Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Never did the daimyo expect the masked shinobi of Kiri to pave his way through the countless ninjas successfully. Never did he expect to face a blade—one with a dangerous intent—just a couple centimeters away from his body, either.
Then, there was a man in question, the criminal who saved him.
Red Blade Akashi, the infamous S-ranked missing-nin who was convicted of the attempted murder of Hanzo of the Salamander of all people, the man whom many agreed to be the current strongest.
So, why was Red Blade saving him? What deal was it that he was trying to make?
"W-What... what deal are you speaking of?"
The daimyo stuttered, therefore, swallowing saliva as his trembling eyes gazed at the famed criminal.
"Your life. In this moment and for this moment only, I will serve as your bodyguard."
It was a simple declaration. Red Blade spoke as if there was no negotiation.
"Why, I will be even more generous. I will forget the atrocities that you've done... the act of letting the hunter nins of other hidden villages enter your turf for the sake of dealing with me, that is."
Whether the entry of those foreigners was intended by the daimyo or not was of no importance. Whether the daimyo possessed an immense authority and wealth was of no importance either.
Right now, what mattered was that the daimyo's enemy, the masked shinobi of Kiri, was much stronger than all of Mei's group combined, and that the only man who could stop him from killing the daimyo was Red Blade.
The daimyo was someone who cared for his life. The title of S-ranked missing-nin didn't matter to him.
"...In return, what do you want?"
Therefore, the daimyo asked. This statement was akin to handing over a blank check, but such a fact didn't matter to him when his life was at risk.
'That man... he is actively trying to kill me.'
The daimyo read a clear killing intent in the masked nin, after all.
Upon hearing the daimyo's question, Red Blade spoke.
"A fabrication."
"Of what?"
"Of my whereabouts."
The killer of hundreds was telling the daimyo to cooperate in hiding his whereabouts. Given how notorious the title Red Blade was, the daimyo couldn't fathom how big a casualty the elusiveness of the missing nin would bring.
However, now wasn't the time to think of morality. It wasn't like the daimyo was caring about it in the first place. It was thanks to his selfishness and ambition that he managed to reach the position he's in today.
"...I accept."
Therefore, the daimyo's answer was immediate.
And the moment at which the daimyo responded was the moment the masked nin of Kiri dashed at Red Blade and the daimyo once again.
The noise of lightning crackling rang like a bird chirping. The lightning-imbued Kiba blades met the black sword, Ryuma.
Clang. The clear metallic noise resounded. Then, Ryuma's blade combusted into a fit of fire. The fire and lightning repelled each other, generating a miniature explosion that forced the masked ninja and Red Blade to be knocked back from their position.
Along with them, a few ninjas nearby were flown off by the pure force, and the daimyo too, was forced to shield his face as his bodyguards nearby quickly supported his back.
"Fire Release,"
Mid-air, Red Blade was found undergoing a series of hand seals. His cheeks puffed before he spat out a huge bullet of fire,
"Flame Bullet."
The bullet of fire struck the air at which the missing nin was hovering. Then, another explosion arose, bright enough to cause the numerous ninjas below to cover their eyes.
Then, through the smoke, the missing nin exited with mild burn marks on his attire. Without a grunt of pain, he dashed once more and met blade-to-blade with Red Blade yet again.
An incredibly quick series of sword-to-sword combat began. The metallic noises rang over and over at a pace quick enough to induce dizziness from the nearby ones. The sparks flew off here and there as Red Blade somehow managed to move twice as fast as the missing nin to parry two blades with just one.
Boom.
A wide arc of fire appeared as Red Blade swung his fire-imbued Ryuma powerfully. Though the missing nin managed to parry, he was knocked back by a mile from this collision. Slamming into the ground and rolling a couple of times, the missing nin stood back up with a vivid exhaustion that was no longer able to be covered with a mask.
Red Blade was found lifting his blade with his right hand. His left hand was forming a seal that had his index and middle fingers stretched out in front of his face.
The fire around Ryuma intensified. It began to rotate around Ryuma, flowing as a torrent of fire.
"Wind...!"
One of the nearby ninjas remarked in disbelief.
"Not only is he managing fire around his blade in the middle of the fight, but he added in the Wind Release... what chakra control...!"
Blaze Rend.
Red Blade slashed his blade downward, vertically. A huge arc of fire flew off from the blade, engulfing the entire area that contained the missing ninja.
The snow instantly sublimated into gas, generating a huge burst of steam as the arc of fire struck its target.
"...Tch."
Ignoring the awe of the Yukigakure's ninjas around him, Red Blade clicked his tongue as the steam cleared.
"He ran off."
Sheathing Ryuma, Red Blade turned and eyed the daimyo. His eye seemed to be threatening the daimyo to keep the promise. The daimyo's body shivered upon feeling Red Blade's lethal intent, and he slowly nodded.
Red Blade closed his eye and sighed. Then, he disappeared, leaving at a speed that none of the ninjas in the area were able to catch.
"...Hah."
Breaking the silence, the daimyo snorted in disbelief.
"...And to think I was thinking of joining the war..."
He was an ambitious fellow, but he wasn't an idiotic one.
__________
Leaving behind the army of ninjas and the blizzard that was atop the Yukigakure, the masked ninja walked atop the dunes of snow.
