The Man Who Had Seen Through Everything Long Ago

In the Land of Grass, within Iwagakure's military fortress, a bald old man with a three-pronged mustache walked through the camp with his hands behind his back, his stern expression making it seem as though everyone owed him money.

He was none other than Iwagakure's Tsuchikage and the supreme military commander of the Stone Ninja attacking Konoha this time—Ōnoki of the Two-Tails.

Ōnoki was the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure in the Land of Earth. Though old, he was immensely powerful, skilled in Earth Release ninjutsu and Dust Release, a Kekkei Tōta formed from the fusion of three nature transformations.

He also possessed a rather special ability: flight—flying through the air!

"How many people have gathered for the hunting squad?" Ōnoki floated into the air and slowly flew toward the rocky high ground ahead.

A Stone Ninja jonin hurriedly followed and reported, "A total of five hundred Special Jonin and jonin have assembled. As ordered, the Chunin and genin are only responsible for gathering intelligence."

"Hmph, you damned brat. This time, you won't be leaving alive!" Ōnoki drifted upward and landed atop the high ground, overlooking the elite force of five hundred, all composed of jonin.

"This mission has only one objective! Kill Konoha's future Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze!"

"Kill the Fourth Hokage! Kill the Fourth Hokage!"

"Kill the Fourth Hokage..."

The silent troops erupted at Ōnoki's words. A sharp gleam burst from everyone's eyes—coldness, confidence, excitement, and bloodlust.

The Fourth Hokage, Konoha's chosen Hokage and the future leader of the Five Great Nations' strongest village, would fall at the hands of Iwagakure in the Land of Earth!

Naturally, Iwagakure had spies planted in Konoha. Even without them, news that Minato Namikaze would become the Fourth Hokage after the war could be purchased on the black market.

That was precisely why Ōnoki had resolved to deploy five hundred elite ninja to keep him here.

If they did not eliminate a powerhouse capable of instantly killing dozens of jonin, Konoha would only grow more prosperous.

"Damn Minato Namikaze. Damn Konoha. Why does Konoha have so many geniuses, like leaves on a tree?" Ōnoki cursed inwardly, then flew into the sky with a cold expression.

Within the Land of Earth, yellow stretched as far as the eye could see. Unlike the Land of Wind, with its endless yellow sands, this place was filled with solid rock.

Minato Namikaze was very fast, but to accommodate Tōka, the two only traveled at a normal ninja's pace.

Following behind Minato Namikaze and looking at his back, Tōka felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance well up inside her.

Just as the sun could bring warmth to people, it felt as though everything would turn out all right.

The density of Stone Ninja nearby is starting to thin out. Tōka silently thought. Just as the Fourth Hokage predicted, the Stone Ninja at the Land of Earth's border would never imagine that the two of us wouldn't flee, but would instead continue deeper inside.

Suddenly!

Minato, who had been running ahead, halted and gave Tōka a hand signal, telling her to hide.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Minato instantly flickered away and hid behind a massive boulder. Tōka reacted a moment later, flashing beneath a low rock.

"Teacher Hanazaki, is that Yellow Flash really that powerful? Did he really make Lord Tsuchikage issue that kind of order?" A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Stone Ninja boy who had just become a genin asked skeptically.

"Lord Tsuchikage's order is real. A powerhouse capable of instantly killing dozens of jonin... if we encounter him, we won't be able to escape at all," Hanazaki said gravely.

Just thinking about such a terrifying existence near Kannabi Bridge made Hanazaki want to hide as far away as possible. He had no desire to participate in any search. He was only a Chunin!!

Still, thoughts were just thoughts. Hanazaki had to reassure the three kids.

"Don't worry. Lord Tsuchikage has already made preparations. Once we find Minato Namikaze's whereabouts, we'll be able to take down the future Fourth Hokage!"

"Oh?! Really?"

"Lord Tsuchikage is incredible!"

"As expected of Lord Ōnoki of the Two-Tails, wielder of Kekkei Tōta!"

Hanazaki curled his lip. What a bunch of idiots. He mocked them inwardly. If Minato Namikaze were really that easy to kill, he would not have been chosen as the future Fourth Hokage!

Besides, Hanazaki did not believe Minato Namikaze would appear within the Land of Earth.

That was why he had dared to casually bring three newly graduated kids to search the Land of Earth's border. In Hanazaki's mind, the search here was nothing more than going through the motions.

Minato Namikaze should currently be in the region between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain.

