The Killing Spree of Minato Namikaze

Why wasn't Minato Namikaze suitable?

Li Ke could think of only one reason.

Minato Namikaze cared more about Kushina than he did about Konoha.

When protecting Kushina and protecting Konoha were both at stake, Minato could unleash terrifying fighting strength and resolve, enough to earn the villagers' trust and make outsiders fear him.

But if he had to choose between protecting Kushina and protecting Konoha, what would Minato choose?

The answer was obvious.

It wasn't that Minato didn't care about Konoha. He cared about it more than most people did. But more important to him than Konoha was Kushina—or, more precisely, the time he spent with her.

Li Ke was certain of that.

As for whether Minato had died in what was basically a lover's suicide, Li Ke wasn't sure what had really happened. He couldn't be certain, after all. Minato was an assassin-type ninja who had no way of dealing with the Nine-Tails, and neither the anime nor the manga had explained exactly how things unfolded.

So Li Ke didn't know whether Minato had deliberately died with Kushina, or whether there had been another way. But he did know this—

Konoha's Sealing Squad wasn't there to make up the numbers, and then Minato had put up a barrier that kept everyone else out...

And the fact that Minato had time to say his final words to his wife, but not enough time to leave the village even the tiniest bit of information, was downright outrageous. It led to a series of extremely serious consequences, and the Uchiha Clan's destruction was directly connected to it.

But Li Ke didn't have the time to dwell on that right now. He was about to head out on a mission, and even if he did think about it, it wouldn't change anything.

The Fourth Hokage had already locked Minato in as his successor. Unless Hashirama came back to life, no one else stood a chance.

"Besides, even if I could twist the Mizukage's head off and kick it around like a ball, I still couldn't become the next Hokage. I don't have enough prestige, I'm too young, and I haven't built up enough battle honors. And without Senju Tobirama, my fighting strength wouldn't even reach the level of a Kage."

Li Ke scratched his head as he looked at the scroll in front of him, feeling a headache coming on. His eyes still needed time to adjust to the Byakugan's vision. He could temporarily use his ocular power to turn the Byakugan into a Mangekyo Sharingan and avoid the intense dizziness, but that consumed a lot of chakra, and if anyone found out, it would cause a whole string of problems.

The ownership of a Kekkei Genkai was a very serious matter. If he wanted to cause trouble right now, he wouldn't have to do anything at all. He'd only need to walk down Konoha's main street and show off a Sharingan in one eye and a Byakugan in the other, and the Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan would start fighting that very day.

And if he then used his Dojutsu to unleash Wood Release...

Heh, Konoha could start the Fourth Shinobi World War all by itself.

Those problems wouldn't matter once he grew strong enough, but for now, they were still a serious concern.

At that moment, Senju Tobirama spoke up.

"Kid, this is the last time I'll help you. Once this war is over, you'll have to work hard on your own. No matter how much confidence I have in you, I'm still just a dead man."

Senju Tobirama's voice was full of gravity. He could help Li Ke earn battle honors and build enough prestige and accomplishments to protect himself. He could also help these Konoha Ninja end a war they were certain to win ahead of schedule and reduce casualties.

But he absolutely would not use his own power to make Li Ke Hokage.

The Hokage was the one who carried everyone forward. If someone only had the strength to match a Kage because they relied on another person's power, then there was no doubt they were unfit for the position.

Li Ke could come to him with questions, discuss developing techniques with him, and ask him about history, but Li Ke had to walk his own path into the future. That was Tobirama's bottom line.

"Understood, Second Hokage."

Li Ke had no objections. Senju Tobirama's fighting ability was his own business, not Li Ke's. Besides, all Li Ke really needed was time to adjust to his eyes. He didn't need Tobirama's help with anything else.

"Also."

"Yes, please go ahead, Second Hokage."

"I created the Flying Raijin Jutsu, so don't go calling it Lord Minato's technique! He may be very talented, whether with Flying Raijin: Guiding Thunder or anything else, but I'm the one who created this technique!"

Li Ke: "..."

That's some impressive pride in your intellectual property.

But considering all the help and training Senju Tobirama had given him, Li Ke simply lowered his head.

"Yes, honored Senju Tobirama, creator of the Flying Raijin Jutsu and Shadow Clone Technique, Master of Water Release Ninjutsu, Founder of the Ninja Academy, and Second Hokage!"

At once, Senju Tobirama's voice turned cheerful.