Upon sensing a presence, the masked ninja held his right hand out. Appeared, 'Red Blade', whom he had just fought previously. 'Red Blade' left the sheathed form of Ryuma on the masked ninja's extended hand, nodded, before disappearing with a puff of smoke.
Taking out a small scroll and rolling it open in the air, the masked ninja sealed Ryuma with ease. Placing it in his pouch, he finally took off his mask and revealed the face that was identical to the clone that had just been dispelled.
Akashi breathed out slowly as he resumed his walk.
'I'm low on chakra.'
The seal that he placed on the clone's back contained the majority of the chakra he had in his reserve. Thanks to it, his clone was able to pull out two ninjutsu techniques without getting dispelled, unlike he himself, who was relying on nothing but his kenjutsu skills.
It was one fight after another. Having gotten through thousands of ninjas that Yukigakure prepared, Akashi was exhausted.
'But for now...'
However, now wasn't the time to rest. First, he had to locate Mei's group and leave this land.
His walk, which didn't leave a footprint on the snow below, quickened. Then, his form blurred once more, disappearing from the site.
__________
__________
The Third Shinobi World War was still ongoing. It was more fiery than ever, and it seemed that the war was far from over.
The casualty rate was rising, and even the younger-aged ninjas were forced to enter the battlefield. The situation of Konohagakure has escalated to the extent where the village has had to sacrifice its future to preserve the present.
Nevertheless, the name of the strongest hidden village wasn't for nothing. Even with the endless assaults of Iwagakure and Kumogakure against them, the village was standing. Even now, the village was lively. The civilians were living their daily lives, even though their faces were gloomy and full of worry.
"..."
To this village, the hero has returned.
"Minato-sama!!"
"Minato! Welcome back!"
Namikaze Minato. He was the rising war hero whom the third Hokage himself promoted to bring hope to the village.
This blonde jonin has not only successfully brought all missions assigned to him to their completion, but has achieved many incredible feats. The most notable one among those feats at the current moment was the annihilation of ten elite jonins of Iwa by his own.
"Haha, good to see all of you again."
Minato made a friendly smile and waved as he walked past them. Behind him, his team of genin—consisting of Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and Hatake Kakashi—followed proudly.
"Muahaha! Look how everyone is praising us!"
"Stupid. Can't you tell that they're looking at Minato-sensei and not us?"
"C'mon, you two! Don't tell me that you're going to fight again!"
Sweatdropping as he heard the lively conversation among his students, Minato and his team quickly reached the Hokage tower located in the middle of the village.
Entering the tower and walking up the stairs, they were led into the top-most room where the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was waiting.
"Hokage-sama."
Minato knelt, and so did his students at the back. Hiruzen nodded with a proud gleam in his eyes as he looked at Minato.
"Well done, Minato."
Hiruzen calmly looked at the report that was laid out on his table.
"It's been a very busy week for all of us. After our meeting with Suna and Ame, you were forced to head to the border right after to combat the incoming assault from Kumo... it's good to see that you're safe and sound."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen nodded stoically.
"And Jiraiya..."
After serving as Hiruzen's bodyguards in the meeting with Suna and Ame, Hiruzen returned to Konohagakure while Minato and Jiraiya split to cover the simultaneously incoming assault from Kumo and Iwa.
While Minato managed to stop the attack rather easily thanks to Orochimaru who was on site, the battle against Iwa was a different story. Even with the agreement of Ame to help Konoha and the ongoing cooperation to fend off Iwa, the number of ninjas that Iwa had at its disposal was staggering. Everyone knew by now that Iwa had been preparing for a war for a very long period of time.
Knowing this, Hiruzen sighed.
"If only Tsunade was in the right state of mind... things would've been easier."
Senju Tsunade, one of the three Sannins. Recently, she lost her lover named Kato Dan and acquired a serious case of hemophobia. Having lost her ability to combat effectively due to her mental condition, she has fallen back and is now primarily serving as a healer who cares for the wounded ones.
Letting such a thought go, Hiruzen spoke to Minato warmly.
"Nonetheless, well done, team Minato. For the next three days, you will be taking a break. Afterward, genin Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and Hatake Kakashi will undergo chunin exams, all while jonin Namikaze Minato returns to the Kumo frontline. Clear?"
""""Yes, Hokage-sama!""""
...
"Minatoo~ welcome back!"
Returning to his house, Minato received a warm welcome from his lively red-haired girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina.
After a loud celebration and lively time together, Minato was now sitting in the dark, staring at a slip of paper in his hand seriously.
'Jiraiya-sensei...'
On a usually blank paper, black letters were appearing magically. It read,
Yugakure. 30 days after, midnight. Akashi told me he'd meet me there, but I am unable to move at the moment.
Yugakure or Village Hidden in Hot Water. It was the village located right in between the land of fire and the land of lightning, and thus, it was the battlefield that Minato would soon be heading back to.
Go and meet him in my place, Minato.
'Akashi.'
It has been a long time since Minato has seen the brown-haired man.
'Red Blade, huh?'
Folding the paper and placing it in his pocket, Minato raised his head to look at a three-pronged kunai with a seal attached to its handle.
'Soon, we will meet again.'