Namikaze Minato Disobeys Orders! Insists on Rescuing Hyuga Shin! Su Nuo Unleashes Slaughter!

Root...?

Namikaze Minato narrowed his eyes as he looked at this ninja.

"What did you say?!"

The Hyuga ninja erupted in fury.

"How dare you let Shin die! He's a hero! He crippled Cloud! He's a hero of Konoha too!!"

But this ninja was held back by the others.

The rest of the Hyuga clansmen had already activated their Byakugan!

"What are you trying to do? Mutiny?" The Root ninja showed no fear, his gaze sharp and icy.

Namikaze Minato raised his hand.

The surrounding eyes immediately gathered on him, and the unrest subsided.

Such was the strength of Minato's prestige in the camp at this moment.

"Is this an order from the Hokage? Or from Root?" Namikaze Minato stepped forward, standing face to face with the Root ninja.

His question struck straight at the core.

The other Hyuga ninjas suddenly realized: "That's right! We don't believe the village would issue such a mission! This must be some scheme of yours, Root!"

"Unfortunately... this is the Hokage's order. This is a document personally signed by the Hokage-sama. Please take a look."

The Root ninja's words silenced the surroundings once more.

Then, the Root ninja produced a document and handed it to Namikaze Minato.

Minato examined the document, pressing his lips together without speaking.

Shifting the blame to Hiruzen Sarutobi, adding pressure to him—Danzo was happy to do this, so he had specifically instructed that in similar situations, they could directly name the Hokage.

It was also thanks to the theft of the Scroll of Seals that Konoha's Anbu were completely swamped, while Root's focus was mainly external, with a large number of personnel, so they had been assigned this minor order to obstruct the rescue.

"What!"

"The Hokage's order?"

"How can this be..."

The surrounding ninjas were deeply shocked.

"The mission comes first, the bigger picture comes first—that's a ninja's duty! We can't disrupt our deployment just to rescue one Hyuga Shin. If this is a trap and Minato goes in and gets caught too, who takes responsibility for that?!"

The Root ninja declared loudly.

Namikaze Minato clenched his fists.

He too was lost inside.

How could this be?

His master was Jiraiya, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was Jiraiya's master...

And Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage, the supreme leader of Konohagakure.

On both personal and public grounds... there was no reason to defy orders.

"I understand."

Namikaze Minato nodded.

The Root ninja said with satisfaction, "Good. Namikaze Minato, truly the finest ninja."

"However, as the temporary commander of this camp, I am exercising my authority. I judge that Cloud is certainly aiming to transfer Hyuga Shin right now. Striking at this moment can yield tremendous results. All troops, assemble!"

Namikaze Minato declared loudly.

The surrounding ninjas were stunned, and hope rekindled in the Hyuga ninjas' eyes.

The Root ninja's expression turned ugly: "Lord Namikaze Minato, are you trying to defy orders and insist on rescuing Hyuga Shin?"

"Not at all. This is a normal act of war. Or did the Hokage-sama sign an order forbidding Konoha ninjas from attacking and only allowing defense? Or perhaps... have Cloud and Konoha already signed a peace treaty?"

"You!"

The Root ninja was left speechless.

He dared not take that responsibility.

Sacrificing Hyuga Shin was something the Konoha High Command had deliberated, signed documents on, and approved.

But "no attacking Cloud ninjas"?

Not only had such an order never been discussed or documented, but the level of such a matter was also extremely high!

"I advise you to think thrice before acting, Namikaze Minato, Elite Jonin!"

"I am fulfilling my duty as temporary commander! If you have a problem, report it to Konoha, or have the official commander—my master, Jiraiya—stop me in person right now..."

"Hmph... Foolish. Even you dare not face the Third Raikage head-on. What good will your going do?"

"That's none of your concern."

At this moment, the unit had already assembled.

The leading Hyuga ninja, both moved and fired up, shouted, "Lord Minato! We're assembled!"

"Move out!"

Whoosh!

Numerous ninjas activated the Body Flicker Technique, charging toward the battlefield at incredible speed!

And as always, Namikaze Minato led from the front!

But inside, he was filled with disappointment.

How could this be...

Sacrificing Hyuga Shin wouldn't stop the Cloud Village at all!

Instead, it would deal a massive blow to their own morale!

The Third Hokage...

How could he do this...

Namikaze Minato was a pacifist, but he understood clearly—peace wasn't achieved through concessions!

Absolutely not!

Some wars had to be fought!

An obsessive pursuit of "avoiding war" inherently meant suppressing those righteous wars.

Righteous wars must not be feared; they must be fought, and fought well—strike once to ward off a hundred blows!

"Hyuga Shin... I hope you're safe."

Namikaze Minato offered that prayer.

And the Flying Thunder God Technique in his hands grew even faster!

Sukuna was the type to win by any means necessary.

He ambushed and killed Gojo Satoru with an abrupt slash, seeing nothing dishonorable in such tactics. After Gojo's death... Sukuna openly declared his victory.

And when he himself was killed through a relay battle, Sukuna likewise saw nothing dishonorable in Itadori and the others' methods. Faced with Itadori's final offer—to live a different way, to live as a human, to leave Fushiguro Megumi's body and return to Itadori's to continue living—Sukuna refused.

"Living a different way... that sounds like a nice feeling."

"But I won't change... until I'm defeated."

"But you, Hyuga Shin, you've already been defeated."

"You lost."

"Your life was sacrificed as a pawn, sacrificed by the village you revered."

"This..."

"Is the turning point for your 'drastic personality change,' isn't it?"

Su Nuo let out a sinister smile.

The next moment.

"Hyuga Shin" suddenly snapped his eyes open!

And countless pitch-black markings appeared across his body!

The Cloud Village ninja escorting Hyuga Shin only had time for one glance.

Just one glance.

And it was their last!

Pfft!

Around them, a mass of heads flew straight up!

"What's going on?!"

"Enemy attack!"

The Cloud Village ninjas instantly entered combat mode, all assuming defensive stances.

Yet they had no idea who the enemy was!

Wave after wave of Cloud Village ninjas fell!

And after most of those around Hyuga Shin's escort had died.

The sole remaining Special Jonin only then realized the danger and leaped back in retreat.

Staring in terror at that steel cage.

At that moment.

Su Nuo slowly rose to his feet.

His Byakugan had long since been active.

All the Fuinjutsu seals placed on his body had been completely undone.

Every wound he had sustained had somehow fully healed without anyone noticing.

The dark, sprawling patterns across his skin radiated an ominous, terrifying presence...

Cold sweat beaded on the forehead of the last remaining Kumogakure Special Jonin, fear gripping his heart.

In an instant, of the two squads of eight men escorting Hyuga Shin, only he was left alive.

And among those seven dead were two Jonin and five Chunin.

"Y-you, what kind of monster are you?!" the Kumogakure Special Jonin shrieked in terror.

"Well... some kind of curse, I suppose."

Su Nuo raised his hand with a smile.

Whoosh!

A blade of energy shot forth, and in that split second, it decapitated the Kumogakure Special Jonin!!