Minato Namikaze: What the Hell

Watching Naruto's figure disappear into the distance like ripples, Nohara Nao frowned, still feeling a tightness in her chest, as if she had lost something important.

Naruto was still with the group. As they left the Konoha Forest, the hundreds of people split into smaller teams and sped off. No one knew the exact routes of the others, supposedly to prevent information leaks.

The real concern was that some might desert halfway through; few of the Chunin had a solid foundation. Some were lucky enough to survive the previous mission and were subsequently recruited.

Knowing their own limitations and realizing they wouldn't get their hard-earned money back, they might collectively decide to flee. If their plan were exposed, they'd suffer a huge loss.

Yamashiro Nobiyori ignored him, and since that incident, neither Kishita nor Noma spoke to Naruto. A sad, thick barrier had formed between them; they were no longer on the same path.

There was nothing they could do; the whole team was inexperienced, but he was the only one who was shameless. They could have just kept quiet, but he acted like he'd gotten the better deal and was being smug.

Every now and then, he would run over and strike up a conversation with Yamashiro Nobiyori, chatting about this and that. Yamashiro Nobiyori him annoying and didn't give him a single response, but he still couldn't stop this show-off from coming over to bother him.

The four of them traversed mountains and valleys, detouring around the edge of the Forest of the Land of Fire. The scenery along the way was unfamiliar; it all looked like things from the past, and they estimated that a single war could have leveled the place.

The four of them followed the winding route for about three days. They started from the front lines of Konohagakure and circled around all the way to the rear of Sand.

This is the Land of Rivers. Sand has moved its front line directly to the Land of Rivers, which borders the Land of Fire, and is constantly testing the other side's bottom line with force.

This is a game of mutual reassurance, to see what the other person is really capable of.

A little north of this place is the Land of Rain, which is attacked from both sides by the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, flanked by the Sand Village. The ninja forces here are underdeveloped, leaving them at the mercy of the Sand Village.

The long journey had left the four of them somewhat silent.

During breaks, Yamashiro Nobiyori completely ignored Naruto, but Naruto didn't seem to mind. To them, approaching the rear of Sand was suicide, but to him it was freedom.

What is hell for others is sweet rain for them.

Just as Naruto was leaning against a rock, leisurely resting with his eyes closed, Yamashiro Nobiyori suddenly spoke up and said something.

"The Yellow Flash also participated in this mission."

"What?"

The three, including Naruto, were startled and looked up at Yamashiro Nobiyori. This man was always silent and rarely said anything except when necessary.

He had been holding back until the mission was about to begin, and he was already far behind. He realized he couldn't delay any longer, so he suddenly revealed the truth to the others.

"Nobi! Is that person here too?" He stood up abruptly from under the Kishita, his expression excited, seemingly disregarding life and death, his eyes filled with extraordinary joy.

"That's great! If that person were here, our mission wouldn't be a suicide mission!" Noma clenched his fists, almost crying.

Naruto was somewhat stunned, looking at the two people, and suddenly he vaguely understood something. Minato Namikaze, his cheapskate father.

Stripped of all the praise, such as being a Hokage and having the potential to become Hokage, Minato Namikaze, once stripped of all his accolades, was left with only his formidable strength.

In the eyes of these ordinary ninjas who have no power or background, doing the same mission as Minato Namikaze is roughly equivalent to picking up a card that increases their chances of survival.

To put it more bluntly, Minato Namikaze was practically a god among ordinary ninjas.

Under the Kishita and in the Noma were overjoyed, relieved that their chances of survival had greatly increased. However, while some rejoiced, others were filled with sorrow; Naruto was somewhat dumbfounded.

If Beihiko survives, wouldn't he become a clown?

However, he didn't dwell on it for too long. Their chances of survival were there, but not infinitely. Minato Namikaze was indeed a god, but even he couldn't be in two places at once.

After some thought, Naruto decided to continue with the plan.

Another day passed, and the group had almost reached the rear of Sand. The area was heavily guarded, with a dense, imposing force stretching as far as the eye could see.

The four men stood hidden in a grove of trees, not daring to make a move.

"Wait for news," Yamashiro Nobiyori said softly.

They were awaiting the order for the general offensive; openly, only about a hundred people were participating. But secretly, Root and Anbu ninjas had already infiltrated the rear of Sand.

Those hundred-plus people were just peripheral support forces, drawing fire and buying time.

