Hiruzen was silent for a while.
"Minato, which direction do you plan to go?"
"Three."
"Three?"
"That's right, Lord Third, I plan to go in all three directions."
Minato said, "One will be my real body, and the other two will be Shadow Clones. Whichever direction faces more pressure, I will redirect my real body to that side."
"With my ability, Shadow Clones have the issue of insufficient Chakra, but if I use it sparingly, I can sustain them for quite some time. My kill efficiency is high."
Minato had two signature Ninjutsu.
One was the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
The other was Rasengan.
However, using Rasengan wasn't always necessary.
The one thing Minato truly couldn't do without was the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
In an instant, he could appear next to his opponent.
At that moment, even if he didn't use Rasengan, there were other ways to inflict fatal damage on the enemy.
For example, stabbing a vital spot with a Ninjato.
Or attaching an explosive tag to the opponent to blow them up.
"This will put a lot of pressure on you!"
"I know, but I'm still young."
Minato smiled.
"I want to fight for the village, just this once."
Hiruzen sighed.
"Since you've already decided, Minato, then go ahead. Don't worry about the village, I'll hold the fort. There won't be any problems, but to prevent the village from falling to the point of surrender negotiations, you'll need to at least defeat one side."
"Render that side powerless to fight."
"Minato, which side do you think is suitable?"
Minato thought for a moment.
"In the past, Hidden Mist Village would have been the most suitable target, but with the appearance of the Zanpakuto, the strength of the Mist Ninja has greatly increased. Last time was already our best chance."
"Now, Hidden Mist Village has too many top-level ninjas."
"Biwa Juzo, Fuguki Suikazan, Kurosuki Raiga, Ao, Hoshigaki Kisame... they are all among the elite ninjas, even reaching the level of Kage."
"Hidden Cloud Village is the strongest overall."
"So if we have to choose, the only option is Hidden Rock Village."
"If Hidden Sand Village could join us in attacking Hidden Rock Village, our chances of success would increase significantly."
The strength of Hidden Rock Village is not weak.
But for now, Konoha really doesn't have a better choice.
"Hidden Sand Village... convincing them won't be easy."
"Lord Third, I've already contacted Rasa. It seems Rasa is not someone content with mediocrity and wants to secure more benefits for Hidden Sand Village."
Minato said, "I can sense the ambition in his words."
"Therefore, persuading Hidden Sand Village to join us isn't that difficult."
"We may just need to offer a bit more resources."
Hiruzen frowned slightly.
"What did Rasa say to you?"
"Rasa wants to develop more puppet masters, but their village doesn't have enough resources, so they plan to take a loan from Konoha."
"A loan?"
"Yes, but Rasa hopes the interest rate can be lower."
Hiruzen didn't care about the interest rate.
One ninja village lending to another, especially during wartime, already means preparing for the possibility of losing half of it. There's no need to expect too much in terms of repayment.
As for the interest rate... if they can even repay the principal, it would be considered good.
Konoha doesn't have any strong means to restrain them.
At this moment, Hiruzen suddenly felt a bit envious of Hidden Sand Village.
Hidden Sand Village is weak, but the other ninja villages have little interest in invading it.
Stuck in the desert.
Impoverished and barren.
Even if an invasion were successful, it wouldn't mean much.
Just like the current Hidden Mist Village, fighting against both Konoha and Hidden Sand Village at the same time.
But when it comes to Hidden Sand Village, they only sent Biwa Juzo.
He just blocked Pakura, and that was it.
No further action.
When new powerful individuals appear, they're all sent to face Konoha.
"Being so insignificant that the enemy loses interest."
Hiruzen looked at Minato.
"Minato, you're the Hokage, so consider it yourself. If you think it's appropriate, then go ahead. But don't have high hopes for Hidden Sand Village repaying the resources. As long as what we provide helps them be effective, that will be enough."
Minato nodded.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Soon, Minato replied to Rasa.
Konoha's resources were right here.
Rather than waiting for defeat and giving them as compensation to Hidden Mist Village, Hidden Cloud Village, or Hidden Rock Village, it was better to lend them to Hidden Sand Village now, allowing Hidden Sand Village to help Konoha avoid a total defeat.
