Anyo naturally did not care whether the three could hold out. After all, all three were still alive and well when the anime began, so the outcome was clearly already decided. What needed his attention most right now was his own life.
White Fang's mission was to protect the rear, clearly out of concern that other countries might take advantage of the crisis. Still, there probably would not be much fighting. Compared with the thousand ninja on the front lines, their job was considerably easier. Ah, having the right teacher really is great. Anyo secretly rejoiced.
Only when the war truly began did Anyo feel the pressure and realize how badly mistaken he had been. Wounded soldiers were sent back to the village from the battlefield almost every day. Severed limbs were everywhere, and some even died on the way back.
The war reached its height from the very beginning. The two sides clashed at close quarters, neither giving an inch, vowing to fight to the last man.
At that moment, supplies from the rear became especially important. Anyo was run off his feet almost every day, his nerves stretched taut, never daring to relax. Just as White Fang had predicted, a battle on such a scale drew ninja from other countries to watch for opportunities. Though they came only in small groups, as long as they were there, one had to guard against the attacks they might launch at any moment.
This was precisely what Anyo found so aggravating. Fighting these ninja was no good, but neither was leaving them alone.
Fortunately, White Fang finally struck with lightning force and killed several of them outright. Only then did those ninja settle down. But Anyo knew perfectly well that they had merely gone into hiding. Like venomous snakes in the shadows, they would still spring out whenever an opportunity arose.
At that thought, Anyo directly requested White Fang's permission to go into hiding himself and wipe out all those lurking lackeys.
After hearing Anyo's request, White Fang pondered for a moment before saying, "I've already reported the situation here to the three commanding the front lines. They said they'd send someone specifically to handle these matters. Since you have the same idea, work together with whoever comes."
Anyo nodded. Having help was naturally a good thing, but he still needed to make things clear. Having grown accustomed to life and death over this period, his heart had become as hard as iron.
So he said coldly, "If whoever comes holds me back, I won't look after him."
White Fang fell silent at that. Only after a while did he say, "I believe whoever they send won't be bad."
Anyo said nothing more after that and waited quietly.
Before long, a familiar figure arrived before them. That distinctive blond hair revealed the newcomer's identity: Jiraiya's prized pupil, Minato Namikaze.
Minato greeted White Fang first, then smiled and waved at Anyo.
Anyo was delighted to see Minato, partly because he was seeing an old friend and partly because he knew Minato's strength. There was nothing to worry about now. Minato had already possessed peak Chunin strength when he graduated. After more than half a year of Jiraiya's instruction, he presumably had reached Jonin level by now. With his Flying Thunder God Technique as well, he could not have been better suited to dealing with these ninja in the shadows.
The old classmates, who had not seen each other for a long time, had no time to catch up and set off immediately.
Along the way, the two worked together with remarkable coordination, almost never encountering anyone who could withstand a single exchange. They swept through everything in their path. As long as they were within Konoha's territory, ninja from other countries faced nothing but death, whether they were Chunin or Jonin.
At the same time, each witnessed the other's growth. Minato spoke first. "Anyo, your swordsmanship is terrifying."
Anyo replied with a smile, "You've gotten faster too. Without you, this mission couldn't have been this easy."
Minato said gravely, "The fighting at the front is too brutal. I want to finish this mission as soon as possible and return to the front lines."
Hearing that, Anyo asked, "Is that Hanzo of the Salamander really that powerful?"
Minato analyzed the situation seriously. "The main thing is that he's extremely cautious in battle. He's avoided attacking head-on all this time, using his familiarity with the terrain and his Explosive Flame Formation to wear down our fighting spirit. After all this fighting, both sides are down to their last breath. I feel the final showdown is coming soon."
Anyo nodded. As expected of someone who dared to declare war on three sides at once, he did have ability.
"Huh?" Minato seemed to have discovered something, and a scroll appeared in his hand.
Anyo asked, "What's that?"
"It's intelligence dropped by a Kumogakure ninja from the Land of Lightning whom I just killed." After reading it, Minato's expression changed drastically. "Damn it, this is bad."
This was the first time Anyo had ever seen Minato lose his composure like this. He hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Minato's face was grim. "The Land of Lightning wants the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu. They've sent three Jonin to capture Kushina."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Without another word, Anyo grabbed Minato and raced toward Konoha.
Both were extremely fast ninja, and they soon returned to the village. It was nighttime, and Konoha ninja were patrolling the streets. Anyo went straight to one of them and asked, "Did something happen?"
The man replied, "Ninja from another country infiltrated the village and abducted Kushina Uzumaki. We're searching for her."
Anyo and Minato exchanged a glance and vanished in an instant.
Anyo spoke first. "That Cloud ninja we just killed was clearly there to meet them. That means they aren't retreating toward Kumogakure. They're going to circle around the rear of our battlefield to return to their village."
"Let's go." Minato naturally understood as well and immediately gave chase.
Sure enough, the two soon discovered a strand of red hair on the ground in the darkness. One glance was enough to tell that this distinctive red hair undoubtedly belonged to Kushina.
Anyo also sensed the figures ahead and said, "Three Jonin. Do we need to..."
Before Anyo could finish, Minato charged ahead.
"This guy's got nothing but romance on the brain..." Anyo grumbled, then simply concealed himself and moved to block the three Cloud ninja's retreat.
But Anyo's actions were clearly unnecessary. Faced with Minato's extraordinary speed, the three Jonin were knocked to the ground before they could react. Clearly, when fighting at full strength, Minato had firmly reached elite Jonin level. Without special means, ordinary Jonin could not last even a second against him.
After rescuing Kushina Uzumaki, Minato comforted her, then gracefully swept her into a princess carry. In the moonlight, he utterly captivated the girl in his arms.
Watching from below, Anyo could not help murmuring in admiration, "That's the Yellow Flash for you. He makes no move until he's ready, then wins her over in one go."
After saying that, Anyo mercilessly finished off the three Cloud ninja on the ground with the short sword in his hand.
How strange. Kushina Uzumaki was abducted, but the Third Hokage's crystal ball didn't work? Or...
Anyo's heart lurched. Could it be that he isn't in the village, and the opportunity really has come?
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