Lord Tsuchikage had stationed troops in the Land of Grass, cutting off Minato Namikaze's direct route back to the Land of Fire through the Land of Grass. That left only the Land of Rain or the Land of Waterfall as routes back to the Land of Fire.

Between the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Rain, the chaotic Land of Rain was naturally the better choice.

Hanazaki's lips curled upward as he took great pride in his analysis. Though Hanazaki felt his strength was lacking, his intelligence was exceptionally high...

Suddenly, a strong wind swept through the area. Two figures abruptly appeared as though they had materialized from thin air, startling the four Stone Ninja.

"Teacher Hanazaki, th-that is... is that..." one of the kids asked in shock, his teeth chattering so badly that he could not form a complete sentence.

Gulp... Hanazaki swallowed, his face ashen. "Minato Namikaze? Why are you here?"

"Tōka, I'll leave them to you." Minato Namikaze saw through the four-man Stone Ninja squad at a glance. It was merely an ordinary team: one Chunin and three genin.

So he did not intend to act. He decided to test Tōka's strength instead.

"What a pain. Couldn't Captain Minato just instantly kill them?" Tōka curled her lip, looking thoroughly displeased.

The four Stone Ninja's expressions changed at once. Hanazaki looked shocked, clearly having heard Tōka's name. After all, the lifeless gray forest of bones from the battle at Kikyo Mountain could not possibly have been concealed.

Moreover, news that Tōka had been offered a bounty of one hundred million ryo by Sunagakure advisor Ebizo had spread far and wide.

Sunagakure's degree of concern over Tōka forced the other great nations to remember her name as well.

"Hmph, she's just a little brat whose teeth haven't even grown in."

"We can't beat Yellow Flash, but can't we beat this brat in front of us?"

"Since we can't escape anyway, we might as well kill this brat and take her down with us!"

The three genin in the ordinary four-man Stone Ninja squad exchanged looks filled with viciousness.

Tōka's senses were extremely sharp. She noticed their little movements immediately, raised an eyebrow, and revealed a helpless expression.

It seemed... she had been underestimated!

Clap!

Tōka abruptly brought her hands together and formed a seal, shouting, "Genjutsu—"

"It's genjutsu! Everyone, quickly form seals and break it!"

Chunin Hanazaki shouted a warning and immediately formed seals to release the genjutsu. The other three made the same motions, preparing to forcibly halt the chakra flowing through their bodies.

Then they saw Tōka's lips curve into a strange smile.

I said it was genjutsu?

So it had to be genjutsu?

Like hell it was!!

Chakra surged, flowing through every limb and bone in Tōka's body.

All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Stab!

Crack, crack, crack...

The rock beneath the four of them shattered, and visible cracks wildly spread in every direction.

Splurt!!

A bone spear as thick as a waist burst from the ground, piercing straight through the three genin.

Instead of a bloody scene appearing on their corpses, they turned into fluttering scraps of paper.

"What? It wasn't genjutsu?!" Chunin Hanazaki stared blankly at Tōka. Before he could react, Tōka's figure drifted behind him like a ghostly shadow.

"Are you an idiot? Just because I said it was genjutsu, it had to be genjutsu?" Tōka complained speechlessly. If she truly intended to use genjutsu, she certainly would not announce it aloud!

She really did not know how someone at this level had become a Chunin. Still, the overall quality of Stone Ninja truly was inferior to Konoha ninja.

Tōka changed her hand seals, channeling chakra into the Stone Ninja's ears through sound.

Genjutsu: Bewildering Sound.

A rare auditory genjutsu that interfered with the opponent's thoughts through sound, making them reveal the secrets hidden in their hearts without reservation.

It was a C-rank interrogation genjutsu that required the caster's spiritual power to completely overwhelm the opponent's. Otherwise, it was extremely easy to break.

"Captain Minato, you can ask whatever you need." Tōka carefully looked at the Stone Ninja's now-empty eyes, confirming that he was not pretending to be under genjutsu before stepping aside.

"Not only does she possess a powerful Kekkei Genkai, even her genjutsu is this terrifying?" Minato nodded inwardly. Tōka's strength had already completely surpassed that of ordinary children. Even Kakashi had not been this strong at eight years old.

If Kakashi faced Tōka now, what chance would he have of winning?

After several thoughts flashed through his mind, Minato Namikaze began questioning him for intelligence.

Ten minutes later...

Minato swung his blade. A cold aura flashed past, and Chunin Hanazaki felt a chill across his neck before collapsing to the ground with a thud. A fountain of blood gushed out, staining the rock beneath him crimson.

