Chapter 157

He nodded toward the spiral long gate and Naruto Uzumaki, speaking softly.

"You two, it's been a long time!"

Push

Minato Namikaze exhaled a breath, then slowly rose to his feet, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"It's been a long time indeed!"

Before he could say more, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded.

With several sharp crackling sounds, masked ANBU members appeared all around them from every direction.

They seemed subtly encircling Su Han and the others.

Su Han scanned the surroundings, his brows twitching slightly.

Finally, he gave Minato a peculiar glance, his voice tinged with mild confusion: "Minato, what’s going on?"

Su Han wasn’t misunderstanding anything.

After all, as a member of the guild, Minato had a clear understanding of everyone present’s strength.

Not to mention, just Su Han, Bai Hu, and Lord Wo Ban together could effortlessly dismantle the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Let alone that this was not even the peak-era Hidden Leaf Village.

Even in the village’s most prosperous era—when the First Hokage still lived, the Second Hokage assisted him, and Uchiha Madara hadn’t defected—

All of Su Han’s forces could stand up to it head-on.

How could Minato possibly be so reckless as to trouble Su Han here? He lacked both motive and capability.

Minato’s expression turned grim.

Seeing that Su Han didn’t immediately rage, he let out a small sigh of relief.

But instantly, his expression hardened, cold and sharp, as he barked: "Kuroyuki!"

A crisp snap echoed, and a young-looking ninja appeared before Minato in an instant.

His face was covered by a raccoon mask.

"Fourth Hokage!"

The ANBU ninja bowed slightly to Minato.

Minato spoke slowly, each word forced through clenched teeth: "Check who these people are!"

The ANBU ninja nodded and vanished in a flash.

Su Han glanced at the direction the ANBU ninja disappeared, paused for a moment, then turned back to Minato and asked, "Is it Kakashi?"

"Yes!"

Minato nodded, his gaze flickering slightly, his expression easing as he exhaled softly, "He’s currently serving in ANBU under the codename Kuroyuki."

As Minato was about to lead them into Ichiraku Ramen, he suddenly noticed Bai Hu’s towering height—seven meters tall.

Instantly, his brows twitched twice, a look of distress crossing his face.

"......Let’s just eat outside in the open!"

Su Han understood Minato’s discomfort and chuckled.

The Fire Shadow World differed from the One Piece world.

There were no giants here.

"You’re truly considerate... It means a lot..."

Minato finally relaxed.

Bai Hu laughed heartily, eyeing the surroundings with keen interest.

He paid little attention to the masked ANBU scattered around, instead viewing everything like a tourist admiring foreign scenery.

He stood there, observing the sights with genuine fascination.

Minato entered the shop and found the ramen chef cowering in a corner, trembling.

"Boss, what’s happened? Why are you so panicked?"

Minato’s cheek twitched slightly.

He barely grasped what had occurred. "It was terrifying... A giant suddenly appeared outside just now!"

The ramen chef swallowed hard.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he gestured wildly upon seeing the Fourth Hokage.

Having lived in the peaceful Hidden Leaf Village for generations, he’d never experienced anything like this. Even during multiple ninja wars, the village had always repelled enemies beyond its borders—never allowing invaders to breach its walls.

"......"

Minato fell silent, recalling the sudden appearance of so many ANBU members, his brows twitching again.

Suddenly, he began to understand why those ANBU had reacted so intensely, treating Su Han and the others as enemies.

Most likely because of Bai Hu’s extraordinary height and the abruptness of his arrival.

"Ramen Chef, just keep making noodles for now! Don’t worry—those people are actually my friends."

Under Minato’s reassurance, the ramen chef finally calmed down, muttering with reluctant relief:

"So they’re friends of the Fourth Hokage... You should’ve said so earlier!"

"I didn’t expect this situation either,"

Minato rubbed his temples, headache flaring, "Bring us six... No, make it twenty!"

"If it’s not enough, add more."

The ramen chef, remembering the seven-meter-tall Bai Hu outside, nodded silently without questioning why Minato ordered so much.

It was obvious enough.

Given Bai Hu’s size, a dozen bowls might only be a light appetizer.

When Minato stepped out, Kakashi returned, accompanied by Jiraiya.

Upon Jiraiya’s arrival, the surrounding ANBU swiftly withdrew.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya began sighing deeply and complaining bitterly to Bai Hu.

"Your appearance on the streets this time has indeed caused quite a stir! The others aren't so bad—after all, ninja do have techniques like Body Flicker and such... But Brother Whitebeard, your physique is simply too conspicuous."

Jiraiya scrutinized him from head to toe... Whitebeard, his expression also showed some hesitation. If he hadn’t once visited the One Piece world and met Whitebeard before, he might’ve been genuinely startled by Whitebeard’s towering height.

"But just now, surrounding here... those weren’t Secret Operations ninja! These fellows are members of Root."

"Root... Root? Why would Root appear beside the Fourth Hokage?"

Su Han furrowed his brows, feeling something was off.

Was Uzumaki Minato really that pitiful that even Root was tailing him?

"Actually, it wasn’t surveillance—they were merely lingering around the vicinity! And officially, these ninja claim they’re protecting the Fourth Hokage."

After a brief pause, Jiraiya’s eyes darkened with a hint of shadow.

"Probably because over these past few days, Minato has been continuously gathering hidden records of the past! That must’ve caught Tobirama’s attention."

Hou Jue heard this and finally grasped what was going on, letting out a cold chuckle.

"Regardless, Uzumaki Minato is still a village leader... A mere Tobirama, hiding in the shadows, lurking in Root—what right does he have to monitor the Fourth Hokage?"

"Uzumaki Minato! I originally thought you being hailed as the most dazzling Hokage in Konoha’s history meant you’d be exceptionally skilled, but meeting you today... truly a disappointment."

Nagato of the Uzumaki clan crossed his arms, hearing Hou Jue’s words, nodded expressionlessly, then added in a calm tone.

"I’ve already said—if you wish, I could eradicate Root entirely right now."

"Fourth Hokage, your heart is too soft! That’s your flaw."

Hearing everyone’s words, Uzumaki Minato’s cheek twitched slightly, then he finally explained.

"The evidence is nearly complete... If we act now, wouldn’t all our efforts be wasted?"

Uzumaki Minato looked at them, shrugging his shoulders.

Then he added another sentence.

"But don’t worry too much... Most likely, during this Nine-Tails Incident, I’ll be able to uproot Root completely at once."

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