Outside the massive perimeter gates of the Hidden Mist Village, the air stank of salt and scorched earth.
Following the thunderous roar of a violent explosion, the blinding golden light gathering at the tip of Minato's finger slowly began to recede.
"Enemy attack! Man the stations!"
Amidst the furious, panicked roars of the guard Ninjas, dark figures began rushing over from every corner of the Village, leaping across rooftops and through the thick mist.
After seeing Minato's face clearly, however, the gathered crowd suddenly fell into a stunned silence.
"That kid... is he the Yellow Flash?"
One Ninja noticed the deep, horizontal scratch carved through the symbol on Minato's Forehead Protector and looked utterly puzzled: "Why would a guy like that defect from his own Village?"
"Who cares why? He's just an arrogant brat. He actually dares to provoke our Hidden Mist all by himself."
In the growing crowd, a man dressed in white with the signature dot-like eyebrows of the Kaguya Clan sneered, his blood boiling as he charged straight at Minato.
"Wait! Get back here!"
A Hidden Mist Jonin instinctively reached out to stop him, but seeing that the berserker had already reached Minato, he could only curse under his breath.
Those Kaguya Clan members really were nothing but a bunch of brainless, battle-hungry brutes!
"Die, you brat!"
With a savage wave of his hand, a sharp bone spike protruded from the dot-browed man's palm, aimed directly for the center of Minato's forehead.
In the next instant, a flicker of golden light flashed from Minato's fingertip. A concentrated Laser pierced through the man's skull before he could even blink, letting his limp corpse collapse into the dirt at Minato's feet.
"I knew it would happen..."
The Hidden Mist Jonin from before grit his teeth, his hand trembling slightly on his kunai.
The Yellow Flash really lived up to his terrifying reputation.
An attack of that magnitude, and it was an instant cast without a single hand seal?
Considering that their Mizukage had not yet arrived on the scene, the Jonin realized he could only try to stall for time: "Our Hidden Mist has no grievance or enmity with Your Excellency. Why have you launched such a sudden attack on our Hidden Mist Village?"
"No grievance or enmity? Your Mizukage joined forces with the other nations to put pressure on the Land of Fire, hoping Konoha would restrict my movements. How can you say that is no grievance?"
Minato gave a light, airy chuckle: "I am a person with no great ambitions; I only like stability and my own freedom. You have disrupted my stability and now you want to restrict my freedom. Is there really a problem with me coming to your Hidden Mist to demand a proper explanation?"
"But this matter was a political decision made by the higher-ups; it has absolutely nothing to do with the common people of the Hidden Mist—"
"That is exactly why I am standing here in the open right now, instead of dropping a little surprise on your heads while you are all fast asleep in your beds."
Minato looked up slightly, a hint of chilling indifference swirling in his azure eyes.
His feet slowly left the ground as he began to drift into the air as if he were weightless. The hem of his black coat fluttered gently in the sea breeze as he looked down at the gathering crowd of Hidden Mist Ninjas from high above.
"Now—tell the Third Mizukage to crawl out here and see me!"
A Rogue Ninja must have the style and flair of a Rogue Ninja!
Minato slipped into the role with ease. This was one man against an entire Hidden Village; it would be a complete waste of this custom battle robe if he didn't act a little bit cool.
"Dammit, this guy actually dares to insult Lord Mizukage!"
As Minato's voice echoed through the streets, a young Ninja immediately flared up in a rage, only to be firmly held back by the more experienced Ninjas standing around him.
"Don't be impulsive, kid. This enemy is not someone people like us can deal with."
"Everyone, stand down!"
With a soft whooshing sound, a handsome man with dark hair appeared at the front of the crowd and shouted for the guards to stop their advance.
The newcomer was none other than the Third Mizukage himself.
Minato took a moment to size up this character, someone who didn't get much screen time in the original history. For a side character, the Third Mizukage's physical features were actually quite decent.
His brain was also quite sharp.
At least he was smart enough to think of using economic warfare to apply pressure on a rival. Compared to other Ninjas whose heads were filled only with blood and slaughter, his thinking was already decades ahead of the current era.
If not for the Flying Thunder God and the powers of the Glint-Glint Fruit, Minato realized he might have actually been manipulated by such an opponent.
