Attacked on sight!
Minato had not anticipated that these unrecognized individuals would launch an attack without warning or a word of explanation.
Isn't there supposed to be some banter in a ninja battle?
Where's the monologue about the killer's move to be used for a certain kill? Isn't it customary to taunt and tell your opponents what technique will end them?
The lack of these steps surely makes the soul of the battle incomplete!
Minato felt that this ambush by the Root ninjas did not align with the basic principles of ninja combat, which usually required at least a few words of introduction.
However.
This was precisely why.
Minato realized that these people came prepared; their sole purpose was to kill him, and they didn't want to engage in any excess interaction.
Insight, there were at least thirty to forty Root ninjas. This number was significantly large, considering the Root division wasn't that large, to begin with—it seemed almost like a full mobilization.
Such a major movement, with each person doing the same thing, indicated that they all shared the same goal: to kill him.
The entire Root division had the same mission target.
Each Root ninja had the same mission.
"It seems you are determined to kill me!"
Minato's lips curled up in a self-deprecating smile. He had never imagined that he would someday become Konoha's enemy. The Root ninjas attacking him now aimed to ensure he didn't return alive to the village, a notion deeply ironic to him.
After all, he had made significant contributions to Konoha during the Third Ninja World War. Without his timely intervention, the village might have faced complete defeat in that battle. Yet, because of such situations, his heart was in turmoil, feeling a deep sense of misplaced trust.
However, this feeling emerged only momentarily and quickly dissipated.
Minato was naturally an optimistic person. He seldom harbored negative emotions, radiating warmth like the sun, warming those around him and dispelling their chills.
He was indeed no ordinary person.
In an instant, Minato made his judgment. It wasn't his fault, nor the fault of these Root ninjas, but rather the fault of the higher-ups who had deployed them!
Buzz!
At this moment, Kushina's body surged with powerful chakra, reactivating the recently deactivated Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, displaying the terrifying chakra again.
Kushina had entered battle mode, aware that Minato was on the verge of exhaustion and unable to continue fighting. She was the only one who could protect Minato now.
"Kushina, no."
Minato shook his head, his eyes gleaming with a clear message: do not engage in battle with these people.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of Kunai cutting through the air broke the silence. It flew towards Minato and Kushina and also affected Juzo, who was nearby.
"Damn it!"
Juzo cursed coldly, wielding his sword swiftly to deflect the incoming kunai.
"Minato, now do you believe what I said? Konoha ninja trying to assassinate you is right before you!"
"If you believe me now, I can leave. If I stay any longer, I might be unable to resist killing them!"
"As long as you no longer suspect Kirigakure, I'll be at ease."
Juzo spoke one sentence after another, actually grateful for the appearance of these Root ninjas. Their arrival confirmed his explanations. Otherwise, he needed to figure out how to convince Minato, who had a unique love for Konoha and a difficult-to-describe respect for the Third Hokage.
"I believe you."
Minato said these five words softly, as if using all the strength in his body because it meant he believed the Third Hokage could have plotted his assassination, shattering the slight illusion he held and collapsing his long-standing perception of the Third Hokage.
He had always respected the Third Hokage immensely and was reluctant to believe he could do such a thing, even after Juzo's revelations. He would have preferred to look the other way until the Third Hokage's actions were undeniable.
But now, with these Root ninjas before him, he couldn't longer ignore the situation.
Continuing like this was detrimental not only to him but also to Juzo. He was still not the Hokage of Konoha, but he was already qualified and planned to be. He didn't want to create irreconcilable conflicts between Konohagakure and Kirigakure.
Letting Juzo leave now was the best resolution, especially since he was about to face the Konoha's Root ninjas. Although he had a plan for handling the situation, it was still a family disgrace not meant to be aired publicly.
"I'm relieved then."
Juzo smiled upon hearing Minato's affirmative response, satisfied with the outcome. Since he couldn't connect with the Third Hokage, reaching an understanding with the future Fourth Hokage was acceptable.
Although the mission had yet to progress as expected, and he wouldn't receive the supposed support from the Third Hokage, he now understood that the transition to the Fourth Hokage was an unstoppable trend. Not antagonizing the Fourth Hokage was a significant advancement for Kirigakure.
At this critical juncture, Kirigakure hadn't acquired the true Water Release techniques, and their longtime supporter had recently died at the hands of the Raikage. Although a new Mizukage had just assumed office, the village was still in a state of rebuilding and not suited for excessive involvement in the ninja world's wars.
Whoosh!
Juzo's figure flashed and disappeared. He had been waiting for Minato's words, and with no more worries, he could leave peacefully.
"What should we do now?"
