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Akio's katana clashed with B's right leg in a brief deadlock. B furrowed his brows, and lightning exploded between his legs, surging his strength dramatically.
Akio didn't insist on a head-on clash. Instead, he used the force of the impact to pull Nakakai back to the rear of the group.
"Th-Thank you, big brother…" Nakakai finally came to his senses, still a bit shaken.
Akio sighed. "Kid, you just blew my perfect disguise…"
Across from them, B frowned deeply. "A samurai?" He found it hard to believe a samurai could block his attack.
"Ah, haha, yeah… Would you believe me if I said I was just passing by?" Akio replied helplessly.
"Pass by my—!" B roared. In an instant, "Super Saiyan Second Stage" activated. To Akio, it felt like in the blink of an eye, he was about to come face-to-face with this hulking brute.
"Heavy Current Surge!"
Akio twitched at the corner of his mouth. If he kept pretending, he was going to have a very intimate encounter with B's elbow. With a flick of his hand, he infused lightning chakra into his blade, and a long spear of lightning burst forth.
What could normally pierce through enemies like Chidori Sharp Spear now acted more like a long pole, merely pushing back the future Third Raikage.
"As expected… this guy's skin is ridiculously tough. Unless I use Dust Release or a Rasenshuriken infused with Yin-Yang Release, I doubt I can break through his defense… But using those would totally blow my cover, huh?" Akio let out a troubled sigh. He still felt sneaking in with the merchant caravan would've been easier.
B frowned again and slammed his elbow downward. The Chidori Sharp Spear pressing against his chest shattered instantly, not even scratching his skin.
"You're clearly a ninja… That was a unique Lightning Release jutsu. Someone like you wouldn't be unknown in the shinobi world. Who are you, and why are you with them?"
Akio took a deep breath, then smiled faintly. "Disguising as a samurai didn't work… I guess pretending to be a Lightning Release user is fine too. Makes it easier to study the Lightning Chakra Mode… As for my name…"
"Since you asked so sincerely, I'll generously tell you—I am the legendary ninja… Namikaze Minato!"
For a moment, silence blanketed the battlefield. Everyone was racking their brains, trying to remember if there was ever a legendary ninja named Namikaze Minato…
Not long after, the old caravan leader was the first to speak. "Lord Namikaze Minato, please protect our caravan. Once we reach the Land of Lightning, both lords will surely reward you handsomely!"
Akio's expression twitched. He'd picked that name on a whim—must've been the damn blond hair's fault… Now things were getting complicated. Was he going to have to silence everyone?
He glanced around. The people nearby suddenly felt a cold shiver down their spines.
"Minato-nii! You're amazing!" Nakakai's voice broke the tension. Akio let out a helpless sigh.
"I really am… a kind person… Ugh!"
He'd gotten distracted—and B wasn't about to wait for him to get his head back in the game. Akio found himself flying through the air, experiencing a very unfamiliar sensation.
In midair, he gritted his teeth. "This guy doesn't hold back at all… I haven't fought in so long, and I actually got caught off guard. My old face can't take this…" He flipped in the air, landing smoothly. Thankfully, his instincts kicked in and he blocked with his blade—otherwise he might've broken a couple of bones.
He rubbed his chest with a frown, taking a deep breath.
"A sneak attack? Hey, that's too much!" Akio had just begun to speak when B charged again, forcing him to parry quickly.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Spear!" came a shout from the side. The mustached man, who'd been knocked out earlier, had somehow returned to the battlefield. But his jutsu…
B didn't even dodge. The Earth Spears shattered upon contact. Meanwhile, Akio had to deal with two attackers at once.
"Sigh, is this what they call a pig teammate?" Akio sighed and used Body Flicker to create distance.
Scarface had also returned, positioning himself in front of B.
"Akio, I'm glad you remembered the spirit of the samurai—but that guy isn't someone one person can take on. Let's fight together!"
Akio gave a bitter smile. How much of the plot have you missed, man? Wrong universe! Samurai spirit, my foot…
And "fight together," huh…
B was clearly running out of patience. The golden lightning around him began to darken into black. In the next instant, Scarface and Mustache vanished again.
"They might not be coming back this time… Black lightning?" Akio murmured. "Wait—black?"
He focused, infusing Yin-Yang Release into his Lightning Release. The lightning crackling around his blade shifted into a jet-black hue.
"Huh… learned a new trick."
B narrowed his eyes. Something felt off about Akio's black lightning, but he didn't dwell on it. He clenched his right thumb, extending four fingers.
Akio's expression turned serious. The Four-Finger Piercing Technique—used by the future Third Raikage—was without a doubt one of the strongest offensive techniques of this era. If he took even one hit, he might lose a chunk of flesh…
"Lord B!"
Just as the fight was about to resume, a child's scream came from behind B. The old merchant leader had taken the opportunity to order a few chunin to capture the ten children in the caravan.
"D-Despicable…" Akio muttered, relaxing slightly. Looked like the fight wasn't going to continue.
B let out a cold snort and instantly turned back. The chunin scattered in fear. B didn't pursue them, instead checking on the ten children before glancing back at Akio with a deep gaze, sighing inwardly.
"Namikaze Minato… I'll remember you!" he said before turning and leaving with the children.
Akio was speechless. "You remembered that name… Now I'm in trouble."
The old merchant leader approached with newfound respect. "Lord Minato, may I trouble you to escort us a bit further? Once we arrive at Kumogakure, both lords will reward you handsomely!"
"Which two lords?" Akio asked cautiously, thinking, "No way… right?"
Sure enough, the old man's eyes lit up with admiration. "The legends of Kumogakure—Lord Kinkaku and Lord Ginkaku!"
Akio's lips twitched. He almost burst out laughing. "Looks like I won the lottery."
The caravan continued on. Aside from two extra stretchers, nothing else changed.
Well, something did change. The samurai and ninja in the caravan clearly respected him more—and Nakakai… became even more talkative.
"Minato-nii, you're so strong!"
"Minato-nii, where are you from?"
"Minato-nii, I have a lightning affinity too! Can you teach me Lightning Release?"
…
Akio felt like he'd met his nemesis on this trip… And this whole "Namikaze Minato" thing? Definitely coming back to bite him.
The rest of the journey went surprisingly smoothly—no more ambushes, and not even the helpers the old man had mentioned showed up. By dusk, they had successfully entered Kumogakure.
"Step one: complete," Akio sighed to himself. "Step two… might not even be needed. I might've just skipped straight to the final boss…"
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