Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

He hadn't considered killing them. He had witnessed the three men committing the crime, and based on previous events, although they had acted madly, they hadn't killed anyone. They had used some unknown drug to knock out the sleeping shop owners, without killing them or causing any damage; they had only taken some valuable medicinal herbs, at least leaving the shop owners a chance to recover... So, being kind-hearted, he couldn't bring himself to be ruthless. Besides, the boy had two companions with him for backup, and he didn't know how strong the other two were.

"Ouch...that hurts so much! You bastard, take this!"

After being thoroughly humiliated, Kudo Yusaku rubbed his back, which had just been kicked, and hissed in pain. Without answering, he swung his fist and charged forward!

This was the first time he had been thoroughly beaten by someone his own age, and he was furious. Although Kudo Yusaku was usually low-key and didn't like to show off, no one except his parents had ever beaten him like this before, and Kudo Yusaku's eyes were practically spitting fire.

However....

"Bang bang bang...!"

Three seconds later, Yusaku Kudo was blasted back again, this time with two more footprints on his chest.

"Hey, Yusaku, are you really alright?"

Mei Chuan looked at his friend with concern. To be honest, Yusaku's strength was not bad, especially his taijutsu, which was top-notch even in his generation, thanks to his powerful physical talent. He wasn't bragging when he introduced himself. If it came down to taijutsu, no one below the level of Jonin in the village could beat him.

But now he's been utterly humiliated by that blond kid from Konoha. And it's not just taijutsu; even his most proficient basic skills, like the Three Body Techniques, are completely outmatched by this Konoha brat. If his grandfather couldn't vouch for his teacher being single, he'd even suspect that this blond kid was the same person his teacher made a mistake in Konoha back in the day...

This blond-haired guy, who looked two years younger than him, was too fierce, especially his unpredictable speed. Those watching from the outside couldn't even see a trace of him. It was as if he suddenly appeared in one place and then in another. Yusaku's fist, which was as big as a sandbag, couldn't even touch the hem of the other guy's clothes. He probably didn't even know how he was kicked away.

"It's alright, but damn it, this guy's speed is just... I can't even see his shadow."

Yusaku Kudo got up and rubbed his chest, which felt stuffy from being kicked twice for no reason. It was really inexplicable; he genuinely didn't know how he was kicked. In just a moment, this blond guy appeared in front of him. It was just too outrageous.

His physical skills were genuinely good, but against this blond guy, he was utterly pathetic, unable to even last a single round. This left him feeling both frustrated and depressed...

"Why don't we attack together? You can't beat him."

Ye Cang was surprised to see her usually silly friend being so stubborn. Normally, she would let her friend continue to be stubborn, since her friend was tough and wouldn't break.

But now that their teacher is away and they are behind enemy lines, it would be troublesome if Konoha discovered their movements and came looking for them if they lingered too long.

"Damn it!.... Go up! (▼へ▼メ)"

After struggling with his conscience, Kudo Yusaku, though unwilling to admit it, realized that what his friend said was true. He really couldn't beat this blond kid who looked only a year or two older than him. He roared and swung his fist to take the lead.

"Scorching Escape - Over-Steam Kill!"

"Dark Technique!"

"You are...Sunagakure ninja? (⊙_⊙)?"

With the appearance of Yekura and Meikawa Nai'i's Scorching Release and the iron golems, Namikaze Minato finally, possibly, probably, or roughly guessed the origin of the other party, but he was not very sure. The color of this girl's Fire Release was different from that of ordinary Fire Release. He had never heard of Scorching Release before, and its power seemed to be greater than that of ordinary Fire Release, but he did not take it to heart. What surprised him and made him unsure whether the other party was a Sand Ninja was the five iron golems thrown by the boy in the wheelchair.

As we all know, and as mentioned in class, puppeteers are a specialty of Sunagakure. The puppets made by Sunagakure puppeteers are made of wood because they need to be agile and contain various mechanisms and hidden weapons. Wood is lightweight, so it can be used to equip the puppets with mechanisms and hidden weapons without affecting their agility, allowing them to perform many fancy maneuvers.

However, the boy in the wheelchair had the air of a puppet master, which was exactly what Sunagakure had trained. But the iron puppet made him hesitate. Sunagakure probably wouldn't tolerate such a rebellious puppeteer, would it?

Could it be a rogue ninja?

