Minato asked what he wanted. To be honest, there were far too many things that Shin desired.

The Land of Rain was in chaos and poverty; it lacked everything. He couldn't find any way to learn even a single B-rank jutsu.

Too many wants, too many needs.

However, his rational mind reminded him not to push Minato too far. If things went south, it might turn into a scene like, "I'm fighting Minato? Really?!"

If he could act without concern, he would have killed Obito the moment he made his move.

But unfortunately, he couldn't.

Balancing this was a delicate challenge: how to get the most benefit without completely breaking ties. As he went through countless possibilities, Shin finally spoke after much consideration.

"Since you said you're here to confirm Ame's stance, I need a promise from you. I want you to draft an official written statement acknowledging the neutrality of the Land of Rain in this Ninja War. Also, Konoha must agree to inform Ame in advance of any cross-border missions in the future."

"As long as you uphold this promise, Ame will not become enemies of Konoha. But if Konoha violates this and sends ninja into the Land of Rain without notice, we reserve the right to eliminate those Konoha ninjas."

"Furthermore, any deaths resulting from such an incident will not be our responsibility."

Minato's brow furrowed slightly. "That's a significant request. You understand I can't make unilateral decisions for Konoha?"

"Of course. But your word carries weight. Especially as the likely next Hokage."

After some deep reflection, Shin suppressed his greed and refrained from demanding a risky high-level jutsu like Flying Thunder God.

Instead, he requested a statement from Minato. He was exploiting Konoha's current situation and his enemy's position of influence.

He had not forgotten that in the fated future, the two individuals most responsible for the downfall of both him and the Akatsuki were Hanzō of the Salamander, the current leader of the Land of Rain, and Danzō from Konoha.

The system's death predictions for him were mostly tied to Konoha, and this was why. So, this was his preemptive move against Danzō.

He didn't expect the statement to completely stop Root's operations, but once he had it, he could strike first and kill any Root ninjas entering the Land of Rain without worrying about starting a full-scale war with Konoha.

If Konoha denied the statement? That's where Minato's status came into play. He was the most favored candidate for the next Hokage, especially in the eyes of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen.

When Shin spread the word about the statement, he would make sure to emphasize Minato's status. This might even create friction between Danzō and the rest of Konoha's leadership.

Killing two birds with one stone. This was the real key to breaking the chains of fate.

For this, Shin willingly gave up the chance to extort a jutsu.

More importantly, this request wouldn't offend Minato and would ensure the safety of him and Konan for now. Without the foresight to understand the full implications of the statement, Minato even felt a sense of relief.

Konoha, under pressure on all sides, had no intention of attacking the Land of Rain. Acknowledging its neutrality didn't harm Konoha's interests—at least that's what he believed.

He couldn't have foreseen that one of Konoha's elders would be so infuriated by this statement in the future. Right now, Minato even thought that Shin was reasonable.

With some apology, he explained, "My promise may not represent the final will of the village. Is it really okay to issue a statement under my name?"

"I have great confidence in your future. I believe you will become the next Hokage. Issuing it in your name is fine; consider it my wager on you."

Minato looked slightly taken aback. "That's quite a vote of confidence."

Shin smiled, his eyes glinting. "In times like these, we must believe in the right people."

Out in the world, sometimes identity is what you make it.

When I spread this, I'll declare you as the next Hokage. What could Hiruzen do, stop me? he thought, suppressing a smirk.

Based on his understanding of Hiruzen's character, Shin judged that the Third Hokage would likely accept the situation once it escalated.

After all, this Hokage had tolerated even worse, like the time Kumo blatantly kidnapped the Hyuga clan's heir in Konoha. It was highly probable that he would silently accept this, too.

"Do you have any paper? If not, I can have my companion provide some," Minato offered.

Shin turned to Konan, and she silently handed him a sheet of paper.

Minato waved it off politely. "No need, I have a blank scroll with me."

After confirming that Shin wasn't trying to extort anything else, Minato's attitude became much more relaxed. But Shin remained cautious, waiting for his backup plan.

