[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Land of Iron, Year 42.
...
...
The meeting had already begun among the Kages in the castle, while the ninja groups from each of the nations stood outside, vigilant, waiting for their leaders to finish. All the groups started setting up camps around the castle, while some of the Kages' advisors would come out once a day to update the groups outside.
Everything seemed normal these days, and today, in particular, Minato was gathering some water with Hanabi for the camp when the girl suddenly spoke to him.
"Minato..."
He looked at her, raising an eyebrow, silently asking what she meant.
"It's been two days since the meeting started. They haven't stopped since then. I feel like the ninjas are getting a little restless... Should we be worried?" Hanabi asked, as she had kept her Byakugan active the entire time while scanning the area along with a few other Hyuugas from different squads. She could see that the ninjas were moving more than usual in their positions.
Minato shook his head.
"No, that's not surprising, given how I imagine those old men behave. They're probably trying to gain as many advantages as possible over each other," he murmured, making sure no one was listening. He already generalized all the Kages and had no doubt that, with Danzo and Hiruzen in there, they would try to secure as many resources as possible for Konoha.
"I see..." Hanabi murmured.
It wasn't a big concern for Minato to see the ninjas around the castle a little uneasy. No one was surprised that this meeting would be quite tense.
Minato looked around with a serious gaze, as if searching for something. Then, he spoke.
"Maybe the problem isn't the ninjas from other villages... But rather those working with us."
"What do you mean by that?" Hanabi asked, a little worried.
"I'm saying we should always keep an eye on our own comrades as well. After all, as I've told you and all the other girls before, we must not trust Danzo," he stated.
"I understand..." Hanabi murmured, reflecting on Minato's words. He had already warned her about some things that Root might be starting to do in the village. When the right time came, Minato would deal with it. He already had allies prepared to act if necessary, but he needed a few more.
Even though he wasn't on good terms with some important figures, he did not regret making an enemy of the Uchiha clan to protect Mikoto. Maybe he was a manipulator too, but he had his own plans and was just waiting for the right moment to put them into action.
"Anyway, let's head back to the camp. We're done here," Minato said as he carried several barrels filled with water drawn from the partially frozen river.
But then, he suddenly stopped upon sensing someone approaching. On the other side of the river, he saw two Kiri ninjas. Minato immediately felt their strength and could already tell who would have an equivalent level of power, even without their swords displayed and while wearing Anbu attire.
"Two of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist..." he murmured, analyzing the two for a moment before turning his attention back to Hanabi. "Let's return."
Hanabi nodded, feeling the tension in the air, and followed Minato.
"Hey! Are the Konoha ninjas already leaving?" one of the Kiri ninjas shouted from the other side.
Minato looked at them for a moment but simply shook his head. It seemed childish to taunt each other in this place. Even so, such behavior was expected after a war had been fought between the nations.
"You know... Seeing Konoha ninjas not caring about insults is quite interesting. I always wondered how Konoha managed to handle this war... But I quickly found out. After all, you're cowards who just wait for the right moment to strike back," the Kiri ninja said, clearly trying to provoke Minato and Hanabi, failing to recognize them due to the masks and clothing they wore.
Not that he could really know them anyway—Minato had not spent much time on the eastern border, aside from one or two days after the Daimyō's rescue, and had never entered the battlefield against Kiri. The Village of the Mist had only heard about his feats on other fronts.
"Hey, man, there's no point in trying to make a profit with these guys. Can't you see? They don't even talk. They're cowards, just like you said," said the other comrade beside him.
"We're in a peace negotiation, and you really want to keep provoking the first ninja you come across? You sound like nothing more than a spoiled teenager upset about losing the war," Minato spoke for the first time.
The two masked men, just like him and Hanabi, were dressed as ANBU. Minato noticed the slightly surprised expressions of the Kiri ninjas, who raised their eyebrows behind their masks.
"I know you are two of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. You're keeping your swords sealed in scrolls, but still, it's a bit childish for people who carry that title," Minato commented. He didn't want to start a conflict, but he also didn't miss the opportunity to mock them a little.
"What?! What did he say?" One of them grumbled, visibly irritated.
The Konoha ninjas, on the other hand, merely observed, while the Kiri ninjas seemed surprised that their identities had been uncovered.
"Interesting..." One of the swordsmen began to laugh. "He figured us out... Did we fight each other in the war? I don't remember. Your presence doesn't feel familiar to me."
Minato looked at him for a second and realized that arguing there would lead to nothing. In the end, it didn't matter.
"It makes no difference," Minato shrugged and began to walk away.
Hanabi also turned to leave, but suddenly, she moved swiftly, drawing a small kunai. Minato remained silent as he saw an enemy kunai flying toward them, embedding itself into a tree ahead before they could leave the riverbank.
"Don't expect me to just let you walk away after saying those words and acting all high and mighty in front of your girlfriend," one of them sneered, laughing like a psychopath.