Minato Namikaze is a bit busy and uncertain.

At this moment, Yekura's Scorching Release and Meikawa's Iron Puppet had already arrived. Since it was a three-person team fight instead of a one-on-one duel, Kudo Yusaku, after being kicked back again, did not continue to fight. Instead, he followed the principle of mage as the main damage dealer and warrior as the main tank to prevent this blond guy from flanking them.

Theoretically speaking, even a strategist like Shinto, who was watching from a distance using Observation Haki, couldn't find fault with this tactic. The damage output of mages and puppeteers is higher than that of ordinary warriors, so protecting our fragile mages is reasonable and perfectly fine.

However, what they encountered was even more extreme than the situation with White Fang's full agility build: Minato Namikaze.

If this type of player can't drag the game out to the late stages, he can dominate the entire match. Clearly, none of the three players have the ability to drag the game out to the late stages.

Next second,

shhhhhh!

"What?!..."

"Damn! So fast..."

"Bang bang bang...!"

"K...O!"

Facing the Scorching Release and five iron golems, Minato Namikaze calmly dodged the Scorching Release. Then, facing the combined attack of the five iron golems, he didn't perform any amazing maneuvers or show off any special skills. When the five iron golems were only 0.03 centimeters away from Minato, and their poisoned swords were about to strike him, he pulled out a specially made kunai and threw it at the three of them. The three thought that this blond guy had drunk too much and was shooting kunai at them without killing them. They steadily dodged the kunai that flew over and looked a little different from ordinary kunai. The figure in front of the five iron golems' swords disappeared and reappeared in the place where they had just dodged the kunai. Before the three of them could react, they were all kicked away by each of them.

Sold out instantly!

A blatant annihilation! The entire process took less than a few seconds, and from the moment Minato Namikaze threw his kunai to blasting the three away, it was less than a second. That's how impressive the Flying Thunder God Technique is!

450. This blond guy really does look like the teacher.

"He really is the eldest son!"

Even Masato, who was watching the battle using Observation Haki, was completely taken aback by Minato Namikaze's performance. This was a real spatial long jump, without any movement trajectory. Although he had seen it many times on the computer before, seeing it on a screen and seeing it in person are two completely different experiences. What you see on a screen is a filtered slow-motion shot, while seeing it in person is a completely different experience.

fast!

Unparalleled speed!

If we were to point out a weakness in this incredibly powerful ninjutsu, it would be that it relies on hand seals as a medium, like the specially made Flying Thunder God kunai he just threw out, or the hand seals he casually draws later. Finally, there's the issue of chakra.

The more powerful a ninjutsu is, the more chakra it consumes. While a bug-level ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God Technique is incredibly powerful, it certainly consumes a lot of chakra. The reason why the Senju clan was able to drive the two great kings, Gold and Silver Horn, crazy was because he was born into the Senju clan. Although he didn't awaken Wood Release, his chakra reserves were top-notch. Without a massive amount of chakra, he wouldn't be called the "Water God."

Minato Namikaze doesn't have any special genes, and his chakra reserves are just average, maybe a tiny bit more than the Hatake clan. Using such a chakra-consuming technique would probably leave him exhausted after a few uses. Moreover, Minato hasn't even developed the Rasengan yet. He only has incredible speed but no matching attack methods. Right now, he's just a slightly stronger elite Jonin, not even a Quasi-Kage yet. However, being a thirteen or fourteen-year-old elite Jonin was a record-breaking achievement since detailed data became available, before the legendary "White Fang" Wu Wu Kai debuted and before his son Itachi Uchiha was even a mystery.

The future Wu Wukai, a twelve-year-old Jonin, will be about the same level. His strength will definitely not be as good as Minato Namikaze's at the same age. After all, Minato Namikaze was the protagonist at the same time, while Wu Wukai was a supporting character from beginning to end. Although he had more screen time, the pay was different...

As for Itachi Uchiha, who awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan at the age of twelve and was undoubtedly a Kage-level fighter, that was because fate favored his youngest son, giving him a special advantage by being born into the Uchiha clan...

It was within his expectations that the three students would be instantly defeated by Minato Namikaze in one round. After all, the difference in level between the two sides was too obvious. Among the three, even Umekawa Nai-i was only a barely special jonin. It was wishful thinking for him to lead two chunin and a barely chunin to face the protagonist of the next battle.

Although his disciple was brutally beaten, Kudo Yusaku's increasingly courageous and persistent fighting spirit pleased him greatly. Especially seeing the fierce fire burning in Kudo Yusaku's eyes, he knew his goal had been achieved. Nothing changes a person faster than defeat or being thoroughly beaten; if anything does, it's because the beating wasn't enough! ヾ(^Д^*)/

As long as this burning fire stays in my heart, who knows, I might even be able to unleash all eight gates...

"Hello! Isn't this Konoha's little genius, Minato? Are you... collecting tolls?"

Seeing Minato Namikaze pull out what appeared to be Seastone handcuffs and walk towards his three disciples, Shinto had no choice but to step in. If his three disciples were really taken to Konoha, all their secrets would be exposed by the Yamanaka clan. If their identities as disciples were revealed, he would lose face big time. "I, Shiki, am so powerful, yet my three disciples couldn't even defeat a disciple of Jiraiya. If word got out, I'd be laughed to death."

"Lord Golden Lion?"

Unlike the scoundrels of Konoha, Minato Namikaze glanced at the suddenly appearing Shinto with surprise and greeted him politely. After all, Shinto was Sakumo-sama's lifelong rival, so calling him "Sakumo-sama" wasn't unreasonable...

"Haha, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you while I was just out for a stroll. What are you doing here...? Huh? Isn't this Meichuan-kun? Why aren't you at home with your grandfather for his final moments? And what are you doing here? Fighting with Konoha's little genius? In this peaceful era, we should all be loving family and stop fighting all the time. It's not good...!"

While speaking, Shindou kept his three disciples silent, giving them meaningful glances to keep their relationship from being exposed.

"(⊙_⊙)?...This...we...we came to hunt down a rogue ninja. That guy disappeared after coming to the Land of Fire. Because he was seriously injured, we thought he was hiding in a medicine shop, or that he might be selling ninja tools to pay for his treatment...but you...you just happened to run into us and insist that we robbed some medicine shop or ninja tool shop..."

The three of them watched as their teacher winked and flirted wildly at them, looking completely bewildered. They wondered what the teacher was up to now. "You're the one who sent us to play jungle, and now you're acting like we don't know each other. Is it so shameful that we got beaten up by this guy who looks like your son?" (▼へ▼メ)

Fortunately, Yusaku Kudo was quick-witted and quickly came up with an excuse that even he himself didn't believe. But in this situation, as long as he wasn't embarrassed, it was others who would be embarrassed.

But looking at the teacher's blond hair, and then at this blond guy the teacher called Minato-kun, they actually look quite similar, even the color is exactly the same. No wonder he's so fierce...

"Is that so! I thought you guys came here specifically to fight Konoha's genius, Minato! Alright, alright, leave that guy to me, you guys can go back now... Minato, I think this is a misunderstanding. After all, I'm more familiar with old man Umekawa, so why don't you give me face and let them leave? You heard it yourself, they had no choice but to risk their lives to enter enemy territory for the sake of the village, venturing into the lion's den. This kind of great dedication is very rare these days... You don't want the ninja world to lose a few more dedicated ninjas, do you?"

Shinto raised an eyebrow at Yusaku Kudo with appreciation. It didn't matter if the excuse was bad or not, as long as there was an excuse, that was enough. Then he turned around and patted Minato Namikaze on the shoulder.

"-_-||....In that case, I won't keep you any longer. May I ask what brings Lord Golden Lion to our Land of Fire?"

Minato Namikaze felt a tightness in his chest from the impact and almost spat out a mouthful of blood. "You're here, old man. If they want to leave, I can't stop them!"

He had thought that the gap between him and this legendary ninja should have narrowed a bit, and that with a few more years of development, he would be able to avenge Kushina and cut down this golden lion. But those few blows just now brought him back to reality. The golden lion was not only tough, but its strength was also monstrous. Just those few slaps made his shoulder feel like it had been hit by a giant monster, and his entire arm was dislocated.

I'll need to develop for a few more years before I can get my revenge...

