling to make sense of the situation. "All this time, she's been nothing more than an ordinary shinobi. How could she possibly do something like this?"
"Ordinary people are often the best at hiding," Shimizu said quietly.
"But with her strength, there's no way she could have slipped out of the camp with Miss Uzumaki without anyone noticing," Dodai insisted.
Reiraku was only a special jōnin. Even if something was wrong, how could she possibly convince the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki to follow her without resistance?
Force her?
With that level of strength?
Dodai quickly explained her background to everyone present—by all accounts, she lacked both the ability and the means to carry out something of this scale.
"Unless she wasn't acting alone," Minato said, his mind racing as he tried to piece together Kushina's whereabouts. "Or perhaps… you never truly understood who this 'Reiraku' really was."
He swept his gaze across the camp. "This place isn't that large. Where could she have taken Kushina?"
Then his tone sharpened. "Or are you saying Kumogakure thinks trading money and the Two-Tails for the Nine-Tails is a profitable deal?"
That accusation landed heavily.
Dodai felt a bitter weight settle in his chest, unable to respond immediately.
Minato's implication was clear: if one person couldn't have done this alone, then there had to be others involved—spies within the camp… perhaps even deeper issues within Kumogakure itself.
No matter how this situation ended, it would deal a serious blow to the relationship between the two villages.
Dodai was well aware of that.
They had agreed only to borrow the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki for the mission—but before the plan even reached its critical stage, before Iwagakure had even appeared, everything had already begun to fall apart.
"Commander Namikaze, please calm down…" Dodai said, forcing himself to remain composed. "Let's wait for further reports."
A small part of him still clung to hope—that perhaps an enemy had simply used a transformation technique to impersonate Reiraku.
But that hope was quickly shattered.
A Kumogakure ninja rushed over, reporting urgently, "Captain Reiraku… is missing as well."
That confirmed it.
Dodai could no longer deflect responsibility.
"…This is absolutely not part of Kumogakure's plan," he said stiffly.
Whether it was or not, Kumogakure would have to pay dearly for this incident.
There was no way Konoha would simply let it pass without demanding answers.
At this moment, it wasn't just Kushina's safety at risk—Kumogakure itself was facing a serious crisis.
Shimizu stepped in, shifting focus to the immediate danger. "How long until the Third Raikage arrives?"
"Not long… just a few hours, at most."
"…Then we're running out of time," Shimizu murmured.
Minato nodded, his decision swift and decisive. "From here on, I'll focus on tracking down Kushina. Shimizu, you handle the situation regarding the Third Raikage's next movements."
At this point, even Shimizu couldn't think of a better plan. They would have to adapt step by step.
If they managed to find Kushina, they could at least breathe a little easier.
But if they didn't…
How were the people here supposed to withstand an army of tens of thousands from Iwagakure?
This kind of unexpected turn of events was nothing short of deadly.