As Minato pulled out a scroll, Shin discreetly handed the paper back to Konan.

Yet, her hand hesitated for a moment. The paper she had given Shin had been blank, but when it was returned, there was a line of small writing on it:

"Send the paper butterfly to notify Nagato to come to the border forest immediately."

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Shin knew Minato was a good person, but he couldn't bet everything on someone's kindness. Both he and Konan were powerless if Minato turned hostile once they released Rin.

A young Konan couldn't possibly match a full-grown Minato, and neither could he.

So, they had to call for reinforcements.

Once Minato finished writing the scroll, he tossed it to Shin, who checked it before saying, "Now, please accompany us to the border. Once we confirm you've left the Land of Rain, we'll release your companion immediately."

This was, of course, a stalling tactic, buying time for Nagato to arrive. He wasn't sure if a fourteen-year-old Nagato could stop Minato, but at least with the Rinnegan, they might be able to hold him off.

"Hey! You jerk! Sensei already wrote what you wanted, so why haven't you released Rin yet!?" Obito shouted angrily.

Shin's eyes, cold as steel, flickered over Obito before dismissing him entirely. The message was clear: You're not worth my time.

This only made Obito even angrier, though he was powerless to do anything.

Minato glanced at Konan, his face calm, but inside, it seemed like he had figured something out.

"It seems you have your concerns. Fine, let's head to the border together as you suggested."

Just then, Kakashi, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, almost igniting an internal conflict. "Sensei, what about our mission?"

"Damn you! Even now, you're still thinking about the mission?! Rin is still in the hands of that paper woman! You… You're a heartless beast!" Obito raged, leaping to his feet.

Watching the scene unfold, Shin couldn't help but smile. Looks like things are about to get interesting.

At this point, he was no longer worried about Kakashi's stubbornness. Shin knew the one truly in charge was Minato, and he had already agreed to their terms.

But seeing Kakashi's cold, stubborn behavior, he couldn't help but smile in amusement. This is just too entertaining.

Shin looked at him, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Your name is Kakashi, right? May I ask why you're so fixated on the mission of a ninja?"

His polite question abruptly interrupted the imminent clash between Obito and Kakashi.

They both understood: fighting in front of an enemy they had just faced in battle would be foolish and embarrassing. The impending clash between them dissolved, replaced by a wary silence. Even enemies could recognize the foolishness of infighting.

Kakashi turned his head, deliberately ignoring Obito's enraged expression. He met Shin's gaze and coldly replied.

"Completing missions is the ninja's duty. In the ninja world, those who cannot accomplish missions are worthless!"

Shin smiled even more, as though he had spotted a long-suppressed seed that could burst into a brilliant firework at any moment. He only wanted to ignite this seed. As for who would get burned, he didn't care — it wouldn't be him.

"Do you truly believe in that iron rule? Are you acting like this because you genuinely agree with it?"

Kakashi's jaw moved slightly under his mask, as if he wanted to speak, but Shin pressed on before he could respond.

"If you truly believe in 'missions above all', then why did you recklessly rush forward to rescue your comrade before your teacher arrived? Your actions back then don't align with what you're saying now."

"Ask your heart: do you really believe in the words you're repeating? Or are you... simply running away?"

"Running away from the death of your loved ones, running from the darkness of this world, from an almost impossible task of seeking justice, and running from... the revenge you should have carried out as a son?"

Shin's words were like a poison, stabbing into Kakashi's heart unexpectedly, making his breathing erratic. His hand instinctively gripped the handle of his sword, fingers trembling uncontrollably.

"What... what do you know?!" Kakashi stepped forward, almost breaking free from Minato's grasp.

Even Obito was startled.

It was the first time he had seen Kakashi with such a terrifying expression, like a cornered beast whose eyes had turned red with desperation.

Minato also frowned at this moment, "I've told you not to say strange things to my student anymore!"

Shin quickly raised his hands innocently.

"Understood, no problem. I won't say anything more."

