Minato Namikaze's Rampage

Why is Minato Namikaze unsuitable?

Li Ke can truly only think of one reason.

That is, Minato Namikaze cares more about Kushina than he does about Konoha.

When protecting Kushina and protecting Konoha Village are aligned, Minato Namikaze can unleash terrifying combat ability and willpower, enough to convince those within the village and strike fear into those outside of it.

But once he has to choose between protecting Kushina and protecting Konoha Village, what would Minato Namikaze choose?

The matter is already quite clear.

It is not to say that Minato Namikaze does not care about Konoha; he cares about it more than most people do. But more important than Konoha Village is Kushina—or, to be precise, the time he spends with Kushina.

Li Ke can be quite certain of this.

As for whether the man's death was essentially a suicide for love, Li Ke is not entirely sure of the circumstances; after all, Minato Namikaze was an assassin-type ninja who had no solution for the Nine-Tails, and the anime and manga never explained the specifics of how things developed very clearly.

So, whether it was truly a suicide for love or if there were other options, Li Ke does not know, but what he does know is—

Konoha's Sealing Squad was not just sitting around doing nothing, yet he set up a barrier and kept everyone out...

Furthermore, the fact that Minato Namikaze had time to say his final words to his wife but no time to leave even a shred of intelligence for the village is explosive, leading to a series of extremely severe consequences. The annihilation of the Uchiha Clan is directly linked to this very event.

However, Li Ke has no heart to dwell on this for now, as he is about to head out on a mission, and even if he did dwell on it, it would be useless.

The Fourth Hokage has already locked in Minato; unless Hashirama is resurrected, no one else can change that.

"Besides, even if I could twist the Mizukage's head off and kick it like a ball right now, it would be impossible for me to become the next Hokage. My prestige, age, and accumulation of war merits are all insufficient. What's more, without Senju Tobirama, my combat power wouldn't actually reach the Kage level."

Li Ke scratched his head, looking at the scroll before him. He felt a headache coming on; his Byakugan still needs time to adapt. Although he can use his Dojutsu to temporarily turn the Byakugan into a Mangekyo to avoid this intense dizziness, it consumes a significant amount of chakra, and if exposed, it would trigger a series of problems.

The ownership of a Bloodline Limit is a very serious matter. If he wanted to stir up trouble now, he wouldn't need to do anything—he would just need to walk down a street in Konoha with one eye as a Sharingan and the other as a Byakugan, and the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan would be at each other's throats that very day.

And if he were to use his Dojutsu to unleash a Wood Release...

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

Although these issues will cease to be problems once he becomes powerful enough, they are still very serious for him right now.

At this moment, Senju Tobirama spoke up.

"Kid, this is the last time I will help you. Once this war ends, you must strive on your own. After all, no matter how highly I think of you, I am, in the end, a dead man."

Senju Tobirama's voice was filled with profound seriousness. He can help Li Ke earn war merits and establish enough prestige and achievements to protect him, and help these Konoha ninja end this inevitably victorious war early to reduce casualties.

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

The Hokage is the one who carries everyone forward. If one relies on someone else's power to possess the strength worthy of a Kage, then such a Kage is undoubtedly unqualified.

Li Ke can seek his advice, discuss the development of techniques with him, or ask about past history, but the future must be walked by Li Ke himself. This is his bottom line.

"Understood, Second Hokage-sama."

Li Ke has no objections to this. No matter how powerful Senju Tobirama's combat ability is, it belongs to him, not Li Ke. In truth, Li Ke only needs to get through this period of eye adaptation; he does not require Senju Tobirama's help for anything else.

"Also."

"Yes, please speak, Second Hokage-sama."

"The Flying Raijin Jutsu was created by me, so don't go around calling it Minato-sama's technique! Although he is indeed outstanding, whether it is the Flying Raijin: Guiding Thunder or anything else, this technique was created by me!"

Li Ke: "..."

Look at that proud sense of copyright.

But thinking of Senju Tobirama's help and cultivation, Li Ke simply lowered his head.

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

Consequently, Senju Tobirama's voice immediately turned pleasant.

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

But Li Ke couldn't help but add a thought in his heart.

And the Vanguard of Persecuting Uchiha.