Kushina asked, knowing that Minato had sent Juzo away with his plans in mind. Now, she didn't need to think further; following Minato's lead was enough.
"These Root ninjas are Konoha's ninjas, sent here on orders, not our enemies. So, we do not need to engage in a bloodbath with them!" Minato spoke solemnly, keeping his voice low so only Kushina could hear.
"Okay."
Kushina nodded silently, knowing Minato's gentle nature. Making such a decision wasn't surprising to her; she cherished Minato's gentleness the most.
"Pass me some of your chakra."
Minato extended his left hand to grab Kushina's right hand, standing side by side, facing the barrage of kunai coming their way.
"Okay!"
Kushina transferred her chakra to Minato without hesitation, her chakra surging towards him.
Buzz!
Minato's body trembled slightly, immediately feeling a powerful change.
Kushina had given him too much.
She entrusts everything to Minato, showing complete trust, not just a little.
"Kushina, let's go home!"
Minato suddenly pulled back the corners of his mouth in a warm smile, looking like a sunny young man.
Almost the moment he spoke, he activated a Flying Thunder God Jutsu seal he had left in Konoha.
Although the current location was a bit far from Konoha, and using the Flying Thunder God Jutsu would require a significant amount of chakra, Kushina had now passed that chakra to him.
Buzz!
In that instant, a surge of space-time energy enveloped them, accompanied by a strong fluctuation, and they disappeared in a flash.
"??????"
The Root ninjas on the scene were baffled by this sudden development, each head popping up with many question marks, utterly at a loss.
They had known Minato's approximate location before coming and could attack him based on that.
But now, everything was different; Minato had disappeared from his original location!
They had no means to track Minato, standing like headless flies, not knowing how to proceed. After all, their mission was to kill Minato, and returning now would be tantamount to admitting mission failure.
"Where is he?"
"Where did he go?"
"Damn, where did he go?"
"What exactly happened?"
"What happened?"
"How did he suddenly disappear?"
"That makes no sense?!"
"..."
These Root ninjas looked at each other, their eyes flickering with confusion. Unsure of what had just happened, they were in a situation of mission failure.
They didn't know that Minato had mastered space-time jutsu, but they vaguely felt that Minato had used it. Now, looking at the empty spot where Minato had just been, they had no idea where he had gone.
This was terrifying!
They didn't know what to do!
They were still trying to figure it out!
Their minds were blank!
Thinking about their likely mission failure made them feel like their hearts were sinking into a cold abyss.
...
Outside the village gate of Konoha, by a tree.
Minato appeared with Kushina, a Flying Thunder God Jutsu seal faintly visible on the tree.
"How did we get here?"
Kushina thought Minato would take her directly back into Konoha, but to her surprise, they had returned just outside the village gate.
"We're going back the right way!"
Minato's face remained bright with a radiant smile, seemingly unaffected by recent events. Originally, he intended to use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to move some distance away, then head towards Konoha, but Kushina had transferred so much chakra to him that he could directly reach here in one step.
At this moment, the two looked at the village gate, feeling as if they had been away for ages.
They had been away from Konoha because they were training in Mount Myoboku and then experienced those events, making it seem like a long time had passed.
So much had happened!
Leaving them both feeling very perplexed!
However.
Now, they were at Konoha's village gate.
"All the dangers are past now!"
Kushina's face also showed a trace of a smile as she deactivated the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode to return to her normal appearance, not wanting to expose her trump card to more people now that they were about to re-enter Konoha.
"This is just the beginning."
Minato couldn't help but sigh, feeling a great vortex enveloping him.
Now, at the village gate, he was about to step into the village officially. Once back inside, he would truly face Konoha's power center.
"I must become the Hokage!"
Minato clenched his fists tightly, resolutely uttering a powerful statement. This wasn't just a slogan or a dream but now included a sense of responsibility and commitment. Having seen the Third Hokage's methods, he was determined to be an upright Hokage, to change the corrupt practices, and to ensure that the village's perception of the Hokage would not crumble again.
"Let's go in."
Minato took Kushina's hand, and they walked together towards the village gate.
Kushina looked at Minato's confident profile, radiating a sense of pride from within. She was proud of this man, and no matter the outcome, Minato was already her Hokage in her heart!
...
Meanwhile, deep in the forest.
"It looks like your mission has failed!"
Suddenly, a deep voice sounded, followed by a figure dropping from a tree, resembling Danzo.
Aoba had transformed into the appearance of Danzo, appearing before these Root ninjas.
In an instant.
When they saw Danzo's face, these Root ninjas had a strong physiological reaction, involuntarily trembling as they half-knelt on the ground.