A True Gentleman Watches in Silence

Liao Wu did not answer Minato's question directly.

Instead, he asked, "Minato, Obito has always dreamed of becoming Hokage. Do you believe a Uchiha could become Hokage?"

"Yes! Of course he could," Minato said firmly. "Any Leaf Ninja with the Will of Fire burning in his heart can become Hokage."

Liao Wu laughed. "Don't joke around, Minato. Do you know how wary the Third Hokage has been of me since I was a child?"

"I originally planned to trade the Rasengan for your Flying Thunder God Technique."

"But the Third Hokage interfered and forced me to hand over the Ninjutsu instead."

Liao Wu controlled the Great Snake beneath his feet. It swung its head and lunged at Minato.

Minato moved like the Yellow Flash. In an instant, he appeared atop the serpent's head, his Kunai radiating cold killing intent as he slashed at Liao Wu's throat.

"I knew the village was wary of the Uchiha. Only now do I understand that Hokage-sama and the advisers are afraid of the Uchiha's power."

Minato had never quite understood why the Uchiha occupied such an awkward political position in the village, or why Leaf Village's Great Ninja Clans largely shunned them.

After witnessing Madara Uchiha's power and hearing the secret of the Mangekyō Sharingan from the Third Hokage, he finally understood.

The leadership feared the Uchiha's power.

Their generation had grown up hearing stories of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. The power of those two men had been enough to reshape the entire Ninja World.

The more they knew, the more they feared.

Liao Wu paid no heed to the Kunai nearing his throat. Chakra gathered around his hand and formed a blade.

It was a Chakra Scalpel, a combat Ninjutsu used by Advanced Medical Ninja. Kabuto had used it in the Original Work.

Liao Wu slashed his Chakra Scalpel toward Minato's head and chest.

This body was only a Spore Clone anyway. If he could take Minato down with it, he would come out ahead.

Minato reacted swiftly. Before Liao Wu's strike could land, he flipped over and slammed a Rasengan into Liao Wu's back.

The Great Snake beneath Liao Wu was caught in the blast, and Minato's Rasengan sent it straight back to Ryūchi Cave.

The Third Hokage had led a large group of Ninja to the other side of the canyon. When he saw Minato emerge from the smoke holding Liao Wu, he smiled. "Minato, you're as fast as ever!"

The Third Hokage had been afraid Minato would act on impulse and kill Liao Wu to avenge Jiraiya.

Liao Wu was not the real concern. He was merely a pawn. What mattered was Madara Uchiha behind him.

The sensible course was to capture Liao Wu and interrogate him for information on Madara Uchiha.

Minato approached, holding Liao Wu, who had been knocked unconscious by the Rasengan.

Suddenly, Hizashi shouted a warning. "Minato, watch out! That's a clone—"

A figure burst from the ground, something like a ball of flame burning in his hand.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Heavenly Prison!"

Liao Wu had learned the Uchiha Clan's Fire Style Scroll, so he had no shortage of Ninjutsu.

But the Uchiha Clan's Fire Release Ninjutsu was useless against a highly mobile Ninja like Minato. Only this Fire Style Sealing Technique from Grass Village stood a chance.

If it hit Minato, it would bind the Chakra throughout his body and burn him.

Unfortunately, Minato's Reaction Nerves far surpassed an ordinary person's. The instant Hizashi called out, he used Flying Thunder God to dodge.

Liao Wu's Heavenly Prison Secret Technique missed. He turned and cursed at Hizashi.

"Hizashi, damn you! Who told you to warn him? Haven't you heard that a true gentleman watches in silence?"

Hizashi maintained the bearing of a member of the Hyuga Noble Family. "Senior Liao Wu, your clone is quite unusual. If my Byakugan hadn't spotted your Chakra underground, I'm afraid I wouldn't have realized the one in Minato's hands was a clone."

Liao Wu had created the clone on the back of the Great Snake from Ryūchi Cave to deceive Minato.

Minato had been completely fooled by Liao Wu's Spore Clone. But this battlefield was not theirs alone, and battle was complicated.

With a Hyuga's Byakugan present, Liao Wu's hidden clone was easily exposed.

Minato teleported beside the Third Hokage and thanked Hizashi. "Thanks, Hizashi. I nearly fell for it."

Hizashi did not dare slight the young Jonin who had risen to prominence in the village. He smiled. "Even without my warning, I'm sure your reflexes would have let you dodge."

The first requirement for learning the Flying Thunder God Technique was quick reflexes. Minato did not have Uchiha eyes, but his reactions rivaled the Sharingan's powers of perception.

Kakashi's Chidori was a high-speed thrust. He moved too fast for his eyes to keep up, and only after receiving Obito's Sharingan could he bring out the technique's full power.

Minato fought at high speed too, yet he needed no Sharingan to make up for his eyesight.

His Reaction Nerves kept pace on their own.

Even without Hizashi's warning, Liao Wu could not have hit Minato.

Yūhi Shinkō stepped forward and looked at Liao Wu with regret. "Once Liao Wu cured his Kekkei-genkai Illness, his Ninja Talent fully awakened. He's certainly no less talented than Jiraiya or Orochimaru."

The Third Hokage nodded. "Indeed. But he chose the wrong path, and there's no changing that. If I'd been more wary of him, we wouldn't be facing this today."

The Third Hokage took a step forward. "Liao Wu, surrender and face judgment!"

Liao Wu deactivated his Sharingan, revealing his dark eyes.

After using half his Chakra to create a clone and then casting Great Fire Heavenly Prison, Liao Wu had little Chakra left.

He had made his entrance and put on his show. It was time to leave.

"Hmph! Surrender? Sarutobi Hiruzen, you're as hypocritical as ever! You let Danzo and Orochimaru commit their evils. How are you any better than me?"

Liao Wu drew on every bit of Chakra in his body. A blazing aura of Chakra rose around him.

Hiashi stared in shock. "Does he have a death wish? He's extracted all his Chakra. He's forcing it out at the cost of his life."

When a Ninja exhausted his Chakra completely, he fell into a state of extreme weakness. Chakra was formed by combining Physical Energy and Mental Energy.

Having no Chakra left meant the body no longer had the energy to Refine Chakra.

Forcibly refining more meant draining that energy anyway, at the risk of one's life.

In the Original Work, Kakashi had exhausted his Chakra but still pushed his body to use Kamui. In the end, he had drained his life force and died.

Through Hiashi's Byakugan, Liao Wu looked as though he were burning his entire body like firewood to produce Chakra.

Liao Wu brought his hands together.

"Fire Style—Ghost Lantern!"

Boom, boom, boom!

Liao Wu converted all his Chakra into Fire Attribute Chakra. Fireballs bearing Hannya masks gathered around him.

There were well over a hundred. At that moment, Liao Wu looked like a king commanding fire.

At Liao Wu's command, the Ghost Lanterns swarmed toward the Leaf Ninja like a cloud of flaming insects.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Hizashi struck down a cluster of Ghost Lanterns with a Chakra-driven blast of air, then warned the others. "Watch out! Those fireballs contain a huge amount of explosive Chakra. Don't let them get close."

No sooner had he spoken than one of Liao Wu's Ghost Lanterns reached a Leaf Chunin. It exploded with a bang, like an Explosive Tag.

The Chunin let out a cry and was blown to a charred corpse on the spot.