In the heart of the Land of Fire, within the fortified Konoha camp—
Swish!
A flicker of movement disturbed the stillness outside the temporary encampment.
The guards stationed at the entrance tensed up immediately, their hands gripping their weapons. But the moment they saw who it was, their expressions changed from caution to sheer relief and elation.
"Minato-sama!"
The figure before them was none other than Namikaze Minato.
Despite his youth, Minato was already revered as Konoha's greatest hero in the Third Ninja World War. His unparalleled speed and strategic brilliance had turned the tides of battle countless times, earning him the moniker "Konoha's Yellow Flash."
No one could match his battlefield achievements.
Minato gave a slight nod in response but wasted no time. His piercing blue eyes scanned the camp briefly before he disappeared in a blur of motion, heading straight for the command tent.
He had no time to waste.
Inside the tent, the atmosphere was heavy.
Seated around the strategy table were key figures of Konoha's war effort—Uchiha Fugaku, Senju Nawaki, and several other high-ranking officers. Their expressions were grim, their minds burdened with the weight of recent events.
Suddenly, Nawaki's eyes widened as he sensed something.
"Minato?!"
His startled voice broke the tense silence, drawing the attention of everyone else.
The tent flap swayed, and in the next instant, Minato appeared before them.
"Minato?"
Surprised exclamations filled the room.
His sudden arrival shocked them all, for according to their last reports, Minato had still been stationed at the border, engaged in a confrontation with the Third Raikage's forces in the Land of Moon.
None of them had received word of his return.
Minato's gaze swept across the faces in the tent, but he didn't dwell on their reactions. Instead, he closed his eyes briefly, expanding his sensory field across the entire camp in an instant.
A moment later, his sharp eyes locked onto Fugaku.
"Where are Senior Tenki and Senior Dan?" he asked solemnly. "Are they out on a mission?"
The moment those words left his lips, the expressions of everyone in the tent grew unnaturally stiff.
Minato immediately sensed something was wrong.
His gaze darkened as he took a step closer to Fugaku.
"What happened on the front lines?" His voice was firm, unwavering. "Did Kirigakure break through the defense line? How did they manage to infiltrate so deep into the Land of Fire?"
His earlier battle with the Kirigakure shinobi had provided him with little useful information. Kirigakure had become more secretive in recent years, and its ninja were trained to resist interrogation. Unfortunately, Minato had neither the luxury of time nor the expertise in extracting information through prolonged methods.
The silence in the room was suffocating.
After a long pause, Fugaku finally exhaled and spoke, his voice laced with guilt.
"It was my failure as a commander that led to this situation."
Minato narrowed his eyes.
His gut told him the situation was far worse than Fugaku was admitting.
As he listened to the full report, Minato's usually calm demeanor darkened further.
"A… monster?"
His heart clenched.
From what Fugaku described, a monstrous entity had appeared on the battlefield—an overwhelming force that had single-handedly turned the tide against Konoha.
From their accounts, Minato estimated that its power rivaled, if not surpassed, the Nine-Tails itself.
Even with his current strength, he wasn't confident he could take down such a creature alone.
The mere fact that the Konoha forces weren't completely annihilated was nothing short of a miracle.
"Senior Duy…"
Minato murmured the name softly.
He knew the legend. In the original timeline, Might Duy, the father of Might Guy, had sacrificed himself by opening the Eighth Gate of Death to annihilate the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
But in this war, history had shifted.
Duy had instead given his life to buy time against an unknown monster, allowing thousands of Konoha shinobi to retreat safely.
A true hero.
Minato clenched his fists.
Kato Dan and Hyuga Tenki were killed in action.
Two of Konoha's finest shinobis had fallen. Their deaths severely weakened Konoha's military strength.
But what troubled Minato even more—
Was this the work of "him"?
A cold, dangerous glint appeared in Minato's eyes as his thoughts drifted to a single individual.
"The masked man…"
The mysterious disappearance of the Hyuga ninja…
The sudden appearance of a monstrous entity on the battlefield…
It all pointed back to that one man.
The very same man who, years ago, had infiltrated Konoha and single-handedly eliminated the Anbu under the Third Hokage's command, attacked Kushina as she was giving birth, and unleashed the Nine-Tails upon the village.
The same man whose identity Minato had been trying to uncover for years.
He recalled the events of the past.
That night in Konoha.
The strange sealing jutsu placed on Kushina.
The rumors of a figure pulling strings behind the scenes in Kirigakure.
Everything connected back to him.
For years, Minato had entertained the possibility that this masked figure was Uchiha Madara himself. But after careful research and discussions with the Third Hokage, he had confirmed that Madara had perished long ago in battle against the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
That meant the masked man was someone else entirely.
Someone who wanted the world to believe he was Madara.
For what purpose?
Minato didn't know.
But he did know this—if this man had infiltrated Kirigakure and gained control over its forces, then the true scale of this war was far greater than anyone realized.
A chill ran down Minato's spine.
This was no longer a simple war between nations.
This was a shadow war, orchestrated by an unseen hand.
The masked man's words echoed in his mind.
"The attack on Konoha was both a spur-of-the-moment decision and something I had been planning for a long time… for war, and for peace."
"I am someone who can unify this world. I have countless means to achieve it."
Minato took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus.
If this man truly aimed to manipulate the war from the shadows, then Konoha was in greater danger than ever before.
Even if this conflict ended, the masked man's plans would not.
Konoha would always be in his sights.
And perhaps… it wasn't just Konoha.
Maybe his ambitions extended far beyond a single village.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
Right now, Minato needed to address the immediate crisis.
The 200 Kirigakure shinobi who had broken past Konoha's defenses had already spread into the Land of Fire.
If left unchecked, they could wreak havoc on the civilians.
Minato turned back to Fugaku.
"According to your report, the Kirigakure army launched their attack immediately after the unknown monster appeared."
Fugaku nodded.
"And from what you observed, their main force doesn't seem interested in fully invading the Land of Fire?"
"That's correct," Fugaku confirmed. "It seems they're holding their position, rather than pushing deeper."
That detail unsettled Minato even more.
If Kirigakure wasn't attempting a full invasion… then what was their true objective?
Minato frowned.
And then, as if a missing piece of the puzzle clicked into place—
He suddenly turned to Fugaku, his voice sharp.
"Where's the kunai I gave you?"
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