"Lord Mizukage."
Seeing the Third Mizukage appear, the Hidden Mist Ninjas all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Excellency Minato Namikaze."
The Third Mizukage slowly walked to the very front of the crowd and looked up at Minato, who remained suspended in the air: "As my subordinate just said, regardless of the political circumstances, this matter has nothing to do with the people of the Hidden Mist—"
"Listen to yourself, Lord Mizukage."
Minato chuckled, casually interrupting him: "When you were pressuring the Land of Fire, did you ever stop to think about the innocence of the Land of Fire's people?"
"Now that retribution has come for you, talking about whether there is a connection or not is a bit laughable, don't you think?"
"The joint pressure was a diplomatic move born of necessity."
The Third Mizukage remained silent for a long moment: "Your Excellency's sheer strength has broken the balance that the Ninja World has maintained for many years. As the Kage of a Village, we must consider the long-term future of our respective homes."
"Then did you not consider the consequences of the Hidden Mist being destroyed by me?"
Minato's gaze was eerily calm: "And according to your logic, those who are too strong should be restricted. Then why didn't anyone try to restrict the First Hokage or Uchiha Madara back in their day?"
As he spoke, he seemed to think of something and feigned a look of sudden realization: "Probably because they knew they would die if they tried?"
"My deepest apologies."
The Third Mizukage let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
"I am willing to apologize to Your Excellency personally and guarantee that no such actions will be taken against you in the future."
As his voice fell, a massive commotion broke out in the crowd.
As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, a single brat had come knocking on their door, and the head of the Village was actually going to apologize to him?
"Lord Mizukage, how can you possibly—" an older Hidden Mist Ninja couldn't help but shout out.
"Shut up. This entire matter arose from my own poor decision-making; naturally, I should be the one to take full responsibility."
The Third Mizukage's tone was incredibly calm: "If Your Excellency wants my life to settle the score, then by all means, take it. However, this matter truly has nothing to do with the others. I only hope you will not involve innocent people in our conflict."
Saying this, without even waiting for Minato to respond, he continued: "I heard Your Excellency gave the Third Kazekage a dignified end. I presume that with your level of strength, you would also disdain the act of attacking the weak."
Minato fell into a brief, contemplative silence.
Why was this guy rushing to offer up his own life?
To be honest, Minato really didn't come here today just to kill people.
Unlike the Kazekage and the Tsuchikage, the Third Mizukage just wanted to ban his movements through policy.
So, his visit this time was only meant to knock these countries down a peg and extort some wealth and benefits. After all, he wasn't some kind of mindless homicidal maniac; there was no need to make the streets run with blood if he could get what he wanted easily.
But this guy was practically begging to die!
The Third Mizukage watched Minato, his heart filled with a deep sense of apprehension.
It wasn't that he lacked a backbone; on the contrary, it was precisely because he had a backbone that he chose such a desperate method.
The true threat of Minato Namikaze lay not in how many people he could kill in a straight fight, but in his unparalleled mobility and high-yield destructive power.
Today he could blow up the Village gate; tomorrow he could appear inside the Mizukage's private office; the day after, perhaps he would be in a hospital or a school.
There is a saying that you can be a thief for a thousand days, but you cannot guard against a thief for a thousand days.
The Hidden Mist simply couldn't afford that kind of psychological and physical attrition.
"You can't do this, Lord Mizukage!"
Some of the Hidden Mist Ninjas looked utterly sorrowful. Regardless of the outcome, the Third Mizukage was indeed doing this for the sake of the Village's survival.
And if Minato were really allowed to kill the Mizukage in front of everyone, where would the Hidden Mist Village's honor be in the future?
"Lord Mizukage, let's fight him together! No matter what happens, the Hidden Mist cannot suffer such a humiliation!"
"That's right, no matter how you look at it, that guy is just one person—"
The Hidden Mist Ninjas all spoke up to stop him. Some people spontaneously stood in front of the Third Mizukage, forming a human shield and showing a united front against their common enemy.
"What a total hassle—"
Minato was actually amused by these guys and their dramatic display of loyalty: "Looking at all of you, it's almost as if I'm the villain here."
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion