Seven or eight Grass Village ninja had their throats slit by kunai, falling like cut wheat.
The Grass Village ninja immediately stopped in their tracks.
"This jutsu..."
A golden rat-masked elder instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
He vaguely remembered hearing about this technique when he was younger.
"My apologies, but I carry many burdens, so failure is not an option for this mission."
Qingshui deliberately lowered his voice, pulled the kunai from the ground, and in full view of everyone, brazenly vanished.
"Grand Elder, this..."
The young Grass Village Jonin wearing a black pig mask looked towards Golden Rat, who was leading them.
"Block all news of tonight. I'll send someone to inquire with Konoha."
"Konoha? Are you sure, Elder?"
The burly Black Pig lowered his voice.
Even during the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha might not have triumphed in its struggle with Sand Village, but it had won on other battlefronts and hadn't lost its vitality.
The Grass Village only had a dozen or so Jonin in total, not even a fraction of Konoha's numbers. Now, with Silver Ox, one of their top three fighters, gone, even the more aggressive Grass of the Grass faction aimed to strengthen the Land of Grass through other means, not by provoking Konoha, the current hegemon of the Ninja World.
"That was before you were born, kid. Back then, I was just a young, unknown nobody. The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, with his superb Water Release and Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and an endless array of forbidden jutsu, almost led Konoha to victory in the First Great Ninja War.
Though I've never seen it with my own eyes, the Body Flicker Technique that Blondie displayed is undoubtedly a space-time ninjutsu. Moving freely by relying on pre-set spatial coordinates—it's exactly like the fastest technique in the Ninja World I once heard about.
Only Konoha possesses such forbidden jutsu."
Golden Rat clenched his fist, hidden beneath his sleeve.
This time, he truly felt humiliated.
Even if Grass Village was one of the few prominent ninja villages below the five great ninja villages, they had to endure this.
But for Konoha to directly assassinate one of Grass Village's top three figures was something that would infuriate anyone.
"This... such a direct approach doesn't seem to fit Hiruzen Sarutobi's style. It's more like the work of the 'darkness of the ninja world.'"
A middle-aged Grass Village elder wearing a white rabbit mask said in a deep voice.
He was a Grass Village Jonin known for his speed, considered above average among Jonin. He was one of the few Grass Village ninja who could keep up with Golden Rat in the first echelon.
"Hmph, isn't Shimura Danzō also a subordinate of the Third Hokage? In my opinion, Konoha's actions this time must have another purpose!"
The burly Bronze Tiger elder, with his bulging muscles, snorted coldly.
"Konoha... that's right."
Golden Rat mused, then suddenly looked up towards the other side.
"Azure Ram, take your people back immediately and check if that Uzumaki Clan woman is still there. She might be Konoha's real target this time. Even if Konoha watched the Uzumaki Clan be destroyed back then, their relationship is well-known. If Konoha truly set its sights on an Uzumaki descendant, it wouldn't be surprising.
If that Uzumaki Clan woman was indeed abducted, then this time, it's definitely Konoha's doing!"
...
...
One day later.
"Why is Grass Village so sure this was our doing?"
In Konoha Village, Land of Fire, mist swirled.
The Third Hokage, hailed as the strongest in history, looked depressed, puffing on his pipe.
"Grass Village unexpectedly captured an Uzumaki Clan woman during the Second Great Ninja War, and she was also taken by those people. Most importantly, Golden Rat said he saw the person who assassinated Silver Ox use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu and had blond hair."
Mitokado Homura placed another document on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.
On the document was a pencil drawing of a blond man wearing an animal mask. Seeing the clean, handsome, medium-length hair, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately thought of his most promising and exceptionally talented grand-disciple.
"Minato?"
"Three years ago, Jiraiya converted his war merits to gain an opportunity to view a forbidden jutsu in the Scroll of Seals. He gave that opportunity to Minato Namikaze, and I heard you personally suggested he learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu."
At this, the Third Hokage became even more puzzled.
"Minato only mastered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu a few months ago. I haven't let him go on missions during this time; instead, I've had him practice applying this ninjutsu and also build a relationship with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He hasn't had any chance to leave the village."
The Third Hokage smoked even faster.
Everyone could see Minato Namikaze's talent.
With Flying Thunder God, as long as he didn't encounter the Gold and Silver Brothers and Six Paths tools without prior intelligence, like the Second Hokage once did, he could essentially remain undefeated.
Unless the opponent's defense was strong enough to completely ignore Minato's attacks, Minato could rival a Kage-level fighter.
Moreover, he was a highly mobile practitioner of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, making him strategically more significant compared to other Kage-level fighters.
Therefore, until now, the Third Hokage had kept Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God abilities a secret, intending to reveal them in a future Ninja World War to surprise the enemy.
In this regard, the Third Hokage's idea happened to align with Qingshui's.
"After all, he's a user of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. We don't know when he left the village. Making a round trip between Konoha and Grass Village in one night is something you and I can't do, but for someone who can use the Flying Thunder God, this distance is nothing."
Mitokado Homura shook his head and turned to the second page of the document.
"This is the approximate pattern of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, recalled by the individuals who experienced the incident after much effort."
On the second page of the document, the words "Sword of Ninja Love" were prominently displayed.
It really was Minato?
"Anbu."
Hiruzen Sarutobi put away his pipe and said, "Call Minato over. We need to ask him what's going on."
A few minutes later.
Minato Namikaze walked into the Hokage's office.
Two or three years had passed, and Minato Namikaze was now a handsome young man of sixteen or seventeen. Dressed in a blue undershirt with a Konoha flak jacket over it, he looked bright and dashing.
However, that handsome face now sported an expression like he was constipated.
"Third Hokage... I really haven't left the village recently..."
"Of course, I believe you. Don't worry, even if it was you, it's no big deal; it's just a Grass Village, after all. But... can you tell me if there's anyone else in this world who can use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and whose Flying Thunder God Jutsu pattern looks like this?"
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