It Had to Be Konoha!

Seven or eight Kusagakure ninja had their throats slit by kunai as if they were stalks of wheat being harvested.

The Kusagakure ninja all stopped in their tracks.

"This technique…"

Cold sweat instantly broke out on the old man wearing a Golden Rat Mask.

He seemed to have heard of this move when he was young.

"Sorry, but I carry many burdens myself, so this mission cannot fail."

Shimizu deliberately lowered his voice. He pulled the kunai from the ground and vanished openly before everyone’s eyes.

"Great Elder, this…"

The young Kusagakure jonin wearing a Black Pig Mask turned to look at Golden Rat, who stood at the front.

"Seal off all news of tonight. I’ll send someone to question Konoha."

"Konoha? Are you sure, Elder?"

The solidly built Black Pig lowered his voice.

Although Konoha had not prevailed in its contest against Sunagakure during the Second Great Ninja War, it had won on every other front and had suffered no serious losses.

Kusagakure only had a dozen or so jonin in total, not even a fraction of Konoha’s number. Now, it had also lost Gingyu, one of its top three fighters. Even the more aggressive Grass Seed Faction had only considered strengthening the Land of Grass through other means, rather than provoking Konoha, the hegemon of the ninja world, at this time.

"That happened before you were born. Back then, I was nothing more than a young nobody. The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had once nearly led Konoha to victory in the First Great Ninja War with his unparalleled Water Release, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and an endless stream of Forbidden Jutsu.

Though I never saw it with my own eyes, that Body Flicker Technique displayed by that blond brat was undoubtedly a Space-Time Ninjutsu. He moved freely through spatial coordinates prepared in advance, exactly like the method I once heard was the fastest in the ninja world.

Only Konoha possesses such a Forbidden Jutsu."

Golden Rat clenched his fist beneath his sleeve.

This time, he truly felt humiliated.

Even though Kusagakure was one of the more notable ninja villages beneath the five great superpowers, they still had to swallow their anger at a time like this.

But this time, Konoha had come right to their doorstep and assassinated one of Kusagakure’s top three figures. Anyone would be enraged by that.

"This… such a direct method doesn’t seem to fit Hiruzen Sarutobi’s style. It feels more like the work of The Shadow of Ninjutsu."

A middle-aged Kusagakure elder wearing a White Rabbit Mask said gravely.

He was a Kusagakure jonin who excelled in speed, and his strength ranked above average even among jonin. Just now, he had been one of the few Kusagakure ninja able to keep up with Golden Rat in the first group.

"Hmph, isn’t Shimura Danzō also a subordinate of the Third Hokage? In my view, Konoha’s operation this time must have another purpose!"

Elder Bronze Tiger, with his powerful build and bulging muscles, snorted coldly.

"Konoha… that’s it."

Golden Rat pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and looked to the other side.

"Qingyang, take people back immediately and see whether that Uzumaki Clan woman is still there. Perhaps she is Konoha’s true objective this time. Even though Konoha stood by and watched as the Uzumaki Clan was destroyed back then, their relationship was well known. If Konoha has truly set its sights on an Uzumaki Descendant, it would not be surprising.

If that Uzumaki Clan woman really has been abducted, then Konoha definitely did this!"

One day later.

"Why is Kusagakure so certain that we did this?"

Leaf Village, Land of Fire, was wreathed in drifting clouds and mist.

The Third Hokage, hailed as the strongest of all generations, looked thoroughly troubled as he puffed on his pipe.

"During the Second Great Ninja War, Kusagakure accidentally captured a woman from the Uzumaki Clan. She was taken away by that group as well. Most importantly, Golden Rat said he saw the person who assassinated Gingyu use the Flying Thunder God Technique, and that he had blond hair."

Mitokado Homura placed another document on Hiruzen Sarutobi’s desk.

The document contained a pencil sketch of a blond man wearing an animal mask. Seeing that neat, handsome, medium-length hair, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately thought of the exceptionally gifted grand-disciple he valued most.

"Minato?"

"Three years ago, Jiraiya converted his military achievements into an opportunity to view the Forbidden Jutsu in the Scroll of Seals. He gave that opportunity to Minato Namikaze. I heard it was you who personally suggested that he study the Flying Thunder God Technique."

That only left the Third Hokage even more perplexed.

"Minato only mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique a few months ago. During this period, I haven’t sent him out on any missions. I’ve had him familiarize himself with the application of this ninjutsu and cultivate his relationship with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He simply had no opportunity to leave the village."

The Third Hokage smoked even faster.

Everyone could see Minato Namikaze’s talent.

With the Flying Thunder God, so long as he did not encounter the Gold and Silver Brothers and the Six Paths Tools under an intelligence disadvantage as the Second Hokage once had, he could basically remain undefeated.

Unless the enemy’s defenses were strong enough to completely ignore Minato’s attacks, Minato Namikaze could match a Kage-level powerhouse.

Moreover, he was a Flying Thunder God Technique user with extremely high mobility, making him even more strategically valuable than other Kage-level powerhouses.

That was why, until now, the Third Hokage had kept Minato Namikaze’s Flying Thunder God information hidden, intending to unveil it during a possible future Ninja World War and give the enemy a surprise.

In that respect, the Third Hokage’s thoughts happened to align with Shimizu’s.

"Since he is a user of the Flying Thunder God formula, we don’t know when he might have left the village. You and I couldn’t make a round trip between Konoha and Kusagakure in a single night, but for a Flying Thunder God user, that distance is nothing."

Mitokado Homura shook his head and turned to the second page of the document.

"This is the Flying Thunder God formula pattern roughly determined by the witnesses after repeatedly recalling what happened."

On the document’s second page were four striking words: "Sword of Ninja Love."

Was it really Minato?

"Anbu."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put away his pipe and said,

"Bring Minato here. Let’s ask him what happened."

A few minutes later.

Minato Namikaze entered the Hokage’s office.

Two or three years had passed, and Minato Namikaze had become a handsome young man of sixteen or seventeen. He wore a blue undershirt beneath a Konoha flak jacket, looking sunny and dashing.

Yet his handsome face now wore an expression like he was severely constipated.

"Third Lord… I really haven’t left the village lately…"

"Of course I believe you. Don’t worry, even if it really was you, it’s nothing. It’s only Kusagakure, after all. But… can you tell me whether there is anyone else in this world who can use the Flying Thunder God Technique, and whose Flying Thunder God formula bears this pattern?"