Six figures appeared within his line of sight.
They were divided into two squads of three.
"Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Minato Namikaze—and the woman among the other three, judging by her appearance and the accompanying Ninja Hound—is that Tsume Inuzuka?" Yubi swept a glance over them and immediately identified the newcomers. The distinct features of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Inuzuka Clans were quite easy to recognize.
Minato Namikaze's appearance caused Yubi's heart to stir.
He remained calm.
These members of Konoha's "golden generation" were all a few years older than him.
This was also the first time Yubi had encountered them head-on.
Of course, perhaps he had already "met" Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara before—
Yubi just wasn't sure if these two plot characters were among the members of the Konoha squad sent to pursue them back in the Land of Grass.
Though they were all plot characters, in terms of current fame in the Ninja World—aside from Konoha's current Ino–Shika–Chō trio having made a bit of a name for themselves, someone like Minato Namikaze still had very little "presence." The weight of these four plot characters combined might not even match that of him and Sasori.
"Choza Akimichi isn't here—the Ino–Shika–Chō isn't in its complete form. Inoichi Yamanaka is a Sensor Ninja, and Shikaku Nara is a strategist—Hiruzen Sarutobi sending these two is undoubtedly to scout and analyze Sunagakure's movements in the border war zone as quickly as possible. The other two in Tsume Inuzuka's squad are clearly Jonin as well—but of these six, the most dangerous is definitely—Minato Namikaze!" Yubi's brain rapidly processed the analysis.
Without a doubt, Minato Namikaze's speed was in a league of its own among Konoha Ninja.
As a member of the vanguard, he was the perfect candidate to help the Village complete strategic missions.
Yubi's Dōjutsu could not only see through objects and view them from afar, but it could also clearly see the flow of Chakra within their bodies, allowing him to judge the targets' strength.
"Who is the commander of Konoha's main force in the rear? Orochimaru? Or one of the higher-ups? Or is the Hokage himself taking the field?"
Yubi thought to himself.
Hmm?
At that moment, Yubi suddenly noticed that among the six, Minato Namikaze seemed to be saying something to the others.
Then—the Chakra circulation within the six of them clearly changed.
"Interesting—"
Seeing this, Yubi narrowed his eyes.
Have we been exposed—
Even though he and Sasori had hidden themselves "perfectly," they were still discovered.
Though he was reluctant to believe it, the signs of Chakra within the opponents were clearly problematic.
"The first one to notice something was wrong—wasn't Inoichi Yamanaka, but him instead." Yubi's gaze sharpened.
Is Minato Namikaze's sensory ability even superior to Inoichi Yamanaka's?
That's a bit monstrous—
While the talent required to master an S-rank space-time Ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God was exceptionally high, the alertness and sensory level Minato Namikaze displayed were a bit too off the charts.
One must realize that to use the Flying Thunder God Technique proficiently, having super sensory abilities to "lock onto" spatial coordinates and activate the Ninjutsu was just the foundation.
Because the movement speed is so high, the user's reactions must also keep up—otherwise, there is no way to push this Ninjutsu to its limit, let alone manifest its true power.
To have the consciousness keep up—the mobilization and use of Chakra cannot be slow either.
It could be said that the requirements of the Flying Thunder God Technique for a practitioner are all-encompassing—it's not enough to just excel in a single ability.
To have this level of Aptitude—and even surpass the predecessor, with a level exceeding that of the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, there is only Minato Namikaze!
"No wonder—he could rise during this Ninja World War—to the point where the Great Ninja Villages issued that unreasonable order: if you encounter Konoha's Yellow Flash on the battlefield, you may temporarily abandon the mission and prioritize self-preservation."
Yubi thought.
"The Minato Namikaze I mentioned is among them. Be careful, we might have been discovered."
While observing, Yubi simultaneously relayed the enemy information to Sasori, offering a warning.
Discovered?
How did the enemy do it?
Hearing this, Sasori's expression remained indifferent, but a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
A moment later, as Minato and the other five quickly closed the distance, they finally appeared at the nearby intersection.
"The future—Fourth Hokage—"
Yubi's gaze focused on Minato, who had a head of striking blond hair.
The six of them ran along the road in formation, their expressions showing nothing out of the ordinary.
If Yubi hadn't used his Dōjutsu to observe them in advance—judging by their expressions and reactions, one wouldn't realize at all that he and Sasori had been spotted.
Soon, the two squads, the six figures, passed the foot of the mountain where Yubi and Sasori were hiding.
At this moment, with one side in the light and the other in the dark, they were at their closest point of intersection.
The six people, who seemed to be in a hurry, suddenly changed formation at a hand signal from Minato. They all leaped up simultaneously, like streaks of light, shooting toward the mountain forest where Yubi and Sasori were hiding.
If not for the "warning," Yubi might have been caught off guard by this sudden change from the six.
"Woof!"
As soon as they entered the forest, Tsume Inuzuka's Kuromaru let out a bark.
"Over here!"
The woman gave a sharp laugh, her gaze instantly landing on the two shadows hiding behind the tree trunks.
"Tsuuga!"
Man-Beast Ninjutsu!
The Ninja Hound Kuromaru transformed into a human form with a puff of smoke.
Working in coordination with the woman, they began to spin at high speed, like two tornadoes instantly charging toward the positions of Yubi and Sasori.
The power was astonishing.
There was a reason why any of these six had been assigned to the vanguard.
They were more than capable of handling various emergencies.
Even if Inoichi Yamanaka's Secret Technique couldn't detect certain enemies, the Inuzuka Clan's sense of smell and Minato's sensory abilities could provide support to detect potential dangers.
This ensured the team was safe enough while traveling to the war zone.
It also included the ability to avoid risks in advance after entering the battlefield.
While maintaining excellent mobility, they could stay hidden and undetected—observing the movements and deployments of the Sunagakure Army from the shadows and sending information back to the Village's main force following behind.
Boom!
Yubi and Sasori dodged instantly.
The trunk of the large tree they were leaning against shattered in an instant, wood chips flying everywhere.
Yubi jumped away—his gaze calm.
This kind of Ninjutsu again—he had fought members of the Inuzuka Clan before, and the opponent had left a deep impression on him.
Yubi also knew well the power of this Man-Beast Ninjutsu.
Boom, boom, boom!
The two terrifying physical whirlwinds had no intention of stopping after smashing the tree trunk; they continued to shift their trajectories, closely following the two figures.
Along the way, a large number of trees were being destroyed by the Tsuuga.
Whoosh.
At that moment, a Kunai flew toward Yubi, predicting his movement as he repeatedly dodged.
But with a 'clang,' the incoming Kunai was knocked away mid-air by a droplet of blood.
It was Minato Namikaze!
Yubi was very clear about Minato's fighting style and patterns—he couldn't allow any weapon thrown by Minato to get near him, because a mark might have already been placed on the Kunai!
But despite his thoughts, as Yubi was about to land, Minato's hunched body had already reached behind him.
Slowly—he raised his face.
And in his raised hand, he was already holding another brand-new Kunai.
Yubi's expression changed slightly.