After leaving the Hokage's office, Sora returned to the orphanage to briefly pack supplies and ninja tools.
After informing Yumi and Ayumi that Nonō had successfully left, he headed directly towards the northeast direction of the Land of Fire.
Looking at the transfer order in his hand, Sora sighed softly.
"My vacation is ruined. And I have to face the Third Raikage, that monster."
Just thinking about the Third Raikage, who was like a humanoid tailed beast, gave Sora a headache.
In the original story, at this point in time, the Third Raikage should have already died fighting on the battlefield in the Land of Earth, covering his subordinates' retreat.
With their leader dead and their strength greatly reduced, Kumogakure was forced to withdraw from the core conflict of the Third Shinobi World War.
"It seems this is more trouble caused by me, this 'butterfly'."
Sora rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat helpless.
If the Third Raikage wasn't dead, Kumogakure wouldn't easily withdraw from the war, and the Third Shinobi World War would likely be prolonged.
As he quickly left Konoha Village, speeding towards the northeastern border, Sora rapidly analyzed the current situation in his mind.
He had previously exposed part of his Azure Dragon form's abilities and his flight capability in front of Kumogakure. Although Kumogakure hadn't widely publicized it for intelligence protection reasons, the Third Raikage and Killer B had witnessed it firsthand.
If he encountered them again on the front lines this time, they would definitely have prepared countermeasures.
"I can't get surrounded again this time."
"Last time, they even brought out something like a 'Bloodline Tracking Device'. Who knows what other underhanded methods they might have."
...
Along the way, Sora saw many traces left by the war.
Burned forests, pockmarked land, and even some corpses emitting a foul stench.
The cruelty of war was laid bare before his eyes.
But Sora didn't feel much about it.
In his eyes, this war was nothing more than pointless slaughter between the great ninja villages for their own interests.
One day later, Sora arrived at the Konoha camp on the northeastern border of the Land of Fire.
The perimeter of the camp was fortified with barriers and numerous traps. Patrol squads moved with solemn expressions, the atmosphere tense.
After presenting his transfer order, Sora was led to the main command tent by a ninja.
The main tent was quite spacious, with a large sand table in the center.
A man with an extremely obese build, wearing a Konoha jonin flak jacket, with a thick beard on his chin, looking to be in his fifties or sixties, stood with his back to the entrance, frowning intently at the sand table.
Several jonin with strong auras stood beside him, seemingly discussing something.
Sensing someone enter, the obese man turned to look at Sora, who wore a monkey mask.
"Anbu Special Operations Group, 'Green Snake'?"
Sora nodded slightly.
"Yes, Lord Torifu. I report as ordered by the Hokage."
This man was the commander of the Konoha front-line forces, Akimichi Torifu, and also the head of the Akimichi clan.
He had once been one of the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's guards, a contemporary of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, with extremely senior qualifications. Sora estimated his strength to be at least Kage level.
Akimichi Torifu studied Sora, finding it a bit strange that someone called Green Snake wore a monkey mask, but he didn't ask.
"Hmm, Hiruzen has already informed me via messenger hawk. I heard you caused quite a stir in the Land of Lightning, even drawing the attention of the Third Raikage himself."
The several jonin beside him also looked at Sora curiously.
They had heard some rumors about the name "Green Snake," a very strong rising star in the Anbu. But apart from the Kikyōyama campaign, they weren't clear on his specific deeds.
Hearing Akimichi Torifu's words now, they were inwardly slightly shocked.
To draw the personal attention of the Third Raikage was not something an ordinary Anbu could achieve.
"Required for the mission. I was fortunate to escape," Sora replied simply, not wanting to elaborate.
Akimichi Torifu didn't press further. Everyone had secrets, especially in the Anbu.
He valued capability more.
"Your strength. Hiruzen mentioned briefly in his letter. Elite jonin level, skilled in taijutsu and fire release, correct?" Akimichi Torifu asked.
"Yes," Sora replied, following his lead.
"Good," Akimichi Torifu nodded. "The front lines are under great pressure right now. The Third Raikage is personally commanding, and Kumogakure's offensive is very fierce. We need fighters like you."
He pointed to several red-marked positions on the sand table.
"Kumogakure's main forces are currently concentrated in these areas. Their ninjas have strong individual combat power, especially in lightning release and ninja taijutsu. They are very troublesome. Your main task is mobile support. Wherever the pressure is greatest, you reinforce. Use your taijutsu and speed to inflict casualties on their forces as much as possible, to relieve pressure on the defense line."
"Understood," Sora said, memorizing the key positions on the sand table.
Just then, a sound like rustling paper suddenly echoed in the tent.
The next moment, a golden figure appeared in the tent without any warning.
The newcomer wore a standard Konoha jonin flak jacket, had striking short blond hair, and a handsome face with a very gentle smile.
It was none other than Namikaze Minato, known as the "Yellow Flash"!
His appearance was extremely sudden. Apart from Akimichi Torifu, who seemed to have sensed something, the other several jonin were slightly startled, then expressions of respect and relief appeared on their faces.
It was as if with this man's arrival, even the most difficult situation could be resolved.
Sora's heart also tightened slightly.
'So this is the Flying Thunder God Technique. Truly lives up to its reputation. I couldn't perceive his movement trajectory at all.'
Namikaze Minato first nodded in greeting to Akimichi Torifu. "Torifu-senpai."
Then his gaze naturally swept over the others in the tent. When his eyes fell upon Sora wearing the monkey mask, a faint trace of surprise flickered in his azure blue eyes.
He sensed that this Anbu member's chakra level wasn't particularly strong, roughly only chunin level, perhaps even less than his own students.
But...
Namikaze Minato's intuition, honed through countless life-and-death battles to a near-beastly sharpness, sensed a kind of restrained dangerous aura from this person.
This feeling was subtle, not a pressure on the chakra level, but a deeper kind of warning.
Like... a huge shadow lurking beneath a calm sea.
'This person... is not simple.'
Namikaze Minato instantly made a judgment in his heart.
The gentle smile on his face unchanged, he also gave Sora a friendly nod.
Sora nodded back in greeting, his gaze behind the mask calmly observing this future Fourth Hokage.
Namikaze Minato was now in his twenties, at the peak of his personal strength. His mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique was exquisite, and the Rasengan was already fully developed.
With his elusive Flying Thunder God, he had earned a formidable reputation on the battlefield, making enemy ninjas tremble in fear. They had even issued the order, "If you encounter the Yellow Flash, you may abandon your mission and flee immediately."
'Pity, he died young.'
A touch of regret passed through Sora's mind.
Namikaze Minato could be said to be one of the few nearly perfect characters in the world of Naruto. Powerful, gentle in character, caring for the village and his family. Yet, to protect Konoha and his newborn son Naruto, he was forced to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, perishing together with the Nine-Tails.
However, these thoughts were fleeting.
Sora had his own problems to deal with now and had no mind to worry about others' fates.
Right now, he just wanted to get through this war safely and steadily, and then execute his own "Kekkei Mōra" plan.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━