However, Li Ke ultimately did not dare to say this out loud. Instead, he focused on the scroll in his hands. Senju Tobirama has clearly mastered it completely, but he cannot yet. Whether it is the Flying Raijin: Guiding Thunder or the Instantaneous Movement Technique, the former requires sufficient reaction speed, experience, or a body that won't die or be crippled to pull off, while the latter's requirements for grasping the timing of battle, battlefield observation, and reaction speed are perversely extreme.

Simply put, on his own right now, playing with this would get him killed.

"Damn it, is this really something a human can use?"

Li Ke couldn't help but curse as he looked at the requirements for the technique, but cursing aside, he still had to learn it.

However, he did not waste any more of his chakra. Instead, he explained his situation to Yuhi Kurenai, who, with great maturity, said nothing and simply silently packed supplies and provisions for Li Ke.

Asuma sat there in silence, not knowing what to think about defying his Hokage father, but when Minato Namikaze arrived at Li Ke's tent, both Kurenai and Asuma said the same thing to Li Ke.

"Stay alive, Qingtan."

Looking at his two companions, who were clearly conflicted and still struggling to accept that he had suddenly become stronger and mastered the Flying Raijin Jutsu, Li Ke nodded and gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah, I'll come back alive."

There was no excessive small talk, as Li Ke could already feel the activity of Minato Namikaze's chakra; even the chakra activity of Fugaku Uchiha, who was so excited that he couldn't help but activate his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, did not compare to Minato Namikaze's.

Holding a Flying Thunder God Kunai, Minato Namikaze looked at Li Ke, handed him a route map and a backpack filled with scrolls, and then spoke.

Li Ke glanced at the route map, which was marked with Flying Thunder God Marks. The backpack was filled with Explosive Tags and Military Ration Pills stored in Sealing Scrolls. The cost of just the Explosive Tags and Sealing Scrolls in this one backpack was worth about the heads of three Asumas.

That's one hundred million Ryo.

It was clear that Minato Namikaze was going to go on a killing spree.

"Qingtan, please send us along this route. It's our first time cooperating, so let's first—"

From his usually smiling mouth, a terrifying number was uttered.

"—let's kill five hundred Mist Shinobi to test our cooperation."

Li Ke's hands trembled, but he still nodded. He then created two Shadow Clones, instructing them to teleport to the marked coordinates first. Upon arrival, he extended his hand, signaling Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha to grab on.

"It's an honor."

Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha simultaneously grabbed Li Ke's hands, and in the next moment, the three of them vanished under the watchful eyes of countless ninjas.

After the abrupt visual shift, before Li Ke could even get a clear look at his surroundings, he heard Minato Namikaze speak.

"Your Flying Raijin Jutsu is even better than I imagined, Qingtan. Next, I'll need you to provide support. When my Flying Thunder God Kunai appears beside you, immediately teleport me back. Also, Lord Fugaku, please prepare your strongest Fire Release jutsu. Once ready, have Li Ke teleport me away with his Flying Thunder God Kunai in my pocket."

The moment these words were spoken, Minato Namikaze disappeared.

Li Ke finally got a clear view of his surroundings, and his hair stood on end because this was clearly a Mist Village encampment.

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

Normally, this place would require a large ninja force to conquer, but now, the fall of this encampment would be a matter of moments.

Fugaku Uchiha immediately began forming hand seals, and Li Ke did nothing superfluous, as his most important task at the moment was to follow orders.

After preparing the hand seals for Fire Release, Fugaku Uchiha instantly nodded at Li Ke. Li Ke, in turn, instantly summoned back the Flying Thunder God Kunai he had left on Minato Namikaze. In the next moment, just like before, he didn't even see what Minato Namikaze did before Fugaku Uchiha disappeared. The Flying Thunder God Kunai he had just summoned back also vanished.

Then, he saw a ball of intense fire suddenly sweep down from above the encampment, and Minato Namikaze's chest puffed out, followed by a blast of wind!

Before anyone could react, they were hit by ninjutsu from two ninjas with Kage-level strength.

The violent wind and fire instantly engulfed the entire encampment. The ninjas resting in the Mist encampment, the wounded, and those who hadn't reacted let out countless wails. Perhaps a few Jonin could evade this attack that occurred within three seconds, but most Chunin and Genin faced only death!

However, just as these surviving Jonin and Chunin attempted to counterattack, explosions erupted throughout their encampment, sealing off all their escape routes and leaving them only with the ability to wail.

