Unexpected Visitor

Flames erupted throughout the forest, accompanied by continuous roars.

Occasionally, wind blades sliced through, severing tree trunks, while streams of water surged forth; the battle was quite fierce.

Yue had just dodged to the cover of a tree when, from above, a shadow darted down the bark. As it reached his head, the shadow bulged, revealing a person's upper body, brandishing a sharp blade and grinning wickedly, ready to attack.

However, the Yue that was struck was merely a clone.

Soon, a flash of bright light zipped over from elsewhere.

Splitting the attacker's physical body in two with a single strike.

Yue flipped and landed, looking at a rogue ninja fighting his father not far away.

He then twisted his neck, surveying the battlefield.

Grass Village shinobi were spread out in all directions, engaged in combat with the forces of the Rain Village.

Just as he had anticipated, those people had finally arrived.

And today was already the second wave of attackers sent by the enemy; the previous assault had occurred two days ago.

There were over thirty people in total. Besides his father and himself at their stronghold, they were joined by Captain Takahashi and another comrade. Grass Village shinobi from another border stronghold had also rushed to support them. Judging by the situation, the Rain Village forces were clearly not going to back down, and this war was likely to continue for a considerable time. This was because the enemy, after fighting for a while, would retreat if they didn't have an absolute advantage. While their objective was primarily retaliation, aiming to kill the Grass Village shinobi guarding the border, their combat plan seemed more focused on harassing and exhausting them first.

"Still, it's quite interesting to witness such a wide variety of Ninjutsu,"

Yue mused internally.

This would provide some subtle assistance in the future if he were to research Ninjutsu himself.

The village had received the message and dispatched reinforcements, but due to the long distance, it would take some time.

They had to hold out until the follow-up troops arrived.

"What a great opportunity!"

As Yue appeared to be observing the battlefield, a voice approached with excitement.

"Heh heh… to think a little brat like you would be sent to participate in a battle like this? Grass Village must really be desperate for people," a rogue ninja with a sharp mouth and a monkey-like face sneered. With that, he aimed a palm at Yue, "Water Style: Water Prison Technique."

Immediately, a large volume of water enveloped Yue's main body, making it difficult for him to breathe and hindering his movement due to the powerful current.

However, Yue's body did not lose its balance, as his physical conditioning was sufficiently strong.

Being unable to breathe for a short period posed no threat to him.

Furthermore, even with the water hindering him, he could still perform some movements due to his body's resilience.

It would just be considerably slower.

Within the water sphere, Yue stared coldly at the rogue ninja who believed he had victory in his grasp. The symbol on the enemy's forehead protector indicated his origin from the Mist Village.

Although the Mist Village had not yet begun its 'Blood Mist regime,' the atmosphere within the village had always been the most brutal among the Five Great Shinobi Nations, filled with bloodshed and oppression. Simply put, it wasn't a healthy environment. It could be said that even without Obito's interference exacerbating this phenomenon, one could already glimpse the future 'Blood Mist Village' from the Mist Village of this era.

It's worth noting that even before Obito controlled the Fourth Mizukage, the Mist Village was already known as the Village of Blood Mist.

Moreover, among the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the Mist Village consistently had the highest number of rogue ninja.

A blade's edge flashed.

"Hm?"

The Mist Village rogue ninja's expression changed. Despite the turbulent interference within the water sphere, the young man before him could still freely wield his blade, slashing at the arm he had inserted into the water prison.

Fortunately, he was alert enough to break the technique and create distance in time.

Yue, drenched, did not launch a secondary attack.

Instead, he assessed his opponent.

As expected of someone from one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, his timing for close combat and the speed of his attacks were truly astonishing.

He was clearly not on the same level as the others on the battlefield.

One could judge a ninja's excellence by the way they presented their Ninjutsu. Most lower-skilled ninja would utilize the external environment when using Ninjutsu; for instance, Water Style would be more convenient when performed near water. Those who reached a certain level of power, with the most incredible example being Tobirama Senju. Even when reanimated and fighting Hiruzen Sarutobi, he could conjure Water Style jutsu as if from nowhere, creating waves even amidst a sea of flames – truly terrifying.

The Ninjutsu employed by this Mist Village ninja was not only highly proficient but had already reached a level where it could largely disregard the environment.

"You're no ordinary brat… In a place like Grass Village, someone like you should be a priority for cultivation. Why would they send you out to die at such a young age? They truly don't value talent," the rogue ninja taunted.

"My age isn't that young. There have been people fighting on the battlefield at 4 or 5, or 7 or 8 years old… As a former Mist ninja, you should know this better than I do?"

"Indeed… Compared to them, you're not so bad. I'm just surprised that a small hidden village could produce a so-called genius like you. You should be cherished as a treasure," the rogue ninja chuckled. "Well… but I can imagine some of the dirty dealings in villages; they're probably all the same… There's no such thing as true peace and freedom."

"We're all just pawns."

"Don't worry, I'll give you a quick death. I love killing geniuses the most."

"Your standard for judging geniuses is really quite low…" Yue stated coldly.

It wasn't that Yue was self-deprecating, but in his eyes, true geniuses were at least on the level of Shisui Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, or Itachi. Kakashi could barely qualify.

Based on his understanding of the original plot, he had a clear hierarchy of ninja in his mind.

The word 'genius' wasn't something just anyone could claim.