A Chunin knew very little intelligence. The only useful information was that Ōnoki had transferred away several hundred jonin, leaving Iwagakure's military fortress in the Land of Grass extremely weak.

Though its numbers still totaled ten thousand, most were Chunin and genin.

Iwagakure had deployed a total force of twenty thousand ninja, but the front line was not limited to the Land of Grass. Setting aside the Land of Waterfall, Ōnoki had also positioned no fewer than five thousand troops in the Land of Rain.

Konoha was at a numerical disadvantage on the main front, yet it had only one large camp.

With the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan reconnaissance, Konoha did not need to assign too many people to patrol.

As one side waned while the other grew, and after Ōnoki left Iwagakure's military fortress, the gap between Konoha and the Stone Ninja was instantly widened.

"Shikaku really is amazing. You even predicted this. I hope you can seize the opportunity." Minato murmured, surprise flashing in his eyes before being replaced by a smile.

Minato Namikaze knew his own wisdom was inferior to Shikaku Nara's, so he listened more to Shikaku Nara's strategies during wartime.

It was not only Minato. Even the Legendary Sannin who had already left, along with the late White Fang on the Land of Wind battlefield, had often followed Shikaku Nara's advice.

Tōka, who had heard Minato Namikaze's murmur, was genuinely stunned. Holy crap, so all of this was within your predictions?

Then Shikamaru, whose intelligence was even higher than Shikaku's...

At that thought, Tōka could not help silently mourning for the Tsuchikage for three seconds.

Ōnoki's lifelong wish was destined to fail. Not only would he be completely crushed by Konoha in military strength, but in intellect as well.

"Let's go. We need to quickly find the route of Ōnoki's supply transport troops." Minato's hands flashed as he rapidly formed seals and disposed of the Stone Ninja Chunin's body.

"Captain Minato, why don't we buy the information from an underground exchange?" Tōka suggested. Hadn't Sakumo Hatake purchased intelligence at an underground exchange when he infiltrated the Land of Wind?

"Tōka, I know what you're thinking. It was precisely because Sakumo-senpai bought intelligence from an underground exchange that we discovered something." Minato's narrowed eyes opened slightly, revealing a sharp, murderous intent.

The killing intent vanished in an instant. Minato narrowed his eyes again and said with a smile, "This is still too early for you. In any case, underground exchanges aren't safe."

With that, Minato lifted his foot and headed forward.

Tōka glanced doubtfully at Minato's back, pondering the "something" he mentioned before quickening her pace to catch up.

What could it possibly be that even Minato Namikaze, known as the Little Sun, wanted to kill over it?

The rustling footsteps faded away, and the rocky valley once again sank into deathly silence.

About a quarter of an hour later, four figures strangely "rose" from the valley floor.

It was none other than the advanced Earth Release technique that allowed one to freely move through rock and soil—Earth Release: Rock Hiding Technique!

"Minato Namikaze actually appeared here. We need to quickly send this intelligence to Lord Tsuchikage."

"That brat seemed to be Tōka, the Bone Release ninja?"

"I heard that anyone struck by those gray bones turns into a pile of paper scraps."

"What a terrifying ability..."

Solemn expressions appeared in the four men's eyes, but they also secretly rejoiced at Lord Tsuchikage's decision.

The search squads were actually arranged in groups of two teams. On the surface, there was only an ordinary four-man squad consisting of one Chunin and three genin.

But hidden in the shadows was another elite four-man squad, consisting of one jonin and three Chunin.

That way, even if the visible squad encountered Yellow Flash and could not escape, the squad hidden underground could still leave to report the news.

After a brief discussion, one Stone Ninja bit his thumb.

Crack!

The pad of his thumb split open, blood seeping between his teeth. The Stone Ninja slammed his palm onto the ground.

He shouted, "Summoning Technique!"

Poof!

After a burst of white smoke, a vicious-looking giant bird appeared before them.

"Take this to Lord Tsuchikage."

The Stone Ninja tightly tied a scroll to the bird's leg, then took out a piece of raw meat and tossed it to the bird.

The bird caught the meat in its beak and swallowed it whole. Then, with a beat of its wings, its massive body shot into the sky like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The four Stone Ninja exchanged glances, then activated Rock Hiding Technique once more and sank into the earth.

Following Minato Namikaze and Tōka's scents all the way, they silently pursued them.

At that moment, a strange plant not far away suddenly moved. Only upon closer inspection could one see that it was a Pitcher Plant.

"Hey, should we warn Tōka?"

"Hmph..."