Minato VS Fog Demon

"So, these two must be the guests who have traveled from afar? Welcome to Konoha. I am the Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen uncharacteristically put away his pipe, smoothed out the wrinkles on his Hokage Cloak, and straightened his back.

In front of outsiders, he still had to maintain the dignity befitting a Hokage.

Accompanying him were Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. After confirming that, just as Uncle and Minato had stated in their letters, there was not a single trace of chakra refinement and the muscles were completely relaxed, they turned their gazes toward Chixing.

Hiss...

This little thing looks truly unique...

Let's tentatively define it as a summoning beast for now!

After settling Uncle and Chixing and dispatching a few Anbu to "protect" them, Sarutobi Hiruzen temporarily stopped worrying about the duo, as there was an imminent problem that needed to be solved...

"Minato, I'll leave tonight to you!"

After laying out all the recent misdeeds committed by the "Fog Demon," even the mild-mannered Minato could not sit still.

Such things actually happened while I was away from the village?!

Regardless of who this so-called "Fog Demon" was, Minato swore that he would make him return in defeat!

Those who violate the borders of Konoha, Minato shall strike and break them!

By nightfall, the streets were completely deserted. A thin mist shrouded the land, rolling through the streets like thick smoke and permeating everywhere. Minato held a Kunai, locking his gaze firmly onto the figure flickering within the mist.

"So you've come..."

The mist pressed closer, and from within it appeared a pair of eyes radiating a fierce red light. Seeing this, Minato immediately held his Kunai horizontally in front of him, ready for battle.

"Who exactly are you, and what is your goal!"

He questioned the black shadow in the mist, whose build was barely discernible, and the response he received was a voice as tender as a child's:

"You are not the target... Move aside..."

"This voice... could it be a child?"

In the ninja world, even children had the potential to become ninjas. Upon hearing the tender voice, Minato subconsciously assumed the so-called "Fog Demon" was a spy from another village killing with a specific purpose. But the very next moment, he dismissed his own thought—

A terrifying red light radiated from where the pupils should have been, and immediately after, a figure whose appearance and build were impossible to make out lunged forward. Minato's pupils constricted sharply, and he instinctively raised his Kunai to block.

--Clang!

Sharp weapons collided, sparks flew, and Minato felt his arm tremble violently as the Kunai was knocked from his hand in an instant—

"So heavy!"

The sharp, silver-gleaming blade reflected in Minato's eyes. Just as it was about to pierce his brow, a flash of gold flickered; Minato had already activated the Flying Thunder God, grazing past the attack.

"Superior in both strength and speed...?"

The attack speed just displayed was something few in the entire ninja world could dodge, right? And there was that power; such strength and speed didn't look like anything a child could possess. If the opponent really was a child, then they must be a genius renowned throughout the ninja world, right? Minato didn't believe any village would send a genius out to act as an undercover agent.

"So... is it a ninjutsu that can disguise one's voice..."

The figure in the mist did not stop because the attack missed; instead, it twisted its direction and lunged again, holding a dagger in a reverse grip.

"Since I can't go head-to-head... then I'll compete on speed!"

Minato threw a Kunai with one hand, then sprinted toward the mist in a ninja run. The moment the red light effect appeared in the "Fog Demon's" eyes and the blade broke through the mist, Minato's figure dissipated into golden light, reappearing at the location of the previously thrown Kunai—

"Flying Thunder God—Second Step!"

A dazzling Rasengan pierced through the fog, churning against the body of the Fog Demon. Feeling the resistance coming from his palm, Minato increased his chakra output.

--Bang!

The ground caved in, cracks spreading like a spiderweb. The clear sound of bones breaking reached his ears. Just as Minato wanted to exert more force, the surrounding mist suddenly became dense. "This is... poison mist?!"

The gray-black thick fog closed in, forcing Minato to flash away before he left himself open, while the figure in the mist also leaped backward repeatedly, disappearing back into the fog.

Inside the thick fog, "Fog Demon" Jack looked at his bleeding arm and immediately used his innate skill, "Surgery."

The dried blood on the small knife turned into green light particles and penetrated his body, and the wounds crushed by the Rasengan healed as if they had never existed.

Jack felt troubled. The target Qian Yu had set for her was supposed to be a gambler; she hadn't expected a little blond guy to show up halfway.

Minato's strength was indeed formidable, and he possessed a cheat-like ninjutsu such as the Flying Thunder God. If she were marked and her lair was raided, that would be bad... Therefore... she had to be cautious.

As for Minato, facing the encroaching poison mist, he was momentarily at a loss and could only try to weave hand seals: "Wind Style: Typhoon Pass!"

The Wind Style, which usually served to blow away the Hidden Mist Technique, had little effect on the gray-black poison mist before him, but this also allowed Minato to rule out the possibility that the "Fog Demon" was a ninja from Kirigakure.

"The damage from this poison mist isn't as great as I imagined. Rather than being used for attacks, it seems more like it's used to disperse crowds..."

"So... brief inhalation isn't fatal..."

"And... my sensory abilities seem to be completely blocked while inside the mist..."

"It looks like I have no choice but to use that technique..."

Minato pressed his palms together, intending to condense the natural energy around him to enter "Sage Mode," which could significantly enhance his sensory capabilities.

(PS: In the original Naruto manga, Minato is indeed not proficient in Sage Mode. Not only does it take a very long time to condense Sage Chakra, but the duration is also extremely limited. However, due to plot requirements, this book adopts the setting from the anime where Minato can enter Sage Mode instantly.)

As the facial markings appeared, Minato's strength, speed, and sensory perception were significantly enhanced. Although the center of the mist remained a pitch-black void, he could now sense something darting rapidly through the fog.

"Now!"

The mist completely engulfed Minato's figure. The instant Jack's dagger flashed with a cold glint once more, Minato reacted! He spun to dodge the direct attack; although Jack's dagger grazed his arm, drawing a trickle of blood, the sphere of chakra in his palm had already taken shape—

"Sage Art: Rasengan!"

Jack did not allow the Rasengan to strike her head-on; she crossed her daggers to block in front of her.

The pressure exerted by the Sage Art far surpassed that of a standard Rasengan. Jack's petite frame lost its footing, and she was sent flying out of the dense fog and onto the open street, allowing Minato to finally see the true face of the "Fog Demon"—

It was a very young, adorable face that could make anyone lower their guard in an instant, causing Minato's movements to falter for half a second—

"Transformation Technique?!"

No! There were no traces of chakra usage...

The powerful sensory perception granted by Sage Mode told Minato that the opponent was not hiding her true form.

Could she be a user of an unknown ability, just like Uncle?

A storm raged within Minato's mind; he found it hard to imagine that the so-called "Fog Demon" was actually a child who looked like she hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy.