Before the Third Raikage could arrive, a slightly corpulent figure frantically rushed over, verbally tearing into Ay as if his defenses were broken. "Idiot! Moron! How could you let go? That Minato Namikaze was clearly running out of chakra, or he wouldn't have just stood there watching!"
Ay glanced at Katz but said nothing.
Of course, he knew Minato Namikaze's chakra reserves were likely running low, but he wasn't going to bet his life on a vague possibility.
Moreover, the sheer composure Setsuna Chiaki displayed gave him a premonition that the opponent might have had other cards to play. Forcing that monster to stay might not have been a good idea.
Katz continued his powerless rant: "I sacrificed all my followers to Jashin-sama just to set up that Blood Mist Formation, and you still let that Minato Namikaze escape! That guy knows the Flying Thunder God Technique! I'll never sleep soundly again!"
The more Katz thought about it, the more terrified and regretful he became, continually cursing: "Useless! All of you are useless! How could I have ever trusted you good-for-nothing—"
Before he could finish, Ay's large, fan-like hand came down in a slap that instantly rotated Katz's head 360 degrees.
"Fool!" Ay looked coldly at Katz's corpse. He couldn't deal with that Setsuna Chiaki, but he could certainly kill you.
Katz's eyes were still filled with disbelief. The strong life force of a Jashin follower made him mutter in defiance, "I'm the client! There's supposed to be honor even among villains, right?"
Soon, Katz's eyes completely faded. Ay was still annoyed.
If this bastard hadn't approached them, they wouldn't have suffered such massive losses today.
As for reflecting on his own mistakes? He wasn't one for that kind of mental self-criticism.
A nearby Hidden Cloud ninja hesitantly asked, "Lord Ay, shouldn't we have interrogated him first for the location of the Thunder God Sword?"
"I forgot," Ay slapped his forehead. The Second Hokage's prized sword was the payment Katz had offered.
The surrounding Cloud ninja comforted him, "I heard the Thunder God Sword was already recovered by Konoha. Maybe that Katz was just lying to us?"
Ay shook his head. "If he hadn't confirmed the authenticity of the Thunder God Sword, how could the Old Man have agreed to his contract? As for the Thunder God Sword that Konoha has, it was probably a counterfeit tool they fabricated back then to stabilize morale. It's likely not even as powerful as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist's Lightning Blade Kiba."
Afterward, Ay added, "Forget it. In the end, it's just a powerful tool. You still have to rely on your own strength."
A fierce competitive spirit ignited in Ay's eyes. He had never considered before that pure physical strength, without relying on chakra, could be so formidable.
This sparked a strong desire within him: He had to become stronger and elevate his own physique to Setsuna's level.
On the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water, the figures of Setsuna and Minato flashed into existence.
Minato looked around and gave a relieved laugh. "It's a good thing you scared off the Raikage's son. Otherwise, my remaining chakra might not have been enough to use the Flying Thunder God Technique on both of you."
"Yes, we're certainly fortunate," Setsuna smiled slightly, though he didn't mention who that fortune really belonged to.
If the Raikage had truly arrived with a large force, he might have had no choice but to fly up and unleash his Ki Blast.
Of course, it was best not to use it. He didn't want to attract the attention of the Sage of Six Paths due to power so vastly different from chakra.
Though he might be battling with air, it was always better to be safe than sorry.
With the heavy weight lifted from his mind, Minato genuinely expressed his gratitude: "Setsuna, thank you so much for this. Without you, I truly don't know how I would have gotten away."
Setsuna shook his head. "If you hadn't taken the blame for killing those three Cloud ninja, they might not have targeted you this intensely."
Minato smiled. "Even without you, Setsuna, I would have taken them out."
"Well, constantly arguing about it makes things awkward," Setsuna laughed. "Let's focus on finding Master Hizashi and Kakashi's group first."
At the same time, beneath a residential building in Yugakure (The Hidden Hot Water Village).
A naked body crawled out of the blood pool, its eyes filled with hatred. The tightly clenched fists had even torn his palms. "Those damned Cloud brutes! How dare they humiliate me like this! I will never forgive them!"
He raged futilely for a while before finally calming down. "The plan didn't go exactly as I intended, but it wasn't a failure. At least the hatred between the Hidden Cloud and Konoha has deepened. Especially the Hidden Cloud; they never reflect on themselves, so they'll surely pin all the blame on the Konoha ninja."
"As long as the two countries go to war, making the Lands of Hot Water and Frost their battlegrounds—a meat grinder—I can seize the opportunity to sacrifice all the war dead to Jashin-sama! That way, I might finally gain the immortal body of eternal life!"
Thinking of the Jashin Cult's legend, Katz's eyes burned with intense fervor. Nothing was more tempting than eternal life.
He walked out of the blood pool, but after only a few steps, his nose fell off his face. This made him frown. "This body hasn't been perfected yet and won't last long. Damn it, it's all the fault of that Cloud piece of trash! I need to perform a blood sacrifice immediately and beg Jashin-sama for grace so I can gain stronger life force."
Thinking this, Katz sighed softly. "I'll have to activate it early then. Let my hometown make the ultimate contribution for me."
Inside an izakaya (pub) in Yugakure.
Facing Hizashi, who was sitting as still as an old monk, Obito couldn't sit still anymore. "Master Hizashi, shouldn't we be figuring out a way to rescue Big Brother Setsuna and Master Minato?"
"I've already used a summoning scroll to alert the village. All we need to do now is wait. That way, once Setsuna rescues Minato, we can all meet up as quickly as possible," Hizashi said with a calm, practiced composure.
"But..."
"No buts. You going there will only complicate things for them, and the same goes for me," Hizashi had a clear understanding of his own limits. If he went to rescue them, he'd likely end up needing rescue himself.
Just then, the sounds of chaos and screaming suddenly erupted outside.
"Ah! Help!"
"Why are you doing this? I don't even know you!"
Hearing the sounds of fighting, the group stepped outside curiously and found that the previously peaceful Yugakure had suddenly turned into a scene of carnage. Ninja and samurai were killing people everywhere.
"What is going on?" Shizune was shocked by the scene. These people were attacking defenseless civilians.
"Are they bandits?"
"No," Hizashi's expression was grave. "Yugakure's defense forces are clearly no match for the opposing side. Those people are hired rogue samurai and ninja."
"Stop talking about this! Let's go save people!" Obito shouted and immediately charged forward.
"Wait—" Hizashi was about to stop him, but he saw the other young ninja had rushed out as well.
Hizashi sighed inwardly. He was a ninja, not a swashbuckling hero who helps the weak, and he really didn't want to get involved in this. But since these young kids clearly didn't think that way, he had no choice but to step in himself.