First, the resources loaned would certainly be less than what would be paid in defeat compensation.
Second, even if Hidden Sand Village chooses not to repay the loan, at least they would owe Konoha a favor.
Minato felt this was a better choice.
He wasn't worried about Hidden Sand Village taking the resources and not doing anything.
Minato understood Hidden Sand Village well.
Because they are located in a desert and resources are scarce, whenever they have an opportunity, Hidden Sand Village always harbors thoughts of invading other ninja villages.
In short, if Hidden Sand Village is given resources, they will act as "enforcers."
Moreover, the relationship between Hidden Sand Village and Hidden Rock Village is poor.
Once Konoha chooses Hidden Rock Village as the breakthrough point, how could Hidden Sand Village pass up the chance to feast on Hidden Rock Village's flesh?
...
Hidden Sand Village.
An ANBU ninja quickly rushed into the Kazekage's office.
"Kazekage-sama, this is a letter from Konoha."
"Give it to me."
The ANBU ninja handed over the letter.
Rasa took it and opened it.
In the next moment, his eyes lit up sharply.
"Good!"
The ANBU ninja heard that one word but had no idea what was happening. Before he could think further, he saw Rasa's figure flash, already disappearing from the Kazekage building.
Rasa reappeared in a quiet corner of Hidden Sand Village.
It was Chiyo's residence.
He stepped forward and knocked on the door.
It was Ebizo who answered.
"Kazekage-sama."
"Ebizo-san, is Chiyo-san here?"
"Yes, Kazekage-sama, is there something you need?"
"The conditions Chiyo-san mentioned last time—I've fulfilled them."
Ebizo was momentarily stunned.
The next moment, Rasa had already entered.
Chiyo was sitting in a reclining chair.
The courtyard was peaceful and serene, a stark contrast to the war-torn atmosphere of Hidden Sand Village.
"Kazekage."
"Chiyo-san."
Rasa quickly said, "The request you made last time, I've accomplished it. We won't need to use the village's existing resources, and it won't add any burden to the village."
Chiyo looked up and gave Rasa a calm glance.
"You are also a member of this village. If you plan to neglect your duties as Kazekage by using your Kekkei Genkai ability to prospect for gold in the desert, I cannot accept that."
"No," Rasa replied.
"It's not me, it's Konoha."
"Konoha has agreed to lend us resources, and in return, all we need to do is assist them a little after we've strengthened ourselves using these resources."
"They call it a loan, but I have no intention of repaying it. Konoha doesn't have the power to force us to repay, and they still need to maintain their alliance with us, so it's essentially a gift."
"And as for assisting them—"
"Our Hidden Sand Village is too impoverished, and the Land of Wind is too barren."
"Once we gain more strength, we won't need Konoha to speak up; we will invade other ninja villages ourselves."
"So, this is essentially a free benefit."
"We don't actually need to pay anything."
Chiyo frowned slightly.
"Konoha's situation has deteriorated to this extent?"
Rasa smiled.
"It's very bad. Previously, Konoha, for some reason, made a bold move by deploying Orochimaru and Jiraiya to launch a raid on the Mist Village forces."
"And they failed."
"Perhaps Minato, being newly appointed, was eager to make an impression."
As he spoke, Rasa slightly raised his chin.
"In terms of personal strength, I'm no match for Minato."
"But when it comes to the duties of a Kage, Minato is too immature and impulsive, far inferior to me."
"Due to the failure of the raid on the Mist forces, both Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Rock Village found openings to attack Konoha, and with Hidden Mist Village's fierce counterattack, Konoha is in a tough spot."
"Other than relying on us, Hidden Sand Village, Konoha only has the option of surrendering."
"But if they surrender, their losses will be even greater."
Chiyo thought for a moment and stopped speaking.
"Alright, I'll take on the burden, but Kazekage, don't set your expectations too high. I can create the puppets, but finding ninjas skilled enough to use them properly is difficult."
"Controlling puppets is a very challenging craft."
Rasa's smile deepened.
"Chiyo-san, you don't need to worry about that. I have my own plans."
In Rasa's view, puppets and ninja tools were essentially the same.
