They had only intended to disrupt Minato Namikaze's attack, but unexpectedly gained something more.
Faced with two large-scale Water Release techniques, Minato Namikaze could only retreat for the moment, dodging to one side.
Once the flood had swept past, Minato Namikaze reappeared where he had just been, only to discover that the remaining three had fled.
Just then, a middle-aged man in a green jumpsuit, his entire body glowing green, shouted, "Guy! I'm here! Don't be afraid!"
Somewhat embarrassed, Guy tugged at the man in front of him and said, "Dad, Lord Minato already drove them off! There aren't any enemies left!"
Dai showed no embarrassment whatsoever. He gave Minato a thumbs-up and said loudly, "That's Lord Minato for you! You're incredible!"
Minato smiled at Dai and said, "You're impressive too, Dai! Take Guy back. He opened five gates just now, so his body has probably suffered some damage. He needs treatment. Hurry and take him back!"
"Thank you!" Dai suddenly pressed Guy's head down, bowing ninety degrees to Minato as he said, "Thank you for saving Guy!"
Minato hurried forward and helped them both straighten up. "There's no need to thank me. It's my duty. Guy is very talented. One day, he'll definitely have a place among the strongest in the Shinobi World!"
Excited by Minato's words, Dai said, "Thank you for the praise, Lord Minato! I'll make sure Guy trains hard with me!"
With that, Dai gave him a thumbs-up and grinned, revealing the gleaming white teeth that were a trademark of both father and son.
This was Minato's first encounter with someone like Dai, and he was momentarily stunned. But when he saw Guy enduring the pain beside him, he said, "Hurry and take Guy for treatment! Otherwise, he might suffer lasting damage!"
Hearing this, Dai checked Guy's condition, thanked Minato again, then hoisted Guy onto his shoulder and ran toward Konoha.
Minato inwardly broke into a cold sweat on Guy's behalf. It was a wonder the boy had managed to survive this long!
After that reflection, Minato sealed away the four bodies and the Ninja Blades they had left behind, then immediately set off in the direction the remaining three had fled, hoping to kill them as well!
But Minato clearly had little talent for tracking. He pursued them all the way into the Land of Water without finding any of the three fugitives, so he could only turn back and head to the Land of Fire's camp on this front.
"Sakumo! I discovered that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had infiltrated the Land of Fire and fought them in an encounter. I killed four, but three escaped! Here are their bodies and Ninja Blades!" Minato Namikaze said, handing the Sealing Scroll to Hatake Sakumo.
Hatake Sakumo accepted the scroll and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Minato! Can you tell me which three escaped?"
In Hatake Ziyan's plan, all seven should have been killed, but Minato had missed the best opportunity to pursue them because he was looking after the injured Guy.
Minato Namikaze said, "The ones who escaped should be Hozuki Mangetsu, Suikazan Fuguki, and Munashi Jinpachi!"
Just then, Hatake Sakumo took a scroll from inside his clothes and said, "Remember this: if anyone asks again, tell them you killed all seven. Here are the remaining three bodies and their Ninja Blades!"
Then he put the two scrolls together and handed them to Uchiha Fugaku beside him. "Sorry for the trouble, Clan Leader Fugaku, but please write another battle report for Lord Third Hokage!"
Minato's eyes widened. The three men I spent so long chasing without finding had already been killed? Did Sakumo do it?
"Sakumo, this..."
Minato wanted to say more, but Sakumo cut him off. "The credit is yours. After all, none of the shinobi in our camp capable of killing those three have left the camp in the past few days!"
"Exactly! Don't worry about such details, Minato!" Fugaku added from beside them.
Even after hearing what the two of them said, Minato still felt that this was wrong.
"This was Uncle Ziyan's idea! He's also the one who killed them!" Hatake Sakumo said, noticing Minato's reluctance.
"All right!" Once Minato heard that it was Hatake Ziyan's idea, he stopped insisting.
After Minato returned to camp, Hatake Sakumo wrote a letter urging surrender and had someone deliver it to the opposing Land of Water camp.
After receiving the bodies of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist they had sent out, the other side also felt they could no longer defeat the Land of Fire. Following discussions among Kirigakure's higher-ups, they submitted a ceasefire letter to the Land of Fire and declared their defeat.
And so, the war that had raged across the Shinobi World for three years finally drew to a close with Minato's astonishing record: he had fought four nations single-handedly and emerged victorious against them all!
Shinobi from the various battlefields returned to Konoha one after another, leaving only a portion of their patrol forces behind to secure the Land of Fire's borders.
One month after the war ended!
The Hokage Office!
Hatake Sakumo, the Konoha Sannin, Minato Namikaze, the clan leaders of the major clans, and the two remaining Hokage Advisors had all gathered in the Hokage Office.
The war had been won, and Minato had earned tremendous military merit. With the Third Hokage already past his prime, Minato had won the people's support and become a candidate for the next Hokage!
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped the desk, signaling for the discussions to stop. Once everyone fell silent, he said, "I'm sure you all know why I've called you here today! If you have anything to say, you may step forward and say it now!"
After hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, no one spoke. Instead, they all turned toward Minato Namikaze. Seeing everyone looking at him, Minato responded with his signature smile!
At this sight, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly. He knew there was nothing he could do this time. Minato Namikaze's reputation was simply too great. And it was not just his reputation-Minato Namikaze was also extremely powerful. His sunny disposition, moreover, had left him without a single negative appraisal among the civilians.
But thinking of Minato Namikaze's personality and his ties to himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief. In his view, even if Minato took the Hokage position, he would pose little danger to him.
"Since none of you have anything to say, let me say a few words! There are three candidates for Hokage this time: Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Minato Namikaze! Do you have any objections?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
"No!" Everyone present shook their heads.
That was only natural. In terms of strength, those three were essentially three of Konoha's top fighters. Apart from the current Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the only others at that level were the remaining two Sannin.
Although Shisui Uchiha had also performed brilliantly on the Land of Water Battlefield, earning the title Body Flicker Shisui, he had yet to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and still fell somewhat short of those five.
"I have something to say!" Hatake Sakumo raised his hand.
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