"Good. At least you know what's good for you, kid."

But Li Ke couldn't help adding one more thought.

And the Vanguard of Persecuting Uchiha.

He ultimately didn't dare say that out loud. Instead, he focused on the scroll in his hands. Senju Tobirama had clearly mastered the techniques, but Li Ke hadn't. Flying Raijin: Guiding Thunder required superb reflexes, experience, or a body that wouldn't die or end up crippled. The Instantaneous Movement Technique was even more absurd in its demands: reading the battle, observing the battlefield, and reacting quickly.

Put simply, if he tried to use it as he was now, he'd die.

"Damn it, are these techniques really usable by humans?"

Li Ke looked at the requirements and couldn't help cursing. But cursing didn't change the fact that he still had to learn them.

Still, he didn't waste much of his chakra. Instead, he explained his situation to Yuhi Kurenai. Kurenai was mature enough not to say a word, quietly packing supplies and provisions for Li Ke.

Asuma sat there in silence, wondering what to do about defying his Hokage father's orders. But when Minato came to Li Ke's tent, both Kurenai and Asuma said the same thing to him.

"Come back alive, Qingtan."

Li Ke looked at his two teammates, who were clearly conflicted and still struggling to accept that he had suddenly gotten stronger and mastered the Flying Raijin Jutsu. He nodded and gave them a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, I'll come back alive."

There was no time for a long farewell. Li Ke could already sense Minato's chakra surging with energy. Even Fugaku Uchiha's chakra, despite his excitement at awakening his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, wasn't nearly as active as Minato's.

Holding a Flying Thunder God Kunai, Minato looked at Li Ke and handed him a route map and a backpack full of scrolls.

Li Ke took a look. The route map was marked with Flying Thunder God Marks, and the backpack was full of Explosive Tags and Military Ration Pills stored in Sealing Scrolls. The Explosive Tags and Sealing Scrolls in this one backpack alone were worth almost as much as three Asumas' heads.

That was a hundred million ryo.

Clearly, Minato was about to go on a killing spree.

"Qingtan, sorry for the trouble, but I need you to send us along this route. Since this is our first time working together, let's—"

The smile that usually curved his lips gave way to a chilling number.

"—start by killing five hundred Mist Shinobi and see how well we work together."

Li Ke's hand trembled, but he still nodded. Then he created two clones and had a Shadow Clone begin teleporting to the coordinates they'd marked. Once it reached the destination, Li Ke held out his hand, indicating that Minato and Fugaku should grab it.

"It'll be my pleasure."

Minato and Fugaku Uchiha grabbed Li Ke's hand at the same time. The next instant, the three of them vanished in full view of countless ninjas.

The scenery shifted abruptly. Before Li Ke could even make sense of his surroundings, he heard Minato speak beside him.

"You're using the Flying Raijin Jutsu even better than I expected, Qingtan. I'll need you to handle the extraction from here. As soon as my Flying Thunder God Kunai appears beside you, send me back immediately. Also, Lord Fugaku, please prepare your strongest Fire Release. Once you're ready, have Li Ke teleport the Flying Thunder God Kunai in my pocket back to him."

As soon as he finished speaking, Minato disappeared.

Li Ke finally got a clear look at his surroundings, and the hairs on his body stood on end. They were clearly in a Kirigakure camp.

There were at least a dozen elite Jonin, over a hundred Chunin, and nearly four hundred Genin!

Normally, it would take a large force of ninjas to capture a place like this. But now, the camp would fall in the blink of an eye.

Fugaku Uchiha didn't waste time. He immediately began forming hand seals, and Li Ke did nothing unnecessary. The most important thing for him right now was to follow orders.

Once Fugaku finished forming the seals for his Fire Release, he nodded at Li Ke. Li Ke immediately summoned back the Flying Thunder God Kunai he'd left with Minato. The next moment, just like before, Li Ke didn't even see what Minato did before Fugaku vanished, and the Flying Thunder God Kunai he'd just recalled disappeared as well.

Then he saw a blazing mass of fire sweep down over the camp, while Minato's chest swelled and he unleashed a powerful gust of wind!

Not a single person had time to react. Two ninjas with the strength of Kage had already brought their jutsu crashing down on them.

The raging wind and fire swept across the entire camp. The ninjas who'd been resting there, the wounded, and those who hadn't reacted in time all let out countless cries of anguish. Perhaps a few elite Jonin could have evaded the attack that had unfolded in just three seconds, but most of the Chunin and Genin had no chance of survival!

