This immediately made Minato realize the shortcomings of his sensory abilities. Because Shin had mentioned before that the people of the Land of Iron did not practice ninjutsu, but instead followed the way of the samurai.
If he couldn't even sense their presence, then in the event of a future conflict, wouldn't they be at a huge disadvantage?
However, that was something to worry about later. He didn't dwell on it too much. He planned to discuss it with his brother after returning, and surely they'd come up with a countermeasure soon.
"Hello there!" After signaling his team to put away their weapons and putting away his own kunai, he greeted the nearby group of three eccentric-looking individuals.
"We're Konoha ninjas. We're just here on patrol and have no intention of causing trouble, so you can go on your way!"
Minato, by nature, was a warm-hearted person, so he spoke very gently, afraid of scaring the three people in front of him. But instead of leaving, the three gradually became bolder, sensing his kindness.
"Um!" The orange-haired boy who appeared to be the leader of the trio summoned his courage and spoke, "Do you have any food?"
Upon hearing this, Minato immediately felt a pang of sadness. Without hesitation, he unhooked a small pouch from his waist and tossed it to the boy, reminding him, "Just one pill per meal for each person."
Inside the pouch were military ration pills given to him by Shin, but this was an improved version of the traditional food pills. Moreover, the ones he carried were the latest iteration, having gone through multiple rounds of refinement and were extremely effective.
As far as military pills went, he had an endless supply, he could eat them as regular meals if needed. Being generous by nature, he had no intention of hoarding them.
The orange-haired boy eagerly opened the pouch, and the moment he smelled the delicious aroma of the pills, he couldn't hold back anymore. He quickly took out three pills, gave one to the girl, another to the red-haired boy, and popped the third into his own mouth, chewing it in big bites.
The pills, customized by Shin to suit Minato's taste, were quite delicious. The rich beef flavor was irresistible to the three kids. If he hadn't specifically instructed them to eat only one at a time, and if he wasn't currently watching them, they probably would've eaten the whole pouch in one go.
Soon, a wave of energy spread through their bodies, warming them up and giving them a newfound strength.
"All right, I need to head back to camp now. You all should hurry home too. If you're late, your parents might worry."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he said that, the three kids' expressions turned gloomy.
"We don't have a home anymore..." The emotional girl's eyes welled up with tears as she choked out her words.
Minato let out a long sigh. As I thought...
Though his words were meant as a reminder, they also served as a test. Judging from the trio's current state, if they had a home, they wouldn't be in this condition.
"Then you…" Just as Minato was about to continue his question, his expression suddenly changed. He shouted, "On guard! Enemy attack, rear right!"
In a flash, he used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of the trio, shielding them behind him as his hands quickly formed seals. The next moment, four figures appeared before them, but before they could react, several high-pressure water jets shot straight toward them.
The four quickly dodged, and where the water jets struck, the trees and stones were cleanly sliced apart as if by sharp blades. It was a high-level water jutsu invented by Tobirama, Water Release: Water Severing Wave.
The principle behind this jutsu is to concentrate intense water pressure into a very small area, allowing the water jets to have devastating destructive power when fired.
"Throw the kunai!"
Taking advantage of the enemy's momentary evasive movement, he immediately gave the order. His squad members obeyed without hesitation, throwing the kunai strapped to their waists in all directions.
The four attackers, having just evaded the Water Severing Wave, noticed Minato remaining calm and composed under pressure, skillfully issuing commands. One of them joked, "He's got sharp instincts, huh?"
"Don't underestimate him, this kid's no ordinary opponent," the leader warned in a deep voice. He then drew the sword on his back and charged at Minato, who also rushed forward to meet him, continuously throwing kunai as he advanced.
At the same time, his squad members moved in the opposite direction and positioned themselves in front of the eccentric trio, replacing Minato and shielding them from harm. This was the unspoken understanding the team had built up over the past two months, there was no need for words to know each other's intentions.
The leader of the attackers was extremely fast, leaping between trees with agile footwork, dodging every kunai thrown at him. As he evaded the final kunai, he gathered his strength, preparing to unleash a powerful blow.
Meanwhile, Minato had already finished forming the Rasengan in his right hand.
The two locked eyes briefly, just as the attacker used a tree branch to launch himself forward, ready to strike with his blade... Minato, who had been right in front of him, suddenly vanished.
This sudden disappearance startled the man.
In the next instant, Minato reappeared behind him, to his right-rear side, thrusting the one-foot-wide Rasengan toward his waist.
In a panic, the attacker could only rapidly gather chakra at his waist to defend. But his defense was completely ineffective. The moment the Rasengan hit, his entire body spun violently like a kite with its string cut and was sent flying backward at high speed, he lost consciousness instantly.
No one had expected such an outcome.
Though the attacker specialized in taijutsu, his earlier agile dodging had shown he was no weakling. Yet in just one clash, before he could even use any special techniques, he was taken out completely.
"Flying Thunder God!" one of the remaining three enemies growled through gritted teeth.
But deep down, even he knew the leader's defeat wasn't undeserved. In battles between ninjas, victory and defeat can be decided in an instant.
Facing a technique like the Flying Thunder God, even if you've studied it, countering it is incredibly difficult. Let alone when you're unaware that Minato has mastered it, getting caught off guard is entirely expected.
"Avoid all the kunai. Don't engage him directly. Attack the people behind him with full force and force him to act." One of the remaining three took over command and quickly issued orders.
The other two didn't hesitate for even a moment and immediately charged toward the group of six, weaving in S-shaped patterns to avoid every kunai scattered on the ground.
One of them was especially fast. But just as he was about to reach the six targets, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
The attacking ninja was startled, he had clearly avoided all the kunai on the ground, so how did Minato still manage to appear there? Until, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the kunai held in the hand of one of Minato's teammates...