The overall commander of the operation was Minato Namikaze, with the Root captains assisting in the command. No one else could command Root members in battle. Wow, that really elevates the team's prestige.

The surroundings were quiet, and the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Everyone was a little tense, except for Naruto was worried about whether Minato Namikaze would save the team, silently telling himself that he should just follow the laws of nature.

Please, please, please don't let it be a plot device that kills you off.

Just as he was lost in thought, Yamashiro Nobiyori suddenly approached him. In the darkness, the other's eyes gleamed coldly.

"What's up?"

"Hmm." Yamashiro Nobiyori lowered his voice, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Noma and the Kishita in the distance.

"What is it?" Naruto was preoccupied with other things and was somewhat absent-minded.

"I want to talk to you about Nohara Nao. You have no intention of going back, right?" He suddenly asked a question, which made Naruto slightly stunned.

"Let me be blunt, you're not Beihiko at all!" Yamashiro Nobiyori stared indifferently at Naruto.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto smiled, but the temperature in his eyes dropped slightly. "I don't understand anything you're saying. If I'm not Beihiko, then who is Beihiko?"

"Don't worry, I won't reveal your secret," Yamashiro Nobiyori said. "I'll most likely die, we'll all die, except you."

"What's the meaning?"

"I lied to them. The Yellow Flash will never come to the outer perimeter. We are all cannon fodder to be abandoned. The elite forces will retreat immediately after completing their mission."

By the faint moonlight, Naruto could make out his face. Outside the forest was a large Sand camp, dotted with lights, somewhat quiet.

The quieter the surroundings, the more it resembles the calm before a storm, a place fraught with hidden dangers.

"Why did you do this?" Naruto, somewhat surprised.

"In order to complete the mission, all the squad leaders said similar things," Yamashiro Nobiyori said. "I know I might die, so there are some things I have to say beforehand."

"I like Nohara Nao," he said, then stopped, took a brand new necklace from his chest and handed it to Naruto, "Give this to her for me."

"Are you crazy?" Naruto stared at him, already pulling out an invisible Flying Thunder God Kunai. At this close range, he could crush Yamashiro Nobiyori with his bare hands.

"You will go back." Yamashiro Nobiyori looked very confident, and he hadn't said as much as he had in the past few days. "I helped you find that top-secret document."

"Hmm?" Now it was Naruto's turn to be surprised, recalling the relaxed look on Nohara Nao when she handed him the documents.

"She came to me for help, and coincidentally, I knew where those documents were kept, so I got access." He said calmly, "I'm a dying man anyway, so I'm not afraid of any punishment."

"But she's different. I don't quite understand why you could get Nohara Nao to go to such lengths for you in just a few days. Things will always come to light eventually, maybe tomorrow, or maybe in a month or two."

Do you know what that means to her?

Naruto's silence could mean anything. A safe job like working in the Medical Unit, risking everything to steal secrets—what other fate awaits him but death?

Yamashiro Nobiyori stared at Naruto, waiting for him to speak. He thought Naruto might regret it, or ask why he had helped Nohara Nao.

He even considered making up a lie to disgust him, but the idea was quickly discarded after a moment's thought. Unlike that person, he felt that his love for Nohara Nao was genuine.

This scumbag in front of her is only after her body, trying to trick her into doing something foolish. He disregards her future and comfort; he's someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

But he still held onto a last hope, at least he felt that the man would have some conscience after hearing his words.

Naruto slowly raised his head and spoke as he had wished.

"How can you be so sure I'll go back? But we already have the file."

With a deafening roar, Yamashiro Nobiyori's blood boiled, and she gritted her teeth, ready to pounce and kill that scumbag! How could there be such a scoundrel?

Before Yamashiro Nobiyori could even make a move, Naruto had already silently placed a kunai against his neck. The sharp, cold touch instantly calmed him down, and he only heard a soft threat.

"Don't move, or I'll ruin the plan right now."

Yamashiro Nobiyori was practically grinding his teeth to dust. He had anticipated everything, even guessing Naruto's identity and strength. Even if Chunin, there was a way to convince him.

However, he underestimated Naruto's moral bottom line, and his rationality was shattered in an instant by a single sentence.

"You're a beast!"

Yamashiro Nobiyori gritted his teeth, his neck red as he growled in a low voice, a bloody mark already appearing on his neck, as he tried his best to suppress his impulse.

