Analysis of the Third Battle

Perhaps because the personnel for this mission were all elite jōnin, Minato Namikaze arrived ahead of schedule.

He did not arrive last as he had the previous time.

When Ye Yuexin reached the village gate, he realized he was the only one missing.

It made him feel somewhat flustered.

After all, he was the only chūnin among them. It didn't feel right to keep three elite jōnin waiting for a single chūnin.

However, it was only six-thirty; he had arrived half an hour early.

He hadn't expected to be the last one to show up regardless.

As Ye Yuexin walked over, Minato Namikaze immediately greeted him with a brilliant smile.

"I haven't had the chance to thank you properly yet. Thank you, Yuexin; if not for you, Kakashi and the others might have been in grave danger."

"Your performance on the last mission was truly outstanding. You are now Konoha's most brilliant genius."

Ye Yuexin hadn't expected Minato Namikaze to thank him so suddenly.

He hurriedly replied, "The success of that mission was everyone's credit. I only did what I had to do. You are too kind, Minato-jōnin."

After these words were spoken, not only Minato Namikaze but the two elite jōnin beside him also cast sidelong glances at him.

Although they already had a rough understanding of Ye Yuexin's personality, his humble words still left them very satisfied.

Because no matter how much of a genius one might be, before they have fully matured, they still require the protection of the strong.

Originally, while they hadn't voiced any objections to having a chūnin like Ye Yuexin join this mission, they had felt somewhat displeased deep down.

Even as elite jōnin, they had heard of Ye Yuexin's recent combat record, but they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes.

The mental image they had formed likely wasn't very realistic.

But this time, Ye Yuexin's upright attitude gave them a very favorable impression.

"Minato, his personality is really just like yours. And his aptitude seems to be exactly the same, too."

A stout man beside Minato said with a laugh.

Ye Yuexin didn't need to guess to know that this was Akamichi Todō, who had been on the mission roster yesterday.

Immediately after, Inuzuka Gaku, standing nearby, joked as well, "That's right, Minato. With such a genius junior chasing after you, don't you feel a lot of pressure? Hahaha."

Hearing this, Minato Namikaze replied with an awkward, playful laugh, "Yuexin's talent is definitely stronger than mine; the pressure is quite significant, to say the least. But if Konoha can have another powerful ninja, I am still very happy, hahahaha."

Hearing Minato Namikaze say this, both men burst into laughter.

"You really are something, Minato."

"By the way, little guy, I'm Akamichi Todō. I look forward to working with you on this mission."

"Inuzuka Gaku. I look forward to working with you on this mission as well."

The two men looked at Ye Yuexin with smiles and introduced themselves.

Ye Yuexin also hurriedly smiled and said, "I am Ye Yuexin. I look forward to your guidance, seniors."

After the introductions, the three of them didn't chat much further and set off.

This was for the best, as Ye Yuexin wouldn't have known what to say anyway.

On the road, Minato Namikaze explained the details of the mission.

Ye Yuexin also gained a general understanding of the Third Great Ninja War, and by combining this with the original work he had seen in his past life, he finally understood the situation.

The origin of the Third Great Ninja War lay in the fact that Sasori's parents had been killed during the Second Great Ninja War by Kakashi Hatake's father, the "White Fang of Konoha."

Sasori had wanted revenge, but because the White Fang had committed suicide following a different mission, Sasori was unable to exact his vengeance.

Consequently, Sasori shifted his hatred toward the Third Kazekage.

Sasori believed that as the leader of the Hidden Sand Village, it was the Third Kazekage's negligence that had allowed Konoha to invade, forcing his parents to their deaths.

Thus, Sasori assassinated the Third Kazekage, stole his corpse, and became a missing-nin after fleeing the village.

After the Third Kazekage went missing, the Hidden Sand Village exhausted all its resources searching for his trail, but they never found him.

This left the Hidden Sand in a state of having no leader, and because of the intensity of the search, not only did the Sand's defense forces become understaffed, but the other four nations also received news of the Third Kazekage's disappearance.

The Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning, which advocated for military expansion, took advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack on the Hidden Sand Village, plunging it into turmoil.

Rasa used the Magnet Release: Gold Dust he had learned from the Third Kazekage to resist the Cloud's invasion and protect the village.

However, the village became starved of resources and capital due to the war, and at such a time, the Sand Ninja set their sights on the resource-rich Land of Fire.

Following this, the Rock Ninja saw that the Land of Lightning hadn't gained much of an advantage against the Sand Ninja and had even suffered losses, so they immediately launched a war against the Land of Lightning.

The Land of Lightning, however, was incredibly stubborn this time; having already accumulated so many troubles, they no longer feared adding more, and actually declared war on three nations simultaneously.

Ye Yuexin had analyzed all of this based on what Minato Namikaze had told him, combined with his own memories.

Now he understood that, from the very beginning, it wasn't Konoha being badass enough to take on three opponents at once, but rather the Land of Lightning acting arrogant by trying to fight three fronts.

As for why it eventually turned into Konoha resisting the invasions of three villages at the same time, he had no idea.

The three of them were moving at high speeds, but Ye Yuexin was not lagging behind.

He was tailing them closely the entire time.

This caused the two men, who had initially harbored slight doubts about Ye Yuexin's strength, to nod to themselves in approval.

Since they were heading to the battlefield, they could handle it if he lacked raw power, but if he couldn't even keep up the pace while traveling, he would be nothing more than a burden.

Their mission this time was to intercept a Cloud Ninja assault squad.

According to intelligence received by Konoha, the Hidden Cloud Village had decided to stop dragging out the war.

They were launching a final offensive against both the Rock Ninja and Konoha.

However, the main battlefield was on the Rock Ninja's side.

It seemed the Hidden Cloud Village had fixated on the Rock Ninja, who had been the first to declare war on them.

As for Konoha, they had dispatched an assault squad to preemptively destroy the front-line defenses.

This was to prepare for the Cloud Ninja's subsequent invasion after they defeated the Rock Ninja.

Therefore, the place Ye Yuexin and the others were heading to was the very front line where Konoha was confronting the Hidden Cloud Village.

They were also an assault team, or perhaps "interception squad" would be a more fitting term.

Their goal was to intercept the incoming Cloud Ninja detachment.

Although his memory was a bit hazy, Ye Yuexin seemed to recall that in his past life, while watching the anime, there had been a plot point just like this in the original story.

Moreover, it involved Minato Namikaze single-handedly confronting the A-B combination of the Hidden Cloud Village.

The A-B combination consisted of the next Raikage, Ay, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee.

Just like Minato Namikaze, they had both forged their illustrious reputations during the Third Great Ninja War.

Their signature joint technique, the Double Lariat, was currently shaking the ninja world.

On the road, the three of them didn't stop to rest, as if they were deliberately testing Ye Yuexin.

When their chakra ran low, they would simply slow their pace slightly, recovering chakra while continuing their journey. Yet, Ye Yuexin endured it all. This earned him a sliver of recognition in the hearts of Akamichi Todō and Inuzuka Gaku.

[New book is out... I suggest "adding to library" first... let it grow before binge-reading. I need your support... thank you everyone.] There will be another chapter at 1:00 PM. Please show your support.