"Are you sure about this? Do you really want a fight?" Minato asked, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. "Are you going to let your emotions create a diplomatic crisis while we're discussing peace?"
"You don't understand...," the swordsman murmured. "From your voice, I can tell you're young, even though you're clearly strong." He analyzed Minato. "But you should understand..."
"Do you really think peace will last just because of a little meeting between the Kages? You're wrong," he continued, pausing before laughing. "But that's good. Peace is so boring... Lucky for us, we live in the ninja world because what I really enjoy is killing enemies weaker than me... So, whenever I can do something to provoke war, I will," he declared, a sadistic grin hidden beneath his mask.
Minato stared at him for a moment while Hanabi seemed to frown. He didn't know exactly when the 'Bloody Mist' era had begun, but it was certainly before the Fourth Mizukage. That meant the regime had already taken root, and consequently, people like that ninja had certainly emerged in Kiri.
"And you don't even care about your comrades, do you?" Minato asked, his gaze serious. "If we provoke a battle here and all our comrades rush in, not only will we create a conflict, but many of them will die. The war will return, and more and more people from the Land of Water will be sacrificed. But you don't seem to care about that, do you?"
The Kiri ninja seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if considering Minato's words. However, he quickly let out a laugh.
"Haha! Look at this guy!" He said with a certain amusement before continuing. "Do you really think I care? I already told you—I want war!"
"What a shitty life you have, then," Minato said, already deciding not to entertain any more provocations. Without giving him any further attention, he turned and started walking away.
"So, you're just walking away after all this? Look at him—such a coward!" The ninja sneered. "I don't even know how that girl stays with a coward like him!"
The taunt made Hanabi frown angrily, her hand unconsciously reaching for the scroll of her bow, ready to draw and fire at them.
"Maybe you could come with us, girl. I'm sure Kiri is much more interesting than Konoha," the other ninja said, laughing. "We could be much better than your little boyfriend here. We could have some fun..."
Minato lost his patience at that moment. Just as he took his next step to leave, he simply vanished in a flash of light. The Kiri ninjas couldn't even see his movement. All they perceived was a bright flash behind them, followed by a brutal impact.
With a single strike, Minato landed a kick so powerful that one of the ninjas was sent flying backward, crashing through and shattering a tree before collapsing unconscious.
The other ninja took a step back, startled, and quickly grabbed a scroll. At the same instant, Minato shot toward him, moving at an absurd speed. The ninja was fast enough to unsheathe one of the legendary Mist swords and pierce Minato's chest before he could attack.
For a brief moment, the Kiri ninja felt relieved, believing he had hit his target. But when he looked at Minato's face, he saw something that made his blood run cold.
Minato was completely calm.
"Certainly, you have very fast reflexes," he said, showing neither pain nor surprise—after all, he had done this on purpose. "But even so, you're going to need much more than that."
The Kiri ninja's eyes widened as he looked at the wound that should have been gushing blood. But to his shock, all he saw was a glowing layer around the spot where the sword had pierced the Konoha ninja's body, acting as if it had taken no damage at all.
He didn't even have time to react. Minato moved instantly, grabbing his neck with a crushing grip. The man spat saliva inside his mask, unable to resist. Before he could even process what was happening, Minato slammed him into the ground with such force that the entire area around them exploded on impact.
"Minato, be careful!" Hanabi exclaimed.
Minato pulled the sword from his chest, his body returning to normal. But before he could fully recover, several kunai shot toward him. He immediately leaped away, dodging the attack as dozens of kunai embedded themselves into the ground.
A group of Kiri ninjas reappeared, surrounding the area. They looked shocked to see that two of their strongest were lying on the ground, unconscious and severely wounded—one who had been brutally thrown, and the other inside a crater in the ground, his mask shattered and his face completely bloodied.
"You dare attack Konoha ninjas?!" one of the Kiri ninjas roared in fury as Minato landed beside Hanabi on the other side of the river.
"Not so fast, Kiri ninjas!" a firm voice rang out from the forest. Minato had already sensed their approach moments before. Several Konoha ANBU landed around them, and Alpha, the leader of the group, appeared at Minato's side.
"I saw everything that happened. So tell me..." Alpha spoke in a cold, authoritative tone. "Why exactly do we have a Kiri ninja's kunai on this side of the river?"
The leader of the Konoha ANBU had just landed, analyzing the situation for a second. His sharp gaze assessed every detail of what had just occurred.
"You set this up, didn't you, Kiri ninjas?" he continued. "Which is exactly what we'd expect from cowards."
The tension between the two groups spiked instantly. Any wrong move could trigger a battle at any moment.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 228 - Border Mission.
Chapter 233 - Reuniting with Guren and Plans.
Chapter 243 - Heading to Mount Myōboku.
Chapter 252 - Plans for the EMS.
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