Naruto stared at him for a few seconds, and looking into his blood-red eyes, he actually smiled.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Yamashiro Nobiyori completely broke down, his hands trembling as he stared intently at Naruto. But fearing Naruto might actually cause trouble and ruin the plan, he could only glance at the Kishita and Noma, continuing to stall for time.

"Scumbag."

"Hmm." Naruto replied indifferently, "Whether I come back or not is none of your business. Whether she lives or dies is none of my business."

He was about to say something when a loud explosion rang out in front of him.

The operation has begun!

Squads surged out from all directions, rushing towards the rear of Sand. Yamashiro Nobiyori suddenly felt the pressure on his neck ease, and Naruto also charged out.

He swayed for a moment, hesitated for a second, but had no choice but to rush out together; the mission came first.

The endless explosions, like thunderclaps, rang in our ears. The ground trembled, and flames soared into the sky directly above the Sand Kakkō camp. The war was exceptionally brutal, like a meat grinder.

Naruto disappeared halfway through his charge, replaced by a bewildered Beihiko.

He remembered that one second he was in a blank space in a white expanse, and the next moment he was suddenly in the middle of the battlefield, holding a kunai and watching the Sand Hidden Ninja rushing towards him.

Naruto had returned to the forest and changed his appearance. Just to be safe, he wore a mask like Kakashi and also put on the Zhumoon Mask.

Her blonde hair instantly turned black, and her blue eyes faded, radiating a faint golden hue.

"Nohara Nao."

"I should have found out myself. It's so hard to bear the pain of being with a beautiful woman. Now look what's happened... I have to go back. It's really..."

He muttered to himself, then sighed softly.

If Yamashiro Nobiyori were here, he'd probably be furious if he heard those words. This guy is a real beast; he loves to poke at people's weaknesses and break their defenses.

Although Naruto planned to leave, he wasn't truly without principles. At least he wouldn't stand idly by and watch Nohara Nao get into trouble because of him, even if it meant getting involved in the mess again.

But that didn't stop him from being disgusted by Yamashiro Nobiyori and disapproving of her condescending attitude. No matter how sincere his feelings were, he was still her rival.

The fighting ended quickly, and the area around the camp was littered with corpses. Yamashiro Nobiyori was probably among them, as was Beihiko; no one from Team 17 survived this time.

Naruto patiently waited, and finally saw the disheveled Minato Namikaze fleeing. Behind him, several swift Sand Jonin hot on his heels, relentlessly pursuing his movements.

Seeing this, Naruto smiled silently.

LOL, you can always trust Root! Danzo a god forever, he's a pro at betraying his own people.

Minato Namikaze appeared to be injured and had no intention of engaging in a prolonged battle with the main force of Sand. He casually tossed out a kunai with an explosive tag, which blasted a tree to pieces with a loud bang.

The billowing dust blinded everyone, giving Minato Namikaze a brief respite. Just as he was preparing to break through in one direction, several people suddenly attacked him together.

The speed was too fast; there was no time to run. Minato Namikaze threw out a kunai, realizing he was probably in for a tough fight, and prepared to engage.

Suddenly, a mysterious masked figure cleaved the group in two with a single, powerful sword strike. He vanished in an instant, only to reappear in another eerie location, slashing the neck of a Sand Jonin with his sword.

"Let's go!" Naruto turned around and urged Minato Namikaze to leave.

Somewhere in the Land of Rivers, Naruto watched as Minato Namikaze wrapped a bandage around his waist, biting one end with his teeth, tying a knot, and then cutting it open with a kunai.

My heart was filled with mixed feelings, and I thought to myself, what the hell is this?

He was supposed to escape like a cicada shedding its shell; if only he were truly a scumbag. Unfortunately, he's just a scumbag now, and has to rely on his cheap father's influence to return to Konohagakure.

After treating his wounds, Minato Namikaze did not rush to approach Naruto, but instead showed a warm smile as gentle as the sun from a distance.

"Are you a ninja from Konohagakure?"

"No, the Land of Rivers is my home," Naruto lied casually. "But now, I have no home."

Minato Namikaze laughed, finding a strange sense of familiarity in the man's clumsy lie.

It's like seeing a ghost.

The story ends in one or two chapters, without being sentimental or melodramatic, and the thief's second return to Konohagakure will not be in vain.

The protagonist is indeed a bit of a beast (I've already been punished in the real world), but it's a virtual instance, and it's set in a time of war.

It amplified his carefree attitude towards life and laid the groundwork for the later plot.

Personality changes little by little, and this instance is meaningful.