"Otouto."
Looking at Hatani, who had changed into a dark navy outfit to blend into the shadows, a complex mix of worry, relief, and deep self-reproach flickered across Minato's face.
Unlike Nawaki, Sakumo Hatake, or even Hiruzen Sarutobi—all of whom viewed Hatani as a staunch believer in the Will of Fire—Minato had watched his brother grow up. He knew better. He knew his little brother didn't truly buy into that ideology; in fact, Hatani often displayed a blatant disdain for the Will of Fire and the village's higher-ups.
Seeing Hatani step forward and volunteer at such a critical, life-or-death moment filled Minato with a sense of pride.
However, allowing Hatani to walk into such immense danger while he, the older brother, sat back powerlessly filled him with guilt. If his chakra reserves hadn't been depleted, he could have at least accompanied Hatani, even if he couldn't take over the mission entirely. They could have watched each other's backs.
But because his chakra consumption had been so extreme, the success of the plan required him to stay behind at the camp and focus entirely on recovery. He was forced to let Hatani carry out this perilous mission alone.
He felt like a failure of an older brother.
"Alright, enough with the long face," Hatani said, patting Minato's shoulder with a grin. He rarely minded the "otouto" label when Minato was being this sincere. "The old-timers might not know what I'm capable of, but surely you do? Would I really throw myself into a meat grinder if I wasn't sure I could get out?"
"But still..."
"If you're truly worried about my safety, go back and focus on your recovery. The more chakra you restore, the faster you can bring our friends to my side when the time comes."
"...Fine."
"Right then. I'm off."
With a casual wave to Minato—the only one there to see him off—Hatani's silhouette finally dissolved into the darkness. To ensure absolute secrecy and prevent word of the operation from leaking, not even Sakumo Hatake had come to say goodbye.
"Hatani..."
Watching the empty darkness where his brother had been, Minato opened his mouth to say something more, but the words died in his throat. He remembered Hatani once telling him that saying too much in these moments was "setting a flag." He swallowed his anxiety, turning it into a silent prayer as he hurried back to his tent.
He was Hatani's only safety net. He had to be at his absolute peak the moment his brother needed him.
What Minato didn't know was that the moment Hatani cleared the perimeter of the camp, his face lit up with intense anticipation.
The source of his excitement was, of course, the mission itself.
While he had told Sakumo and Minato that he was going to coordinate a strike, his plan from the very beginning was to "monopolize" the rewards.
His confidence came from the gold coins he had amassed over the last few days. The two major clashes with Sunagakure had netted him several thousand coins. Not only had he reached the 4,000 gold required to unlock the Storm Spirit template, but he actually had 2,000 to spare.
During those battles, he had relied on the Phantom Lancer's innate traits to engage in brutal close-quarters combat. The constant life-and-death struggle had acted as a catalyst for his swordsmanship, causing the cost to unlock Juggernaut to plummet.
After a full day of "farming" Suna ninjas, the unlock price for Juggernaut had finally dropped to 2,500 gold. This meant that if he wanted to, he could unlock both Juggernaut and Storm Spirit in one go.
That had been the original plan, but as soon as the day's fighting ended, he changed his mind.
[Would you like to spend 3,000 gold coins to purchase 'Shadow Blade'?]
[Yes / No]
Still immersed in the system interface, Hatani decisively tapped "Yes." Upon exiting the menu, a katana with a flashy, deep purple scabbard materialized in his hand.
Seeing the battle results today and formulating the plan to raid the supplies, he realized he needed a way to go invisible. He chose to invest in the Shadow Blade first.
Though he didn't have much love for the village leadership, he cared deeply for Konoha itself. He had been in the shinobi world for nearly thirteen years; all his friends and ties were here. If he continued to "slack off" and let the Suna army punch through the final line of three thousand defenders, the consequences would be catastrophic.
He didn't think Suna could actually conquer Konoha, but the casualties would be unbearable.
More importantly, in his mind, the 3,000 gold for the Shadow Blade wasn't an expense—it was an investment. If he could successfully reach the Suna rear, the "bounty" on the guards alone would likely cover the cost.
By the time he was done, he'd be able to unlock both Juggernaut and Storm Spirit while having a "free" Shadow Blade to show for it. It was a textbook win-win.
And beyond the system rewards, there was the literal loot. He planned to scavenge everything he could while burning the base: Sealing Scrolls, Paper Bombs, Soldier Pills...
Even if he couldn't carry much, things like high-grade scrolls and explosives were worth a fortune. Selling them off could easily net him hundreds of thousands of Ryo.
In a few years, Minato and Kushina would be starting their "shamelessly lovey-dovey" married life. As a younger brother and future brother-in-law, he couldn't exactly crash on their couch forever, being a third wheel and eating "dog food"every day. He needed his own place.
Thinking about the fact that he'd been reincarnated into a fantasy world only to still be worrying about real estate and being single made him feel a surge of indignant frustration.
I worried about housing prices in my past life, and I'm doing it again here? What was the point of transmigrating?!
"A horse doesn't get fat without night grass, and a man doesn't get rich without windfall!" Hatani hissed under his breath. "I'm going big this time. One raid, and I'm earning my house down payment in one go!"
With a vicious determination, Hatani drew the Shadow Blade and made a small cut on his finger to let a drop of blood fall onto the steel. His movements were so practiced it was almost sad.
It stung, and there was always a bit of risk, but the effect was worth it. After the blood-binding, Hatani focused his mind. The purple glow emanating from the blade vanished, and his entire body disappeared along with it.
Fourteen seconds later, however, Hatani's figure reappeared. He frowned deeply.
Fourteen seconds. It was exactly the same as in the game. But while fourteen seconds felt like an eternity in a match, it felt pathetically short in the real world.
Hatani felt like he'd been scammed. This was barely better than Gekko Hayate's Transparent Escape technique.
"Forget it. I've already spent the three thousand," he grumbled. "What's another thousand?"
With a bitter curse, he dove back into the system menu.