Unlike Kazuyama's focus, Minato's attention was fixed on the Five-Tails rampaging near the Land of Fire's border. That was bad news—very bad.
Every Tailed Beast possessed terrifying destructive power. Even deploying part of the village's forces to suppress one would cause enormous strain. That was why villages always chose to seal them rather than fight them directly. When faced with such natural calamities, containment was the only real solution.
"Shikaku, any word from Iwagakure?"
"You know as well as I do—the Five-Tails has always been under Iwa's control. It escaped just like that, and they're not reacting?"
On its own, the incident didn't seem too strange. But putting all the pieces together told a different story.
Minato was right—the Five-Tails was one of Iwa's primary weapons, a monster they'd relied on in war. Yet now it had left the Land of Earth, and they weren't panicking? Something was definitely off.
Shikaku shook his head, then pulled out another scroll from his robe. A faint, uncharacteristically smug smile tugged at his lips.
That expression made both Minato and Kazuyama blink in confusion.
"What the hell? Are you really Nara Shikaku?"
"You're actually gloating? I thought all you knew how to do was sigh and complain."
"No way, I need to check if it's really you! Crystal Release: Prison!"
Kazuyama jumped back a little—Shikaku's grin was too unnerving. Even Minato's eyebrows shot up. Shikaku never smiled like that.
A second later, transparent crystal restraints snapped into place, trapping Shikaku where he stood. His smug expression froze instantly.
"Damn it, Kazuyama! How long have we worked together?!"
"You actually suspect me? And you attacked me? That's way out of line!"
"Hokage-sama! You—"
"What's with that look!!! Don't just stand there, save me!"
Shikaku's attempt to appeal to Minato was cut short when he saw the Hokage's own doubtful expression.
Seriously? That look too?
He'd just smiled—just smiled—and now everyone thought he was an imposter!
"Ahem, Kazuyama, release him."
"What are you doing?! That's Nara Shikaku, head of the Nara Clan, our chief strategist! Let him go, now!"
Realizing his own face was probably making things worse, Minato quickly backtracked, urging Kazuyama to dispel the jutsu.
The poor man could only move his head—his entire body was encased in crystal.
Kazuyama stepped closer, eyeing him up and down. After a careful look, he finally confirmed, "Yeah, that's Shikaku alright."
"Hey, next time, could you not smile like that? Doesn't suit you."
"You almost gave me a heart attack. Hmph, pull that again and I'll turn you into a permanent crystal statue."
After that jab, he lifted the technique, freeing Shikaku.
The moment he was free, Shikaku exploded.
"You bastards! Just because I'm normally calm doesn't mean I don't have emotions!"
"I was just feeling a little smug, and you both immediately suspect me!"
"If Kazuyama doesn't trust me, fine—but you, Lord Hokage?! Really?!"
"We talk in this office every day! You actually thought I was fake?!"
Minato froze under the tirade, completely at a loss. His gaze drifted helplessly toward Kazuyama, who only shrugged before snapping back, "Hey, you were the one giving him that look! Why are you glaring at me?!"
"Alright, alright—can we get back to the real issue?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Minato immediately redirected the discussion. The Five-Tails was the priority.
"Hmph. For some reason, Iwagakure hasn't made any move to capture the Five-Tails," Shikaku reported. "And according to intel, the Four-Tails has also vanished from Iwa."
"The Four-Tails? Roshi?"
That was even more shocking. Roshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, was one of the strongest Iwa shinobi. For him to leave the village too—something serious must have happened.
Minato frowned deeply, his mind racing.
Kazuyama, on the other hand, looked far more intrigued. After all, he was the one who had taken down the Five-Tails before. And Roshi leaving Iwa? That lined up perfectly with what he already knew. Roshi had long disagreed with the Tsuchikage. It was only a matter of time before he walked away.
"Looks like we can't rely on Iwa to contain the Five-Tails," Minato concluded.
"Even so, we can't just let it rampage along our border. It has to be driven out."
"Shikaku, alert the jōnin corps and have them stand by. I'll go personally—"
"Hold it right there."
Before Minato could finish, Kazuyama interrupted.
"I'll handle the Five-Tails."
"I couldn't care less about the Daimyō's business, but fighting a Tailed Beast? That, I can do."
"My match with Rasa didn't exactly satisfy me. Using the Five-Tails as a test opponent sounds perfect."
The moment Kazuyama volunteered, Minato nodded in relief—afraid he'd change his mind if given too long to think.
"Alright then, it's yours. Just drive it out of the Land of Fire. Don't overdo it."
"Want me to send backup with you?"
Even though Kazuyama was absurdly powerful, Minato still preferred to play it safe when dealing with a Tailed Beast.
Kazuyama snorted. "Backup? I don't need it. But I'll give you some advice about the Daimyō situation."
"Send Kakashi out again—with Obito and Shisui. The Uchiha's Sharingan is unmatched when it comes to genjutsu. If they trap Kazuma in an illusion, he'll spill everything."
"Once you've got the truth, fixing the situation will be simple."
"As for the Five-Tails? That's nothing special."
A sharp glint flashed in Minato's eyes as he nodded approvingly. The plan made sense. They already had leads—direct action was sometimes the best path forward.
Still, when it came to the Five-Tails, Minato wasn't about to let him go alone.
"Kazuyama, I'll have my personal guard accompany you."
"No need. I can handle it myself."
"No. Let them go. I know you—if the fight gets too fun, you might go too far. Having them there will put my mind at ease."
Kazuyama stared at Minato's serious face, the corner of his mouth twitching hard.
This bastard… he's not worried about the mission—he's worried I'll lose control...