Bang bang bang—
A relentless hail of steel balls swept through the Sunagakure unit like a sudden natural disaster, churning up a massive, suffocating cloud of dust. Sakumo Hatake watched the devastation unfold, his eyes widening in visible shock. He realized that this kid's chakra reserves were significantly deeper than he had previously estimated. As a dense drizzle began to fall from the sky, washing the dust away, the grim reality of the battlefield was revealed to both of them.
The vanguard of approximately one hundred shinobi had been decimated by that single wave of saturation strikes. Fewer than fifty men remained standing, and the majority of those survivors were clutching bloody wounds.
"Damn it, you cursed brat!"
The commanding Jonin, who had been shouting with such arrogant triumph just moments ago, was now clutching his mangled left arm while letting out a shrill, pained roar. His limb was twisted at an unnatural angle, his forehead was slick with blood, and the broken corpses of his subordinates lay scattered at his feet. This sudden wave of attacks had been far too efficient. No one in the Sand unit had expected a child of this age to possess such terrifying, monstrous strength.
Even more shocking was the realization that the boy could perform the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique in such a high-pressure state. While the previous barrage looked visually overwhelming, a timely Earth Release defense would have mitigated the damage. However, the Sunagakure Ninja had reacted with pure shock and instinctive evasion instead of discipline, missing their only window to form the necessary hand seals.
"I honestly did not expect the effect to be this devastating," Sakumo Hatake remarked, genuinely surprised by the result.
Minato turned his gaze toward Sakumo. "Senior, shall we continue the assault?"
"No, let us retreat for now," Sakumo replied, shaking his head firmly. "They are no longer a viable fighting force. The enemy reinforcements from the other two routes will be arriving shortly. You do not have much chakra left, do you?"
"Mhm—it is enough to finish, but I understand."
Minato utilized the Body Flicker technique to zip across the field, retrieving his steel balls from the mud. He moved calmly amidst the hateful glares of the Sunagakure Ninja and the agonizing groans of the dying. Once his equipment was recovered, he followed Sakumo Hatake back toward their temporary camp.
"Lord Sakumo, the reconnaissance teams reports that the other two Ninja units are less than thirty kilometers away from our position!"
As soon as the two arrived back at the camp, they were met by shinobi who had been anxiously awaiting their return.
"We are heading south immediately," Sakumo Hatake commanded without a hint of hesitation.
The leader of the western front, Haku, had already been conveniently eliminated by Minato's earlier actions. Furthermore, compared to the flank units that had to split their numbers for complex maneuvers, the enemy troops attacking the center were relatively few. With the current strength of their camp, as long as they could neutralize the southern enemy forces first, they would have enough momentum to handle the main front.
Minato did not waste any words on a reply. He simply raised his hand and patted the other's shoulder, and the two figures vanished in a blur of speed once again.
The pair continued to employ the same psychological tactics as before. They drew the enemy's attention with intentionally crude traps and then launched a lethal strike the moment the enemy grew overconfident. However, unlike the previous unit they had encountered, this new group was highly alert. Their leader was a sharp young man in his twenties who immediately signaled a halt the moment his scouts detected a trap.
"Come out. Your concealment technique is far too poor to fool us."
The leader spoke with a cold authority, his eyes locked onto the specific rock where Minato was positioned. As the words echoed through the clearing, a small blond head slowly poked out from behind the stone.
"It is actually a child—"
The leader's brow furrowed in confusion. His gaze drifted down to the forehead protector tied around Minato's head. "But he is already a ranked Ninja?"
"He looks far too young to be out here."
A visible trace of compassion flickered in the eyes of the black-haired woman standing beside the leader. She looked at the man with a hesitant, soft tone. "Takahiro—"
"This is a battlefield, Kiko," Takahiro replied solemnly. "An exploding tag thrown by a child is just as lethal as one thrown by a veteran."
"I understand," Kiko whispered, sighing deeply.
The child standing opposite them looked no older than her own son. He appeared handsome, well-behaved, and innocent. At an age where he should have been at home enjoying the warmth and love of a family, he was standing in the dirt of a war zone. The sight filled her with a profound sense of pity. Sensing his wife's internal struggle, a hint of helplessness flashed through Takahiro's eyes.
He looked back at Minato and spoke with a forced coldness. "Brat, this is a place for warriors, not for someone your age. I will give you one single chance—get out of here immediately!"
The surrounding Sand Ninjas immediately began to stir and murmur in protest.
"Lord Takahiro, does this not go against our standing orders? This brat was clearly setting traps to kill us!"
"Yeah, regardless of his age, that kid is a Konoha Ninja. He might be some kind of genius. If we let him grow up, he will be a threat—"
"Enough," Takahiro interrupted indifferently. "The quality of these traps is worse than what a student at the Academy would produce. He is just an insignificant brat caught in the crossfire. Leave quickly, kid."
Minato fell silent as he listened to them. He had not expected to encounter such genuine kindness from the enemy camp in a place as heartless as a battlefield. This emotion, born of pity and displayed as a gesture of tolerance, briefly diluted the killing intent that was ready to erupt from him.
However, the reality of his mission did not allow for such indecisiveness. He reminded himself that he was merely a clone; such moral dilemmas were better suited for the main body to contemplate. With that thought, he created a Shadow Clone to ensure his information remained synchronized with the original. Then, he flicked several kunai toward the Sunagakure unit.
"It seems he has no intention of leaving," Takahiro said, shaking his head.
He watched the kunai fall feebly into the dirt, lacking any real force or accuracy. He felt a pang of regret for what he had to do next. "Finish him."
As the order left his lips, two muffled thuds echoed through the air. Minato's figure had suddenly materialized directly in front of him. Before anyone could react, Minato drove a kunai into Takahiro's abdomen and another into Kiko's.
"Children should not be on the battlefield," Minato whispered, his voice devoid of warmth, "and neither should the soft-hearted."
The two ninjas lowered their heads in sheer disbelief, staring at the boy who had appeared before them like a vengeful ghost.
"This—how is this possible?"
Pfft pfft pfft—
Thick vines suddenly erupted from the soil, binding the two of them tightly like rice dumplings while simultaneously draining their chakra. Then, under their horrified gazes, another blond boy and a white-haired man appeared on the field. They began harvesting the lives of the remaining Sunagakure Ninjas amidst a chaotic symphony of slaughter.
"Your personalities are not suited for leadership roles, but I do not necessarily dislike people like you," Minato said calmly.
"Damn it, die! You cursed little animal!"
A Sunagakure Ninja with a distorted, hateful expression rushed at Minato. He swung a long blade in a wide arc, aiming to take the boy's head. Minato simply waved his hand. A brilliant flash of golden light cut through the air, and the attacker was split in two, his body falling heavily to the ground.
"If we meet again, I will not show such mercy."
95% synchronization confirmed.
His gaze lingered for a moment on Takahiro's fiery red hair, and Minato felt a strange sensation. From their appearance and their unique hair color, he surmised that these two were likely the parents of Sasori.
The reason he chose to spare them was only partially due to their earlier act of pity. More importantly, it was a calculated move regarding the hidden techniques held by Lady Chiyo. Specifically, he was interested in the Impure World Reincarnation—a ninjutsu capable of transferring life force or even granting true life to puppets.
In Minato's estimation, the strategic value of such a technique was no less than the Living Corpse Reincarnation. He had spared a son and a daughter-in-law on the field of battle; surely, in exchange for their lives, acquiring a forbidden technique would not be asking too much.
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