But just as the elite Jonin and Chunin who'd survived were about to counterattack, explosions suddenly erupted throughout the camp, sealing off every route of escape and leaving them with nothing but the ability to scream.

Amid the flames and explosions, Fugaku Uchiha and Minato streaked through the camp like lightning. All that remained were the enemies' agonized cries.

Li Ke watched the camp in silence. He could sense that Minato had placed a Flying Thunder God Kunai on Fugaku, and Li Ke's job was to teleport them both back to him if they ran into an emergency!

As a result, Fugaku Uchiha fought with reckless aggression, not bothering to defend himself at all.

But under the two men's assault, the surviving ninjas had no ability to fight back. Fugaku's aggressive style was surprisingly effective.

And Fugaku wasn't the only one fighting that way. Minato didn't seem to care about his chakra at all, as if he had no need to use the Flying Raijin Jutsu to retreat!

"But he really doesn't need to..."

Two Flying Thunder God Kunai suddenly appeared in front of him. Li Ke immediately activated the Flying Raijin Jutsu and teleported Minato and Fugaku Uchiha back.

Fugaku still looked a little dazed, but Minato had already smiled at Li Ke.

"Looks like we work well together, Qingtan. Let's rest here for ten minutes and recover our chakra, then head to the B1 Area!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Kirigakure camp's storehouse exploded, flinging the last intact building into the air and completely destroying the area's supply depot and base.

So ten minutes later, the B1 camp thirty kilometers away from the Mist Shinobi was sent skyward in the same way.

Yet less than twenty minutes after the first camp had been destroyed, Li Ke had already taken Minato to their next camp. They repeated the same operation and wiped that one out, too. By the time it fell, Kirigakure's main forces had only just received word that the first camp had been destroyed.

The sad part was, by the time the message reached them, they hadn't even had a chance to react. Li Ke and Minato had already gone on to the last Kirigakure camp in the Land of Fire.

And so, in just half a day, every Kirigakure camp in the Land of Fire had been wiped out. What's more, once Li Ke's Shadow Clone returned and reported the situation, Shikaku Nara immediately ordered all the ninjas to advance. He even sent out the ninjas guarding the main base.

With Li Ke there, Minato and a few elite ninjas could return to the main force at any time. There was no need to guard the base, and they could support any squad that was losing a battle at a moment's notice.

If necessary, Li Ke could even evacuate everyone under Minato's and a few elite ninjas' protection.

And with no need to worry about retreating or traveling, and no need to worry about someone guarding a Flying Thunder God Mark or setting a trap, Minato could focus all his chakra on fighting. He displayed an overwhelming advantage over any ninja below the Kage level!

So when the Kirigakure commander had just received word that the third camp had been destroyed, Konoha's ninjas were already bearing down on them. The stronger ninjas could already see the Uchiha, their eyes bloodshot and their bodies radiating murderous intent, afraid they wouldn't get their share of the kills. The commander had no choice but to order a retreat, withdrawing from the Land of Fire in utter bewilderment.

He couldn't understand it! There had been more than a dozen camps hundreds of kilometers apart, over twenty elite squads, and five or six thousand ninjas in all. How had they all been wiped out in just a few hours?

Even slaughtering pigs wasn't that fast!

The unfortunate Mist Shinobi squads that didn't retreat in time had even worse luck. The Konoha Ninja slaughtered them all, leaving only a handful of lucky survivors clinging to life.

That was right. The Mist Shinobi had spent thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of ryo worth of war supplies to seize a strategic advantage. But once Li Ke appeared, a ninja who mastered the Flying Raijin Jutsu and had chakra to spare, that advantage was completely wiped out in a single day!

The cost...

Was that Li Ke felt like a dead dog from exhaustion.

Yet as Li Ke lay on a stretcher, he looked at Minato, whose chakra consumption was no less than his own, but who was still full of energy and even had time to read the battle reports and grin. Li Ke really didn't feel like saying anything.

He'd already had a lot of chakra, and after his enhancement, it had increased five or six times over. Minato's chakra reserves were at most twice his own. But Li Ke had only been handling transportation, and even he'd gone through a bottle of Military Ration Pills. Minato, on the other hand, had fought the whole way!

And just look at him now, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Hey!

He was bursting with energy!

If you didn't know any better, you'd think he was about to get married!

"Love really is a powerful thing, huh!"