The kidnapping of Kushina Uzumaki still occurred, but this time, the perpetrators were not Iwagakure ninja but Kumogakure shinobi. Their goal wasn’t merely to steal the tailed beast; it was, in large part, an act of revenge.
The chaos caused by the rampaging Eight-Tails couldn’t possibly go without investigation by Kumogakure. Although Orochimaru had executed his plan with meticulous stealth, Tutai of Kumogakure managed to uncover some clues through his intelligence network. Coupled with Konoha’s inexplicable troop buildup along the Fire-Lightning border during that period, all signs pointed to Konoha as the culprit behind the sabotage.
Although there was no direct evidence and the Eight-Tails, now with a new Jinchuriki, had no memory of the incident, Third Raikage A and Getsukami Kouichi were not the kind of men who needed evidence to pick a fight. If they wanted to hit someone, they would hit them.
However, Konoha was not Iwagakure. With its strength and resources, dealing with Konoha was no small task. Moreover, since Konoha had stationed troops at the Fire-Lightning border, not only did they refuse to withdraw, but they also began constructing semi-permanent fortifications, as if planning to settle there for the long haul.
Initially, Getsukami Kouichi had intended to launch a series of small-scale raids. However, to his surprise, the Konoha garrison not only had well-fortified camps but also highly disciplined defenses, complete with strategically placed sentries and traps. After several skirmishes yielded no advantage, he learned that the commander of Konoha’s forward troops was none other than the seasoned veteran, Sakumo Hatake.
This left the Third Raikage and Getsukami Kouichi in a dilemma. Kumogakure wasn’t yet prepared for an all-out war with Konoha, but leaving this grudge unsettled was equally unacceptable. While the father and son pondered their next move, Tutai, the head of Kumogakure’s Anbu, proposed an idea.
"Why don’t we take inspiration from the bold feat of the Third Kazekage, Jing Hang, who set fire to the Tsuchikage’s tower? We could organize a specialized force for a covert operation."
This suggestion immediately piqued the interest of the Third Raikage and Getsukami Kouichi.
However, Konoha was not as vulnerable as Iwagakure had been back then. During the Third Kazekage’s attack, Iwagakure’s main forces were engaged on the Earth-Lightning border, leaving the village defenseless. In contrast, Konoha still had more than half its ninja stationed in the village, maintaining a tight defense. Burning down the Hokage’s tower would not be so easy.
Tutai smiled faintly. "Of course, we can’t aim for such a grand target. Why not focus on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki instead?"
Since the death of Mito Uzumaki, the widow of Hashirama Senju, Konoha had replaced the Nine-Tails’ Jinchuriki with a young girl from the Uzumaki clan. "Capturing her shouldn’t be too difficult," Tutai suggested. "It would not only humiliate Konoha but also weaken their strength. Why not?"
The Third Raikage immediately approved the plan, ordering Tutai to select operatives and draft a strategy. Tutai acted swiftly, assembling a twenty-man special operations team led by three elite "Alphabet Squad" members.
To avoid drawing attention, the team took a circuitous route through Yugakure before infiltrating the Land of Fire. On a moonless, windy night, they successfully sneaked into Konoha and abducted the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki.
Though Kushina’sAdamantine Sealing Chains were effective against tailed beasts, they were far less useful against skilled shinobi. With her limited combat abilities, Kushina was quickly subdued by the Kumogakure ninja. Her hands were bound behind her back, and she was carried out of Konoha at high speed. However, what they failed to notice was that Kushina had secretly torn off strands of her red hair and left them behind as a trail.
As the Kumogakure ninja celebrated the success of their mission, they had no idea they had provoked a truly terrifying individual.
Kushina Uzumaki’s combat skills might have been average, but her boyfriend, Minato Namikaze, was a bona fide Kage-level powerhouse.
Due to the butterfly effect caused by a certain "time traveler," Minato’s life trajectory had undergone slight alterations. Nevertheless, his resume remained dazzling.
Graduating from the Ninja Academy at nine, promoted to Chunin at eleven, and Jonin at thirteen, Minato represented Konoha in the Second World Ninja Tournament at sixteen, winning the prestigious Golden Kunai. Handsome, skilled, mild-mannered, and meticulous, he was also a prized student of Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin. Such a figure was deeply valued by Konoha’s leadership and had become a star of the village.
Fate, however, has its way of weaving connections. Minato and Kushina had naturally ended up together, their relationship as sweet as honey.
When his "wife" went missing, Minato immediately recognized the gravity of the situation. Finding the strands of red hair left behind, he deduced that Kushina had been kidnapped by an external force.
Thanks to the butterfly effect, the Second Shinobi World War had ended prematurely, and the Third Shinobi World War had been indefinitely delayed. Although Minato had completed numerous S-rank missions, he had yet to experience a full-scale war. Yet some individuals are born with an innate sense for warfare, and Minato Namikaze was one of them.
Having completed his contract with Mount Myoboku, Minato had placed a marking on Kushina. Thus, as the Kumogakure special operations team carried Kushina to the outskirts of Konoha—
A puff of white smoke appeared.
A striking figure stood before them.
"Let go of the girl!"
Minato Namikaze pointed at them with commanding authority.
The special operations team exchanged glances.
"Is this guy an idiot? Does he really think he can take on all twenty of us?"
What they didn’t realize was that, under the cover of darkness, markings inscribed with the words Sword of Love had begun spreading rapidly, attaching themselves to each of them.
"So stubborn. Don’t blame me for what happens next," Minato said coldly, drawing a three-pronged kunai.
Minato vanished in a cloud of white smoke. What followed was a series of rapid poofs, as Minato darted like a phantom among the group. Before anyone could lock onto his movements, they felt a sharp pain at the back of their heads, followed by darkness.
"Am I dead? How did I die?"
No one knew. It was all too fast.
In the span of twenty breaths, all twenty Kumogakure shinobi, including the three sub-Kage-level Alphabet Squad leaders, lay dead. Each had been struck at the back of the head, unable to resist even a single blow.
With one final leap, Minato caught Kushina in his arms.
"Just in time," he said with a gentle smile.
"Hmm," Kushina murmured, resting her head on his shoulder, a blissful smile on her face.
Carrying Kushina, Minato leaped high into the air. Under the light of the full moon, the scene was nothing short of romantic.
"Next time, don’t pull your hair out like that. Look, you’ve got a bald patch now," Minato teased.
Discover 10 Amazing Fanfics on My !Unlock 400+ Advance Chapters and Dive into the Story Early! 👉 [/DarkGolds]