Amidst the flames and explosions, the figures of Fugaku Uchiha and Minato Namikaze darted like lightning, leaving only the screams of the enemy.

Li Ke quietly observed the encampment, as he sensed Minato Namikaze placing a Flying Thunder God Kunai on Fugaku Uchiha. His mission was to quickly teleport them to his side if they encountered any emergencies!

Because of this, Fugaku Uchiha's fighting style was extremely aggressive, with no defense whatsoever.

But the problem was, under the assault of these two, the surviving ninjas had no ability to resist. Fugaku Uchiha's aggressive style was surprisingly effective.

However, it wasn't just him; Minato Namikaze also didn't care about chakra, as if he didn't need to retreat using the Flying Raijin Jutsu!

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

Seeing two Flying Thunder God Kunai suddenly appear before him, Li Ke immediately activated the Flying Raijin Jutsu, teleporting both Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha back.

Fugaku Uchiha was still somewhat dazed, but Minato Namikaze already gave Li Ke a smile.

"It seems we're cooperating well, Qingtan. Let's rest here for ten minutes to recover our chakra, then we'll head to Area B1 to continue!"

The moment he finished speaking, the warehouse of the Mist ninja encampment suddenly exploded, sending the last intact building flying into the sky, completely severing the supply and encampment for the Mist ninjas in that region.

Thus, ten minutes later, the B1 encampment, thirty kilometers away from the first one, was blown into the sky in the same manner.

However, less than twenty minutes after the first encampment was destroyed, Li Ke brought Minato Namikaze to their next encampment and repeated the operation, destroying it again. By the time this encampment was destroyed, the main camp of the Mist Village had only just received news of the first encampment's destruction.

But tragically, by the time they learned of the news, they hadn't even had time to react before Li Ke and Minato Namikaze had already headed to the Mist's last encampment within the Land of Fire.

Thus, in just half a day, all the Mist encampments within the Land of Fire were wiped out. Not only that, after Li Ke's Shadow Clones returned with intelligence, Shikaku Nara directly commanded all ninjas to advance, even sending out ninjas guarding the main camp.

Because as long as Li Ke was present, Minato Namikaze and some elite ninjas could return to the main camp at any time, eliminating the need for guards and allowing for immediate support to any squad in a disadvantageous situation.

At critical moments, Li Ke could even, under the cover of Minato Namikaze and some elite ninjas, take everyone away.

And Minato Namikaze, who didn't need to consider chakra for retreating or traveling, didn't need to worry about Flying Thunder God Marks being guarded or trapped, and could simply use his chakra for combat, displayed an unparalleled suppressive power against ninjas below the Kage level!

Thus, just as the Mist commander received the intelligence of the third encampment's destruction, the Konoha ninjas had already advanced. The better-skilled ninjas could already see the red-eyed, murderous Uchiha ninjas, who were afraid of not getting their kills, forcing him to issue a retreat order, and he withdrew from the Land of Fire in utter confusion.

He couldn't understand! How could dozens of encampments spread hundreds of kilometers apart, over twenty elite squads, totaling five to six thousand ninjas, be wiped out in less than a few hours!

It wasn't even this fast when slaughtering pigs!

And those unlucky Mist squads who didn't retreat in time were even more miserable, being completely annihilated by the Konoha ninjas, with only a few lucky survivors managing to cling to life.

Yes, the strategic advantage that the Mist ninjas had gained with thousands of lives and billions of Ryo worth of war materials was completely wiped out in just one day after the appearance of Li Ke, a ninja proficient in the Flying Raijin Jutsu and with an inexhaustible supply of chakra!

But the cost...

was that Li Ke felt exhausted like a dead dog.

However, Li Ke, lying on the stretcher, looked at Minato Namikaze, whose chakra consumption was no less than his own, yet he was still energetic, even having the time to read battle reports and grin foolishly. Li Ke really didn't want to speak.

His own chakra reserves were already large, and after reinforcement, they had increased five to sixfold. Minato Namikaze's chakra reserves alone were at most twice his. Yet Li Ke was only responsible for transportation, and even then, he had consumed a Military Ration Pill, while Minato Namikaze had fought the entire time!

But now look at his rosy complexion.

Hmph!

Full of spirit!

If one didn't know better, they'd think he was getting married!

"It's truly the power of love!"