451. This guy's a veteran.

"Actually, it's nothing major. Recently, I've been observing the stars at night and noticed that Sirius is dim and the Purple Star is shifting eastward, while the Emperor Star is suddenly appearing in the direction of Konoha. I did some calculations and realized that the protagonist of this era is about to be born, so I came out to look for him. I didn't expect to run into you as soon as I got here. We're really destined to meet! Hmm? I must say, I noticed that your complexion is rosy, and you have a purple tinge on your forehead. There's a purple aura hidden in your crown that you can't seem to burst out. Logically, you should be the protagonist of this era, but you're still missing a bit of luck. White Fang and I were protagonists of the last era. Look, we were already racking up top-tier stats at twelve or thirteen years old, while you've only just debuted and haven't even won the Best Rookie Award yet. Let me do the calculations for you... Hmm, your opportunity should be in the west, which is... Hey! What a coincidence, isn't that our Sunagakure territory? How about it, young man, come to our Sunagakure! Come to our Sunagakure and I guarantee you'll be able to fly! ヾ(^Д^*)/"

After Masato rambled on and on with his fingers, he acted like a charlatan and said something to Minato Namikaze.

Every time he tries to poach someone, White Fang appears, preventing him from having a proper chatter session. This place is so far from Konoha, and without White Fang around, he can still con people properly.

"This is allowed??? Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Mei Chuan and her two companions stared dumbfounded at their teacher from afar. All that pretentious rambling and incomprehensible nonsense was just to poach talent? Σ(⊙▽⊙a

Then, looking more closely at the two golden retrievers, one big and one small, it seemed like they weren't trying to poach his son but were actually trying to get him to come home... which made sense, huh...

"Haha, Lord Golden Lion is quite the joker...-_-||"

"Shh!"

"Damn it! It's you again, White Fang...! (▼へ▼メ)"

"bite...!"

Just as Minato Namikaze was awkwardly laughing and didn't know what to say, a familiar, blinding white light flashed by and rushed towards Masato. Upon seeing the white light, Masato knew without a second thought who it was. He muttered something, then without thinking, he drew his greatsword, turned around, and slashed, forcing the figure back.

"Siggoo! Is that White Fang? He's so handsome! Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Yusaku Kudo rubbed his still-dazed eyes and saw the figure approaching. His breathing became rapid, and he exclaimed in surprise.

"Uh-huh..."

Umekawa and Yekura nodded, their eyes fixed on White Fang, who was striking a cool pose with a short blade in hand. They were sticking to their principles, not their own; although Shinto was their teacher, they still thought White Fang was cooler than him...

Sakumo Hatake of Konoha, a man who, like their teacher, was written into their textbooks. In short, wherever their teacher was in the textbooks, Sakumo Hatake was sure to be there too. The textbooks almost portrayed the two as childhood sweethearts, inseparable. However, there wasn't even an illustration in the textbooks. This was the first time they had seen this man who had stood shoulder to shoulder with their teacher for decades, sharing a love-hate relationship.

One word: Awesome! Two words: Cool!

He's way more handsome than those teachers who don't care about grooming and haven't shaved their beards even once a week!

Look at that cool backbend move with a white blade in hand! Even if their teacher could do it, he couldn't pull it off with such a cool vibe!

"Will they... start fighting?"

Ye Cang stared intently, her eyes filled with anticipation. The books described their teacher fighting Konoha's White Fang countless times, but they'd never witnessed it firsthand. If they could see these two legendary ninjas clash this time, their lives would be complete...

"It's hard to say. Let's keep our distance. This level of fighting could easily get us caught in the crossfire."

Mei Chuan Neiyi, quite experienced, told his friends that he still vividly remembered the consequences of the standoff between his teacher and Bai Ya in the village when he had just graduated. That had chopped up half of the entire village.

"White Fang, what are you doing here instead of being a stay-at-home dad? You come in and start touching me like that. You're a father now, can't you be more mature? ヽ(ー_ー)ノ"

Shinto, carrying the pure gold greatsword now known as the Uchiha Greatsword, rolled his eyes in annoyance. He wondered if this guy was like Cao Cao, always showing up...

"...It seems like I should be asking you what you're doing here instead of in Sunagakure...ヾ(-_-)ゞ"

Hatake Sakumo remained expressionless. If he could, he really wanted to kill this bastard. He came to Konoha's territory trying to poach our Konoha genius, and then he even asked me what I was doing here... (▼he▼メ)

"Tch! Who said I came here? I was just out for a stroll, passing through your Land of Fire, and happened to run into Minato-kun for a chat. Don't be like Hiruzen Sarutobi, always jumping to conspiracy theories..."