"Twenty minutes—"
Hatake Sakumo inwardly clicked his tongue.
To rush from Konoha to the front lines and simultaneously escort our group to safety... no wonder the Third Hokage entrusted such a genius with this mission.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique, as long as he wasn't ambushed or burdened, his life was practically unthreatened.
Having such a mobile support unit was undoubtedly good news for the front lines, where the situation could change in an instant.
But this also meant that the village had only just received the distress call. The reinforcements wouldn't arrive at the front lines for at least several hours.
Given the current disparity in numbers between our forces and the enemy's, whether we continued with small-scale skirmishes or engaged in a full-blown battle, the outcome would be the same.
"The current situation is dire. I doubt we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. We'll have to request aid from other camps first. But if I'm not mistaken, Sunagakure won't limit its attack to this single direction. The pressure on River Country must be just as severe as ours."
Hatake Sakumo frowned deeply.
"Don't we have any spies in Sunagakure? Why hasn't any information about this massive operation reached us?"
Minato was puzzled.
Hatake Sakumo shook his head. "We did receive intelligence about Sunagakure's army massing at the border, but their supply lines are still en route, and Amegakure is obstructing them. No one expected them to launch a full-scale assault at this time."
Minato pondered for a moment. "I can't evacuate many people, but I could bring a few elite fighters. Should I make a run for it?"
"No."
Hatake Sakumo fell silent, then slowly shook his head. "The enemy is too numerous. This isn't like our previous skirmishes; it's an entire ninja army. In such circumstances, one or two elite fighters wouldn't make much of a difference."
"With Amegakure's interference, Sunagakure still managed to break through here. I fear fighting has already erupted in River Country. The front lines there are long and the territory vast and sparsely populated, so while they have many troops stationed, they likely lack the resources to support us."
He paused, his gaze gradually hardening.
"Hmm..."
"I plan to launch a decapitation strike!"
He looked at Minato, a hint of testing in his eyes. "But this will require your assistance. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, even if the operation fails, we can at least create some chaos."
"That's possible, but who's our target? The Third Kazekage?" Minato asked.
"No, the Third Kazekage isn't currently on the front lines. The overall commander at the front lines of the Land of Rain battlefield is Ebizo, a high-ranking advisor of Sunagakure. When the reconnaissance team received the invasion report, he was busy restraining Hanzō."
"The person leading the attack against us is likely the leader of the group that just surrounded us. His name is Haku, one of Sunagakure's top Puppet Masters."
"The leader?"
Remembering the Sunagakure ninja he had casually eliminated earlier, Minato fell into thought. "Do you have a picture?"
Hearing this, Hatake Sakumo led Minato into the tent serving as the temporary command post and ordered someone to retrieve Haku's portrait.
The appearances of high-ranking officials from various nations were hardly secrets, especially during wartime. Anyone of note would be listed on the black market.
Looking at the portrait, Minato's expression grew complex. "This man—he attacked me when I was retrieving my kunai. I killed him."
"???"
Hatake Sakumo froze for two seconds. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"My memory is still quite exceptional, and I only killed him."
Minato nodded. With the vast Yin Release power granted by his Mangekyō, his memory was so exceptional that it could be considered photographic.
"How did you kill him?"
Seeing Minato nod, Hatake Sakumo was stunned.
"I just... teleported over and killed him."
Minato was also a bit speechless. He found it difficult to describe his combat style in detail.
Flash over, slash him, or throw a pill.
What's there to say?
It was precisely this nonsensical fighting style that made it impossible for him to judge the enemy's strength.
Whether they were Jonin or Genin, the outcome and process were the same to him.
He just hadn't expected that the Sunagakure ninja he'd casually eliminated would turn out to be a high-ranking combatant.
Hatake Sakumo fell silent for a few seconds before suddenly laughing. He looked at Minato, his voice filled with disbelief and a hint of exasperation: "If this gets out, Sunagakure's face will be utterly ruined."
"Just good luck," Minato said with a shy smile, maintaining his usual modesty. "They probably let their guard down because I look young."
"There's no such thing as luck on the battlefield. You don't need to be modest. If I were in Haku's position, I wouldn't have held back at all."
Hatake Sakumo shook his head, his smile fading as he turned his gaze to the map on the table.
"With Haku dead, Sunagakure's front-line command system will experience a brief period of chaos. But it won't last long."
"Sunagakure's attack is coming from three directions. The team led by Haku is advancing head-on, systematically encircling our camp by picking off isolated squads. They've clearly calculated that we won't abandon our front-line positions."
"Even though Haku is dead, the plan was likely set in stone long ago. It won't change easily unless the leaders of the other two directions are also taken out."
"Nomaru, how far away is the closest enemy unit?" Hatake Sakumo asked, turning to the Yamanaka Clan member responsible for sensory detection.
The man, wearing a device on his head to enhance his senses, replied solemnly, "Twenty-five kilometers to the north!"
For a ninja, this distance was practically point-blank.
Hatake Sakumo looked at Minato. "How quickly can you get us there?"
Minato placed a hand on Hatake Sakumo's arm. "Right now."
Before the words had even faded, the two figures vanished from the tent in an instant.
In the next moment, they stood atop a barren mountain peak under a sky of endless, sunless rain.
"On the way here, I specifically sent a clone to mark the area. It's about eight kilometers from where Senior Yamanaka sensed the enemy."
Minato spoke calmly, as if he had merely performed a trivial task. "But I'm a Sensory Ninja myself, so don't worry, Senior."
Hearing this, Hatake Sakumo gave Minato a deep look.
As a fellow villager, he had naturally heard of Namikaze Minato.
Wood Release, Flying Thunder God Technique.
Combined with his composed demeanor and meticulous foresight—
This child's future was so bright it could blind him!
With this thought, he secretly resolved that even if he died, Minato must remain unharmed.
While the Flying Thunder God Technique offered unparalleled mobility, the enemy included puppet masters skilled in poisons.
Though he had considered using Minato's technique to relieve the front-line camp, he wouldn't exaggerate if he said that the lives of everyone at the front lines combined weren't as valuable as Minato's!
"Let's go."
Without another word, Hatake Sakumo moved with the silent grace of a leopard, vanishing into the shadows toward the enemy position.
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