บท 111: Chapter 111: Konoha vs Kumogakure?

In Konoha, Minato Namikaze had entered the internet cafe for less than five minutes when Kakashi encountered a serious situation. The ninjas from Kumogakure attempted to kidnap a child from the Hyuga family. The child in question was none other than Hyuga Hizashi's son, Hyuga Neji.

As a member of the branch family, Neji became a target of Kumogakure at the age of two, with this incident being used as an excuse to challenge Konoha's boundaries.

However, before Kakashi could take action, Hyuga Hizashi, who was playing with Neji, directly killed all the assailants from Kumogakure.

"You!"

Kakashi's appearance made Hyuga Hizashi realize something was wrong.

"They tried to kidnap Neji, and I warned them," he explained.

Kakashi advised, "Go back quickly and leave the rest to me."

He sensed that after Hyuga Hizashi's intervention, many people had appeared around them—some from Konoha, some from Kumogakure, and others...

Kakashi knew the situation was escalating.

TT software:

Kakashi: "Hokage, the people from Kumogakure are dead."

"I'll be back soon."

Minato Namikaze returned, and what happened next was beyond his imagination.

The people from Kumogakure insisted that Konoha had bullied them and attacked their people without reason, demanding that the perpetrators be punished.

At this time, Konoha's former high-ranking officials pressured Minato Namikaze to avoid war and tried to force him to hand over Hyuga Hizashi.

Not only these officials, but also the members of other clans were watching to see what the Fourth Hokage would do.

However, Minato Namikaze was not just spending his days with his wife and children. As the Hokage, he had his own plans. The former Hokage team, led by Danzo, exerted pressure, but it didn't matter. Minato Namikaze had privately communicated with the leaders of the five main clans, including Inuzuka, Yamanaka, and Aburame. After demonstrating a bit of his power, these clans were completely reassured and pledged their loyalty to him.

The Uchiha clan was the most troublesome, but not an insurmountable problem. Minato Namikaze intended to win them over and included the current clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, in all meetings. While Sarutobi Hiruzen might have feared the Uchiha clan, Minato Namikaze did not.

As for the Hyuga clan, Minato Namikaze firmly stated, "Konoha will not hand over anyone." After that, he left.

He planned to tie the seven families to his side using their interests and then use their combined influence along with civilian ninjas to counter Danzo's faction. The Hokage was the Hokage of Konoha, not of these old men.

Faced with pressure from Kumogakure and Danzo's faction, Minato Namikaze issued a bold declaration.

"Konoha is never afraid of any provocation. The people of Kumogakure attempted to kidnap a child and harmed our villagers. This is a declaration of war against Konoha. We have decided to send troops to Kumogakure!"

While issuing the declaration, Kushina launched several tailed beast balls into the sky. The entire village, frustrated since the third Hokage's rule, felt a surge of excitement. The villagers vividly remembered the Fourth Hokage's heroic actions on the night of the Nine-Tails attack and his victory over the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village during the Third Ninja World War. This recent provocation from the Hidden Cloud Village only fueled their anger further.

Most ordinary villagers had a simple mindset: if someone bullied the village, they should fight back. The potential losses of war were concerns for later.

However, Minato Namikaze did not plan to engage in a large-scale war.

"Times have changed!"

Each of the seven families provided three ninjas, and five civilian ninjas joined as well. Including himself, there were twenty-seven members in the team. This was the force Minato Namikaze intended to lead. Their objective was clear: capture the Raikage and the Jinchūriki alive.

Despite the small number of troops, Minato Namikaze's display of firearms, his special shadow clone technique, and Kushina's tailed beast balls convinced everyone of their capability.

He named this team "Konoha's Blade" in memory of the "Blade of Miquella" who had once tormented him.

When Konoha declared war on the Hidden Cloud Village, the Hidden Rock Village issued a notice, stating that if Konoha launched a war, they would also attack Konoha. Other ninja villages expressed similar sentiments, indicating their desire to wage war against Konoha and potentially swallow it whole.

Fear spread through Konoha. Even as war loomed, there were whispers of impeaching the Fourth Hokage and reinstating the Third. However, these whispers lasted only a day. Soon, Konoha received news that the Hokage had won and that other ninja villages had acknowledged Konoha's stance.

On the outskirts of the Hidden Cloud Village:

"Listen, Raikage. You are surrounded. It's not too late to surrender now!"

"Who is it?"

The Fourth Raikage rushed out, only to see two Kushinas preparing to launch tailed beast balls.

"Namikaze Minato! Are you going to start a war?"

Minato Namikaze calmly replied, "You started the war, didn't you?"

"Do you have evidence?"

"Yes!"

"?"

The Raikage held his breath. Evidence? How was that possible? There had been no physical surveillance during Kumogakure's actions, and the ninjas could simply deny everything.

But Minato Namikaze had evidence, which worried the Raikage. His fears were confirmed when Minato Namikaze played a recording of the events in the air.

Why had Kakashi only watched? Because the TT software could record all of Kumogakure's actions. Minato Namikaze hadn't revealed this earlier because he wanted to use force to deter and find a reason to prompt other ninja villages to act.

With evidence proving Kumogakure's aggression, Konoha could proceed as they wished.

"Damn it!"

The Raikage began to gather his strength, but the sight of the two Kushinas ready to unleash tailed beast balls on the Hidden Cloud Village made him reconsider.

"Can the Eight-Tailed Jinchuriki stop this attack?" Minato Namikaze asked pointedly.

Kirabi, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and the Eight-Tails itself heard the question clearly.

Kirabi asked nervously, "Can we stop it?"

The Eight-Tails replied, "One can be stopped, but not two."

"Two? Both are real?"

Kirabi had believed one of the Kushinas was a shadow clone meant to scare them, but realizing both were real left him in a bad mood.

The Raikage's expression also darkened. He couldn't stop both attacks. One was manageable, but two, along with Minato Namikaze's interference, would devastate the Hidden Cloud Village.

But he wasn't ready to give up. He challenged Minato Namikaze.

"You and I are both leaders of our villages. Do you dare to fight me one-on-one?"

He had been defeated by Minato Namikaze before, but he believed it was due to surprise. Now, prepared for Minato's techniques, he thought he had a chance. A victory would make negotiations easier.

Yes, he was ready to admit defeat. This battle couldn't be fought. He couldn't understand how Konoha had two Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. More terrifying was the fact that both were real and not Shadow Clones.