The only difference was that controlling a puppet typically required the use of chakra threads, demanding an extremely high level of chakra control.
As long as the puppets are available and ninjas are trained to use them, there will definitely be results.
After leaving, Rasa glanced back at the corner.
"I don't need everyone to reach the level of Chiyo-san, but even if they can only use basic mechanisms, such as a simple mechanical hand, it can still provide significant help."
"For example, installing a hidden weapon launcher on the mechanical hand."
"With multiple methods, the overall strength of the ninjas will improve."
...
"Another turtle-shell tactic!"
"How are we supposed to fight this?"
Konoha ninjas, seeing the Kisame squad, had no intention of engaging and instead focused on distancing themselves from the Kisame squad, choosing other opponents to fight.
It was utterly hopeless to attack; the situation was disheartening.
The more distressed the Konoha ninjas were, the more pleased the Mist ninjas became.
Having the upper hand, the Mist ninjas didn't care about the verbal taunts they received from Konoha ninjas.
"Why don't you show what you can do?"
"Not working means it's not working. Stop making excuses!"
Kisame was very satisfied with such a squad.
At the beginning, the three members of Karatachi Umiushi were not as skilled. Their synergy with Kisame was not as high either.
However, as the battle progressed, the three became increasingly skilled and their coordination with Kisame improved.
The four-person team functioned seamlessly.
"Escape?"
"Did I give you permission to escape?"
Kisame, observing the Konoha ninjas creating distance, immediately began forming hand signs.
"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Jutsu!"
A massive water shark appeared, larger than the Water Shark Bullet Jutsu, and Kisame had integrated the Chakra Absorption Technique into it.
This was not just a simple Water Release ninjutsu but a combined ninjutsu, merging Water Release with Chakra Absorption Technique.
Once it touched the target, it would absorb their chakra.
The more chakra it absorbed, the larger the shark would grow and the stronger its impact would become.
"Boom!"
Just as the Konoha ninjas were about to be hit.
A golden flash suddenly appeared.
"Rasengan!"
However, the moment Rasengan collided with the Great Shark Bullet, it immediately stopped spinning, its chakra being consumed by the Great Shark Bullet, causing the shark to grow larger.
Minato was taken aback.
"This Water Release also has Chakra Absorption Technique?"
Another golden light flashed.
Minato's figure instantly appeared at a distance.
"Swish!"
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he threw a kunai, which was equipped with several explosive tags, towards the Great Shark Bullet.
"Boom!"
With a massive explosion, the giant shark shattered into countless water droplets.
"It's Minato-sama!"
"It's Hokage-sama!"
"Hokage-sama is here!"
Seeing Minato, the Konoha ninjas were immediately excited, shouting loudly as if he were a savior who would surely lead them to victory in the war.
Kisame looked at Minato, his expression becoming serious.
In terms of individual strength, Minato might not be stronger than Jiraiya or Orochimaru. However, Minato's attacks are much harder to defend against.
To put it simply:
Jiraiya and Orochimaru typically defeat a ninja through a direct confrontation. Even if their opponent loses, it's after a proper battle.
But Minato is different. Using Flying Thunder God Jutsu, he can easily exploit an opponent's weaknesses and deliver a fatal blow. The opponent might not even have a chance to fight properly before being defeated.
In game terms, Jiraiya and Orochimaru are like warriors, while Minato is like an assassin.
"Hokage-sama is here; he will surely break through Kisame's turtle-shell tactics."
"Kill Kisame and seize the Sword of Wisdom!"
"We're sure to win!"
Minato quickly surveyed the battlefield.
Then, more than a dozen kunai flew out.
Each of these kunai was inscribed with the Flying Thunder God technique, serving as coordinates for Minato.
With just a thought, he could appear at any of these coordinates.
But it wasn't just kunai. Shuriken, stones, wooden stakes—even living beings—could have the Flying Thunder God technique inscribed on them.
The next moment, Minato's figure vanished, continuously moving.
So fast that almost no one could see him clearly, only seeing fleeting afterimages.
Like flickering golden light.
This is probably the origin of Minato's title, the "Golden Flash."
"Boy, be careful above!"
---
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