Provoking Kakashi wasn't his main objective right now. He had only done it for amusement, because it was fun. He simply enjoyed watching chaos unfold. However, if it interfered with his primary goal, he wouldn't hesitate to stop the provocation.

"Please don't take offense. Let's set off now."

But how could a seed already buried in the soil be so easily blown away by the wind?

Minato glanced at Kakashi. His student still looked disturbed.

He tried to console him, "Kakashi, don't overthink it. I'll explain about the mission to the village later."

Then he looked up at Shin, his wariness growing once again. Moments ago, he had even thought the boy seemed decent. But why did this young man, despite being from the Land of Rain, have such a deep understanding of Konoha?

Minato didn't understand.

He could be a real threat in the future, he thought as he studied Shin.

Minato could no longer regard Shin as an ordinary teenager. But for now, with Rin still in their hands, he had no choice but to follow their conditions. He couldn't bring himself to abandon his students so easily.

Later, the group arrived at a forest near the border of the Land of Rain.

Almost simultaneously, Yahiko, Nagato, and nearly half of Akatsuki's fighting members arrived as well.

As soon as they reached the scene, Yahiko anxiously asked, "Konan, what happened?"

Konan rarely used her paper butterflies to request help.

Moreover, everyone in Akatsuki knew Nagato's health was poor. She would never lightly trouble him for help.

Receiving a paper butterfly from her suddenly had terrified them back at their base. They thought Konan had encountered some terrible danger.

But when they arrived, the situation didn't look that bad. Konan even reassured them proactively.

"It's alright, Yahiko. Shin still has control of the situation. Everyone, stay calm."

Yahiko let out a sigh of relief but shot Shin a suspicious glance.

Shin, behaving himself? And since when does Konan trust him so easily? he thought as he observed the interaction between Shin and Konan.

On the other side, Minato, upon seeing Yahiko and Nagato join them, also showed a brief moment of surprise.

He had already suspected something when he saw Konan's blue hair earlier, but now, with all three of them standing together, he finally confirmed his guess.

"Are you Jiraiya-sensei's disciples?"

Yahiko was taken aback and turned to look at Minato. "Do you know Jiraiya-sensei?"

Minato nodded but refrained from revealing that he too was Jiraiya's student.

Shin's information-gathering ability had already unnerved him, and he instinctively didn't want to disclose more Konoha-related details.

"When you return to Konoha, could you please pass a message to Jiraiya-sensei for us? Tell him that his disciples from the Land of Rain are still working hard to uphold his ideals!"

At this point, Yahiko was still deeply grateful to Jiraiya, entirely different from the future Pain, who, under Nagato's control, would turn against and kill their master.

Minato silently nodded and agreed. But he made no additional promises. If Shin hadn't been in the way, he would have been happy to engage more with them.

Unfortunately, there were no what ifs.

Because of Shin's presence, their conversation was brief, and the prisoners were formally exchanged.

"As promised, Minato. Your student, unharmed. Now, if you'd be so kind as to step back across the border," Shin said.

"Rin! Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Obito whispered urgently as Rin rejoined their group.

"I'm fine, Obito. They didn't harm me."

With a final, assessing look at Shin, Minato's hand formed a seal. In a flash of yellow, Team 7 vanished.

Only after they left did Yahiko and Nagato find an opportunity to ask Konan.

"Who was that person just now? Why did you ask for help so urgently?"

"Shin said that man is Konoha's future Fourth Hokage," Konan calmly said.

The words fell, and the scene instantly grew quiet. Many of the Akatsuki members who had accompanied them looked pale and relieved, wiping cold sweat from their brows.

"W-We were just confronting the future Hokage?"

"Oh no, was I speaking too loudly earlier?!"

"That was close! I could have been dead!"

They all turned their eyes toward the calmest person present, Shin.

"Shin, y-you really went big this time? You dared to capture the Hokage's disciple?"

"You escaped from the Hokage unscathed?!"

Shin couldn't help but think of a future member of Akatsuki. That person had also once faced a Hokage and retreated unharmed, earning fame throughout the ninja world.

Was this, perhaps, his homage to Kakuzu's legendary feat?