Jiraiya had knocked out the Special Jonin Ebisu with just a single move of his summoned beast sticking out its tongue; Asuma, a Jonin, could take down nine Sound Village ninja of Chunin level or higher in the blink of an eye; Itachi's Illusion Arts, Tsukuyomi, created an absolute gap in power with Kakashi, rendering him completely useless; Jonin Kakashi fought the Stone Village rogue ninja Hiruko to a standstill, but when Minato appeared, his mere pressure made the Land of Earth's Jonin feel powerless; in one battle, only four Konoha shinobi remained, yet Minato Namikaze, using the Flying Thunder God Technique, instantly eliminated approximately 50 enemies, including several Jonin and Chunin-level powerhouses. What kind of combat performance was that?

Not to mention someone like Shisui…

All of this that Yue could think of undoubtedly deepened his understanding of 'the strong'.

Admittedly, due to village, environment, bloodline, resources, age, and various other factors, he couldn't compare himself to these characters from the story. After all, he was still young. But without the assistance of the Death God world, Yue believed that even if he risked his life, he probably wouldn't reach that level.

Let alone people like Minato and Shisui, he would have a hard time even with someone like Asuma.

To be honest, if it weren't for his buffs and protagonist halo, Naruto and Sasuke, in Yue's eyes... weren't even close to being geniuses.

Now, he was a bit older than Kakashi... but he hadn't been to Konoha and wasn't sure about the current strength of people like Kakashi and Asuma, nor was it convenient to speculate.

But he tried his best to catch up to some of the true 'geniuses' based on his memories and understanding. As for whether he had surpassed them or how much he still lacked, he probably wouldn't know until he met them in person.

The rogue ninja from Mist Village heard him and didn't take it seriously, attacking with a stern killing intent.

Yue simultaneously leaped up and met the attack head-on.

This chaotic battle continued until nightfall.

Yue and Ryoma maintained a certain distance from each other, covering each other.

By the way, Yue also wanted to protect his father.

Because the one being shaped into a hero wasn't him, but Fuma Ryoma.

He was just a child, at most he had stumbled into 'fame' by chance.

He lacked the qualifications, while Fuma Ryoma had been rooted in Grass Village for so long, always working diligently and contributing a lot to the village... With this background and accumulated experience, all he needed was an opportunity.

After a day of fighting, only five people survived on the Grass Village side.

Besides him and his father, there were the leaders of two outposts and one lucky Chunin.

Swish, swish, swish.

After the enemy retreated, Takahashi and two others quickly rushed to gather and found Ryoma and Yue.

They had thought Ryoma and Yue were already dead, because on the way there, they had searched the battlefield... not a single companion had survived.

They hadn't expected the two of them to still be alive. Not only were they alive, but judging from the surrounding enemy corpses, they had killed quite a few.

This made Takahashi and the other leader exchange a look, a bit disbelieving.

They vaguely felt something was strange... but couldn't figure it out.

Thinking that Fuma Ryoma had likely killed them before, the special Jonin sent by the village... Takahashi subconsciously believed that this Fuma Ryoma must have some 'tricks' up his sleeve, giving off the impression of a hidden master. He was usually too low-key... As for Yue being alive, it surprised them even more.

But the current situation didn't allow them to think too much.

"Even the rogue ninja from Mist Village were taken care of?"

On the way over, Takahashi glanced at a corpse, his eyelids twitching.

"Are you guys alright?"

He withdrew his gaze and asked with seemingly concern.

"We're fine."

Although there were no fatal injuries, Fuma Ryoma had quite a few wounds and bloodstains, clearly having gone through multiple tough battles.

On the other hand, Yue... only seemed to have sustained minor injuries, nothing serious.

"I just did a headcount, we have five people left, and the enemy lost twenty," Takahashi said.

"Fortunately, they were 'ragtag troops', if it were..."

The Chunin, who looked dull-faced, sighed, but stopped himself mid-sentence, wisely shutting his mouth.

"These two waves of attacks were just probes; it shouldn't be time for their main assault yet. Now that they know we don't have many people left... they must also guess that the village's reinforcements are on the way. So, if I'm thinking correctly, they'll definitely try to exploit the time difference and send more people."

Fuma Ryoma spoke, "The next battle is the most crucial. We have no follow-up support... it might be a few hours, or it might be tomorrow morning. We can only stall."

"..."

The few of them looked at each other, falling silent.

The village reinforcements wouldn't arrive until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

Mainly, they hadn't expected the forces from the Land of Rain to be so troublesome at first.

When people from another outpost arrived to support them and blocked the enemy's first wave of attack, they thought the matter was over.

So, they had only notified the village and hadn't requested reinforcements.

By the time they sent someone back, it was already too late.

This was Captain Takahashi's dereliction of duty.

"Let's fall back..."

Another captain suddenly suggested, "Avoid them. If they can't find us, they'll probably retreat... and knowing our people are on the way, they definitely won't dare to push deep. Perhaps..."

"To survive, the defensive line is breached... the people are alive, but if this gets back to the village, you know what the consequences will be, right?" Ryoma said.

"..."

The three fell silent again.

"I have a plan, it might work."

Fuma Ryoma, seeing the opportune moment, cast a subtle glance at Yue beside him before suddenly speaking.

The three from Takahashi were clearly without a leader now; someone needed to step up.

Just as he was preparing to detail the combat plan.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice came from behind.

"Am I late...?"

"Hm?"

Startled, the group turned to look.

Including Yue, none of them had sensed anyone approaching beforehand.

The newcomer leaped down from a high point, landing on the ground. He emerged from the dim tree shadows, raised a hand, and smiled.

"Apologies... I couldn't make it in time. I rushed here as soon as I received the request."

"So... what's the situation?"

The group finally got a clear look at him. He wore Konoha's ninja attire and a Konoha forehead protector.

He exuded a gentle aura.

However, Yue's usually calm expression showed a rare, noticeable change.

That striking, long golden-yellow hair.

Combined with this appearance.

His pupils contracted, and he recognized him instantly.

Konoha's... Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze!