Naruto: I have an attribute panel

Chapter 498 The Shock from Minato

The Land of Water, the Hidden Mist Village.

Two Mist Ninja stood guard on either side of the entrance to a rest room, completely ignoring the noise and commotion outside. Their eyes were fixed on Matsushita Taichi inside, and they dared not relax for a moment.

Inside, Taiyi was leisurely sipping tea, completely ignoring the gazes directed at him from the doorway.

Given the calamity that Kirigakure suffered, and his coincident appearance here, it's no wonder the other party is suspicious.

Of course, none of these are the reasons why Taiyi can stay here obediently.

He can stay here simply because, even without going out, he can have a clear view of most of Kirigakure.

Of course, he wouldn't admit that he had tricked and killed Yagura Karatachi, ruining Akatsuki's plot. He was in a great mood at the moment and didn't care much about these things.

Just as Taiyi finished his third cup of tea and was about to call for the fourth, he sensed that the Hidden Mist's master had finally finished dealing with everything and was walking towards them with a female ninja.

Taiyi quickly withdrew his senses and even straightened his posture, his serious demeanor showing respect to Wuyin.

Not long after, footsteps and greetings from two guards came from the doorway. The next moment, Elder Yuan Shi appeared at the door.

Taiyi stood up as a sign of respect for the elder, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two got straight to the point.

"Matsushita Taichi, as you've seen, this is the current situation in Kirigakure. What brings you here? Please keep it brief."

"Elder Yuan, I've come here today regarding the Akatsuki organization."

Tai smiled slightly, speaking softly, but to Yuan Shi and the others it sounded like thunder.

However, Master Yuan was a cunning old fox after all. He was shocked inside, but he remained calm on the surface.

Meanwhile, Terumi Mei, being young and lacking in cunning, maintained a calm demeanor on her face, but her muscles tensed unconsciously.

Taiyi's gaze was instantly drawn to her: reddish-brown hair, fair skin, and pale pink lips. Apart from not yet possessing the allure she would later become, everything else matched perfectly.

"This little girl looks very kind!"

"Hmph, who's friendly to you? Watch out or I'll melt you down."

Taiyi smiled and did not refute. That's right, the one who could say such a thing must be the future Fifth Mizukage—Mei Terumi. I didn't expect her to be following behind Genji at this time. She is truly being carefully cultivated.

Seeing Taiichi's smug smile, Mei Terumi felt inexplicably irritated. Thinking of the miserable state of her village, she saw him as a jinx. If she weren't outmatched, she would have attacked him immediately.

Genji sensed the fluctuation in Terumi Mei's emotions. Although he didn't know the reason, he still reached out and gently patted her before looking at her again.

Xiang Taiyi's expression also became serious.

"Please elaborate, Your Excellency Taiyi."

Taiichi didn't keep them in suspense and said very frankly, "Our Konoha has received reliable intelligence that the Akatsuki organization, which disappeared for two years, has become active again in the ninja world, and this time, they seem to be planning something big—"

"Cough cough cough————"

Genji bent over and coughed violently, which startled Terumi Mei, who kept patting his back.

After a long while, with the help of Terumi Mei, Genji finally calmed down.

When he straightened up again, Taiyi saw that Yuanshi's eyes were full of tears, whether from coughing or some other reason, he didn't know.

"Lord Taiyi, please continue!" Master Yuan's voice trembled.

"The Akatsuki is a notorious terrorist organization in the ninja world. In response to this operation, Konoha will share some information about the Akatsuki. We also hope that all villages will work together to eradicate this organization in future operations against the Akatsuki."

As Taiyi spoke, Yuan Shi felt his heart bleeding. If Wuyin had known this information earlier, would today's calamity have been avoided? Unfortunately—there are no "ifs."

"Lord Taiyi, to be honest, the calamity that Kirigakure is facing today was caused by the Akatsuki organization."

"Oh!" Taichi asked, feigning surprise, "Could it be that the one who used genjutsu to control the Fourth Mizukage was a member of Akatsuki?"

The master nodded heavily, and then recounted some information that Yagura had revealed before his death.

"Lord Taiichi, this can be considered Kirigakure's sincerity. However, we hope that our village will be informed of any new information regarding Akatsuki in the future. Akatsuki should not exist."

Tai nodded in understanding. Even though he already knew this information, it did not prevent him from affirming Yuan Shi's performance.

Kirigakure is probably the ninja village that most wants Akatsuki to be destroyed, second only to Konoha.

"Elder Yuan, there is one thing I need to remind you of again: the Akatsuki's intelligence capabilities are extremely strong, and the Three-Tails and Six-Tails that your village possesses are their targets. Please be sure to take their protection seriously."

"Don't worry, Kirigakure won't make the same mistake again."

Seeing Yuan Shi's solemn expression, Taiyi could only offer his blessings, hoping that they could truly protect the two tailed beasts.

Next, the two sides negotiated some details, including the transmission of intelligence and assistance in special circumstances.

Taiichi didn't leave Kirigakure until that evening.

The journey back to Konoha was simple. With familiar coordinates, Taiyi flew all the way to the Thunder God Temple and returned to Konoha the next morning, including his rest time.

The Hokage's office.

There were only Minato and Taichi.

Taiichi then let loose, leaning against the desk and reporting all his experiences to Minato.

"So, you've really managed to kill the Fourth Mizukage through your scheme!"

"That's right. I noticed something was off about him during the last crisis with the demons, but unfortunately I didn't have the chance. This time, I happened to be caught in their internal strife, so I did something sneaky. I didn't expect he really had something going on."

Taiyi no longer concealed his smugness; his face was full of pride. Today, he had both weakened Kirigakure and thwarted Akatsuki's plot, achieving two goals at once.

Minato crossed his arms, resting his chin on them, and looked deep in thought.

"The Akatsuki organization is not to be underestimated. Just when we think we understand them, they always manage to surprise us again. This time, the Kirigakure incident was a case in point."

Taiichi, however, was unconcerned about Minato's concerns.

He has fought against all the current members of the Akatsuki organization.

Whether it's Nagato's Rinnegan or Obito's Mangekyou Sharingan, he has the determination to win.

The only thing giving him a headache right now is that these guys are too slippery, giving him no chance to fight them head-on.

Most importantly, the key to their plan is that it's not currently inside Naruto's body like it was in the original story.

The Akatsuki's attempt to seize the Nine-Tails is utterly delusional.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing you don't know!"

Minato patted his head, and a smile returned to his face.

"Just before you returned, our intelligence agents actually discovered traces of Akatsuki members, and they really started their operation."

Taiyi's eyes lit up; he was now truly interested.

He never expected that the excuse he gave to deal with the accusations from the four great ninja villages would become the truth.

"Where were they found? Are they still around?"

"In the Land of Hot Water, the other side was very cautious and is no longer here."

Taiyi's eyes visibly dimmed; he really wanted to capture someone alive, hoping to find out the location of their headquarters through interrogation.

"However, judging from the direction they're heading, it seems they're heading towards the Land of Lightning?"

Minato then revealed another piece of information, before looking at Taiichi with a broad smile.

"oh!"

Tai's eyes lit up again, but he quickly realized what was happening.

"You bastard, you're just making fun of me!"

Taiichi looked at Minato with ill intent, his fists clenched so tightly they made a "crackling" sound.

"Let's go outside and practice. It's been a long time since we've sparred."

"Haha, no problem, I'd be happy to. But let's talk about that after we finish our discussion." Minato's eyes also lit up with fighting spirit. He hadn't fought to his full potential in a long time, and his body was a little sore.

Taiichi looked at Minato and nodded, but his thoughts returned to the information Minato had just given him.

"Do you think the Akatsuki are preparing to capture the Tailed Beasts?"

"Oh, why do you say that?" Minato looked interested; this was a thought he hadn't considered before.

"Don't you think the timing is too coincidental?" Taiichi asked excitedly. "The Hidden Mist Village was just exposed, and soon after, they took action here."

"They must have known they had been exposed and that a lot of their intelligence had been leaked, which is why they had to arrest the villagers before they could prepare for defense."

Act quickly.

"You're saying that's the Fourth Mizukage? They even controlled him with genjutsu. With that kind of power, how could those Jinchuriki possibly withstand it?"

Minato nodded in agreement, as this coincided with his own thoughts.

"So, what do you think our next step should be?"

Taiyi grinned mischievously and held up two fingers.

"Two options. First, we will immediately send ninja hawks to inform the other three major ninja villages of our speculations and the encounter with Kirigakure, so that they can be on high alert."

Secondly, if we delay sending the intelligence for a couple of days, the Akatsuki might be able to inflict mutual damage on them, which would be good for the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Minato looked at Taiichi's two raised fingers and was also making plans in his mind.

The four great ninja villages and Konoha don't have a good relationship. During the three Shinobi World Wars, which of them didn't have the blood of Konoha ninjas on their hands?

Even now, battles still occasionally occur on the border.

Thinking of all this, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in Minato's eyes.

"Taiichi, let's choose the first option. Our enemies are not just the Akatsuki. The more power the ninja world preserves, the better our chances of defeating a real enemy in the future."

Taiichi looked into Minato's eyes and saw only unwavering determination within them.

"Okay, whatever you say!"

Taiichi didn't say much, besides, this was more like the Minato he knew.

After finishing their business, Minato tidied up his desk, and the two walked out one after the other.

Throughout the entire process, neither side mentioned a faster method of communication.

Even the fastest ninja hawk takes two days to fly from Konoha to Kumogakure, if all goes well.

Consider these two days as a test from heaven. If they can't even get through these two days, then it just means they deserve their bad luck.

This was also the last act of defiance by Minato and Taichi as Konoha ninjas.

The great forest behind Hokage Rock.

Minato and Taichi arrived at this place, which was vast and sparsely populated. It was the only place in Konoha suitable for Minato and Taichi to spar.

The two stood facing each other twenty meters apart, both with excited expressions on their faces, clearly anticipating the battle to come.

We can't wait.

A white cloud drifted across the sky, blocking out the sunlight and plunging the entire area into darkness.

At that very moment, Minato and Taiichi simultaneously activated their teleportation abilities, covering the twenty-meter distance in the blink of an eye.

"Bang bang bang".

The sounds of fists and feet clashing rang out continuously. The two men's moves were precise and rapid, each strike aimed at the other's vital points, yet each move was parried by the other.

In just a few breaths, the two sides had already clashed hundreds of times.

"boom!"

A gust of air flashed by, and the fists of both sides collided violently, causing them to stagger backward.

However, Tai only retreated seven or eight steps before stopping, while Minato retreated twenty steps before finally coming to a stop.

"Good lad, your physical abilities have become so strong, you're practically inhuman."

"Haha, Minato, you're not bad either. You haven't slacked off in your Sage Mode training, and your physical fitness has improved a lot."

The two exchanged a few compliments, and the warm-up was over; the real battle had just begun.

Minato drew his "Sword of Endurance and Love" with his right hand, and Taiichi also made a grabbing motion in the air, condensing a chakra blade into shape.

The two clashed again, weapons in hand. Before they could even get close, Taiichi threw out a vacuum blade from each side, like scissors, aiming to sever Minato.

Just as the vacuum blade was about to strike, Minato's figure suddenly vanished, and the Flying Thunder God Technique appeared behind Taiichi. At the same time, a Rasengan had already condensed on his left hand.

At the critical moment, Taiichi's figure also disappeared, and the next instant he appeared above Minato's head, his light blade already poised to strike, and he slashed down fiercely at Minato.

With a loud "boom".

Taiyi's sword struck the ground, creating a large crater.

Unfortunately, there was no trace of the water gate in the pit.

Taiichi looked to his left and saw Minato covering his face with one hand, shielding himself from the flying dirt and grass clippings.

Indeed, fighting someone who can fly with the Thunder God technique is a very annoying thing.

You don't realize it when you're using it normally, but it's really disgusting when you're actually fighting. You can't hit anything, and you can't run away.

"Taiyi, your Flying Thunder God and mine have developed into two completely different paths."

"That's right. Our fighting styles are different. I don't have your reflexes, so I naturally need to leave myself more room for error."

"Indeed, if we keep fighting like this, it will never end." Minato shook his robes, his gaze towards Taichi gradually hardening. "Next, I'm going to use a new technique, so you'd better be careful."

After saying that, Minato took a step forward, and his body suddenly glowed with a golden light.

Taiyi's eyes widened suddenly, filled with disbelief.

Holy crap, what am I seeing? Is this some kind of Nine-Tails mode?

Taiyi instantly retreated, creating a safe distance before carefully observing the situation again.

Thank goodness, it's not Kurama Mode, it's just the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode at most.

That makes sense. Given Minato's approachability and Kurama's current state, achieving this pattern is quite reasonable.