Three figures slowly emerged from the tall grass, each wearing a forehead protector emblazoned with the symbol of Iwagakure.
Leading the group was a well-built young man. Yuki Seisui, lounging casually on a tree branch above, watched the scene unfold with keen interest.
"Kitsuchi?" he murmured.
Kitsuchi, the father of Kurotsuchi, the future Fourth Tsuchikage.
"You know him?" Minato asked curiously from beside him.
Yuki Seisui shook his head. "No, but I've done some intel gathering."
"I see…" Minato gave Kitsuchi a thoughtful glance.
On the ground below, Kitsuchi looked at the three Kusagakure (Grass Village) ninja, then turned to his comrade and asked, "Hirajiro, can you handle them?"
Just then, another group of three arrived, Amegakure (Rain Village) ninja.
"You're all going to die here!"
"And don't forget those three Konoha brats up in the trees!"
Hearing this, Kitsuchi glanced back. Rain ninja.
Due to their village becoming a perpetual battlefield in the ongoing war, Rain shinobi harbored a deep hatred for all the major nations.
High above in the tree, Yuki Seisui silently pulled out an explosive tag that Shikaku had given him. He glanced at Minato and Uchiha Haru. "Looks like the real show is about to begin."
"Mhm," Minato nodded, gripping his signature three-pronged kunai, ready to leap into action.
"Maybe wait a moment longer?" Uchiha Haru, who had been observing closely, said calmly.
"Looks like more people are coming."
Yuki Seisui frowned. Just how many people are after us?
"Arrogant fools," Kitsuchi sneered. "Just some Rain shinobi, and you dare talk big?"
The lead Rain ninja let out a strange laugh, then looked toward the Grass ninja. "How about this, we team up and kill these three Iwa shinobi together. Sounds good?"
The three Grass ninja exchanged glances and nodded. "Alright."
Kitsuchi's eyes narrowed. Clearly, something was off. Without hesitation, he turned to his team.
"Attack!"
"Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu!"
Forming hand seals in a flash, Kitsuchi's fist became encased in solid rock as he lunged at the nearest Rain ninja.
The Stone Fist Jutsu was a signature Iwagakure jutsu. When used, the arm is enveloped in dense stone, drastically enhancing both offensive power and defense.
A perfect balance of attack and protection.
The Rain ninja, sensing danger, dodged the incoming blow and retaliated by flinging three shuriken, aimed at Kitsuchi's legs and heart.
"Hmph!" Kitsuchi snorted, knocking the projectiles aside with his stone-covered arm.
"Earth Style: Erupt"
Kitsuchi's teammate, Hirajiro, glanced at the battle and quickly formed seals. The ground beneath them rumbled, then rose, forming a small mountain that began spewing earth like a miniature volcano.
A move that Kitsuchi and his daughter Kurotsuchi would one day use in the Fourth Great Ninja War, unearthing hordes of hidden White Zetsu clones in a scene resembling a volcanic eruption.
"Damn it!"
Watching this unfold, the three Grass ninja cursed under their breath, already thinking of retreat.
They were just average shinobi, their repertoire limited to basic transformation, clone, and substitution jutsu, along with one C-rank technique.
"So this is the power of a major village's shinobi…" one of them murmured.
"Run!"
"We're no match for them!"
Without another word, the trio exchanged a glance and bolted, completely disregarding their earlier agreement to team up against Iwa.
"Trying to run?" Yuki Seisui sneered. No longer caring whether more enemies were approaching, he unsheathed his blade.
In a flash, he vanished from sight.
Minato and Haru exchanged a look, then leapt down from the tree.
"Uchiha Style: Flame Blade Leap!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Rather than pursuing the fleeing Grass ninja, the two targeted the Rain shinobi directly.
Hirajiro, who had been about to chase the retreating Grass shinobi, froze mid-motion when he saw Yuki Seisui appear.
"What was that, "
"Iaido Style: Water Severing Strike!"
Yuki Seisui drew his blade in a single fluid motion. The sword sliced through two of the Grass ninja like a knife through tofu, beheading them instantly.
The third ninja, perhaps slightly more experienced, sensed danger at the last moment and dove to the ground, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike.
Yoshi, now the sole survivor, turned back to see his decapitated comrades, and his entire body trembled.
"Yoshi will remember this!" he shouted, then threw down a smoke bomb. A cloud of thick white fog enveloped the area.
"Trying to flee?" Yuki Seisui smirked. A mere smoke bomb? You think that'll block my vision?
He closed his eyes, then opened them again, his hands already forming seals.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust burst from his mouth, clearing the smoke in an instant.
Scanning the area, he realized Yoshi had vanished.
He stepped forward. "Where is he?"
"Gone?"
Muttering, he walked over to a nearby tree and slashed down.
Scarlet blood gushed from the trunk, pooling on the forest floor.
Yoshi's form shimmered into view, his chest split open from the blow, his still-beating heart visible through the gash.
"With chakra that obvious… are you the idiot, or am I?" Yuki Seisui muttered coldly. "To these eyes of mine, your every move is laid bare."
Yoshi's final thought was a glimpse of blood-red Sharingan spinning in the darkness.
"Uchiha…"
As the man collapsed, Yuki Seisui deactivated his Sharingan with a cold smile.
"If you'd run into someone else, maybe you'd have actually escaped."
With that, he quickly formed seals, then expelled a massive fireball from his mouth, incinerating the body.
After all, a ninja's corpse contains plenty of sensitive intel. Better to burn it all.
Meanwhile, with the help of Minato and Uchiha Haru, the remaining Rain ninja were quickly eliminated as well.
Seeing Yuki Seisui walking toward him, sword still in hand, Kitsuchi instinctively stepped back, his teammates doing the same.
They'd been warned. These three youngest Konoha shinobi were likely the most dangerous.
Still, they hadn't quite believed it. They came to see for themselves, and now saw the truth. They were monsters.
Especially that blade.
Kitsuchi stared at the katana in Yuki Seisui's hand, its edge glowing with wind chakra, sharp enough to chill the air.
There was no doubt in his mind, his Rock Fist wouldn't survive a single hit.
"You're here to hunt us down too?" Yuki Seisui asked casually, wiping blood from his blade with a leaf.
"No," Kitsuchi shook his head. "We just heard you were strong. Come see for ourselves."
Then he scowled. "I hate people who gang up on the weak."
"So we, "
Yuki Seisui glanced at Minato and Uchiha Haru, who had returned to his side. Indeed, this guy hadn't attacked them.
As for all that nonsense about hating bullies, Yuki didn't believe a word.
What ninja doesn't gang up when they have the numbers? That is the shinobi way.
Naruto's ideals? That's because he's the Hokage's golden child, not the norm.
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