"Hatani! You're finally back!"
The moment Minato saw Hatani, he couldn't contain his excitement. He lunged forward, grabbing his brother and pulling him into a tight, relieved embrace.
"Look, we're brothers and all, but this is getting a bit much, don't you think?"
Even though Hatani had lived in this world for thirteen years and truly considered Minato his brother, and even though he knew coming back so late would worry him sick—this level of "bromantic" intensity made him instinctively recoil.
Still... he thought, he really is the 'Little Sun.' That's some genuine warmth right there.
"Hatani, tell us everything. What happened? Was the Suna defense too tight?"
While Minato was focused on his brother's well-being, Sakumo Hatake, though visibly relieved to see the boy alive, immediately pressed him with a sharp, anxious frown.
Behind him, the elder ninjas—who had never believed in Hatani to begin with—wore deep scowls. They seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for Hatani to admit failure so they could start their interrogation. It didn't matter that they hadn't lifted a finger themselves, or that it was Hatani's own plan.
"Suna's defense only looks tight on the outside," Hatani replied, finally prying himself out of Minato's grip.
"Then why did the Suna camp erupt in such chaos last night?" one of the elders snapped, unable to wait a second longer. "Don't tell us you 'succeeded' when we saw hundreds of their ninjas mobilize. You obviously tripped an alarm and blew the mission, didn't you?"
"And who told you the mission failed?"
Hatani shot them a look of pure annoyance. Even though their conclusion was exactly what he had intended to lead them toward with his diversion, hearing it voiced so smugly still grated on his nerves.
"Hah! What a joke! Are you actually going to claim that you wiped out their logistics unit and destroyed all their supplies by yourself?"
"Heh. Some people," Hatani drawled, "live all those years for nothing. They have no shame, but they love to act like their own limitations define everyone else. Just because you can't do something doesn't mean it's impossible for everyone else."
"Enough! Stop this at once!"
Watching the argument spiral out of control, Sakumo massaged his temples before finally letting out a roar that silenced the room.
"Hatani, explain exactly what happened last night."
Sakumo's tone made it clear that even he found it hard to believe Hatani had accomplished the goal single-handedly.
"Fine, fine," Hatani shrugged, then began to recount the night's events in detail.
"The Hidden Mist?!"
They were stunned. None of them had expected that, before they could even make their move, a team from Kirigakure would drop out of the sky and complete their most difficult objective for them.
However, as they listened, the elder ninjas' expressions shifted from shock to blatant disdain. Acting so proud... if we didn't know better, we'd have thought you actually did the work instead of just stumbling upon a Mist ambush!
Hatani couldn't be bothered to trade barbs with them further. He continued: "The Mist team was led by seven individuals, each wielding a bizarre, unique weapon. They were incredibly powerful. The Suna unit—three Jonin and over five hundred ninjas—didn't even last half an hour. Their commanders were slaughtered along with a hundred men, and the rest fled in a total rout."
Unsure of whether the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" were a household name yet, Hatani avoided using the title and instead gave a brief physical description of the group.
"Could it be... the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"
As Konoha's premier "swordsman," Sakumo was well aware of their existence. Hatani's description made their identities unmistakable.
"If their elite strike force is moving north through the Land of Rivers," Sakumo mused, his mind racing to the same conclusion Hatani had reached earlier, "their target must be the Five-Tails."
"Most likely," Hatani said, untying the bundle on his back. "Here. I killed a few Mist ninjas and scavenged these. They're mostly Sealing Scrolls and supplies."
Hiss—!
The room was filled with the sound of a collective, sharp intake of breath. As veteran ninjas, they knew exactly how much those high-grade scrolls were worth. Even the grumpy elders felt their eyes go green with envy.
Hatani had only brought them out to prove Sakumo's theory correct—and to enjoy their greedy stares. The moment he saw them salivating, he cinched the bundle shut and slung it back over his shoulder.
"Ahem. So," Sakumo coughed, trying to maintain his professional composure. "The Mist snuck north to capture the Five-Tails, ran headlong into the Suna logistics train, and the Suna main camp mobilized to support them?"
"Not quite," Hatani corrected with a wave of his hand. "Those Mist bastards were efficient. They're cold-blooded killers. They wiped out the Suna unit and erased almost every trace of their presence. If I hadn't been nearby and heard the fighting, I wouldn't have even known it was the Mist."
"Then Suna...?"
"Did you lure the Suna pursuers toward the Mist on purpose, Hatani?" Minato asked, having caught on immediately.
"Yep." Hatani nodded. "I figured we shouldn't let Suna blame Konoha for their missing food when someone else did the work. I made sure they got a good look at each other."
Hatani's face remained calm, but a glint of smugness danced in his eyes.
"Judging by the results, it worked perfectly. Suna has no idea it was the Mist who initially gutted their supplies, and since nearly four hundred of their ninjas survived the second clash to tell the tale, the news of the destroyed rations has likely spread through their entire camp by now."
Sakumo's eyes lit up. He had initially worried that Hatani had taken an unnecessary risk by leading Suna back to the Mist, but now he saw the strategic brilliance behind it.
"Sakumo, this is a golden opportunity!"
The elder ninjas, despite their personal dislike for Hatani's attitude, were veterans of war first and foremost. They were practically vibrating with excitement.
"Exactly! Sakumo, we should launch a full counter-attack while Suna is in a state of panic!"
"Actually," Hatani interjected, "I think doing nothing is the best course of action."
Beside him, Minato nodded in agreement after a brief moment of reflection. "Hatani is right. Our overall strength is still far below Suna's. After yesterday's battle, our troops are exhausted and still recovering. We're only holding on because of our fortifications. If we leave the safety of the camp to attack, we're more likely to get ourselves killed than to achieve a breakthrough."
"Cowards!"
The elders, seeing Sakumo waver as he considered the brothers' advice, began to jeer.
"Heh. Funny," Hatani sneered. "Don't forget it was this 'coward' who brought you this intel, while you 'heroes' didn't even have the balls to support my plan last night."
"You—!"
"Enough!"
Sakumo cut them off before the shouting could resume. He looked down at Hatani, his gaze heavy and expectant.
"Hatani... what exactly do you have in mind?"